How Does Thresh’s Lantern Work in League of Legends?

Thresh was released into the world of Runetera on January 23, 2013. He is statistically the most played support in League of Legends since his release. Thresh is one of the highest utility champions in League, allowing him to be the best engage support in the game.

Many believe that good hooks make a good Thresh. However, veterans of League understand that good hooks coupled with insane lantern plays are what make Thresh one of the best support champs in the game.

Thresh throws his lantern within a certain distance. Thresh and the first allied champion that comes close to the lantern are granted a shield. Allies can also click on the lantern while in proximity of it, pulling them on top of Thresh. 

The ability itself is called “Dark Passage” and using it properly defines the turning point between a good Thresh player and a bad one.

All that out of the way, here are a few applications where Thresh’s Lantern can be used.

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1. While Being Ganked:

Thresh’s lantern can be effectively used to survive ganks. First of all, it can be utilized to shield both the ADC and yourself.

Second of all, if you see the enemy jungler is about to gank, run back to your turret leaving your ADC behind. This puts the enemy jungler in a critical situation because now they have to choose whether to attack you or your ADC. If they choose to attack your ADC, simply lantern your ADC out of that fight.

This is one of the easiest ways to survive ganks in the early game because if the enemy jungler is not smart enough to attack you, you can always avoid ganks and reach safety.

2. Blocking The Enemy’s Path:

Thresh’s lantern is actually considered an obstacle by the rules of League of Legends. It is comparable to a Trundle’s pillar but it is considerably smaller. It can be used to block the path of your enemies if they are trying to run away from you. However, this can only be done properly if the enemy is trying to escape from a narrow place such as, behind a turret or near/hugging a wall.

There is a very short 23 seconds video on YouTube titled “The Correct Way To Use Thresh Lantern” where this technique is displayed in action. So go ahead and check it out for yourself.

At first glance, these might seem like menial skills for an average player to learn. However, these technical combos and skills are what set veteran Thresh players apart from the average ones.

Things to worry about while playing Thresh

First thing is that most players in League are not quick enough to react to your lantern on time. This can happen in both higher and lower elos. However, it’s not fair to blame these players because Thresh’s lantern is extremely difficult to react to unless you’re familiar with Thresh and have played (with) him for a while.

Second thing is that Thresh has so many combos and mechanics that it’s hard to keep count of them all. Some of them are minuscule ones such as “blocking the path with your lantern” but some of these are full-on hardcore combos that will take you some time to learn. If you wish to learn more about Thresh’s combos, check out some YouTube guides and practice them yourself.

With all that lantern talk out of the way, let’s talk about what items and runes you should use on Thresh for optimal performance.

Runes

• Guardian
• Font of Life
• Bone Plating
• Unflinching
• Biscuit Delivery
• Cosmic Insight

P.S: Guardian can be interchanged with AfterShock if the enemy team-comp is more burst heavy and defenses are needed. However, if that’s not the case, never use AfterShock over Guardian because Guardian will always outcompete AfterShock under normal circumstances.

Items

• Thornmail – For armour and Grevious Wounds
• DeadMan’s Plane – For armour
• Zeke’s Convergence – Cost-efficient for a support
• Abyssal Mask – If you have multiple AP champions in allied or/and the enemy team
• Frozen Heart – For hardcore magic resist

Some items can be switched out for different ones depending on the matchup as well. However, starting with a Relic Shield is a must.

For boots, always try to build either Mobility Boots or Boots of Swiftness. However, if the enemy team has multiple AD or AP champions, pick either Plated Steel caps or Mercury Treads.

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Conclusion

Thresh is one of the most fun supports to play in League of Legends, and this claim is backed by the player base as well as the Thresh mains themselves. If you’re new to League and looking to play the support role, we would highly recommend trying out Thresh because of how well-designed he is as a champion.

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