How to properly ward? When do I start warding? Where should I put wards? Do I put down wards for the entire game? Those are just some of the questions asked when first starting outwith League of Legends. It can be confusing and a lot to take in, so take a deep breath.... and read read this guide. Remember it's not a bad idea to do a few games vs ALL bots to practice the fundamentals The bots wont yell at you and tell you you're stupid, you can go at your own pace, and stop whenever you feel comfortable!
THE BASICS
things to always remember and keep in mind.
Warding is an extremely important aspect of league that should become an integral part of your play from day one. The general advantages of wards aren't just that you see ganks coming - they allow you to know when you can push, because you know where the enemy players are located and whether it's safe to be in a zone. They allow you to leave baron, golem, lizard or dragon alone longer if you know your opponents aren't in the area, or allow you to get them for the same reason. And, of course, they prevent and cause ganks.
You should make it a goal to keep a mental tab on your gold, and be at least +75 on your next item so you can always come away from base with at least one ward. Farmers like sivir, heimerdinger, et cetera should always come back with 3.
Bottom line: there is no excuse not to ward. None. At all. You are not a special snowflake, you do not need that 75 gold so badly that you can't buy a ward. Buy wards, asshole.
WARDS IN THE EARLY GAME
early game aka the laning phase. It's when people mostly just stick to their lane except to visit the store if necessary grab a buff here and there and maybe kill a dragon. Ganks are not common in early game, however they can happen. Team fights greater than 3v3 aren't common.
Wards are important throughout the game, but during laning, they can make a difference that snowballs the game either way. There are four absolutely essential ward spots on the map, and four secondary laning ward spots.
The absolutely essential ward spots for the side lanes are the bushes leading out of the river into the lane. You *must* ward these. You cannot afford not to. Having sight here will mean the difference between seeing warwick, twitch, or really any ganker coming, and getting double killed and watching your turret die at 6 minutes.
The absolutely essential ward spots for the mid lane are the two lines of bushes on either side, at the entrance to the river.
The secondary ward spots are golem and lizard. For golem, make sure you place the ward at the edge of the bushes for maximum sight, or just before the entrance to the river from golem. For lizard, place the ward so that it is still in the bushes. When possible, always place wards in bushes! This gives you sight in AND around the bush.
WARD IN THE MID GAME
mid game is usually around levels 8-14. A tower or two is probably down, people start roaming lanes, ganks become more frequent and securing dragon becomes a custom.
The mid game gets tricky. Depending on what lanes have collapsed and which turrets are down when teamfights start breaking out or 5 man pushes begin, several of the spots above are still valid and essential. I find that the middle lane bushes always need to be warded, because both teams will move in and out of there on the way to dragon, golem, and baron regularly, as well as on their way to the side lanes to push.
All bushes, though, become viable ward spots in the middle game. Keep an eye on the enemy team's location at all times, and try to predict where they will push next. Put wards in bushes that will be definite indicators of a push in that direction and you will save many turrets. This is why you will often see teams steamrolling other teams with all six outer turrets left, while they push relentlessly: the other team didn't ward correctly, and their pushes are too sudden to counter.
WARDS IN THE LATE GAME
late game is normally around 15+. Lots of towers would be down. Teams would start sticking together and won't really push lanes unwarded and in small groups, team fights are now usually 5v5 and you'll see inhibitors being destroyed.Offensive and Defensive Warding positions
Warding on the Defensive
Late game usually means one team is pushing hard into the other team's base, or a poke fight is happening. Of course, your wards will wind up falling down across the map. But this doesn't mean you're free not to ward. Now the most important ward spots become baron, golem, dragon, and the small bushes around your base. You will need to keep track of their movements very, very quickly to adequately stop their pushes. Getting just one kill unexpectedly can lead to you pushing them instead! Put a ward outside baron if you can get there safely, and by golem. You will often catch carries going for red or blue as poking is happening at an inhibitor turret.Warding on the offensive
If you're pushing into their base at an inhibitor turret, the worst possible thing that can happen is getting caught unawares by a tough initiator like malphite, alistar, or blitzcrank. You need to have wards in the bushes around the base to see them escape. Doing this will not only ensure that they aren't farming, but will make sure their wards fall down! If you push long enough that they no longer have map vision, then even if your team bases, they cannot safely leave the base except with extreme caution. If you have the jungle warded well, you never have to fear a great initiation by their team, so you can poke till that inhibitor falls, or you get a good initiation because they try to gank your team.
One trick I like to use is to place a ward over their wall, between their mid and lane inhibitor turrets. This will let your team fire skills over the wall at unsuspecting champions as they base, or as just as they are walking around, greatly enhancing your team's poking abilities. This is especially effective with champions like blitzcrank, for obvious reasons. Katarina can also shunpo over the wall, get a kill, and shunpo back; really, there are a hundred ways to benefit from this practice. Every point of sight that you have that your opponent doesn't know about is another opportunity for a kill!
WARDING TRICKS
These are a few things I like to use wards for that aren't immediately obvious.
When the other team has a stealth character, obviously you want to have an oracles or good wards all over the place. The higher cost of good wards is prohibitive, though - most of the time, I will buy cheap wards for map vision, and carry around one or two good wards for team fights. If a team fight starts or is obviously about to start, throw down the good ward! This effectively removes the danger of the stealther popping out on you, and it doesn't go away if you die in the fight like an oracles. It is also cheaper! If you see a little puff of dust in a bush, even in fog of war, this means shaco has deceived and will probably attack VERY soon. You can also throw down a ward on top of a stealther trying to escape by disappearing!
If I am getting chased and I have a ward, sometimes I will throw it down right behind me. This doesn't block them, but sometimes, people will think "oh man! ward! gotta kill it before it stealths!". Putting down a ward does not stop you from moving, but attacking it does. This is obviously a trick that will mostly work on idiots, but I've gotten some clutch escapes out of it. If it doesn't work, hey, you have a ward there now!
If you use teleport, remember that you can teleport to any friendly ward. I will often leave a ward deep in enemy territory, base to heal or get an item, and then port right back up to keep pushing. This is a great way to maintain pressure!
You can also drop a ward on their golem while it's down and port to it as it comes up. The same goes for dragon.
Turrets will aim for wards before you if you have not attacked a champion. It will only take one shot, but if you're desperately backdooring, it's not a bad tool to have!
MAP OF WHERE TO PUT WARDS DURING EARLY, MID AND LATE GAME
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