User blog comment:CCoville/Tankin' ain't easy/@comment-3358335-20110303234800

I too have recently started practicing the Tank role. Prior I had only played "Mundo tank" which isn't really a tank (or DPS) it's just Mundo being Mundo, a big purple meating fleshy burning guy with cleavers. He can suck up a lot of damage and tank towers, teams, carry's etc. He can dish out a lot of pain at the same time. . but what he can't really do is force anybody to attack him, or stun them. He just has to be obnoxious enough to make them WANT to attack him.

So other than Mundo, I ussually play Mages, or Carry's. Mostly because they get all the chicks. . .or more seriously, I feel like if I do the damage I have more control over how the game is going than if I don't. But the characters I ussually pick can ussually fill in multiple roles. Either as Carry's or support, or pushers, or CC, I don't play the Yi's or the Tryns that are good for one thing and one thing only. . .BUT I decided to start learning tanks.

Specifically Amumu, because he's a yordle. Now, I think it is worth noting that having played QB at one time in my life I had always made a point of staying on good terms with my Offensive line. After every play, if I didn't get sacked, I started the huddle with, "good work guys." Or, "Way to pick that guy up. Mike." And when they screwed up I didn't yell or get mad at them it was a simple, "Hey, I really need you to slow that guy down, please." So in LOL I always. . always. . make sure to tell my tank he did a good job. If we win, it is automatic no matter how terrible he was. If we lose and it isn't blatantly because the tank sucked (and I don't mean KDR, but because he was never there. . was first to run from the fights. . wouldn't engage. didn't jump on a single grenade, or basically picked a tank character and didn't do a anything a tank is suppose to do.) then they get nothin'

But I digress. . Recently started playing Amumu. And yes, I have the same problem. I throw myself into fights (I mean I am #@$%ing amumu what better initiator is there?) Drop my ult, do my crying thing, run around and stun and pop my AOE tantrum as often as I can, and basically last a good 5-6 seconds damaging their entire team before I finally get stomped. . only to see that my team A) didn't kill anything or B) didn't even engage.

So then, I feel like I am feeding. Not to mention I will have teams accuse me of feeding. "Why did you start a fight Amumu!!" Oh, I don't know, we were all together, we had the jump on them, we all had our ults, and I managed to stun their entire team. ..

Life as a tank is thankless.