League of legends is not only an RPG but also a real-time multiplayer strategy game in many ways. In other words, the game is played with both sides having strategies that change and evolve in real-time as the game progresses.
From offensive to defensive strategies, from focusing individual champions to avoiding certain enemy champions, to help a struggling teammate in lane phase by ganks or roaming, etc. These are just some of the strategies that players use while playing League.
The trick is to evolve your team’s strategy more quickly and effectively than your opponents, and this is where copy/paste and macro buttons come in. It is not possible to type in the game chat about every single thing between your teammates.
Although some players and streamers have a habit of clacking away on their keyboard and spamming the chat, it’s never as effective as using the copy/paste function and using macro buttons.
How to Copy/Paste in a League Match?
There is a lot of information on the screen if you pay attention while playing League of Legends. Keeping an eye on all the various indicators on-screen during the match can help design your own team’s strategies and predict what the enemy is likely to do next.
These indicators include the time, the FPS, the ping, the timer for when the Dragon will spawn again, the timer for when Baron will also spawn, the timers for jungle camps, etc., summoner spells used by players from the enemy team.
Also read: How to show ping and FPS in League of Legends
These are just a few of the possible indicators on-screen during a league match. It is quite possible that your teammates may not pay attention to all the indicators at once while being occupied in combat.
It’s always good to highlight what you feel your teammates should keep in mind while playing the match. You can simply hold the “CTRL” button and click on any of the indicators, and the selected indicator information will be pasted in the team chat.
For example, pressing the “TAB” button opens the timer countdown screen for the dragon/ baron, jungle buffs, etc. Simply hold down the “TAB” button, press “CTRL,” and click on the timer you want to be displayed in the team chat. Depending upon the stage of the match, i.e., the laning phase or otherwise, these indications can prove to be very helpful in shaping your team’s strategy. Like many other things in life, It’s the little details like this that often matter the most in a League of Legends match.
How to make the best tactical use of copy/paste during a League of Legends match?
Having an awareness of the map at all times is a pre-requisite if you want to improve your game and play League at a competitive level. And when you share your awareness of the map with your teammates using the copy/paste buttons, it can result in a cohesive and robust team strategy.
If you are in the bot lane and the enemy bot lane champs are missing in action, it’s always a good idea to see the dragon timer countdown. If the Dragon is about to respawn and the enemy bot lane is missing, there’s a good bet that the enemy bot lane, along with their jungler, is waiting around where the Dragon will respawn and take it before you reach.
Just by looking at the timer and noting the enemy bot lane’s absence, you can predict what the enemy team is planning and then launch a counter-attack.
The same is more or less accurate for the Rift Herald for top laners. If the enemy top laner is missing, you might want to see the countdown and head down towards the Rift Herald area and, later, the Baron Nasher spawns. With some luck, you just might be able to steal the Rift Herald right before the enemy’s eyes. The same is true for the Dragon.
This is especially useful in the late game during team fights. If your team is defensive and suddenly, the enemy team, instead of continuing the attack, begins to retreat quickly and checks the timers. The enemy is likely taking advantage of your team’s defensive posturing and using that opportunity to take the Dragon (or Baron).
The Red and Blue Buff timers are also quite useful, provided the right champion in your team can steal them from the enemy jungle. If your ADC is fed, it’s good to give the ADC a chance at the enemy Blue buff. If your tank is doing good in lane, it’s always a good idea to help him a little bit more by capturing the enemy red buff. Again, this will need a close eye at the timers.
It may not seem like much, but if your entire team is vigilant and aware of the map developments and the various countdown timers on screen, the collective vigilance can be a match-winner.
Also read: How to Fix Client Lag in LoL?
Some tips and tricks using the copy/paste function in League
While it is impossible to paste from outside the client during a League of legends match in-game chat, some quirky workarounds have been tried. It is against the rules to use ‘Macro’ key buttons, i.e., you can’t bind one key to perform multiple functions simultaneously. Riot will ban you if you get caught doing that.
However, during the game, if you type in a timer such as “dragon 15:30” and press “CTRL+C”, then press enter. The text you just typed will be typed in the game chat and also copied. You can then add to it by typing the same and adding text and pressing “CTRL+C” to copy the text on the clipboard and press enter. Previous text and the new text will be on screen.
If you are in a game, your friends who are not in the game can chat with you and send you messages. To reply, you must simply type “/r” before your message, and the messages you type will be sent outside the game to your friends who have the League Client open.
And speaking of the League client, if you press “CTRL+ENTER,” you exit the game, but your client will still be there. You can open other applications on your PC with the client open in front of you and chat with friends on the client as well. This is where you can copy-paste web links in the client chatbox.
Conclusion
League of legends is a very versatile game. Although the learning curve is not that steep, there is still a lot of depth in the game. And the various indicators on the screen that can then be pasted in the team chat whenever needed is a small part of the depth in any League of Legends match.
As players learn more and more about League each season, one can expect summoners to develop even more ways to maximize the potential benefits of the copy/paste function in League of Legends.
