For the longest of times, I simply couldn't get into MOBAs. There was just something about them that didn't rub me the right way. I'm not sure if it was the length of the matches, the RTS-like feel to how everyone handles, or maybe it was the community's, I just don't know. Any time I'd try and play something in the genre, I would quickly lose interest and move on to something else. This has been changing in recent weeks. I think part of comes from getting off a bit of an RTS kick, after plowing through much of the Dawn of War series, and a few other games. It may have put me in the right mindset to tackle MOBAs again. It also helps that I'm playing with some real life friends, which shields me from the full brunt of some of the less pleasant folks who seem to gravitate toward these types of games. In any case, I find myself in the unexpected position where I sorta, kinda, vaguely find myself enjoying League of Legends for a change.
At this point, I'm largely playing the support role. This may be because of all the years that I played a healer in MMORPGs. Yes, the objectives and whatnot between the two genres are vastly different; however, basic principles carry over between to two when comparing healers to support: know who to heal and when, exercise judgement when applying shields, and understand target priority when CC'ing the enemy. It's fun, and there's a lot of variety with the sort of abilities that the different champions have.
Conversely, I really need to get familiar with all of the other positions in the game. I've tried playing the middle lane a bit, and it's been okay-ish, but far more practice is needed. First, there's the whole last hitting thing. The way to maximize how much gold one gets is by getting the killing blow on an enemy player or minion. The reward is many times greater than if they die to something else. In order to get good equipment in a timely manner, it's essential to get a handle on this. Of course, all the while other players are trying to kill you, which takes away from the last hitting, and should you die, you'll fall even further behind in gold. So, it's critical to get good at this, and I've got my work cut out for me.
Somewhere down the line I wouldn't mind spending more time with Morgana as support. She's a lot of fun in the role, but I've just not done much with her yet. Her stun is crazy strong, and her ultimate attack is pretty snazzy too. It's just that for whatever reason I've not done much with her of late. Also, I need to spend more time with Nami and Thresh simply because I've not complete gotten a handle on them yet.
