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Proposal: Make an "Off-Meta" Normal Queue

JustCallMeSPED·3/19/2018, 12:06:45 AM·15 votes·977 views

So earlier, a thread was posted where the poster claimed that League of Legends in its current state only really allows you to play by whatever the current meta is, and Maple Nectar got the single-most upvoted comment in there, lamenting that freedom to goof off or try new things is hindered by the LoL API showing the current meta at the touch of a button and the desire to win being more prevalant of a desire in such a competitive game. I proposed a solution, but it was buried so far down that I thought it warrented its own thread.

My solution (if you didn't bother to click the link or read the title) was to make a queue for SR that was specifically FOR playing Off-Meta, where people queue up just to try crazy stuff for crazy's sake. It would allow people the opportunity to have a place where their teammates couldn't just be like, "Hey, you can't play that!" because everything goes, making the current meta meaningless; and the purpose would be to goof off and just have fun, whatever it is you want to try, and that alleviates the number one purpose being to win. You're not there to win or be salty when you lose, you're there to do purposely ridiculous stuff or have a place to try out your crazy ideas in a real match instead of against AI or in the practice map.

As an added thought, it could also be a queue where some other restrictions are alleviated. Why not see if your custom-made one-for-all Jinx team can win against a full team of 5? Maybe too far-fetched to make a queue that allowed that, but it was a thought.

24 Comments

Shuriman Curator3/19/2018, 1:45:58 AM5 votes

AP Garen here I come!

In all seriousness though I'd play it

RogueWill3/19/2018, 1:50:13 AM4 votes

Then people will get there and play meta champions, honor system is never a good system.

I woudl propose a randomizer. But instead you get one champion you get 20 champions to pick for (or 25). That way you woudl have a more limited pool to pick for but wouldn't be forced to play a completely random champion.

C9 Squeeky 3/19/2018, 5:52:24 AM3 votes

It might be fun at first but will a dead queue I imagine. Maybe make a RGM mode to test the waters and see if it makes a comeback or not.

JustCallMeSPED3/19/2018, 12:10:53 AM3 votes

I'm gonna quick respond to my own post right away because I had a thought. LoL is only around because Warcraft 3 allowed custom map making and DotA became SO popular it spawned its own games. Wouldn't it be awesome to have likena custom mode you where you could take even just SR as a map and inject your own rules, then leave it open for people to join?

Make a map where everyone starts at level 18 and 20,000 gold.
Make one where everyone is Tahm Kench
Make a round where everyone's movement speed is 1000.
Make a game where Flash has a 5 second cooldown.

It sounds like it would open up League to a whole lot of crazy fun options.

LightIsMyPath3/19/2018, 1:21:55 PM2 votes

It wouldn't have enough traffic to maintain a stable queue, but it seems really a fun suggestion for a game mode. I'm not sure how you'll prevent people from playing meta though..

MagicFlyingLlama3/19/2018, 12:23:10 AM2 votes

Queue would be dead on arrival - times would be too long, so nobody would play it, and it dies before it lives.

Custom games and premades are going to fill this role, off-meta with randoms is always a mess anyway.

Oleandervine3/19/2018, 2:50:05 PM2 votes

I don't think this queue is a good idea - here's why. To have an off meta pick work, you need the meta to be around you. The reason people play off meta and the reason why off meta has the potential to completely wreck some people is because off meta can specifically target things in the meta to specifically throw them off balance. Furthermore, people playing the meta are typically operating on meta "calculations" (even if they don't consciously do it) in order to predict play patterns from their opponents. When something off meta occurs, their focus and ability to predict goes out the window, because they won't be prepared for something they don't typically run into. Volibear support is one such off meta pick that can be devastating if undervalued or ignored. That's not to say it's not without risks. Some off meta picks can be terrible, just as easily as some can be indomitable. It's a total risk-reward thing, but it does require the environment of the meta to be functional. If everyone is off meta, off meta picks become less of a risk-reward thing and a lot more of an act of RNG and luck.

Draehl3/20/2018, 4:14:23 PM2 votes

You wouldn't learn anything for testing viability if you're playing an off meta champion into other off meta champs.

Bern3/20/2018, 11:57:05 PM1 votes

Off-meta queue would just get its own meta.

TehNACHO3/19/2018, 2:35:26 AM1 votes

What about Smogon tiers?

Have the OU/Ubers/Everything Goes meta be standard competitive, where anybody can play anything. Have UU/RU/NU be the "Off-Meta" Queue, where "meta" picks are auto banned.

Create more tiers and and/or move champions up and down tiers as the community sees fit.

PhantomPrankster3/19/2018, 1:35:18 PM1 votes

that APi nonsense is a load of shit

its the people who shit talk people that want to have fun in normals and gets away with it is the problem

websites like lolking and NA.OP.GG have been around for a long ass time and the state of normal games has never been like it is now.

Galiö3/19/2018, 9:14:29 PM1 votes

That'll work until there is an off-meta meta.

UnboundHades3/19/2018, 9:38:13 PM1 votes

Sounds like garbage if you are gonna do off meta shit you can do it in normals and perform well if your good the ops reason for losing so many times was his severe lack of personal skill to make them work

TempName748143/19/2018, 10:40:59 PM1 votes

then play blind. call a role, hover a meta champ while waiting for everybody to lock in, then take the champ you want in that role

Madsin253/20/2018, 1:20:31 AM1 votes

Would it work though or would the best off meta become meta?