How to Play the 1-3-1 Team Composition
The 1-3-1 team composition is one of the oldest League of Legends team comps around. It has been played throughout the years and is a default gameplay style for many teams in solo queue. Many teams will be play a variation of this team comp: defaulting to 1-3-1, or 1-4 or something similar.
In the next episode of our team comp guide, we will break down the 1-3-1 team composition. We will list tips and tricks, example champions on who is good in this team comp, and how to play as this team comp.
If you like any of the champions on our list, make sure you check out their champion pages on the Mobalytics site, where you can find builds, tips and much more to help you play each of the champions on today’s list.
How to Play the 1-3-1 Team Composition
- The Objective of the Comp
- Example Champions
- Tips and Tricks
- How to Counter
The Objective of the Comp
1-3-1 team comps are basically split push team compositions. They have 2 champions in the solo lane while 2 or 3 champions stay in the other lane. The idea of the team comp is to not die and apply pressure to multiple places at once.
Due to the nature of this comp, it is quite hard to play. You need to have good vision around the map, understand timings and also avoid getting caught out while you’re alone. Being proactive is a must when trying to play as a 1-3-1 comp.
Example Champions
Top lane
Shen
- Shen has good 1v1 potential and can fight most champions who try to stop him from split pushing.
- He has good wave clear and can push quickly. He usually builds Sunfire Cape so he can push quickly.
- Obviously, one thing that makes Shen strong is his Ultimate which he can use to close the gap and connect to his team.
Tryndamere
- He has amazing split-push potential and can fight anyone who tries to contest him.
- Left unchecked, Tryndamere can just keep split pushing and take objectives freely.
- Tryndamere’s mobility is one of his major strengths in this comp. He can get in and out of fights and escape danger with ease.
Jungle
Nocturne
- Nocturne can travel great distances with his Ultimate to join his team.
- He can quickly go back to split pushing if needed by Ulting a squishy target who is in a solo lane alone.
- He can prevent the enemy from collapsing on his team by activating his Ultimate. Naturally, most teams will back off slightly when he casts his Ult.
Karthus
- Karthus can play as the split pusher or group in the mid-lane with his bottom lane.
- Thanks to your Ultimate, you can impact fights happening elsewhere on the map.
- He can disengage or engage depending on the situation, thanks to his E.
Mid lane
Zed
- Zed will be able to split push during these stages of the game.
- His 1v1 potential is pretty strong, thanks to his Ultimate.
- Zed can clear waves and push quickly with his Q and E.
Akali
- Akali is very mobile, which will help her escape sticky situations if the enemy tries to catch her out of position.
- Her 1v1 potential is pretty strong, and she can 1v1 most enemy champions.
- Remember that Akali’s Q can help her quickly clear waves. She can push quickly with this ability.
ADC
Sivir
- Her E allows her to escape danger and prevent the enemy from locking her down with CC.
- Sivir Ultimate is extremely versatile. She can use it to engage, disengage or to help her team rotate to assist her allies.
- She has good wave clear and can continuously push the minion wave with her Q and W.
Miss Fortune
- Miss Fortune has a lot of poke and can constantly harass the enemy in the middle lane.
- She can keep the mid-lane pushed: applying constant pressure to the enemy while her other lanes push.
- MF is naturally fast, so she can escape sticky situations and dodge skill shots.
Support
Soraka
- You can use your Ultimate to help your allies in other lanes.
- Soraka has peel and utility, which she can use to help keep her ADC alive in the middle lane.
- As Soraka will buy Redemption, she could potentially use it from the mid-lane to help her allies.
Bard
- Bard and his allies can move from lane to last quickly with his E.
- Bard has good play-making potential, and he can disengage too with his Q.
- His Ultimate is good at dispersing the enemy. Turning them golden will delay the enemy from rotating to assist their allies.
Tips and Tricks
We’ve gone through some champions, and now it’s time to give you some tips and tricks on how to play as the comp.
- Make sure everyone is applying pressure at the same time. If you do not apply pressure at the same time, the split push will fail.
- If someone leaves, make sure you spam ping and communicate with your team that someone is missing.
- Be prepared to group. While split push teams want to split push, you should be prepared to group as 5.
How to Counter The 1-3-1 Comp
Because a 1-3-1 comp is a split push comp, countering them is basically the same as a split push comp. The way you counter a split push is by starting a fight as soon as you see them. Don’t delay a fight because it allows the enemy to apply pressure while you’re dancing in the mid lane with the enemy. If you’re matching the 1-3-1, then you should just focus on stopping them from pushing by clearing the waves so they can’t push quickly.
Summary
1-3-1 comps are quite popular to some extent. That’s why it is so important that you know how to play as them. We hope that we’ve given you plenty of helpful tips and tricks to help you play as them. If you’re looking for other tips on how to utilise this comp, or any other comp in LoL, check out our in-depth team-composition guide.
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