WINNING UNDER PRESSURE

WINNING UNDER PRESSURE INTRO

Welcome to our course on how to win under pressure. Do you find it absolutely impossible to play under pressure?

Well, honestly, you're not alone. Playing when you are the one who feels behind is absolutely, well, it's never fun.

But luckily, there is a simple solution that many players just don't even realize. And in this course, we're going to teach you some steps on how to reverse pressure even when you are the one under heat.

RECOGNIZING PRESSURE WINDOWS

Now that you know how important it is to counterattack with aggression, let's break down how that works. We all know how frustrating it is to play against comps like RMP, where it seems every moment is spent in CC.

Setup comps like Rogue Mage or Jungle Cleave apply most of their pressure in short CC windows based around diminishing returns. They perform their goal, pull back for a bit, and do it all over again every 20 seconds.

Against these comps, you are playing against DR timers. The pace of the game is dictated by these windows in which the enemy team can setup CC chains.

Rogue relies on targets being off stun and poly DR in order to setup kills. Because DRs last 18 seconds, you should utilize this 18 second window while on stun or poly DR to push in.

While you are on DR, it is the perfect time to establish pressure. Don't wait!

Teams without spammable control like Melee Cleaves rely less on CCs and DRs to setup kills, and more on massive damage spikes with offensive attacks. Against Melee teams with longer setup timers like Melee Cleaves, you need to use specific windows in order to force CDs from the enemy team.

The window of opportunity you have against Melee Cleaves is a bit more generous because they aren't usually waiting on DRs for long CC chains. Your counter pressure window is opened up whenever the enemy team's offensives are down.

If you're unable to force CDs gradually while they force CDs on you, you will fall behind. And this is the biggest mistake.

By playing two defensive teams, you can't force them to attack. You need to know when to push in and become the aggressors.

HOW TO BECOME THE AGGRESSOR

There are two conditions that indicate good moments to apply counter pressure. The first is when you are on DR to CC.

This is especially important against comps like Rogue Mage because their win conditions only happen when targets can be CC'd. Once you are on DR to stuns or spammable CC like Polymorph, you have a perfect window to counter attack.

Not only will you be able to force defensive CDs from the enemy team, but you will also delay their next counter attack, giving you a defensive upper hand while developing offensive pressure. Another good moment to become the aggressor is immediately after surviving big damage cooldowns.

Surviving enemy CDs is important, but you need to take advantage of the windows where enemy CDs are down. Notice at the beginning of this clip that the Turbo Creep is missing many of their major control and damage options.

With major CDs like Avatar, Warbreaker, Hammer of Justice, and Doomwinds on CD, it is now a perfect time to counter attack since the enemy team is now able to counter attack. This is a good time to counter attack since the enemy team is currently behind on offensive cooldowns.

Your offensive cooldowns even act as pseudo-defensives, either by increasing your healing, establishing control, or mitigating damage.

For instance, Avenging Wrath increases damage and healing, which allows you to reverse pressure by putting the team on the defensive and giving you massive healing increases to sustain your team through enemy damage.

Trading offensives for offensives is a huge part of max level gameplay, specifically in Melee Cleave Mirrors. If you only react defensively against offensive cooldowns, you are giving the other team the upper hand.

You need to not only trade defensives, but also counter attack so that the enemy team isn't constantly ahead of your offensive cooldowns. Other offensive CDs like Shadow Dance also act as pseudo-defensive CDs by establishing control over the enemy team.

Shadow Dance can be used to deny enemy CDs while simultaneously opening up kill windows for your team. This is often incredibly important for comps like RMP.

Using your setups during an enemy attack not only gives you control, but also gives you a lot of control over their damage, but also allows you to set up your own win conditions. One thing you will notice about top players is how seamless they transition from defense to offense.

Not only are the top teams coordinating defensive CDs, but they are simultaneously planning counterattacks while under pressure. One way they do this is by fighting through CDs.

Surviving the enemy GO is only half the battle. Reversing pressure is the next step, and this is what truly makes a top level player.

THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE

Now that you have some ideas on how to reverse pressure, let's look at how the best teams in the world use damage and control to counterattack enemy cooldowns. As we've mentioned, there are two primary ways to re-establish control while under damage.

Damage and control. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense.

Offensive cooldown trading is one of the most common tactics among high-rated teams. Remember that your goal should be to stay ahead both offensively and defensively the entire game.

You have to be willing to commit your offensive cooldowns to force major CDs and push the enemy team back. Here, we have a Red Warrior vs Turbo Cleave.

This is bound to be an explosive matchup. Remember that it is important to try and stay ahead of offensive cooldowns, especially in melee cleave matchups.

In the opener of this matchup, both teams immediately commit to their offensive CDs and try to fight for control. Despite the enemy team using every offensive, the Red Warrior team stays in, fighting offensives with offensives.

This is important. Because it allows them to get full value out of their cooldowns and keeps them ahead on offensive pressure.

Control is also the quickest way to turn around pressure. Many games can be instantly turned without major CDs by simply controlling enemy players.

Here, we have an RMP fighting a Spell Cleave. The RMP has been pushed back to a pillar, with Root Beam almost available to the enemy team.

With all players hovering around half HP, it's time to turn the game around. With PvP Trinket on CD, the Paladin is vulnerable to a CC chain.

Despite being at half HP, the entire RMP pushes forward and starts the CC chain on the Paladin, enforcing fate from the Priest. The CC chain continues with a sap out of blind.

Even though Combustion was not used, the RMP was able to quickly turn around the game, even though moments before they were dying behind their pillar. Recognizing the Paladin did not have a Trinket opened up an opportunity to turn the game around, even without using a major defensive CD.

COUNTERING OPENERS WITH REVERSE PRESSURE

Some comps like RMP and Windwalker DK benefit from being able to do high burst damage while also controlling multiple targets. This is the most optimal way to counterattack because it allows you to stay ahead on your offensive CDs while also completely denying kill setups.

This means that you can force defensive CDs from the enemy team while also preserving your defensives if you are able to land control. In this clip, the Windwalker DK is able to reverse a dangerous opener on their own pillar.

Immediately after landing a root beam on the Paladin, the mage pops Combust and Meteor. Because Combust is the most broken offensive in the game, it immediately requires major defensives from the monk.

But now, it's time to reverse pressure. The Windwalker DK immediately responds with both AoE control and AoE damage.

Even though Combust is still active, it's important that they regain control with their own offensives. Reversing pressure with offensives is able to turn this opener around and force the enemy team on the defensive and away from their pillar.

Now that you have seen how the best players in the world are able to reverse pressure, see if you can implement it into your own game. Not only is it important to react defensively to enemy cooldowns, but you also need to reverse pressure with your own CDs.

The best players in the world are able to reverse games under pressure, and you can too.