League of Legends 3v3 Comps: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Are you tired of the traditional 5v5 matchups in League of Legends and looking for something different? Welcome to the world of 3v3 comps in custom games! This article will dive deep into the best team compositions and strategies to dominate your custom 3v3 matches. So, buckle up and get ready to become a 3v3 master!

Understanding 3v3 Comps in Custom Games

Importance of 3v3 Comps

3v3 compositions are an exciting alternative to the standard 5v5 matches in League of Legends. Although the official Twisted Treeline map has been removed, you can still enjoy 3v3 battles in custom games. These matches require a different approach, focused on team coordination and individual champion performance.

Custom Games in League of Legends: A Deeper Dive

Custom games in League of Legends provide a flexible and creative environment for players to experiment with various game modes, team compositions, and strategies. By allowing players to customize the match settings, these games can cater to a wide range of preferences and skill levels.

Creating a Custom Game

To create a custom game, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your League of Legends client.
2. Click on the “Play” button.
3. Select the “Create Custom” option.
4. Choose the map and game type you want to play.
5. Adjust the settings, such as team size, pick type (blind, draft, or all random), and any specific restrictions or rules.
6. Invite friends or allow other players to join your custom game.

Custom Game Settings and Options

When setting up a custom game, you can choose from several options to tailor the match to your preferences:

• Map: Select from available maps like Summoner’s Rift, Howling Abyss, or even practice tool environments.
• Game Type: Choose the game mode, such as Classic, ARAM, or Nexus Blitz (if available during special events).
• Team Size: Adjust the number of players per team, ranging from 1v1 to 5v5 or any combination in between, like 3v3.
• Pick Type: Select the champion pick method, such as Blind Pick, Draft Pick, or All Random.
• Spectator Mode: Enable or disable spectator mode to allow others to watch your game without participating.
• Additional Settings: Include options like tournament draft, practice mode, or enabling/disabling specific champions, items, or runes.

Types of 3v3 Compositions

In 3v3 custom games, the dynamics of team compositions differ significantly from standard 5v5 matches. Understanding the nuances of these compositions and their respective strengths and weaknesses is vital for success. Here are four primary types of 3v3 team compositions, along with in-depth insights from an expert-level Challenger player:

Early Game Comps

Early game compositions focus on quickly establishing a lead through aggressive laning and objective control. These comps typically feature champions with potent early-game power, high base damage, and impactful power spikes during the first few levels.

Key elements of early game compositions include:

1. Strong Laning: Champions with excellent trading and wave management capabilities can exert pressure on their opponents and potentially secure early kills.
2. Objective Control: Prioritize champions that can quickly take down objectives like turrets, Rift Herald, or Dragons to accelerate the game pace.
3. Roaming Potential: Pick champions with high mobility or global/semi-global abilities to impact other lanes and snowball the lead.

Late Game Comps

Late game compositions revolve around scaling champions that reach their full potential as the match progresses. These teams aim to withstand the early game, methodically accumulate resources, and eventually overpower their opponents.

Key elements of late game compositions include:

1. Scaling: Champions with strong scaling in terms of damage, utility, or survivability are crucial for late game comps.
2. Disengage: Select champions with the ability to disengage from unfavorable fights, allowing your team to reach their power spikes safely.
3. Vision Control: Establish vision control around the map to prevent enemy picks and maintain objective control.

Poke Comps

Poke compositions consist of champions with long-range abilities, allowing them to continuously harass and chip away at the enemy’s health. These comps excel at sieging enemy turrets, controlling objectives, and forcing opponents into unfavorable engagements.

Key elements of poke compositions include:

1. Long-range Abilities: Prioritize champions with high poke damage and strong zoning capabilities.
2. Sustain: Choose champions with innate sustain or itemize for sustain to mitigate enemy poke and extend sieges.
3. Disengage: Include champions with disengage tools or crowd control to disengage from unfavorable fights and reset the battlefield.

Burst Comps

Burst compositions focus on dealing high burst damage to quickly eliminate key targets in team fights or skirmishes. These teams often consist of assassins, burst mages, or heavy crowd control champions, aiming to secure rapid kills and prevent full-blown team fights.

Key elements of burst compositions include:

1. Burst Damage: Champions with high burst damage can quickly eliminate high-priority targets or squishy carries.
2. Crowd Control: Incorporate champions with strong crowd control to lock down enemies and create opportunities for burst damage.
3. Pick Potential: Emphasize vision control and mobility to create picks and establish a numbers advantage before engaging in fights.

