If you’re new to League, but coming from another competitive game then you may be looking for good merit to base your performance on. In most games, KDA is a great place to look. No one likes going 0/10, no matter what game we’re playing, but League of Legends is a little different than most games.
In League, you won’t be nabbing a 2 to 1 K/D ratio in most games. There just isn’t as much killing potential as shooters. Assists are also a lot more prominent in League of Legends and are something to be proud of, not angry over.
On top of all of this, performance is measured by much more than KDA, and a “good” K/D will differ greatly by which role you play. Supports, for example, will almost always have a negative K/D but a lot of assists.
In this article, I’m going to cover the ideal KDAs of each role in League of Legends. I’ll also give some other stats to measure performance by, because as I said, KDA is far from everything in League.
Also read: One Trick vs. Main
Good KDA for Top Lane
Top lane has a huge variety of Champions. Some Champions, like Riven and Irelia, are much more likely to get kills than Champions like Malphite and Rumble. You will also want to gauge your KDA based on what part of the game you’re in.
During the laning phase, when you’re simply 1v1’ing the enemy, netting any kills will be perfect. So a good KDA coming out of the laning phase would be 1/0. Some Champs, like Riven or Trynd, may want to have a few more kills but the most important part is not dying.
Now, after the laning phase, most Top laners are going to be tanking team fights and diving backlines. This playstyle lends itself to dying quite a bit while setting your team up for victory. This means that you are likely to have a poor KDA, but that you will be doing a lot of work on every death.
Good KDA: 1/2/5
Focus on: Engaging, Peeling for your Backline, Diving the Enemy Backline
A good Top lane KDA will involve a couple of kills, with a lot of assists, and a few deaths. Deaths are just par for the course when you’re playing a Tank or bruiser, so don’t take them too hard.
Good KDA for Mid Lane
Now, Mid is a lane where KDA is similar to other games. Mid laners are carries, for the most part. Their objective is to get as many kills as possible and use the money to get more kills. Most Mid laners will try to do one of two things; single target burst damage or huge AOE damage. Either way, you’re going to want a high KDA.
Good KDA: 4/0/0
Focus on: Dealing Damage and Getting Kills
Try your best to get fed during the laning phase, while also trying not to feed the enemy Mid laner. Games are won and lost in the Mid lane, so there is a lot of pressure to have a good KDA here.
Also read: Is Yasuo Broken Right Now?
Good KDA for ADC
ADCs are similar to Mid laners. They want to get a lot of kills and deal a lot of damage. The main difference is that ADCs do not necessarily need the kills to come online. On ADC, you will have the potential to deal a lot of damage, whether you’re fed or not. Your power lies in your auto attacks and positioning. Therefore, kills are nice but CS is far more important.
Good KDA: 1/0/5
Focus on: Dealing Damage
As ADC you won’t be securing as many kills as a Mid laner, because you do not do burst damage. You deal damage over time, through consistent auto attacks. When I play ADC I don’t check my KDA, I check the damage charts after the game to check my performance.
Good KDA for Support
Most Supports do not want any kills. There are some exceptions, like Pyke and Lux, who will be more useful with a few kills under their belts. However, Tanks and Utility Supports like Leona and Thresh are much better off letting their ADCs or other carries pick up the kill gold.
Good KDA: 0/0/10
Focus on: Engaging, Peeling for Backline
It’s okay to die as Support, but you shouldn’t be dying in the enemy backline too often. Most of the time your focus should be on getting a nice engage off and then peeling for your ADC or Mid laner so they can deal the damage.
Also read: Best CC Champions
Good KDA for Jungle
Jungle is similar to the Top lane because your KDA will be dependent on what kind of Champion you’re playing. If you play an assassin like Shaco or Kha’Zix, you’re going to want a lot of kills. If you play an engage Champion like Jarvin IV then you will die more, but have an abundance of assists.
Good KDA: 5/5/5
Focus on: Engaging, Getting your Carries Kills
When you’re on a Tanky Champion, try letting your laners get the kills during ganks. If you’re on a damage Champion, then feel free to take them. Focus on getting your carries ahead more than anything so that you’re not left in a 1v9 situation.
