Zoning Tutorial

Understanding Zoning is a key component to improving your LoL Gameplay.  You’ll often times hear opponents say ‘Zone them’ or ‘I’m being zoned’.  Gameplay, champion match ups, map positioning, brush control all affects zone control.  This guide is meant to serve as an example on how to zone effectively.

Zone is very simple in concept.  It is the control of space on the battlefield.  Enemies, Allies, Towers and Minions all control space on the map.  Some champions control more or less depending on the range of their abilities and attacks.  Zoning occurs when this control of space is exercised by a team, intimidating the enemy.  A zone or space can be occupied by multiple champions or towers, when this happens the area is overlapped and the zone control becomes even more controlled and additional pressure is created in the zone.

These spheres of influence are constantly in flux, since the positions, abilities of the players are constantly moving.  For example, the zone of Ashe is greatly increased the second she turns level 6.  It also changes as she moves along the map, in and out of brushes.

To understanding zoning you must first understand range.  Range is the distance from a champion or tower.  There are multiple types of ranges. 

Understanding Range

Auto Attack Range

Auto Attack Range is the measurement of how far a champion’s basic attack can reach.  Each champion begins the game with a particular base range.  Base Ranges can vary from 100 – 175 for melee units and 400-650 for ranged units.  The highest base range for a champion is held by Caitlyn at 650 range. The only champion in the game that increases range as the game progresses is Tristina.  Her base range is 550, and levels up by 9 per level.  At level 18, she has a bonus range of 162 for a total of 712. 

Champion                                                                                                                                                                                             Range
Twitch (with Spray and Pray)................................................................................................................................................................ 875
Kog'Maw (wth Bio-Arcane Barrage).....................................................................................................................................................750
Tristana (Level 18)................................................................................................................................................................................ 712
Caitlyn....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 650
Annie ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 625
Anivia, Ashe, Zilean................................................................................................................................................................................. 600
Kennen ....................................................................................................................................................................................................   575
Tristana (Level 1).................................................................................................................................................................................... 559
Brand, Cassiopeia, Corki, Ezreal, Heimerdinger, Lux, Malzahar, Miss Fortune, Orianna, Ryze, Sona, Soraka, Vayne     550
Kayle (with Righteous Fury), LeBlanc, Nidalee, Veigar ..................................................................................................................525
Twisted Fate.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 510
Teemo, Twitch, Kog'Maw .....................................................................................................................................................................500
Vladimir ....................................................................................................................................................................................................475
Karthus ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 450
Karma, Sivir, Urgot, Morgana ................................................................................................................................................................425

Ability (Spell Casting Range)

Every spell in the game has a range associated with it.  Essentially, how far from the champion does the spell reach?  Well, the longest ability range would be Ashe’s Enchanted Crystal Arrow with an unlimited range.  Yes, we could put a big chart here with every ability and its range, but that really wouldn’t help you much.  You’ll have to play the champions and get a feel for their range.  By knowing range, you will know where you can safely, and not safely stand.  That is why it is important to play every champion at least a few times, even if you hate playing them.  If you can’t stand losing (because you will be playing the champion so bad), go ahead and play an Co-Op versus AI Match.  It sounds noob but it’s really not a big deal.  It’s a great way to learn a new champion.

An example of a spell range is shown below.  Each champion has a range on their abilities, some of them show a radius like Katirina’s Shunpo Ability, however there are others like Soraka’s Starfall that do not.  This means you will need to be more familiar with the champion to know it’s range.

Tower Range

Turret                     Range    Base HP    Base AD          Gains 6 AD every:                                           AD Caps at:
Outer Tower         1000*    Various         152                 1 min at each :40 second mark.                   200
Inner Tower          1000*    Various         197                 1 min starting at 7:00 mark.                          263
Inhibitor Tower    1000*    Various          210                1 min starting at 16:00 mark.                        330
Nexus Tower        1000*    Various        115                  1 min at each :40 second mark.                   343
Nexus Obelisk     1000*    9999*            999                   N/A                                                                     N/A

A good test of your knowledge of tower range is to go into a custom game, pick eve and attempt to walk around the entire map around towers without going into tower range.  Understand where on the map you can stand, without being targeted by the tower.  You’ll notice there are even areas between the towers that are out of range.  Understanding these unique areas will help you harass your enemies even in tower range.  Tower aggro takes a few seconds to lock on to champions, so you are able to harass for just a second and then back out of tower range before the tower has time to lock on and attack you.  

Understanding Overlapping Zones

Zones can overlay on top of one another to increase the potency of the zone.  The more abilities that overlap one another in the same area create increased potency.  When this occurs, you may control the zone more so than your opponents.  Brush visibility also has a dramatic impact on zone.
As you can see from the example below this shows this.  What is the greatest potency within the zone for Ashe and Soraka?  The answer is anywhere in point 1 (Where you see the Red Circle with the number 1 in it).  This is because, Soraka’s auto, infuse, starfall and Ashe auto attack, volley all overlap in this area.  If an enemy champion were to step into this area while no abilities were on cooldown, they would be able to dish out some serious damage pretty quickly.

The second area of impact would likely be beyond the first three circles.  This is the area beyond Soraka’s infuse and starfall, but just within Ashe’s auto attack and Volley.  This position is safer for the enemy team because of they are out of range of most of soraka’s skills, but there is yet still a safer point, which is at point three.  
At point three, only the volley can hit the enemy champions.  From this example you can see how the zone and overlap of zones is constantly changing in the game.  

What is not shown in this example is the zoning effects of the enemy champions (Morgana and Sivir). If you were to lay these over the image, you would get a visual on what area of the map is controlled more by the allied team or the enemy team.  
Keep in mind summoner spells also change the zone.  Imagine the impact of a Flash Summoner spell, if both champions were to coordinate a flash on morgana, the zone immediately moves so that more potency is created.  While complex, this is the basic understanding of zone potency.
 
Furthermore brushes also add to the complexity.  For example, Soraka’s auto attack, Infuse and Starfall are all affected by seeing or not seeing morgana in the brush.  The same holds true for Ashe’s Auto attack.  However, her Volley will hit units that are in the brush (even without vision).  So, would Ashe and Soraka’s area of control be smaller or larger if they had vision of the brush?  The answer is larger, hence why control of brush with items like Wards are essential to the gameplay, especially in bottom lane.

Using Zoning to Deny Enemy Champions

When the amount of damage that a champion or group of allied champions can inflict in an overlapping zone is too dangerous for enemies to enter that area, you are denying the enemy champions.  The key to this strategy to deny the area around objectives on the map.  The most simple objective is to gain xp and gold from killing minions in lane, another objective might be baron or Dragon.  The most obvious example of this is in lane when an enemy champion cannot get close enough to their own creep line to gain xp and gold.  

CLG Gaming Video Tutorial on Zoning (which is pretty good)

Change Log:

11/24/2012 - Added videos and additional content