Why do pro players focus on ONLY one lane?
 

Why? I can understand why they don't try to be able to play every role, as that would require knowing match-ups between every competitively viable character in the game, which would be near impossible. But are they really at such a huge disadvantage if say, their jungler and top laner can play both roles? Does it really detract from their skill in either role?

Seperately, but on a related note, has anyone actually ever seen this happen in a pro (i.e. tournament playing for money) game?

Would you really want five jacks of all trades, or rather one king of top, mid, bot ad, bot support, jungle?

It's referred to by lane, but in pro games there's a lot of lane swaps etc that go on. We saw multiple duo mids for example in the season 2 world championship.

Really what it is, is champion class. Of course, despite many jungles and tops being the same champion you still play them differently in each role, so it's not like you could be as good at both as you are at one.

Well with lane swaps, you are starting to see players play in unfamiliar situations anyway. It would behoove them to practice for all the matchups.

TSM ROLE SWAP

that game was funny as hell
(they swapped roles in a scrim)

Did I not say in my post that I understand why they DON'T do that?


Ok, I didn't think about lane swaps, but how about jungler and top being interchangable for example?

Most high high level players can play multiple roles. However they have one *primary* role they try to perfect, because the way competitive play is set up, that is the most effective way to do it. You'll see being well rounded be more popular when they have tournaments for solo queue.

Because someone who is great at mid champs can dominate with a mid, even if they're playing top, bot, (as a mage) etc. against abnormal matchups. Why? Because they know their strengths and weaknesses with whatever champ they're playing. If you're good at all roles you won't know the full extent of your champions prowess, you'll know a lot but not at all and that will leave you at a disadvantage against anyone that knows their champion/roles full capabilities and weaknesses. I play mid, I know my role as mid and I can win mid. Put me as an ADC? I'm the worst adc ever.

Because you play top and jungle COMPLETELY differently. Sure you will share a fair amount of champions between the roles, however the difference between jungle and top is vast.

the same reason people main one specific champion, so they know how to win in every single match up

No exchange is good. The dynamics for everything are different. Probably the most similar are top and mid, but at a pro level it's a big enough difference that a player simply can't be as good at both as he would if he focused on one.