Here are some popular 3v3 compositions with expert-level Challenger insights, explaining why these champions synergize well and can dominate in 3v3 custom games:

Bruiser Comp

• Top: Darius
• Mid: Renekton
• Bot: Leona

This composition focuses on early-game dominance with tanky bruisers and strong crowd control. It excels in skirmishes and can overpower squishy opponents. Key strengths include:

1. High Durability: All three champions possess innate tankiness, allowing them to absorb a significant amount of damage in fights.
2. Strong Crowd Control: Leona’s lockdown capabilities and Darius’ Apprehend can disrupt enemy positioning and create opportunities for favorable trades.
3. Sustained Damage: Darius and Renekton deal consistent damage, allowing them to wear down opponents over extended skirmishes.

Assassin Comp

• Top: Zed
• Mid: Talon
• Bot: Pyke

An assassin-focused composition aims to pick off high-priority targets and secure quick kills. With strong roaming potential and high burst damage, this comp can snowball a lead quickly. Key strengths include:

1. High Burst Damage: All three champions possess the ability to quickly eliminate squishy targets, creating a numbers advantage for the team.
2. Roaming Potential: Talon and Pyke’s high mobility and Zed’s Living Shadow (W) enable them to impact other lanes and catch enemies off-guard.
3. Pick Potential: This comp excels at creating picks with Pyke’s Bone Skewer (Q) and Talon’s Shadow Assault (R), allowing the team to secure objectives or push lanes uncontested.

Siege Comp

• Top: Jayce
• Mid: Ziggs
• Bot: Caitlyn

A siege composition excels at sieging enemy turrets and poking down opponents from a distance. With strong wave clear and long-range abilities, this comp can force enemies to concede objectives or engage unfavorably. Key strengths include:

1. Long-Range Poke: Jayce’s Shock Blast (Q), Ziggs’ Bouncing Bomb (Q), and Caitlyn’s Piltover Peacemaker (Q) can whittle down enemies from a safe distance.
2. Strong Wave Clear: All three champions possess excellent wave clear, allowing them to maintain constant pressure on turrets and objectives.
3. Disengage: Ziggs’ Satchel Charge (W) and Caitlyn’s 90-Caliber Net (E) can help the team disengage from unfavorable fights, while Jayce’s Acceleration Gate (E) provides a speed boost for quick repositioning.

Sustain Comp

• Top: Vladimir
• Mid: Swain
• Bot: Soraka

A sustain-focused composition aims to outlast opponents in fights by continually healing and mitigating damage. With strong self-healing and supportive abilities, this comp excels in extended skirmishes and objective control. Key strengths include:

1. High Sustain: Vladimir, Swain, and Soraka possess strong self-healing or supportive healing abilities, allowing the team to stay healthy during prolonged engagements.
2. Zoning Capabilities: Swain’s Vision of Empire (W) and Nevermove (E) can zone enemies, while Soraka’s Equinox (E) can disrupt enemy channels and casters.
3. Scaling: Both Vladimir and Swain scale well into the late game, allowing the team to outscale opponents and become increasingly difficult to kill as the game progresses.

Disengage Comp

• Top: Gnar
• Mid: Azir
• Bot: Janna

A disengage-focused composition specializes in controlling fights, kiting enemies, and resetting engagements. With strong crowd control and disengage tools, this comp excels at preventing enemies from initiating favorable fights. Key strengths include:

1. Crowd Control: Gnar’s Mega form, Azir’s Emperor’s Divide (R), and Janna’s Howling Gale (Q) can disrupt enemies and create space for the team.
2. Peel and Protection: Janna’s Monsoon (R) and Azir’s Arise! (W) provide additional protection for carries, allowing them to deal damage safely from a distance.
3. Poke and Wave Clear: Gnar’s Boomerang Throw (Q) and Azir’s Sand Soldiers provide poke and wave clear, enabling the team to maintain pressure and control objectives.

Mixed Damage Comp

• Top: Mordekaiser
• Mid: Yasuo
• Bot: Kai’Sa

A mixed damage composition aims to provide a balanced mix of physical and magical damage, making it difficult for opponents to itemize effectively against the team. With a versatile damage profile and strong dueling capabilities, this comp can adapt to various situations and out-trade opponents. Key strengths include:

1. Balanced Damage: Mordekaiser provides consistent magic damage, while Yasuo and Kai’Sa deal primarily physical damage, making it challenging for enemies to build resistances efficiently.
2. Duelists: All three champions are strong in 1v1 or small skirmishes, allowing the team to split push or force uneven fights.
3. Crowd Control: Yasuo’s Last Breath (R) and Kai’Sa’s Killer Instinct (R) can lock down and eliminate high-priority targets, while Mordekaiser’s Realm of Death (R) can isolate key opponents during team fights.

Creating a Balanced 3v3 Team Composition

To achieve success in 3v3 custom games, constructing a well-rounded and versatile team composition is crucial. Here are some key factors to consider, along with expert-level insights:

Roles and Synergy

A balanced team should have a good mix of damage types (physical, magical, and true damage), tankiness, and crowd control. This helps your team adapt to various situations and prevents the enemy from countering your composition with specific picks. Key synergies to look for include:

1. Engage: Having at least one champion with strong engage tools can initiate favorable fights for your team.
2. Peel: Ensure you have champions that can protect your carries by disrupting the enemy’s attempts to engage or dive onto them.
3. Waveclear: Champions with strong waveclear can help control minion waves and maintain pressure on the map.

