What is Considered as Good CS per Minute?

If we think about what is considered as good CS per minute score in League of Legends, we realize that many different things come into place. LoL is a very complex game and every aspect, like a champion pick or a lane matchup, influences the rest of it. So, a great CS score isn’t only determined by the player’s skill but also by that of his opponents and the game dynamics.

That said, let’s clear some things and figure out what exactly is considered as good CS per Minute in League of Legend!

What is CS in League of Legends?

CS is the short version of Creep Score. A “creep” is the DotA equivalent of a “minion” in League of Legends. And repeatedly slaying creeps or minions generates the Creep Score. 

Players kill minions because they reward them with gold and experience, two crucial resources for winning in LoL. So, CS is simply the statistic behind the player’s performance on securing those minions kills.

Now, minions start spawning at 1:05 in each match of League of Legends. Every 30 seconds, new waves of minions flood the three lanes on Summoner’s Rift. It takes 32 seconds for each wave to reach the player in the middle of the lane. And each wave consists of 6 minions, three range and three melee ones, plus a cannon minion that accompanies them every 4th wave. Those are fixed rules!

So, if we calculate things a little, we see that each player, except the junglers, has approximately ten minions available for slaying every minute of the game. And this is an important thing to realize if you’re aiming to improve your Creep Score!

What is Considered as Good CS per Minute in League of Legends?

A decent CS per minute starts at around 8 CS/min. This should be the first goal of every League of Legends player. And that is because 8 CS/min demands at least some understanding of the game’s mechanics and developed skill on the player’s side to follow those mechanics. Anything less than this is a signal that the player should work on his CS per minute skills.

A good CS per minute is anything from 9 CS/min and above. If you’re able to hold this or a higher score throughout the match, it means that you’re capable of claiming the needed resources for carrying your team. You know how the game usually goes, and you’ve learned your champion enough to be a skilled LoL player.

And a great CS per minute score is anything above 10 CS/min. Actually, 10 CS/min should be the goal of every player above the Gold and the Platinum rank. In these stages of the ranked ladder, the players have a pretty good history with League of Legends, so they’re expected to know their champions and matchups.

If you take a look at a pro player’s CS score, it usually revolves around that 10 CS/min mark. This is understandable since they play the game professionally and they’ve mastered its fundamentals. For example, in a pro match, a mid laner can even reach a 12 CS/min.

That happens when the mid laner starts to take jungle camps in-between his regular minion waves. And additionally, the other lanes give him some of their minions, if that player is one a scaling and snowballing champion. However, that doesn’t mean that a pro player can’t have a 7 or 8 CS/min score in both pro play and solo queue.

What Influences the CS per Minute in League of Legends?

As we mentioned above, multiple things dictate the results of your Creep Score. Let’s take this scenario as an example.

You’re playing Zed in the mid lane against Syndra. Normally, Syndra should be the one who dominates this matchup, at least up until level 6. Zed should play this matchup very carefully and not let Syndra bully him because if he loses too much of his HP, he won’t be able to CS as much. So if Syndra is successful in her job, Zed shouldn’t be successful in his CS. So, Zed’s CS/min is largely determined by Syndra’s skill and not entirely Zed’s.

But, this is not the only thing that influences bad or good Creep Scores. Sometimes, your lane opponent may not be a very good player, and you’ll be free to farm. But, his jungler might decide to camp you, which will again result in you having a lower CS. So, your teammate’s and your enemies’ performance often play a part as well.

Another crucial thing to clear is your own champion pick. You see, when you’ve mastered one champion, you know his animations, movements, and most importantly – damage at each level. And you may not be aware of it, but playing a champion that you know pretty well almost always results in you having a good CS per minute.

But if you’re having trouble with having a good CS per minute score consistently, then here are a couple of things you could do!

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How to Improve Your CS per Minute in League of Legends?

Even though this is a skill that every one of us has built with time, there are things you can do to speed that up.

First off, we want to mention Practice Mode. If you can take a few minutes before playing ranked to enter Practice Mode and just focus on your CSing, you’ll be a better player in a week. Practice Mode is excellent because it removes all the other distractions that are usually in the game, like enemy champions and kill announcements.

This will make you focus on your own champion’s auto-attacks and spells. You’ll start to notice at which moment in time precisely you should press your buttons. And as a result, you’ll have a higher CS per minute in your normal games!

Another helpful thing to try out is the 10 Minute CS Challenge. This challenge can be completed in your ranked games as well. Basically, the point here is to hit the perfect score of 107 minions by 10:00. Obviously, many of us simply can’t hit that number, but getting as close as possible is a good way of training yourself to focus on the minions. This builds a habit, which is critical for achieving high CS/per in every game!

Final Thoughts

There you go on what is considered as good CS per minute in League of Legends! If you can’t hit those sweet numbers yourself, then don’t stress it. As we said earlier, CSing is a skill that needs to be built over time. You can’t expect to be good at it overnight, so give yourself a little room for failure. And if you practice regularly enough, you can hit that 10 CS/min very quickly!