Boards›Gameplay

Ranked doesn't reward commitment, it punishes it!

Lover Lips·1/14/2019, 3:25:17 PM·3 votes·1,477 views

I don't play the game anymore. I played this game for well over 7 years and played Season 1 and onwards. I was lucky enough to meet the love of my life through this game; through that, I thank these developers and this game for giving me a wonderful love to cherish. What I don't thank the developers for is blatantly disrespecting the time investment of ranked over the last 7 years.

This isn't anything new. This is something that's been happening since the game's inception; but it's surprising to me that after all this time they still haven't realized why Ranked is such a chore to play. At least, one of the reasons why; it's a big one too. Why should anybody play ranked when in the back of their minds they know full good and well that if they don't reach their desired goals at the end that their rank is reset and they have to try all over again.

My fiance has been playing ranked every single day since I left. By herself, solo queue all on her own. She's doing her best. Whatever rank she is, whatever she has to deal with in her games, it doesn't really matter because whatever happens in the games isn't why the ranked system isn't rewarding. Whatever rank she is doesn't represent why ranked, after all these years, isn't rewarding. It's the journey that does. It's the time spent that tells everything you need to know.

In ranked, your rank resets every single start of the new season. Do you know what this actually does Riot? Climbing the ladder in ranked after 5 years of playing the game, re-treading the same places and the same ranks you've been with the exact same people you've been playing with the last 5 years is unfair and unsportsmanlike. It devalues the journey and the effort you put in. Top players don't have this trouble, since they've already achieved the goal. The goal, is, to reach the top. To reach that Diamond and Challenger level. To be one of the best. I understand that you don't allow people to keep their ranks after a season is over to prevent stagnation and a few other reasons but Riot do you honestly believe that after 7+ years of playing your game and dealing with the toxicity and rage-inducing ranked state for the last 7 years that people wanna actually go back and have to play their Gold 4 promotionals where the same guy is in your promotional games every single time you're about to get promoted to tell you that if you don't give him mid he'll feed. And then he feeds anyways.

Or how about you're in Silver 2 and you get the same idiot intentionally feeding 5 games in a row, just like last season when you met him the last time, and you're perpetually demoted back to Silver 3 until the end of the season, once again leaving where you last left off 3 years ago.

By not letting players continue where they left off, by making them reset and climb again, you're making them revisit the places they've been before. You're making them go through the same exact struggle endlessly in the name of competitiveness. That doesn't sound competitive to me. Having to do the same thing over and over again forever, only sounds like one thing: crazy.

And my poor fiance, who spent so much time on your game, on ranked, without even knowing that in pre-season her rank gets reset every damn season she plays. She tries so hard to get where she is and all you've continued to do is break her spirit more and more with each passing year of this complete and utter insanity.

Ranked isn't fun for a number of reasons; one of the core ones is that when you make people have to reset their ranks at the start of a season it throws away everybody's efforts. Because apart from a few well created cosmetics, and flairs, the reason why people get to the ranks they want to get to is so they can say "Im Gold 3" or "Im Diamond 2" or "Im finally Silver 4". It doesn't matter what the rank is because it's something people work hard for and put the time into getting....only for it to get taken away at the end of the year and forced to do it all over again... only this time, instead of doing it thinking you can't do it, you do it again knowing you can do it but have already done it before. When people know they've already done something before, it's no longer a grind, it's no longer rewarding. Making people do the same thing over and over again, things they've already done before, is a waste of their time, and it disrespects the effort they put in to get the rank they worked so hard for.

12 Comments

MalrothDragonia1/14/2019, 4:57:39 PM5 votes

If after 7 years a person is the EXACT same rank at end of year that they were the first year, there is some stagnation in they way they are approaching the game. Barring that, even a single division higher than you were last year is something to be proud of BECAUSE of the reasons you say, you earned that spot through dedication.

I felt hard-stuck in gold for 3 seasons in a row. This past season I set my sights on Plat. I came up with a system, part practice, part self-recognition when I was having an off day, so I could stay away from ranked and not hurt my climb. With discipline I made it into plat for the first time this year after playing this game for over 6 years.