Objective Control

Selecting champions with robust objective control is essential for success in 3v3 custom games. Consider champions with:

1. High DPS: Champions with high sustained damage output can quickly take down turrets or neutral objectives like Rift Herald or Dragon.
2. Secure: Champions with abilities that deal high burst damage can secure objectives by out-damaging the enemy’s attempts to steal them.
3. Zoning: Champions with zoning abilities can control areas around objectives, forcing enemies to engage in unfavorable positions.

Winning Conditions

It’s crucial to identify your team’s winning conditions and build your composition accordingly. Some common winning conditions include:

1. Early-Game Dominance: If your team excels in the early game, focus on securing a lead through aggressive laning, skirmishes, and taking early objectives.
2. Split Pushing: Compositions with strong split pushers can apply pressure across the map, forcing the enemy team to split up and deal with the threat, creating opportunities for picks or advantageous fights.
3. Scaling into Late Game: If your team has powerful late-game champions, prioritize surviving the early game, securing resources, and gradually scaling to overpower your opponents.

By considering these factors, you can build a well-rounded 3v3 team composition that maximizes your chances of success in custom games.

Tips for 3v3 Success

To excel in 3v3 custom games, it’s crucial to understand the unique aspects of this game mode and adapt your strategies accordingly. Here are some expert-level tips to help you dominate 3v3 matches:

1. Adapt to the Map: The layout of custom 3v3 games may differ significantly from the standard Summoner’s Rift. Familiarize yourself with the map’s unique terrain, jungle camps, and objective locations to plan your strategies and rotations effectively.
2. Coordinate with Your Team: Communication and coordination are even more vital in 3v3 games. Make sure to establish a game plan, discuss team compositions, and coordinate your movements around the map to maximize your chances of success.
3. Pressure Multiple Lanes: In a 3v3 match, it’s essential to apply pressure across multiple lanes. Split pushing or rotating to catch enemies off-guard can lead to significant advantages in terms of map control and objective securing.
4. Maintain Vision Control: Vision control is crucial in 3v3 games, as picks and rotations can often determine the outcome of a match. Invest in wards, sweepers, and control wards to maintain vision control and deny the enemy team information about your movements.
5. Master the Art of Skirmishing: 3v3 games often revolve around small skirmishes and duels. Improve your mechanics and understanding of champion matchups to excel in these situations and secure leads for your team.
6. Understand Power Spikes: Knowing when your champions and team composition reach their power spikes can help you time your aggression and objective control. Coordinate with your team to capitalize on these spikes and force favorable fights or objective contests.
7. Play Around Cooldowns: In 3v3 games, cooldown management is crucial, as key abilities can significantly impact fights. Track the cooldowns of essential spells, such as summoner spells and ultimate abilities, to identify windows of opportunity for engaging or disengaging.
8. Manage Minion Waves: Minion wave management is essential in 3v3 games, as it directly influences lane pressure and map control. Master techniques like freezing, slow pushing, and fast pushing to create favorable scenarios for your team.
9. Focus on Objective Control: In a 3v3 match, objectives such as Rift Herald, Dragon, or turrets can provide significant advantages. Prioritize securing these objectives to accelerate your team’s gold and experience leads.
10. Adapt Your Build and Playstyle: Finally, be prepared to adapt your item build and playstyle based on your team composition and the enemy’s picks. Flexibility in itemization and decision-making can be the deciding factor in close matches.

FAQs

1. Can I play 3v3 matches in ranked mode?

No, the official 3v3 mode, Twisted Treeline, has been removed from League of Legends. However, you can still enjoy 3v3 matches in custom games with your friends or other players.

2. Are there specific 3v3 maps available for custom games?

While there are no dedicated 3v3 maps, you can play 3v3 games on existing maps like Summoner’s Rift or Howling Abyss. You can adjust the settings of the custom game to match the 3v3 experience you desire.

3. Can any champion be used in 3v3 custom games?

Yes, you can choose any champion for your 3v3 custom games. However, some champions might perform better in 3v3 matches than others, so it’s essential to consider your team composition and strategy when selecting your champions.

4. How can I improve my skills in 3v3 matches?

To improve your skills in 3v3 matches, focus on communication, map awareness, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different team compositions. Practicing with a consistent group of players can also help you build better synergy and teamwork.

5. What is the best strategy for winning 3v3 custom games?

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for winning 3v3 custom games, as it largely depends on your team composition, champion picks, and individual playstyles. However, focusing on communication, objective control, and playing to your team’s strengths can significantly increase your chances of success.