Match Mechanics

See Headquarters for mechanics outside of a match (account management, skins, currencies, etc.)

The Match Mechanics page is designed as a quick-reference guide for semi-experienced MOBA players. If you're unfamiliar with MOBAs, we recommend you visit the New Player Guide first. The goal of this page is to answer any technical question about formulas, stats, or specific interactions pertaining to gameplay inside a match/arena.

Damage Formula

Damage is calculated after taking into account each related variable, with each variable type being grouped into an array. In simple terms:

Damage Dealt = Attack Power * (100 - Armor)

Any % damage increases/decreases you have are all calculated at once and added together as their own category; % damage reductions also work the same way. Note, when calculating % increases/decreases on a target, these calculations are done AFTER the armor rating.

Damage Formula: Expanded

A champion can have multiple effects either on them or on their enemy. These includes values like Armor Pierce, Damage Increases, Damage Reductions, etc.

Damage Dealt = (((AP * %ModsSelf) * (100 - AR)) * (100 - %ModsTarget))

Where:

• AP = Attack Power
• AR = Armor Rating of Target (After Pierce)
• %ModsSelf = Any percentage increases/decreases on self
• %ModsTarget = Any percentage increases/decreases on target

Note: This formula holds true for Magical Damage as well, though it takes into account Spell Power, Resist Rating, and Spell Pierce

Full Damage Example

As an example: Our champion has 100 Attack Power. He currently has two buffs (10% increased damage and 15% increased damage) and one debuff (-15% damage dealt). Our target has 60 Armor which translates into 60% damage reduction on physical attacks. Our target also has one buff (40% reduced damage taken) and one debuff (15% increased damage taken), totaling 25% reduced damage taken.

Our champion will deal 110% increased damage (10% + 15% - 15%) which totals 110 Damage based on our 100 Strike Damage. After 60% armor reduction, our attack deals 44 damage. Finally, taking into account the %Mods on the target (25% reduced), our final damage will equal 33.

Note: Very rarely will this many effects be in play and damage will generally be much simpler to calculate.

Damage Types

The 3 damage types are:

• Physical: Damage dealt by almost all basic attacks and most physical champion spells. Generally increased by Strike Damage/Armor Pierce and is reduced by the armor rating stat.

• Magical: Damage dealt by magical champion spells. Generally increased by Spell Power/Resist Pierce and is reduced by the resist rating stat.

• Pure: Damage dealt by a few select abilities/effects. Pure damage cannot be increased/reduced by any stat other than the ability itself, if stated. It ignores Armor/Resist rating and any buff/debuff regarding damage increase/damage reduction.

Shields

Shields are temporary hit points that are gained through various effects/abilities. Shields do take into account both Armor Rating and Resist Rating.

Shield Stacking is done via a first in, first out approach. For example:

You gain a 100 HP Shield (from your own ability) that lasts for 10 seconds. After it's applied, you take 50 damage, reducing that shield to 50 HP. At that point, an ally casts an ability that grants you a 200 HP shield that lasts for 10 seconds, totaling your current shield amount to 250. If you take another 50 damage, the first shield would disappear completely, leaving the 200 HP shield still in tact.

Note: Some shields give effects like Armor Rating while the shield is active. These effects disappear once the shield is broken, unless otherwise stated.

Recharging Shields

Some abilities or items feature "recharging shields". These are shields that recharge after the champion does not take damage for 15 seconds (unless otherwise stated) at a rate of 20% per second. Rechargable shields always count as first in line in the first in, first out approach, regardless of when they were applied.

Base Stats

Each champion has a set of default base stats. Stats that vary per hero are (^ = Scales per level):

• Health ^
• Mana
• HP Regen
• Mana Regen
• Attack Power^
• Attack Speed^
• Armor Rating^
• Resist Rating
• Movement Speed.

Health and Attack Power scale per level as a scaling percentage. For example, if a champion has 1,000 health at level 1 with a 5% scale on the health stat, he would have 1,050 (+50) health at level 2. At level 3, he would have 1,103 (+52.5). This makes it so that the later levels in the game grant more stats than the early levels.

Attack Speed and Armor scale as a flat amount per level.

HP Regen and Mana Regen work as percentages. This means that if your HP Regen is 5%, that 5% does not increase per level, but since your HP is increasing, you will be regenerating more health each level.

Champion Level

Inside the match, Champions can "level up", granting an increase in base stats and adding an Augment Tree point. The maximum champion level in-game is Level 20. Most champion's ultimate abilities are unlocked at level 6.

Note: When your HP is increased after leveling up, you are only healed for half the total amount gained. For example, if your HP gain per level is 10% and at level 1 you have 500/1000 HP, your health after leveling up to level 2 will be 550/1100. Mana operates on a similar principal.

Experience

See Experience

Gold vs. Favor

There are two forms of currency inside the match, Gold and Favor ("Team Gold").

Items (and consumables) are purchased with gold, which works similarly to most every other MOBA, being earned passively and via last hits, player kills, etc.

