League of Legends can be an overwhelming game to new and season players alike. To help you with understanding the extensive terminology, we have created this glossary which looks at the most commonly used phrases and abbreviations during a game of League. This way, you can walk the walk while talking the talk!
AD Carry: Also called Marksman. A champion that produces high amounts of physical damage called Attack Damage*. Most often found in the bot lane together with a Support champion to protect them.
AD: Attack Damage: Physical damage you can deal to an enemy.
AP: Ability Power: Magical damage you can deal to an enemy
ARAM: All Random, All Mid. An extra game mode where the map is reduced to one straight lane and champions are selected randomly for each player.
AS: Attack Speed: Stat that is most often seen in AD champions.
Backdoor or xPeke: When a player sneaks behind the enemy team and destroys their Nexus* before the opponent can return and kill him.
Ban: To ban a champion for the upcoming game in champion select*. 3 bans are available to each team.
Baron steal: When one team is damaging Baron and the other team swoops in to steal the kill by last hitting the creature or smiting* it.
Blue Buff: The jungle camp that grants a blue buff when killed, increasing mana regeneration, cooldown reduction and ability power.
Canon minion: minion that spawns once in every three minion waves and is stronger than the normal minions.
CD: Cooldown: When a spell can’t be used for a certain time.
CDR: Cooldown Reduction. Stat that reduces the cooldown of spells.
Champion select: When joining a game this is where players select the champion they want to play and strategize with their team.
CS: Creep Score: The amount of lane minions or Jungle monsters killed by last hitting* them.
DC: Disconnect. When a player unintentionally leaves the game because of computer or internet related problems.
Disengage: To back off from a fight that does not seem to go in your favor.
Dive: To go for a kill under the enemy turret*, at the risk of taking a lot of damage from the turret.
Dragon steal: When one team is damaging Dragon* and the other team swoops in to steal the kill by last hitting the creature or smiting* it.
Engage: To start a fight with an opponent.
Feeding: Letting yourself get killed over and over by the enemy team. Feeding can be intentional or can be a results of a lack of skill.
Flash: Summoner spell that teleports you forward a short distance
Fog of war: Areas with no vision hide enemy champions and jungle camps from the opposing team.
GA: Guardian Angel. An item that revives a dead player once before triggering a cooldown.
Ganking: Showing up in a lane to create a player advantage and hopefully pick up a kill on an enemy player by surprising him/her.
GGWP: Good Game, Well Played. Often said at the end of an even game or used sarcastically.
Ghost: Summoner spell that increases your movement speed immensely for a couple of seconds.
GLHF: Good Luck, Have Fun. Often said at the start of a game.
Gold: Currency earned in game by killing minions or champions
Gp10: Gold Per 10: Amount of passive gold you earn every 10 seconds.
Heal: Summoner spell that heals the user and nearby allies and gives them a short burst of speed.
HP5: Health per 5 seconds: How much health you get back every 5 seconds.
Ignite: Summoner spell that deals true damage and reduces healing for a short period of time.
Invade: When a player or team walks into the enemy jungle looking for kills or jungle camps
IP: Currency earned by playing a match. Winning grants increased IP.
Juke: Pretending to do one thing while actually doing another.
Jungler: Champion who specializes in clearing jungle camps and assisting lanes by ganking* them.
KDA: Kills Deaths Assists. A ratio often used to indicate how well someone is doing in game. It is calculated by adding kills and assists and dividing them by the amount of deaths a player has.
Kite: To get an enemy to chase you while you keep him at range.
KS: Kill steal. When one player puts in the effort to get an opponent to low health and another player comes in to finish him off.
Last hitting: Delivering the killing blow to a lane minions or Jungle monster.
Masteries: Talent system that allows you to improve your champion’s strength or utility in a wide variety of ways, based on your play style.
Meta game: Strategies used by most teams at any given time.
Mia: Missing in action: When an enemy champion disappears from lane.
Mid laner: High damage champion who plays by himself in the mid lane.
Mid or feed: Said by players in Champion Select who play mid lane champions exclusively. If they do not get mid lane they will kill themselves over and over to ruin the game for their team.
MP5: Mana per 5 seconds. How much mana you get back every 5 seconds.
Nexus: Core of the enemy base. The enemy Nexus needs to be destroyed to win the game.
OMW: On my way.
OOM: Used to indicate that some is Out of Mana and can no longer cast spells.
OP: Overpowered. When a champion is too strong compared to others.
Pick: To pick a champion during champion select.
Pink Ward: Ward that also detects normal wards and allows them to get killed by a player.
Poke: To use a ranged spell to damage an enemy without actually engaging on them.
Poro: A Poro is a mysterious, magical and fuzzy creature that first showed up on the Howling Abyss map and has since become very popular with fans because of how adorable they are.
QSS: Quicksilver Sash: Item that removes any loss of control effects from your character so you can more easily escape.
Red Buff: The jungle camp that grants a red buff when killed, reduces enemy movement speed on hit and deals true damage. Also increase health regen for the owner.
RP: Currency bought with real money which is used to buy League of Legends champions and their skins as well as other cosmetic upgrades.
Runes: Items that can be bought for IP in the in-game shop to increase the stats of a champion in game.
Smite (Smiting): Summoner Spell that does high damage to jungle monsters, often used to finish them and get an easier last hit*.
Snowball: When a team uses the advantages they got in the early game and gets stronger and stronger exponentially.
Split Push: When a team groups in one location while a fifth member pushes the lane on the opposite side of the map, forcing the enemy team to send someone to deal with him.
SS: Short for “Missing”. Announced in chat when an enemy player is no longer visible in lane.
Summoner Spells: Extra spells that can be used by every champion to benefit certain situations.
Support: Utility champion who provides buffs and other benefits to the team such as vision, hooks, increased movement speed, slows,..
Surr at 20: Surrender at 20 minutes. The earliest point in the game at which you can surrender. Often said when at a huge disadvantage early on.
Surrender: To forfeit the game instead of waiting to lose. You can surrender at the 20 minute mark.
Tank: Champion with lots of resistances against damage. Often makes up the front line in teamfights, absorbing damage.
Teemo: The most hated champion in League of Legends due to his personality and general appearance as well as the invisible poisonous mushrooms he spreads across the map by using his ultimate*.
Top laner: Champion that prefers to start in the top lane of the map. Can be a tank* champion or carry.
Toxic: When a player uses verbal abuse and insults to communicate he is considered “toxic”.
TP: Teleport. Summoner Spell* that allows you to teleport to a friendly ward or turret.
Tribush: Bush on the intersection of 3 jungle paths.
Troll: Player who rather jokes around than play the game and ruins it for others.
Turret: A tower that fires at enemy champions who come near. Each lane has three turrets while the Nexus has two as well for a total of 11 per half of the map.
Ultimate: The most powerful ability a champion has. It becomes available at level 6 and has a much longer cooldown than regular spells.
Ward: Item that gives vision of an area so it removes the fog of war*.
WP: Well Played, often said at the end of a game.
Do you feel like you understand League of Legends better after this glossary? Great!
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