Why CS Matters More Than You Think
Every minion you miss is gold you're gifting your opponent as a free advantage. A caster minion is worth about 14 gold. A full wave is around 105 gold. If you're losing 2-3 minions per wave, you're losing the equivalent of a kill every few minutes without anyone actually killing you.
High elo players aren't just better because of their mechanics. They're better because they rarely miss free CS. Improving your farming is probably the fastest and most reliable way to climb.
CS Benchmarks by Elo
So you know where you stand and where to aim:
- Iron/Bronze: 4-5 CS per minute
- Silver: 5-6 CS per minute
- Gold: 6-7 CS per minute
- Platinum: 7-8 CS per minute
- Diamond+: 8+ CS per minute
Your first realistic goal should be 7 CS per minute consistently. That already puts you above the Gold average and gives you a significant gold advantage every game.
How to Practice Last-Hitting
In Practice Tool
- Open Practice Tool with your main champion
- Don't buy any items at first
- Only last-hit minions for 10 minutes
- Your goal: 80+ CS by the 10-minute mark with no items
- Repeat until you can do it consistently (90%+ of minions)
This trains your timing with your champion's base auto attacks. When you have items later, everything will feel much easier.
Do This Before Every Ranked Session
10 minutes of CS practice before playing ranked works as a warmup. Your fingers are active, your timing is sharp, and you enter the game with better rhythm than your opponent who just queued up cold.
The 3 Wave Management Techniques
Farming well isn't just about last-hitting. You also need to know how to move the wave in your favor.
Freezing
You let the enemy wave have 3-4 more minions than yours, near your tower but without the tower hitting them. You only last-hit. This forces the enemy to overextend for farm, making them vulnerable to ganks.
When to do it: When you have an advantage and want to deny the enemy CS, or when you're behind and want to farm safely.
Slow Push
You only last-hit without using abilities, letting your wave stack up 2-3 extra waves. This creates a massive wave that pressures the enemy tower.
When to do it: Before going to an objective (dragon, baron) or when you want to create pressure in a side lane.
Fast Push
You use abilities and autos to kill the wave as fast as possible and crash it into the enemy tower.
When to do it: When you want to recall, roam to another lane, or go to an objective.
When to Farm vs When to Roam
This is the million-dollar question. The answer depends on your role:
If you're a mid laner: Push your wave fast, then roam. Never leave your wave under your tower to go to another lane. If you do, you lose free CS and experience.
If you're a top laner: Before minute 14, your priority is farming and winning your lane. After first tower, start rotating for objectives.
If you're an ADC: Your job is to farm. Don't leave bot to fight over your jungler's crab. Every wave you miss pushes your power spikes further away.
The Golden Rule
If you can catch a full wave AND then do something on the map, do it. If doing something on the map means losing a full wave, think twice. Minion gold is consistent and guaranteed. Fights are not.
Common Mistakes That Destroy Your CS
- Going to ward without pushing first: You lose an entire wave just to place a ward
- Fighting for nothing in river: That scuttle isn't worth 6 minions
- Chasing lost teamfights: If the fight is already lost, don't go die. Farm a side lane instead
- Not farming jungle camps between waves: Jungle camps are free gold if your jungler doesn't need them
- ARAM in mid at 15 minutes: Everyone grouping mid while 3 waves of minions die in side lanes
A Trick Few People Use
After winning a teamfight, don't go straight to baron or a tower. Check the lanes first. If there's a massive wave about to die to your tower, collect it. That extra 200-300 gold could be the difference between completing an item or not.
Start Today
You don't need to be perfect. You just need to be better than yesterday. Do the 10-minute practice, aim for 7 CS per minute, and you'll notice the difference in your gold (and your wins) within days.
If you want to know the best time to practice without distractions, check out the best time to play.