Favor, or "Team Gold" is a concept unique to Circuits and Shields and is used to buy Blessings

Augments

See Augments

Stat Stacking

All stat increases are calculated by the base stat plus any bonus values multiplied by bonus percentages. For example, if you have a base move speed of 300, then 2 percentage move speed buffs (10% and 20%) and 2 value move speed buffs (+20 and +40), the values are added to your base, and then that value is multiplied by your percentage total.

(Base + PlusMSValues) * (100 + PlusMSPercentages) (300 + (20 + 40)) * (100% + 10% + 20%) = 468 Total MS

Often times this is referred to as the sum of increases as an array of values in a category. The 3 PlusMSValues are an array and the 5 PlusMSPercentages are an array. Any time a category's array or a related array is adjusted, that category is recalculated.

Additive Stats

All stats stack additively; final numbers can be calculated by adding the numbers together. For example, if you have two items that grant 20% increased HP and 10% increase HP, you would have 30% increased HP.

Damage Dealt and Damage Reduction also stack additively. For example: Your champion has two buffs (10% increased damage and 15% increased damage) and one debuff (-20% damage dealt), your champion deals (15% +10%) - (20%): 105% damage. Each value is taken as a whole stat, meaning order the buffs are applied does not matter. A 10% increase is damage is not stronger if you already have a 50% increase active, it does NOT mean 10% on 150%, it simply means 10% + 50%, meaning you're at 60% total increased damage.

Attack Speed works similarly. If you have two items that grant attack speed (20% and 30%), you have 50% increased attack speed or 150% of your base attack speed. If you attack an enemy that slows your attack speed by 15%, you're now at 135% of your base attack speed.

Multiplicative Stats

No stats in Circuits stack multiplicatively.

Effect Stacking

Effects are almost always unique and item/champion specific, meaning their effects do not stack even if applied from multiple sources. These are handled through various buffs/debuffs, with a player only able to possess one of a specific buff/debuff at a time. The exception to this is champion specific effects that are unique to a champion. This would occur in cases where two players are playing the same champion and apply the same debuff to a target; each debuff would be respective to the champion that applied it (rare cases in unique game modes)

Example (Debuff/Buff Stacks): Your champion has an ability that stacks up to 5 times on an enemy and last 5 seconds. This ability deals 10 damage per second per stack and reduces their armor by 3% per stack. You apply 2 stacks and 4 seconds later apply a third stack. The enemy now has 3 stacks and the duration is refreshed to 5 seconds. As soon as the first stack is applied, a timer begins counting every second and calculating the damage dealt at that second based on the number of stacks. This does mean that there are cases of a damage being dealt at .5 seconds of the debuff left rather than exactly at 0 seconds. The 3% armor reduction per stack stacks additively, so at 3 stacks, the enemy would have 9% reduced armor.

Example (Aura Stacking): Your team has two items that provide the same aura, "Team Armor Rating", which increases any allied champion's armor rating by 20. When one carrier of the item enters the range of an ally, that ally gains the buff "Team Armor Rating Aura". If the second carrier of the item enters the range of that same ally, he does not gain a second buff. Note, the carrier may receive special bonuses outside of the aura for the item, but the aura does not differ between carrier and recipient.

Example (Item Debuffs): Two enemy champions have the same item, an item that on being hit reduces the attacker's attack speed by 15% for 5 seconds. If your champion attacks one of these enemies, tyour attack speed is reduced by 15% for 5 seconds. If inside that 5 seconds, your champion attacks the other champion that also has this item, the 5 second duration refreshes, but your attack speed is still only reduced by 15%.

Stat Maximums

Stat Name	Maximum Value
Cooldown Reduction	50%
Armor Rating	70 = 70% reduction
Resist Rating	70 = 70% reduction
Stability	50%
Attack Speed	2 Attacks per second
HP Regen	20%
Mana Regen	20%
Life Steal	50%
Spell Vamp	50%

Minions and Last Hitting

Last Hit assist is activated if your attack reduces a minion to 10% or lower of its HP. This effect does not activate on Jungle Minions or on Enhanced Minions.

Minion Experience rewarded is based on the following formula: Base Exp of Minion + (5 * level) (XYZ)

Minion Gold reward on last hit is based on the following formula: Base gold of Minion + (5 * level) (XYZ)

Types of Crowd Control

Reference Table

CC Name	Movement	Attack	Abilities	Interrupt Current Action	Reduced by Stability	Purgeable
Slowed	Reduced	Allowed	Allowed	No	Yes	Yes
Root	Blocked	Allowed	Allowed	Variable	Yes	Yes
Stun	Blocked	Blocked	Example	Yes	Yes	Yes
Controlled	Forced	Forced	Blocked	Yes	Yes	Yes
Grounded	Variable	Allowed	Variable	Variable	No	Yes
Knock Up	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Yes	No	No
Knock Down	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Yes	No	No
Airborne	Variable	Blocked	Variable	Yes	No	No
Silence	Allowed	Allowed	Blocked	Yes	Yes	Yes
Disarm	Allowed	Blocked	Allowed	No	Yes	Yes
Blind	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	No	No	Yes
Vision Impaired	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed	No	No	No
Stasis	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Yes	No	No
Subdue	Blocked	Blocked	Blocked	Yes	No	Variable

CC Notes

• Cleanse: There are two tiers of cleanse, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Most CCs like roots or stuns are T1 effects. However, some CC's, like more powerful abilities involving Subdue or major damage effects are Tier 2. Any items or abilities that involve a cleanse effect will state if they cleanse Tier 1 effects or Tier 2 effects and any ability that can be cleansed is assumed to be a Tier 1 effect unless otherwise stated. An item that clears T2 effects will also clear T1.

• Knock Up and Knock Down: Features two components: an airborne component and a stun component. While a target is airborne, they can cast most movement spells to escape being airborne. However, during the majority of the airborne component, a target is stunned, which blocks any abilities/movement. These stuns can be cleansed which will allow movement, but will not break the airborne component. Note, the term Airborne is also used for Knocked Down. For example, if you are knocked back by an ability, you are able to cleanse immediately and cast a movement spell to break the forced movement backwards. However, if you cleanse and do not cast a movement spell, you will finish the knocked back motion. Also note, the stun component of a Knock Up and Knock down is reduced by stability, so 50% stability will give you the ability to activate a movement spell halfway through the knockback.

• Root: If you are in the middle of a Dash/Movement ability and you become affected by a root, that dash is immediately halted and your champion stops at the place where rooted.

• Blind: Causes you to miss the next X number of attacks, based on the ability. Blind can end either via it's duration running out or when the number of attacks missed has been met, this will usually also remove vision impaired if it's attached to the ability.

• Vision Impaired: Blind is often, but not always, attached to the Vision Impaired effect. Vision Impaired effects limit the radius of vision (based on ability) around the character and removes shared vision with allies. If you are vision impaired, but not blinded, you will NOT miss your attack.

• Controlled Effects: This refers to your champion being forced to perform certain actions, usually involves a forced movement in a certain direction. Controlled effects include, but are not limited to Charms, Taunts, and Fears.

• Grounded: This refers to the inability to cast a movement spell. This usually involves an AoE radius where if your champion stands inside the radius, you are unable to dash out. Dashing into a grounded area will stop your champion immediately at the point of entry. In cases of grounding that don't involve an AoE but rather a debuff directly on your champion for a duration, you'll be able to cast movement spells, but your character will not perform the movement piece. For example, if you receive a 5 second debuff called Grounded and cast your dash forward move, you will only move slightly, but will still perform any effect the dash included. This does not remove the grounded effect unless otherwise stated.

Death

Champion death does not take away gold. Death timers for each arena can be found on the specific Arena page.

Invisibility and Stealth

Invisibility or Stealth refers to a unit that cannot be seen by normal means, whether that is normal vision or a standard ward. Invisible units can only be seen by a unit or ward with "True Sight", which is granted by various items or effects.

Tower Aggro

XYZ how tower aggro is done (damage dealt = shot, etc)

Stat Notes

The following section contains notes on stats that require further explanation

Armor and Resist

Armor and Resist work on a simple 1-70 system, where 1 armor is 1% physical damage reduction and 70 armor is 70% physical damage reduction. Due to each armor/resist not having diminishing returns and having a low max number, abilities and items are adjusted accordingly to provide lower amounts.

Critical

Critical Chance works on a weighted system of XYZ.

Critical Damage refers to the extra amount of damage dealt when you have a critical strike. Critical Damage is affected by level, where at level 1, your critical strikes deal 125% damage. This value increases by 5% until it reaches 175% (Level 10) where it then stops scaling per level. Critical Damage can be increased beyond 175% through augments and items.

Stability

Stability is a percentage that reduces the amount of time your champion is CC'd. If your champion is stunned for 2 seconds, but has 50% stability, that stun only lasts 1 second. See the CC Reference Table for effects reduced by stability.

Life Steal and Spell Vamp

Life Steal refers to the amount of health stolen after dealing physical damage (basic attacks and physical damage spells), while Spell Vamp refers to the amount of health stolen after dealing magical damage. Life Steal and Spell Vamp are calculated after armor/resist reductions, meaning, you gain health based on the final damage of your attack.

Armor/Resist Break vs. Pierce

The key difference between Break and Pierce is that reduction is on the target and thus every champion attacking that target reaps the benefits. Reduction is calculated prior to any event since the target's armor adjusts according to the amount of reduction.

For example, your champion has an item granting you a stacking debuff on hit of -2 armor for 3 stacks and +10 armor pierce. Your target has 50 armor. For our example, let's assume you've already attacked the target 3 times, applying your 3 stacks of debuff to total -15 Armor Break.

Thus, before our next attack hits, our target now only has 44 armor. This holds true for any other champion attacking this target until that debuff wears off.

Now, we fire our next attack at our 44 Armor target. We pierce 10 now, meaning our attacks deals damage based on the target having 34 armor.

• There is no % Pierce in Circuits, only flat amounts. Thus, there is no multi-stage formula of which values to take first.
• Armor and Resist can never be brought below 0, no matter the amount of reduction or pierce applied.

MOBA Terms

Didn't understand half of what was said here? Make sure to visit our MOBA Terms page to familiarize yourself with terms specific to Circuits and Shields.