Earn the first engage

0:00–8:00; first clear, level-three window, and the first dragon/grub setup

Build a reliable first clear toward the lane that can move first or the side where an obvious gank may form. Full clear is the conditioned default when lanes lack setup or your early duel is poor; choose a shorter path only when an enemy is exposed and your level-three threat is meaningful. After the first play, recover camps before wandering. If a gank fails, preserve tempo by taking the next available camp and resetting rather than repeating the same lane.

Path

Choose farming tempo unless the first gank is real

If your champion can clear reliably and your lanes lack a clear level-three setup, then use a conditioned full-clear path toward the side where your win-condition lane can receive the first play. If an enemy lane is extended past the river or a wave is crashing into your laner, divert only when the gank is visible and the camps you skip can be recovered on the exit.

With Rammus

• If Rammus is missing from the map and your lane is pushed, keep the enemy occupied near the escape side so Powerball can approach from behind rather than forcing him to cross the wave. If he appears, focus the target he Taunts instead of splitting damage across the enemy team.
• If Rammus is setting up an objective 60–90 seconds early, help him by pushing the nearest wave and moving through the swept route. He can contest the entrance with his engage, but he cannot replace missing priority or safely check every dark path alone.
• If Rammus enters first and lands area disruption, spend your damage during the Taunt window while he is holding the enemy's attention. If he misses the entry or arrives without you, disengage and wait for the next angle rather than following him into an unrecoverable fight.
• If Rammus is behind, give him a simple job: protect the strongest damage dealer, cover the objective entrance, or trade cross-map. His value can remain high through crowd control and space even when he cannot win a raw duel.