The professional Mao “Aki” An revealed in a stream how he tricked an opponent using emotes in League of Legends. This was even used in a playoff match in the LPL, the highest Chinese league.
What was the trick? Aki is the jungler of the team OMG, which narrowly missed the entry into the MSI by finishing fourth in the playoffs. Nevertheless, the team’s performance impressed, as they were able to leave behind well-known names like Invictus Gaming or Royale Never Give Up.
A simple but genius trick was used by the professional in the match against Top Esports. The playoff match was about entering the top 4 – a victory was therefore extremely important. Aki wanted to gank the top lane and get a kill for his team. However, he was unsure whether his opponent Wayward could see him in the bush beforehand or not.
That’s why he simply used an emote. Wayward responded in turn with an emote. He was aware of the attack. Afterwards, Aki simply used his emote before each gank, gaining an advantage.
Gigabrain strategy when the opponent allows it
Why did it work? Wayward is known as a player who likes to have fun in his matches. That’s why he uses many emotes himself. Aki took advantage of this:
- When Wayward uses an emote, Aki knew he didn’t need to gank. This saves time that he would otherwise have waited for the right moment in the bush.
- If Wayward did not react, he very likely could not see Aki. The jungler could therefore wait for the ideal moment for an attack.
That this trick worked in a pro match in China is seen as great by many LoL fans. They therefore call it a “Gigabrain” strategy.
Can I use the trick myself? Basically yes. However, there is no guarantee that the opponent will actually use an emote. However, if they do, you can quickly abort the gank if you don’t get a guaranteed kill.
You use your emote by calling up the pop-up wheel in the match. This is standardly on the “T” key. However, you can change the key assignment at any time.
If you are looking for more pro tips, we have something else for you:
