League of Legends
League of Legends: Manage the Wave Before the All-In
League of Legends lanes are won in the minion wave. A freeze denies more gold than a flashy roam that fails.
Freeze when you are stronger in a short trade
Hold the wave near your tower if you can punish their approach. They lose CS under pressure. You keep XP. League of Legends is a resource game first.
Do not hard shove if their jungler is missing and you have no ward. A slow push that crashes with a cannon is the safer crash.
Crash, then move
When the wave is under their tower, that is your roam or recall window. Walking mid while a giant wave dies in river is how you fall behind.
Ping the crash. Support and jungle need the same clock. Solo hero roams without a wave crash are coin flips.
Plates are not always worth the dive
Tower plates pay if the dive is clean. If two extra enemies can appear, take the crash and leave. One shutdown funds their whole sidelane.
After 14 minutes, waves matter for baron setup. Practice the same freeze in side lanes that you used in lane phase.
For extra notes beyond this article, you can also visit related resources.