Common Terms

Ace

When all Heroes on the opposing team are dead within each others regeneration time, allowing additional bonus to the opposition.

AD

Attack Damage

AFK

"Away From Keyboard". This is to abandon your match, and is often used to refer to someone who is not moving, and has chosen not to play anymore of the match.

Agro

To have turret agro means the turret is targeting (therefore attacking) you. You can lose turret agro by moving out of range of the turret. You gain turret agro by being the first to step within the turrets range of attack.

If you enter within range of the turret after your minions, you can still get tureet agro by attacking an enemy hero while under the turret.

AoE

Area of Effect. AoE attacks are abilities that do damage in an area, as opposed to just on one target.

AP

Ability Power

ArP

Armor Penentration. The more ArP you have, the more armor of you ignore of the enemy you are attacking, and so the more damage you do.

AS

Attack Speed. The number of times your champion can auto-attack per second. The maximum is 2.5 attacks per second.

ASAP

As soon as possible.

Assassin

The role of the assassin is to sneak or jump past the tanks (ignoring them completely) & go straight for the enemies squishiest hero at the back e.g. the carry/laner. They do a lot of burst damage and usually do not stay in the fight for long.

Atm

At the moment.

B

Back; when someone is told to "B" that person is being told to retreat. If someone’s say that they will "B", they intend to retreat or recall.

Bait

Someone who is used to lure enemy heroes. Usually your team will be ready to jump on the enemy as soon as they attack the bait.

Ban

In ranked games and draft mode games each team can 'ban' three heroes at the start of hero selection. If a hero is banned he/she cannot be played by either team for that match.

Ban could also refer to banning an account from playing or from posting on the forums. Forum bans are handed out when a player breaks the forum rules.

Banning an account from playing is done when a player is found to be breaking the games 'Terms of Use'.

BD

Backdoor; to attack a turret or vain crystal without any minions or hero backup. You have snuck into the enemies stronghold 'through the backdoor'.

BG

Bad game. This can be said by the winning team should the losing team have a disconnection or an afk as a means of good sportsmanship, in recognizing that they won because it was an uneven match and not because they are better. Similarly, it can be said by losing team to indicate that they didn't think it was a good game because they had a dc, afk, troller, etc...

This can also be used by ragers to indicate that it wasn’t a good game because they played badly or because their team was bad.

Blue pilling

An old school phrase meaning recalling.

Bot

Brb

Be right back. This could refer to real life (as in someone is going to the toilet) or in game (as in someone is going to buy items).

Buff

When the game goes through an update, the creators will occasionally provide a "buff" to a hero they think needs to have extra power to be able to keep up with the abilities of the other heroes or new heroes.

Build

The set of items you buy for your hero.

Burst

Dealing a large amount of damage in a short time, also called nuke.

Bush/brush

The tall grass on every map in which you can hide.

CP

Crystal Power

Freezing the Lane

If the opposing laner manages to kill all your minions before you can kill theirs, you will intentionally stand far away enough from the turret, so that the turret does not target the minions and take away your chances of last hitting them.

You also prevent the minions from pushing further and hitting your turret.

You freeze the lane by being the enemy minions' target, preventing them from damaging your turret and ensuring that you get the last hit.

Juke

To trick someone into going the wrong way when he/she is chasing you. This is often done by being invisible for a few seconds using the brush or a hero's ability which provides invisibility.

Jungle

Refers to almost everything that is not lane or base. It is where the jungle monsters reside.

Jungler

The player who mostly stays in the jungle and gains gold from killing the monsters there.

KS

Kill Steal. To steal a kill from someone by getting the last hit on the hero.

Kite

To kite is when you stay at a distance (with your ranged hero) from your opponent and attack them from that distance, so they cannot attack you.

L2P

Learn to play

Lane

One of the ‘roads’ on the map.

Lifesteal

Allows you to regain part of the damage you dealt as health. For example: If you dealt 100 damage and had 10% lifesteal you would get 10 health back. Lifesteal only applies to auto-attacks and a few abilities.

