User blog comment:XelNecra/Top 10 "small things that made me play better"/@comment-5956047-20130122232236/@comment-76.93.211.214-20130123042500

I wouldn't say farming is essential in every lane matchup. For example, when I play Irelia, I consider my lane phase against a snowballing champion (or someone like Darius/Jax) "won" if I haven't died, even if I am 30-40 CS behind and have no kills, because I know I can outtrade later on. This applies to several top-laners, some mids, and even a few AD Carries.