Vortex Gaming

· Wave freezing is a strategy in the game where you keep your allied minion wave near your own tower, preventing it from advancing into the enemy's territory.
· The main objective is to hinder the enemy's growth by preventing them from obtaining souls (experience and gold) from killing minions.
· Unlike a typical wave push, this strategy holds the wave at a specific location to restrict enemy movement and gain advantages.
· Waves start in a balanced state, and depending on the damage dealt to minions by players, they will push towards the enemy's territory or your own.
· The 45-meter soul acquisition range and the 18-meter soul orb range are the core mechanics of wave freezing. If minions die outside this range, the enemy cannot acquire souls.

· Waves start simultaneously from both sides and become neutral when they meet in the middle.
· When a player deals damage to minions, the wave's balance is broken, and it pushes towards the enemy's territory. Conversely, if the enemy deals more damage, it pushes towards your territory.
· If both sides deal equal damage, the wave remains in a neutral state.
· The key to wave freezing is that the enemy must approach within a certain distance (45m) to acquire the soul orbs generated when minions are killed. They cannot obtain souls outside this range.
· When a minion dies, a soul orb is generated, which disappears if not acquired within 18 seconds.

· Wave freezing lures the enemy towards your tower, forcing them out of their safe zone.
· This causes the enemy to overextend into dangerous territory, making them vulnerable during engagements.
· A frozen lane facilitates ganking from other lanes. Allies can easily join the frozen lane.
· Since the enemy must approach to get souls, you naturally gain lane priority and can suppress their growth.

· Step 1: Assess the Wave State
- Freezing is possible only when the wave is pushing towards the enemy's territory. It's difficult to freeze when the wave is neutral or pushing towards your own territory.
· Step 2: Establish Lane Presence
- You need sufficient lane presence to pressure the enemy, preventing them from ignoring the frozen wave and killing minions. Freezing can be difficult in unfavorable matchups.
· Step 3: Coordinate with Your Duo
- One player should focus on zoning the enemy, while the other secures soul orbs. This highlights the importance of communication and cooperation among teammates.
· Step 4: Lure and Maintain the Wave Near the Tower
- You need to control the pace so that enemy minions aren't killed too quickly by the tower. Stall or adjust your position appropriately before they reach the tower to maintain the freeze.
- Generally, keeping 2-3 enemy minions alive is effective for maintaining the freeze.

· The Trap of Line Control: The idea that you must always push the wave or control the line is flawed. If you are not in a position to safely clear the wave, avoid killing minions unnecessarily.
· Failure to Secure Safe Distance: If you don't have a safe distance to acquire the soul orbs generated when killing minions, you might inadvertently create a dangerous situation for yourself. Always check your safe distance before killing minions.
· Utilization in Side Lanes: When in an unfavorable situation in a side lane, you can attempt to freeze by luring enemy minions near your tower. This can bait enemy ganks or create engagement opportunities.

· Prevention is Key: The most important thing is to be cautious from the start to avoid being frozen. Indiscriminate minion attacks push the wave, providing an opportunity for the enemy to freeze.
· Leverage Lane Strength: If you have a hero with strong laning capabilities, you can break the freeze by directly engaging the enemy.
· Request Assistance: If you can't break the freeze alone, ask for help from other lanes to push the wave together.
· Utilize Towers and Delayed Attacks: Attack enemy minions later, before they reach the tower, or maintain the wave near the tower to make it difficult for the enemy to maintain their freeze.
· Delayed Wave Engagement: To slow down the enemy's wave progression, you can start attacking the wave from its spawn point. This helps the enemy arrive at the wave later, aiding in breaking the freeze.

· Currently, Deadlock's minion AI can be somewhat unstable and buggy, meaning wave manipulation might not be perfect.
· However, in the long term, Deadlock has the potential to evolve into a game where minion and wave manipulation, similar to League of Legends, becomes crucial.
· Even small-scale wave freezing, like ensuring just one minion isn't missed or isn't acquired by the enemy, can significantly impact the game's flow.
· This ability to manipulate minions will become a critical factor in determining victory or defeat.