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THIS IS AN HONEST, HEARTFELT COMPLAINT ABOUT THE RANKING SYSTEM

Ahtiz·3/12/2015, 12:45:30 PM·78 votes·8,465 views

SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE

 -I do not claim to know a 'cure-all' for the incredibly immense problems with the ranked system, but I do believe that the majority of serious ranked players will agree with me to some point on this: The current system IS NOT GOOD. Not only is it not good, IT IS VERY BAD. 
 -When we look at a player and see that they are Bronze II, we (generally) consider them to be (pretty much) a scrub.  When we see that a player is, say, Gold II, the first thought is far from "Must be bad." We may not see them as LCS gods, but we see them as, at worst, better than average. This brings us to the crux of the problem. I've now seen hours worth of videos and read countless articles on "ELO hell" and the like, and many people scoff at the idea, while others would preach its existence to no end.  The best way I have ever seen it put went something like this:

"If you are feeling stuck in 'Elo Hell' then what's probably happening is that you may be better mechanically, strategically, and communicatively then everyone on your team, and everyone on the other team, but not by a large enough margin to single-handedly carry your entire team"

So what does this effectively mean? -In reality, someone who in all aspects of their play should be in Silver II or Gold V may, through terrible placements or bad luck streaks, end up in Bronze. AT THAT POINT they are NOT good enough to SINGLE HANDEDLY carry their team every game. Simple as that. What that means is that there are many players, who by all intents and purposes ARE silver or gold, that have to be branded as Bronze. Even if they can climb out, they cannot expect to win game after game after game. Those who are good enough to climb out have to play literally upwards of 50-100 games just to get close. That is SIMPLY NOT OKAY.

Why does League of Legends have this problem, and why does it seem to be (almost) unique in having it?

  • It is because the League of Legends ranking system ranks ** individual players ** based ** Absolutely, completely, and entirely ** on whether their team wins or loses.
  • How incredibly well you perform in a game is absolutely irrelevant if you lose that game. You may as well have put ZERO effort into that game, because both you and the AP Riven support on your team both lost the exact same amount of points. Had you gone into the game, and from the first moment beelined into baron while watching t.v. with your friends, you would have had the EXACT same outcome. This works both ways too. And that REALLY IS A BIG PROBLEM.

-You, reading this right now, know what I'm talking about. Sometimes you really give a game your all, and it may be a video game, but it's still a significant amount of energy. For Riot to reward or penalize those two players the EXACLTY equally is, to be completely honest, Not okay by any means. It raises the question: "Why do we even have Bronze-Platinum tiers?" I would assert that most Diamond players probably are good enough to single-handedly carry themselves out of bronze. And the current ranking system really does (for the most part) do justice by them. It works in those cases. Perfectly. But that means that EVERYONE in the middle basically has an irrelevant rank that does not reflect their skill level. If they played 150 more games, MAYBE it would. but most working people, or people in school, simply don't have that kind of time to put into it.

WRAPPING IT UP

-I know full well that the kind of change that is needed would mean a complete overhaul of the current system, and I know that is something that we players cannot expect to happen overnight, or even in three months. But what I would wish for in a perfect world is for Riot to say:

"Hello Summoners! We just wanted to let you know that we have heard your voices! And we have taken a step back to really analyze our current Ranking system. We will be coming out with a series of very big changes to LP gains and losses and the criteria for those gains and losses in the next few months. Stay tuned and stay excited!

it would truly mean so much to me, (And probably to a large majority of players if Riot were to simply Acknowledge what so many of us are saying. Most of us talking about this issue feel completely ignored, and if Riot were to just acknowledge the problems they've created with this system, then a lot of us would be at ease once more.

Like so many people, I love League of Legends. It's the only game I've ever been dedicated to for such a long time, and the only real complaint I have is this one. It is the only thing that has actually made me feel hopeless and made me want to quit. I really do believe that this is the biggest issue in League of Legends, but maybe I really am almost alone in that. Regardless, thank's for reading folks. Tell me what you think.

