(The Impossibility of) Getting out of Silver

Wifidaniel·Jan 13, 2015·1 votes·787 views

I know I'm definitely not THE BEST player in the world, but I'd like to think that I do well in most of my matches. Usually I manage to do just enough to turn a loss into a win or almost-win. However, in ranked, every game I win gives me about 1/2 of the LP I lose when I lose a game. I've started seeing a pattern in my games: win one or two, lose one and those games mean nothing. For some reason, I get matched with a team who actually WANTS to do good, proceed to win, and then my next match either has a really bad feeder in it or that guy who goes aft for the entire game in RANKED. Granted, some games I haven't done so hot myself, but this is getting really frustrating. I haven;t managed to get lucky with a string of serious teams; it's always people who actually want to win -> feeders or fakers in the next match or two. I know there really isn't much that can be done for this -- even if you ban someone, they'll just get back on a different account and proceed to do the same thing on that -- but I haven't gone anywhere but down due to the absurd amount of people who just don't seem to care anymore.

14 Comments

SmokingPuffinJan 13, 20153 votes

Just ignore the LP stuff. It's window dressing to what is really going on. If you are winning more games than you are losing, you are climbing, and your league position will eventually reflect that.

Try not to sweat it when you get a useless team that's guaranteed to lose. That's going to happen, it happens to everyone. Just focus on improving your own personal play. In particular, study every death and see if there was something you could have done to not die. Most players in silver die far too frequently and it's what is holding them back.

WifidanielJan 13, 20151 votes

Thanks for the advice! Thinking about it, I tend to stay for a bit too long hoping to save a team member that's really low and usually end up dying, along with the other person. I just have to TRY and do something... but it ends up getting me killed, and even costs us the game sometimes. However, without that person, usually our adc who risks aaing for a few seconds longer than they should, we still lose. About the whole win/lose thing, my problem is that I see useless teams far more often than serious ones, making it extremely difficult to win, because as I manage to somehow win my lane, everything's going to hell in the other lanes... What can ya do, I guess. I'll try and follow your advice - it's just frustrating to see that little 0 in the corner after every two or three games appear again.

SmokingPuffinJan 13, 20152 votes

I tend to stay for a bit too long hoping to save a team member that's really low and usually end up dying, along with the other person. I just have to TRY and do something... but it ends up getting me killed, and even costs us the game sometimes.

Right. Totally a thing that happens. Main thing you've gotta consider in this situation is how likely it is that your assistance either saves a player or nets a kill. Often cutting bait is the right call. This becomes less true in higher elo where your teammates are less likely to have made a terrible play to begin with.

About the whole win/lose thing, my problem is that I see useless teams far more often than serious ones, making it extremely difficult to win, because as I manage to somehow win my lane, everything's going to hell in the other lanes...

If you're winning lane, losing game, you've gotta improve your carrying skill. Main thing to do here is exploit your power advantage rapidly. Either go for objectives, gank other lanes, or set up plays in the enemy jungle. Don't get stuck in a pattern of continuing to dunk the guy you've already established dominance over, you've gotta influence the rest of the game.

If the team is totally useless, and this isn't going to be uncommon, just dust yourself off and continue to get better.

I'll try and follow your advice - it's just frustrating to see that little 0 in the corner after every two or three games appear again.

If you're on 0 LP in division 5, the system really really doesn't want to demote you. As a result, it can get to a state where it thinks you ought to be say division 2 in the next one down, and so it'll give you bigger LP losses than LP gains.

This is frustrating for sure. Riot chose this behavior because they didn't want division 5 players to feel anxious about getting dropped a league tier, and thus not playing the game as much.

The fix is simply to work on your game and win more games than you lose. Again, don't worry about the LP, just try to get better.

Leti the YetiJan 13, 20151 votes

win +17 LP loss - 17 LP

i dont seem to be foqing climbing at this rate

SmokingPuffinJan 13, 20151 votes

With numbers like that, you'll climb super fast if you win more games than you lose.

Leti the YetiJan 13, 20151 votes

trust me, Ive had more than a 50% win rate until my more recent ranked games... Frankly despite having more losses than wins I've neither gained nor lost any LP

somethings wrong with my shit - .-

SachabotJan 13, 20152 votes

The general consensus is that the entire ladder just sucks all the way up until you finally reach a point where it gets fun on a regular basis because everyone's high enough to not give a fuck if they lose one game.

Or at least, that's what I hear from my friends higher up in gold and plat.