Market

The ‘out-of-game’Vainglory Market in which you can buy heroes, chests, ice, skins & talents etc. Not to be confused with the in-game shop.

MF

Miss Fortune

MIA

Missing in action - see SS

Miss

See SS

Could also refer to Miss Fortune (though usually mf is used)

MS

Movement Speed

MVP

Most valuable player

N1

Nice one.

Nerf

To weaken a certain a characteristic of the game, usually a hero, in order to balance the game. Nerf's are seen when game updates are processed.

Noob/Newb/Newbie/Nub/Nab

Originally termed to be a beginner. But is now used more often to refer to someone who is a bad player.

NP

No problem

Nuke

Dealing a large amount of damage in a short time, also called burst. Sometimes people also use nuke to refer to dealing a large amount of area damage.

Nuke comes from nuclear bomb, which deals a large amount of damage over a large area in a short time.

Nuker

Someone who is capable of nuking.

OMG

Oh my God.

OMW

On my way.

OP

Overpowered or original post.

Overextending

A hero moving too far in lane/enemy territory, which can open them up to ganks.

Passive

An ability that has a more permanent effect, you have this ability throughout the match and its strength or length of effect can only be altered through purchase of specific items.

Poke

A form of harass which uses long ranged attacks to cause small to moderate damage in order to weaken an enemy, while keeping a safe position. Used often before fights or when fighting for objectives like dragon or nashor. (definition by zigomorfico)

Push

To advance in lane towards the enemy Vain with the intention of destroying turrets, heroes, minions & or the Vain itself.

Push to win

Signals one final push in which you expect to destroy the Vain and end the game.

Rage Quitter

Someone who leaves the game out of anger or frustration.

Roam

A player/hero is roaming when they are not staying in one place (or lane) but rather moving across the map constantly to gank other lanes, invade jungle, etc. This is sometimes referred to a seperate role and in this case usually replaces the support.

Shop

The in-game shop in your base where you can buy items for your hero with gold. Not to be confused with the Market.

Silence

Someone who is silenced cannot cast any abilities.

Skillshot

An ability which does not lock on to your target, and so you need to aim properly in order to hit an enemy.

Snowballing

Snowballing means getting stronger exponentially. Meaning that the more kills you get, the stronger you get and so the more kills you are able to get, etc. Snowballing is usually said when referring to items which get stronger the more kills you get.

Squishy

A hero is squishy if he/she is very easy to kill because of low max hp/armor resistance to other hero's abilities.

The opposite of durable.

Sry/srry

Sorry.

SS

Stands for miss or missing. This is said when an opponent in a certain area is missing & therfore could have left the area to push lane or gank other players. Extra caution is advised when someone says SS.

Stacks

This word can be used in many different ways but always involves multiplying the effect of something. There are items that "stack" or "pile up" a certain value for each time you do a certain action (eg. Catherine's A), using a skill or killing a hero. There are items that stack values, but you can also stack items yourself (buying more than one - dependent on the item type). There are also skills that stack values.

Steal

Specific definitions of this vary but always at least refers to getting the last hit on a unit when an ally was already attacking it. Can refer to stealing a hero kill, a minion kill, or a jungle monster.This is usually meant in a negative fashion, as in: you 'stole' from your ally. But stealing is often used as a strategy and so can be used in a positive way.

Stun

A debuff that completely shuts down someone. They are unable to move, attack, or do abilities for the duration of the stun.

Supp

Support. This is a hero or player who doesn't take any minion last hits and so usually ends up with very little gold. This is usually a hero who can do quite well without much gold and their main purpose is to help out the carry in their difficult early laning phase, & later help the team as a whole by placing vision, healing heroes, disabling the enemy heroes.

Sustain

Long-term regeneration. E.g. a hero with a lot of sustain can stay in lane for a long time because they can keep regenerating their HP so they do not have to return to base to regenerate.

Tilt

Tilt, tilting, and tilted are terms that refer to a negative emotional state caused by repeated losses. It is most often used to refer to a person who begins making poor decisions and/or raging due to the frustrations of losing. The term originated with pin-ball machines, and was made popular in poker.

WP

Weapon Power