LoL lane swaps: count the map cost before the tower gold

Lane swaps produce an easy scoreboard: plates taken, towers lost and gold collected. That arithmetic can hide the map cost. A swap also changes experience, jungle protection, recall timing and which side can establish the next objective first.

Price the waves that disappear

Record who receives each wave and which player must share experience. A tower advantage can be cancelled by a solo laner losing the level that makes the next fight playable.

Track access after the tower

The first structure changes ward routes and camp safety. Ask which jungler can enter the river, who owns the next reset and whether the team that finishes first has anywhere valuable to go.

Review the swap at three checkpoints: initial assignment, first recall and first neutral-objective setup. A good swap creates a sequence of useful timings. If the plan ends at tower gold, the opposing team may inherit the more important map.