I myself had a similar problem to you last season, but not the exact same. I'd hit a hot streak and reach my promos. By the time I reached the second or third match, I'd be playing against Silver I/Gold V as a Bronze player, or someone would AFK/troll, and I'd lose my promos, go on a losing streak, rinse and repeat. After three times, I was just tired of it, so I'm not gonna waste time grinding a ladder climb anymore. Gear? Sure, I'll grind the shit out of gear in a game. But never again shall I try to climb in ranked LoL.

SeargentAnusJan 13, 20152 votes

If you're lossing More LP that means your MMR is low. Keep winning games and you'll raise it.

ZerglinglolJan 14, 20152 votes

Honestly bro, if you're stuck in silver it means you have some serious/obvious flaws in your game.

You mention having games where you "didn't do so good yourself." That's exactly what's keeping you in your tier. If you belonged in a higher tier you would be consistently dominating in your tier. Getting out of silver is pretty simple:

Die less. In your last 20 games you're averaging something like 7 deaths per game. Cut that under 5 deaths per game and I promise you'll see better results. How do you cut those deaths down? Take less risks. Before making a play ask yourself "what are the chances I come out of this alive?" 1 for 1 is rarely worth it. If you think you can get a 2 for 1 then it's probably worth it. If you can secure an objective like dragon for a death, definitely worth it, etc.
Objective control. Objective control. Objective control. Kills don't win games. Objectives win games. Dragons, turrets, barons, etc.

Deep Terror NamiJan 13, 20151 votes

Pretty sure this is universal, not just a Silver thing. I got stuck in it and just stopped trying at Silver 2, but I know it's just bad luck and even if I get past into Gold, I may very well meet the same exact thing there.

balbraakselJan 13, 20151 votes

Yeah it's definitely impossible to get out of silver if you build like a carry but don't buy a Last Whisper/Void Staff. Like you do. If you go carry, THOSE ITEMS ARE MANDATORY. And you just skip them.

Perhaps you should stay where you are atm. A good carry keeps an eye on the enemy their tanks and builds the Last Whisper/Void Staff when he anticipates it's needed. From what I see in your history you're not that kind of a carry.

EDIT: You even go full glasscannon while normally a carry gets his Void Staff/Last Whisper with usually Guardian Angel. I really despise players like you tbh, players like you make Silver and Bronze a nightmare. I'm a support main but I often lose in silver because carries just don't always buy those items or get it too late. Because of that I specifically though up an anti-tank build for Zyra. (Morello + Liandry + Void Staff) To raise my winning odds.

Playing against 3 tanks? Who cares about a Last Whisper a second Infinity Edge is way better! /sarcasm (it happens)

WifidanielJan 14, 20151 votes

Hey, cool! I feel even worse about myself than before! THANKS, FRIEND... But yeah my builds could use some work. Even I know that. I don't know why I build like that, but I do. I've been meaning to try and follow better build paths but I end up deviating because something seemed like it would work really well, only for it to not. I still am learning how to build some roles "properly" when I get stuck with those roles in ranked, so.

balbraakselJan 14, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Hey, cool! I feel even worse about myself than before! THANKS, FRIEND... But yeah my builds could use some work. Even I know that. I don't know why I build like that, but I do. I've been meaning to try and follow better build paths but I end up deviating because something seemed like it would work really well, only for it to not. I still am learning how to build some roles "properly" when I get stuck with those roles in ranked, so.

Yeah well you don´t need to feel that bad, okay it's a pretty horrible mistake, BUT! It´s easily changed. :) Just remember that if you are the APC or ADC or building like one you should always get some sustain (ideally an item to counter the opponent a bit but Guardian Angel has both MR as armor so that item is pretty good) and % penetration. (the Void Staff/Last Whisper)

Unless the opponent doesn't have much resistances but that'll nearly never happen. And if you want to know when to start building the Last Whisper or Void Staff, that's when a tank that you can't ignore exceeds more than 100 MR for Void Staff if you're an APC or 100 armor if the tank exceeds more than 100 armor if you're an ADC. And especially never skip the Last Whisper against a team with a tank that has a Thornmail, autoattack him and you'll just murder yourself without a Last Whisper.

And you might know some things already that I mention but I'm gonna say it anyway :p

And I didn't really meant to be mean or anything, I just have seen it happen too much and when it happens you simply lose even if you and they play decently so I'm just expressing my frustration. Once you're aware of it and keeping an eye on it you'll start to notice you actually lose quite often due to itemization mistakes, especially the Last Whisper/Void Staff problem. If you'd learn what items are good on which champions and/or good together you should e able to easily climb I think. So for now because of that you might not yet be able to get out silver.

StoningtonJan 14, 20151 votes

I've said this a million times, but the best thing I ever did in Silver was disable pings. Past silver you can enable them again. But geeze they spam ping so much they don't even ping for any good reason.