162 Comments

Jamaree3/12/2015, 12:50:52 PM37 votes

While I do want to be ranked based off my individual play at times, the problem falls down to if it was, people would be more focused on raising their own KDA and stats then winning. If you can think of a system that people wouldn't go for kills over actually being of assistance to their team, securing objectives and making plays, then yeah, they should put it in.

Izbiz3/12/2015, 2:21:38 PM14 votes

Let me start off by saying that I agree that the ranking system is horrible. But the fix should not come from individual effort.

How do you measure what is successful and what is not?

  • Is a 0-4-0 split pushing Nasus who got their inhib at 20 min successful? Or, if while he's doing that, the other team got 2 inhibs because he didn't defend.
  • Is a Udyr who got 5 dragons in 40 mins successful? Or did he abandon all lanes and afk farm, thus allowing the opponent jungler to gank for free.
  • How about that Yi that thought that he could 1v5 the enemy, dies, and you lose throw the game because of it. Should he be rewarded for being 15-1-1?
  • Should Ziggs and Swain get equal additional LP if they get the same CS that is much higher than the average CS at that MMR? Or should Swain get rewarded more because it's harder for him to farm?
  • Does the Lee who uses wards to do Lee things get the same LP bonus as a Nami who risks her life to get vision?

You see, in order to maintain strategic diversity (something that is part of their goals. I'm not saying they're even remotely close), you can only measure a player's performance on wins and losses.

Furthermore, let's assume the average MMR on both sides is even at, let's say 1,000. Let's also assume that you are at a 1,100 mmr and your lane opponent is at a 900 MMR. Would it really be fair to give you more points for beating up on someone who you should be beating up?

Very Hard Engage3/12/2015, 1:34:56 PM9 votes

the problem with ranked is that it only takes 1 bad egg to ruin a whole game.

so out of 10 games you play, you expect them all to be relatively even, you win 5 you lose 5, you were pretty even with your opponent and it was a close game. EXCEPT, this rarely happens. instead on average, 1 person has disconnected at least in 1 game, and in another game there was a single misplaced feeder.

so 2/90 can set you back and cause you to lose 2 more games than you should've. now you're 3/5 which is a falling ratio and lowers you.

lets not get into smurffs or duo queues.

Sammystorm3/12/2015, 7:34:36 PM6 votes

** -I do not claim to know a 'cure-all' for the incredibly immense problems with the ranked system, but I do believe that the majority of serious ranked players will agree with me to some point on this: The current system IS NOT GOOD. Not only is it not good, IT IS VERY BAD. -When we look at a player and see that they are Bronze II, we (generally) consider them to be (pretty much) a scrub. When we see that a player is, say, Gold II, the first thought is far from "Must be bad." We may not see them as LCS gods, but we see them as, at worst, better than average. This brings us to the crux of the problem. I've now seen hours worth of videos and read countless articles on "ELO hell" and the like, and many people scoff at the idea, while others would preach its existence to no end. The best way I have ever seen it put went something like this: **

As someone who started in lower bronze and has now climbed their way to mid gold. The tiers are much more defined than you made them out to be. Their is a huge example between bronze 1 and bronze 5 for example. The further up you the less it is blurred and the more defined it becomes. I can now see a substantial difference between someone in silver 2 compared to someone in gold 5 or even silver 1. When I was in Bronze I could potentially beat someone who was mechanically better than me because no one really understand how to end games. Now in mid Gold it is much more frequent that a run away lane will snowball the entire game and result in a stomp.

** -In reality, someone who in all aspects of their play should be in Silver II or Gold V may, through terrible placements or bad luck streaks, end up in Bronze. AT THAT POINT they are NOT good enough to SINGLE HANDEDLY carry their team every game. Simple as that. What that means is that there are many players, who by all intents and purposes ARE silver or gold, that have to be branded as Bronze. Even if they can climb out, they cannot expect to win game after game after game. Those who are good enough to climb out have to play literally upwards of 50-100 games just to get close. That is SIMPLY NOT OKAY.**

Honestly I think you are blurring the lines too much. I belong in Gold I have been there for the last 2 seasons. If as you claim I got unlucky in my placements and was in Bronze I literally would have no problem getting out. None. Compared to where I am now the vast majority of Bronze players are not at my skill level. Hell even when I was low to mid silver I could have carried out of Bronze. I literally can win basically every game I play with people at substantial lower skill level than me. Are some unwinnable? yes. However the vast majority of games would end up in a victory for my team.

