Lesson 3 of 5 · 6 min
Spacing: One Step Back
The only mechanical skill in the game that is purely about where you stand. Attack range is a resource, and most ADCs spend it before the fight starts.
// What you will be able to do
- Attack from the edge of your range instead of from where you are standing
- Move between autos rather than after them
- Use the range difference against a shorter-ranged opponent on purpose
An ADC has one defensive statistic and it is not on the item page. It is the distance between you and the thing that wants to kill you, and it is worth more than any amount of health because it is the only defence that also lets you keep attacking. Almost every ADC death that is not a hard engage is a player who was standing two hundred units too far forward for no reason at all.
| Situation | Where you are | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Last-hitting in lane | The furthest point that reaches the minion | Their engage has to cross the extra distance |
| Trading with a shorter-ranged ADC | Just inside your range, outside theirs | They have to step forward to answer, and that is the trade |
| A fight has started | Behind your front line, at maximum range | You are attacking whatever is nearest and still leaving |
| You are being dived | Moving away first, attacking second | Damage you do while dying is damage nobody counts |
What is the free movement in an auto-attack, and when does it happen?
// The rest of this lesson is Pro
Spacing: One Step Back: the practical half
Everything above is the concept. Behind the gate: the situations where it applies, the mistake that costs the most, the interactive drills, and a field assignment measured against your own ranked games.