The climb is worthwhile at the very least if you can see even a single division increase from year to year. If you're having trouble climbing, try to find new strategies to increase your win percentage.

If your fiance would like some tips on climbing, and what I did to get out of being hardstuck feel free to message me or friend me in-game.

The game changes from season to season and OP champs wax and wane, making sure you are keeping your skills up rather than letting people profit off of a single game state that happened to be good for them would hurt the nature of ranked as fully competitive, it would also discourage many people from actively trying to get better.

Done251/14/2019, 4:02:39 PM4 votes

The reset is there because it's a new season. If the reset wasn't there I'd just leave my account in gold V IV and enjoy the free stuff without lifting a finger.

lilMissBratty1/14/2019, 4:09:09 PM2 votes

I agree,but what's worse in my opinion, is riots ranked system failure. I've contacted them on numerous occasions, to only have the posts removed. Recently I read an article on google where they purposely make champs more op than others. I didn't realize preseason would reset to have to go through it again. There should be at least a reward to participate with dealing with that. Here's one article of Riot stating how they "Missed the Mark" in ranked Silver,and Diamond. But we had to pay for. The link below is the article on Riot purposely screwing up the game on op champs. I don't agree with the new things added in the ranked games,where a Jinx 0/2 was worth 750g, lets make feeders more appealing to the enemy team. My eyes are being opened more and more about how this game isn't the best,and people are losing respect for the game as a whole. Riot fix your ranked system. Oh, one more thing, it doesn't matter how well you do in a game, you get punished with the bad,toxic, unskilled players. You lose LP with the feeders,unskilled players, No matter how well you do. That isn't right,because the prime reason that happens, is Riots ranked systems failures,not you!! This has been brought to their attention years ago. You get demoted because of this. ANY competitive sport do not handle things this way. Pro players get the same players every game, average ranked players get randoms every game, we have it way harder. We have no coach or team.

Kalienor1/14/2019, 5:25:10 PM1 votes

I'm afraid you've been misled all this time. This isn't a grinding system, playing a lot isn't enough to climb effectively. This helps for consistency, but that's not your problem in this case. Or, I'd rather say, you're so consistent you're not moving an inch on the ladder. Soft resets cut off about 3 divisions. If you need a full year to come back to your previous point, you're not improving, you're just riding the MMR inflation (which is the main reason why we have resets btw).

I know you're putting a lot of effort into this but you're attributing it to the wrong aspects, so you lack efficiency. I was like you in the early years, playing a LOT and thinking I was improving by sheer experience. After 3 years I had to draw the conclusion that it wasn't the right way. I committed into more theorycraft, more strategy, more global understanding of the game. I played a bit less and chose the moments I wasn't tired or sensitive to play ranked. First year I did that, I climbed from Silver 2 to Gold 4. Second year, Gold 4 to Plat 4. In only 150 games every time despite the reset. Then real life caught up and I couldn't find moments when I was in good condition enough to continue improving, and as expected, even if I was playing as much as before this year, I couldn't get back my previous rank. Ranked don't try to reward anyone, they just place you at your level. And if your level doesn't change, well, you don't move.

Ranking isn't there to please you. If you don't climb, it means you don't have the level. There's no disrespect from a ranking system to put you at the rank you deserve instead of the rank you wish you had. It's just a tool, it would be like getting mad at a ruler because your height doesn't change, even after you put a lot of effort into a diet and exercises. You just didn't work along the right measure and lost weight instead of height, which is fine but that's not your goal.

Saezio1/14/2019, 5:37:20 PM1 votes

The reset is there to HELP you. Gives you a free pass on your trash 47% winrate 500games account and gives it the benefit of the doubt even though it is already higher rank than MMR suggests.

Also, you get the rank you deserve provided you play enough games. It is just a fact. Maybe instead of gold 3 you end up in silver 1 or THE OPPOSITE. Plus I would like some hard facts on 5 games in a row with the same teammate. I would start giving advice but I get the feeling this is just a rant post. One thing ranked needs is to merge MMR with rank somehow. Rest is not really a problem, you face the same people you are teamed up with the people with the same skill level and MMR as you.