It is because the League of Legends ranking system ranks individual players based Absolutely, completely, and entirely on whether their team wins or loses. How incredibly well you perform in a game is absolutely irrelevant if you lose that game. You may as well have put ZERO effort into that game, because both you and the AP Riven support on your team both lost the exact same amount of points. Had you gone into the game, and from the first moment beelined into baron while watching t.v. with your friends, you would have had the EXACT same outcome. This works both ways too. And that REALLY IS A BIG PROBLEM.

Ranking on whether you win or lose is the only good way to rank it. Honestly if you are pulling off amazing scores like 21-0 and you still lose. Something you as a player did cost that game. Almost every time you play game, as long as you do better than every one else, you will win. The reason people have a hard time carrying games is because their true skill level is with in 1-2 tiers of where their ranking is at. Meaning that on average you will play against and with people who are slightly better or slightly worse than you every game. Where as if I was to play in bronze right now I would be substantially better than most of the people I play against or with.

-You, reading this right now, know what I'm talking about. Sometimes you really give a game your all, and it may be a video game, but it's still a significant amount of energy. For Riot to reward or penalize those two players the EXACLTY equally is, to be completely honest, Not okay by any means. It raises the question: "Why do we even have Bronze-Platinum tiers?" I would assert that most Diamond players probably are good enough to single-handedly carry themselves out of bronze. And the current ranking system really does (for the most part) do justice by them. It works in those cases. Perfectly. But that means that EVERYONE in the middle basically has an irrelevant rank that does not reflect their skill level. If they played 150 more games, MAYBE it would. but most working people, or people in school, simply don't have that kind of time to put into it.

Again I feel like my Gold badge ranks me appropriately. I also think the silver and bronze badges ranked people properly. Is the system perfect? absolute not. Is it extremely flawed? no. Honestly every 1-2 or two tiers you can usually see a substantial improvement in terms of quality of play.

** -I know full well that the kind of change that is needed would mean a complete overhaul of the current system, and I know that is something that we players cannot expect to happen overnight, or even in three months. But what I would wish for in a perfect world is for Riot to say:** I disagree. I think a overhaul on a system that is already placing people more or less correctly is a waste of resources.

it would truly mean so much to me, (And probably to a large majority of players if Riot were to simply Acknowledge what so many of us are saying. Most of us talking about this issue feel completely ignored, and if Riot were to just acknowledge the problems they've created with this system, then a lot of us would be at ease once more. On the other hand every one who worked hard and progressed to get to where they are at would essentially be cheated out of what they worked for.

** Like so many people, I love League of Legends. It's the only game I've ever been dedicated to for such a long time, and the only real complaint I have is this one. It is the only thing that has actually made me feel hopeless and made me want to quit. I really do believe that this is the biggest issue in League of Legends, but maybe I really am almost alone in that. Regardless, thank's for reading folks. Tell me what you think.** I don't think you are alone I was like you at one point and felt hopeless when I was trying to struggle out of bronze. The thing that helped me out the most was a change of mentality. I changed my mentality from "I am better than the people I am playing with i deserve a higher tier" to "I have a lot to learn and need to improve a lot". As soon as I changed my mentality I climbed like 3-4 tiers.

DrinkMoreWhiskey3/13/2015, 4:29:16 AM3 votes

People at low elos don't understand what "Carrying" is.

Constantly not make game breaking mistakes is a lot more important than going 20-4-0 every game if you want to climb. Low elos don't seen to understand that. Getting 20 kills then Yolo diving their team or chasing through the jungle and dying before pivotal objective fights is 10x worse than the "baddie" who lost his lane but is otherwise working with the team.

If you're constantly doing well in lane but still losing games it likely means you're constantly making mistakes and losing focus.

Bronzes and silvers are there for a reason. Once you get mid gold plus and look back you'll think to yourself holy crap those kids really are that bad. It's really rather comical. If you're bronze you're there for a reason.

