Golems, Tabis, and more: LoL oldheads debate which dated terms would trip up new players the hardest

Dozens of League items and monsters have been removed, implemented, or had their names changed since its release in 2009, and one of the most surefire ways to separate new players from seasoned ones is by seeing what kind of terminology they use to refer to some of them.

In a thread posted to the official League subreddit earlier today, players debated which pieces of once-iconic League lingo would be completely mystifying to newer players who aren’t tapped in with the game’s history. 

The most agreed-upon answer in the thread was the use of the word “Tabis” for Plated Steelcaps. Before Plated Steelcaps were the go-to boot for armor needs, the item was known as “Ninja Tabi,” which would prompt players to recommend purchasing “Tabis” when an AD threat on the other team was getting out of hand.  

Some very long-tenured League players still use terminology from the old, pre-updated version of Summoner’s Rift, which was given a fresh facelift in 2014. Players who refer to some of the jungle monsters by their old names can easily be singled out as veterans. If you see a player refer to the Krugs as “Golems” or the Raptors as “Wraiths,” you’ll know that they’ve been around the block for a while. 

Some terms in League are named after professional players. This practice doesn’t really have as much prominence today as it once did in the game’s culture, but older players will still give shoutouts to signature moves like the “Xpeke” or the “Madlife” from time to time.

One player in the Reddit thread even mentioned the infamous “Scarra Ward,” which is named after former League pro and OfflineTV founder Scarra. The Scarra Ward is defined by attempting to place a ward in the blue-side tri-brush from inside the walls of the Dragon pit, something Scarra had trouble with in a viral clip. 

If you’re a newer League player, you likely don’t need to do your homework and dive back into the annals of the game history, as Riot tends to do a good job of keeping League terms relatively accessible. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have a basic idea of once-relevant names in case a veteran teammate starts speaking in a forgotten language during your games.