Guides · 6 min read
Vision before objectives: set up dragon 90 seconds early
Most objective fights are decided before they start. The team that placed vision 60-90 seconds early chooses when to engage, sees the enemy facecheck, and turns the river into home turf. The team that arrives without vision facechecks — and facechecking into 5 is the number one cause of gifted dragons.
The 90-second window
Objective vision isn't placed "when you happen to walk by": it's placed in a specific window, 90 to 60 seconds before the spawn. Earlier is too early (wards expire or get cleared with time to spare); later is too late (the river is already a warzone and planting the ward costs YOU your life).
Inside that window, three spots are worth more than ten random wards: the pit entrance on your jungle's side, the river path the enemy will rotate through, and a control ward denying THEIR vision of the area.
Vision also means denying it
Placing wards is half the job; clearing theirs is the other half. A sweeper pass over the pit entrance before the spawn turns their information into darkness — and a team that can't see the objective usually doesn't contest it.
A clear sign this is your leak: if your vision score per minute consistently trails your direct opponent's, that's not bad luck — it's a habit they have and you don't.
By role, in one line
- Jungle: your pre-objective route should END at the objective's river, not start there. Arrive with camps cleared AND vision placed.
- Support: the 90 seconds before dragon are your highest-impact map window; move with your team, not alone.
- Mid: your wave priority decides whether your team can rotate first. Push the wave BEFORE the window, not during it.
- Top/ADC: you don't need to place the wards — you need to not take the fight before they exist.
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