Is 7 CS a Minute Good?

Hey there! As a passionate gamer and data analyst, I wanted to provide an in-depth look at CS per minute in MOBA games like League of Legends. There‘s a lot of confusion around what constitutes "good" CS, so let‘s break it down.

What is CS?

CS stands for "creep score" and refers to the number of minions or monsters a player has killed. It‘s a core metric used to judge your farming ability and income generation. The more CS you have, the more gold you earn to buy items and get ahead of your opponent.

CS Goals Vary By Rank

In general, higher CS is better. But CS goals depend heavily on your skill level and elo bracket. Here are the CS per minute benchmarks to aim for based on your rank:

As you move up in elo, CS requirements become stricter. Challenger level players want 10+ CS per minute to remain competitive. But when you‘re starting out, aiming for 6-7 CS per minute is a great goal.

Here are the CS per minute averages across all leagues according to Riot Games:

So if you‘re Bronze, aiming to get 1 CS per minute higher than average (6.4) is a great goal. Comparing yourself to the averages for your elo helps give perspective on your CS skills.

How Much Gold Does CS Provide?

Let‘s break down the gold value of CS across a few ways:

Per Minion

• Melee minions: 14 gold
• Caster minions: 17 gold
• Siege minions: 40 gold
• Cannon minions: 45 gold

Cannon and siege minions are high priority as they give bonus gold. Try to last hit them first if possible.

Per Wave

Each wave spawns every 30 seconds with 6-7 minions.

• Melee wave (6 melees): 84 gold
• Caster wave (3 melees, 3 casters): 120 gold
• Cannon wave (3 melees, 3 casters, 1 cannon): 165 gold

Cannon waves are particularly valuable with their bonus cannon minion gold.

Per 10 Minutes

At 20 CS per minute, you‘d earn ~2400 gold from CS alone in 10 minutes!

Even at a moderate 8 CS per minute, that‘s still ~960 gold, or over 3 kill‘s worth of gold! This really adds up over time.

No wonder pros emphasize farming so heavily. CS provides a reliable gold income that supplements your kills and objectives.

How Does CS Translate to In-Game Strength?

More CS directly equals more items and power.

For example, say you‘re playing an AD carry. At 10 minutes with 70 CS vs 100 CS:

• 70 CS earns ~980 gold
• 100 CS earns ~1400 gold

That 400 gold difference is a huge power spike for your lane opponent. They can buy a Pickaxe or BF Sword and heavily out-damage you in trades.

CS advantages compound over time too. By 20 minutes, that CS lead balloons from 30 to 60+. Now we‘re talking thousands of gold and multiple item differences.

Even small CS leads add up quickly and make a huge mid/late game impact.

Tips For Improving Your CS

Here are some tips to start improving your CS:

• Practice CS drills – Hop into practice tool and CS for 10 minutes straight. Doing this daily will build your fundamentals.

• Focus on last hitting – Only auto attack to get the killing blow on minions. Don‘t just blindly push.

• Manage waves properly – Freeze near your tower for safe CS. Slow push big waves to dive tower.

• Upgrade damage items – Prioritize Pickaxe, Noonquiver, Caulfields Warhammer for easier last hitting.

• Watch minimap – Rotate for jungle camps and side lane farm whenever possible.

• Avoid missing CS for fights – Don‘t abandon your lane for constant fights. Catch waves first.

• Use abilities to secure CS – Some champs have abilities that help them CS safely.

• Stay alert under tower – Learn last hit patterns for CSing under tower.

Mastering CS takes time and practice. But improving your farming will immediately reflect in your gameplay and results.

Balancing CS and Kills

There‘s an important balance between prioritizing CS and going for kills in lane.

As a general rule of thumb, 15 CS is worth approximately 1 kill.

So if you miss 2 waves for a kill, it wasn‘t worth it! But if you miss 3 melee minions for a kill, that‘s a favorable trade.

This is why pros often play "slow and steady" in lane. They focus on perfect CS over constant aggression. Once they accrue an item advantage, they start dominating fights with their extra strength.

When evaluating trades, missed CS should always be a consideration. Don‘t neglect farm just for the chance at a kill.

In Conclusion

To sum up:

• 7-8 CS per minute is a solid benchmark to aim for initially

• 10+ CS per minute is exceptional, mostly seen in high elo

• CS generates passive gold income to accelerate your builds

• CS leads directly translate to item and combat advantages

• Balancing CS and kills is key to maximizing income

I hope these tips help provide a better sense of what to aim for with your CS! Let me know if you have any other questions. And get out there and start farming like a pro!