Thoughts on LoL game play modes

I've played enough of all three modes to have noticed some things that hadn't really clicked before.

Summoner's Rift:
I now fully understand why everyone buys boots in SR. It's SUCH a long map and the laning phase is SO important that you really need to make sure that you can minimize your movement around the map. I suspect this will change in S3 (they're upping everyone's base speed and reducing the affect of boots to compensate) but until they release that patch (on the 11th?), you're best off playing champions that scale into the late game. Nearly every game you play will have characters at 16-18 for significant portions of the game. Also, you want SOME kind of AoE because there WILL be team fights and AoE abilities WILL be worth their weight in gold in those.

Twisted Treeline:
As a smaller map, you're guaranteed an early fight (if both teams want it). The current "meta" as it were is 2 bottom and 1 top. I'm not convinced this is the "best" strategy. It doesn't make as good a use of the jungle as it could. The game also emphasizes "bruiser" type characters. Champions with durability / sustain and reasonable damage. Particularly good are the more "Tanky" type characters like Malphite, Mordekai, Garen, etc. CC is also important which, I think, is why I've had such good luck with Fiddlesticks (fear and silence).

Summoner's Rift:
The general consensus seems to be that you should go 1 big tanky guy on the bottom and 4 to the top. I think the "optimal" strategy is to have 3 top and 1 roamer with a goal of holding 3 and NOT pushing for a 4th (except perhaps when the guy on bottom kills his opponent in which case you might as well temporarily take the bottom). This map currently has a TON of fighting because no one wants to turtle up and play defense (which, IMO, they should). Holding on 3 is way better than getting to 4 but then getting wiped and going down to 2. You want power champions. People who don't really shine until late game are not optimal (I learned this with Kassadin... I was 1/7 by the time I got to lvl 18... at level 18 I got 5 kills and a couple assists but it was too little too late).

Pro play of the night for me: Playing as Darius (badly), I'm getting dominated by a Mordekai (a champion with which I have exactly zero familiarity). He's rampaging and gets a bit too cocky on the stairs of our altar. I tether him and suck him up to me, wait for the zap from the altar and then leap on him with my ult. Blam.

Pro play #2: Playing as Heimerdinger (well), I'm basically freezing top lane just outside my tower. I have two turrets up (lvl 3 or 4) and I recall. Jax and Kha'zix move in to take out the turrets but I left my camera behind. I wait until one turret is almost dead and then hit my ultimate. Blam, blam. Jax goes down and Kha'zix gets away with a sliver of health. Nice to get kills when you're standing in base shopping!