Attack-move is an important mechanical skill in League of Legends that will help you catch up with people more easily, position better in teamfights and prevent misclicks. It’s one of the most basic mechanics yet hugely underused by Bronze and Silver rated players. This article will attempt to explain the importance of attack-move (also called orb-walking or stutter step, and synonymous with and crucial for kiting) and tell you when and how you should be using it.
What is attack-move?
Attack-move is a command issued to your champion that makes him move to a specific location and attack the closest enemy target as soon as he enters into range of it. It’s done by either pressing “A” key on your keyboard and left-clicking your target/area, or more simply by shift+rightclicking.
Why use it?
1. Staying at maximum range
In teamfights or even when simply last-hitting in lane you always want to make sure you click precisely where you want to. Misclicks happen and often you may miss clicking on your desired target, forcing your champion to move in to melee range. It’s especially crucial as an AD carry: if you command your champion to move next to a minion instead of attacking him it may place you in an undesired situation where you’re vulnerable or over extended. By using the attack-move command you can ensure your champion attacks the closest enemy target at maximum autoattack range, so even if you misclick you will not position yourself incorrectly.
In fast-paced teamfights you will always want to stay at the maximum possible range from your enemies as an AD carry, and even if you almost never misclick your target may Flash just as you were about to click on it resulting in your champion moving closer instead of attacking from range.
2. Brush juking
A second benefit to using attack-move is when chasing players through brushes. It’s not uncommon to see hilarious juking videos from low Elo ratings usually involving one jester moving back and forth through a brush with some other newbie attempting to attack him. When chasing through brushes with attack-move your champion will immediately attack the target and won’t require an extra right click.
3. Ward clearing
There’s always a slight delay of gaining vision of a ward when you have an Oracle’s Elixir. When moving through a brush you may not even notice there’s a ward in there and just move past it, but by using attack-move your champion will stop moving instantly and attack the nearest ward. It makes sure you don’t have to pay extra attention to scout wards and you can even command your champion to move all the way from base to baron pit and clear any wards along the way.
It’s also useful for clearing Teemo’s mushrooms as it makes sure you never walk close enough and activate them.
4. Getting back from base
Whenever I go to base I always attack-move where I want to go rather than simply issuing a move command. It ensures my champion will attack anything along the way, such as a crazy jungler trying to intercept me between two turrets. I usually use the time to look up other player’s builds and CS counts and sometimes I just get so distracted (or shocked) that I walk past enemy champion in the middle of my lane without realizing they are already pushed to my turret. By attack-moving I can once again ensure that my champion stops as soon as an enemy gets into range and automatically attack them.
Using attack-move for chasing
Even though it’s usually referenced as the same thing the attack-move is not to be confused with move-attack. When chasing players you should ALWAYS move in between your autoattacks (aka orbwalking): it ensures you keep closing the distance while doing damage at the same time. Simply right-clicking a fleeting champion will make yours stop every once in awhile and eventually (or rather very soon) your enemy will be out of range.
It’s also in essence the opposite of kiting: with kiting you’re moving between autoattacks in an attempt to stay at maximum range and keep consistently dealing damage, while with move-attacking you are trying to catch up to people while making sure they never leave your attack range.
Attack-move is an important mechanical skill in League of Legends that will help you catch up with people more easily, position better in teamfights and prevent misclicks. It’s one of the most basic mechanics yet hugely underused by Bronze and Silver rated players. This article will attempt to explain the importance of attack-move and tell you when and how you should be using it.
What is attack-move?
Attack-move is a command issued to your champion that makes him move to a specific location and attack the closest enemy target as soon as he enters into range of it. It’s done by either pressing “A” key on your keyboard and left-clicking your target/area, or more simply by shift+rightclicking.
Why use it?
1. Staying at maximum range
In teamfights or even when simply last-hitting in lane you always want to make sure you click precisely where you want to. Misclicks happen and often you may miss clicking on your desired target, forcing your champion to move in to melee range. It’s especially crucial as an AD carry: if you command your champion to move next to a minion instead of attacking him it may place you in an undesired situation where you’re vulnerable or over extended. By using the attack-move command you can ensure your champion attacks the closest enemy target at maximum autoattack range, so even if you misclick you will not position yourself incorrectly.
In fast-paced teamfights you will always want to stay at the maximum possible range from your enemies as an AD carry, and even if you almost never misclick your target may Flash just as you were about to click on it resulting in your champion moving closer instead of attacking from range.
2. Brush juking
A second benefit to using attack-move is when chasing players through brushes. It’s not uncommon to see hilarious juking videos from low Elo ratings usually involving one jester moving back and forth through a brush with some other newbie attempting to attack him. When chasing through brushes with attack-move your champion will immediately attack the target and won’t require an extra right click.
3. Ward clearing
There’s always a slight delay of gaining vision of a ward when you have an Oracle’s Elixir. When moving through a brush you may not even notice there’s a ward in there and just move past it, but by using attack-move your champion will stop moving instantly and attack the nearest ward. It makes sure you don’t have to pay extra attention to scout wards and you can even command your champion to move all the way from base to baron pit and clear any wards along the way.
It’s also useful for clearing Teemo’s mushrooms as it makes sure you never walk close enough and activate them.
4. Getting back from base
Whenever I go to base I always attack-move where I want to go rather than simply issuing a move command. It ensures my champion will attack anything along the way, such as a crazy jungler trying to intercept me between two turrets. I usually use the time to look up other player’s builds and CS counts and sometimes I just get so distracted (or shocked) that I walk past enemy champion in the middle of my lane without realizing they are already pushed to my turret. By attack-moving I can once again ensure that my champion stops as soon as an enemy gets into range and automatically attack them.
Using attack-move for chasing
Even though it’s usually referenced as the same thing the attack-move is not to be confused with move-attack. When chasing players you should ALWAYS move in between your autoattacks: it ensures you keep closing the distance while doing damage at the same time. Simply right-clicking a fleeting champion will make yours stop every once in awhile and eventually (or rather very soon) your enemy will be out of range.
It’s also in essence the opposite of kiting: with kiting you’re moving between autoattacks in an attempt to stay at maximum range and keep consistently dealing damage, while with move-attacking you are trying to catch up to people while making sure they never leave your attack range.
TLDR, attack-moving is a very simple mechanical skill you should learn as soon as possible. It’s not an extremely important skill to have but does help in many situations, and as a certain Riot developer likes to say — it separates the good players from great ones. I hope you found this short guide useful and will start using attack-move from now on.
TLDR, attack-moving is a very simple mechanical skill you should learn as soon as possible. It’s not an extremely important skill to have but does help in many situations, and as a certain Riot developer likes to say — it separates the good players from great ones. I hope you found this short guide useful and will start using attack-move from now on.