Spacesuit Spiff3/13/2015, 1:00:12 AM3 votes

I'm a Plat player, got tossed in Silver this season. After coming up with a decent strategy to control the game even if my teammates are sitting under turrets with their arms up their butts, I went from S5 to G5 in 2 days.

If you are FAR lower than you belong, you can climb back with the right strategy (usually a really aggressive and snowbally one). Don't forget that even if you're a diamond, playing like you're playing in diamond while you're in silver is gonna lose you games.

AmazingGoat3/12/2015, 5:02:45 PM3 votes

Unless you are a professional (in which case solo queue rank is nearly irrelevant anyway), you play this game for fun. Have fun and don't worry about your rank. No one actually cares whether you, Ahtiz, are bronze, silver, or diamond. The only one focusing on your rank is you, when really you should be focusing on the questions: am I having fun, and (if you want to win more) how can I get better. The nice thing about the ranking system is that it matches you with players around your skill level so you will rarely have to have your game dominated by a player who IS diamond.

I understand your frustration, but I think that you are failing to appreciate that if your only goal is to climb, then you need to focus on ways to maximize your chances to win. This involves pushing small edges, which in turn involves becoming familiar enough with a champion that you are able to push small edges and carry a game.

In 78 games so far this season, you have played 28 different champions. For champions you have played 2 or less times, you are a combined 6-20. If you are having fun, then don't worry about your rank and just play. If you want to climb, then pick one or two champions for each role that you enjoy, and only play those champions. You'll find yourself getting more familiar with how you can use those champions to influence the outcome of a game, and in turn you'll find yourself winning more.

Overall, focus on getting better and improving as a player, not on what rank you are. If you get better, you will rank up. It is very hard, however, to get better if you are constantly switching which champion you are playing. This is especially true if, as you mention, you don't have a ton of time to play lots of games.

Good luck!

TotalJerk3/12/2015, 3:58:48 PM3 votes

There are two options to climb: duo Queue and 5v5.

Frankly the entire idea of ranking your individual skill in a game that heavily emphasizes teamwork by forcing you to match with random players is flawed.

The Bard Dog3/12/2015, 8:49:22 PM3 votes
      -In reality, someone who in all aspects of their play should be in Silver II or Gold V may, through terrible placements or bad luck streaks, end up in Bronze.

this. i was silver 1 last season, got placed in bronze 3 thanks to new 30s in promos, trolls, and feeds. not too terrible to climb up in all honesty, but it is really annoying.

MaizeCraze3/12/2015, 8:50:13 PM3 votes

I am a firm believer that ELO hell exists; I was living proof of it back in Season 3. I didn't attempt to climb during S4 because of it. However, I do not agree that I am not able of carrying myself out of low silver. I was placed in Silver V after going 8/2 in placements. I currently just got into Silver III with a win loss of 21/5. There were the games where my team carried me, however in the large majority of games I had a significant impact on the outcome.

Like you said, I can mechanically and strategically perform better than my opponents. I use this fact when selecting what champions I play; ones who can truly carry. My mains thus far are Khazix , Gnar , Jinx , and Amumu . These champions can all single-handedly alter the course of the game and I play them specifically for that purpose.

KING ATTILA3/13/2015, 3:12:04 AM2 votes

Took me the entirety of season four to climb from Bronze 2 to Gold 5.

Placements=bronze 2.

Seriously? What the fuck?

Kairya3/12/2015, 6:32:47 PM1 votes

I agree with you, but I also think that it's very hard to judge good and bad play.

For example: I had a game a few weeks back with a Volibear Jungle. And He wasn't a bad player per se, but whenever he ganked he took all the kills and taxed the lane. The outcome was him having over 10 kills and about 3 Assists and the rest of my team having pretty much nothing. He didn't manage to carry us either, since he build no damage and just was a very big tank in the end. This means he did not die a lot, but since mid and adc had no eq to do damage with, it was a lost cause. So his statistics were good, but we still lost that game and I believe that it was partially his fault.

I think he missed the point of LoL entirely - Winning is a team effort. He might have been mechanically skilled (I can't judge that), but does that make him a good player?