Your Matchmaking is Really Frustrating

Support main. So I get that I can't carry. "Stuck in silver," and frequently hit losing streaks that almost take me back to bronze. And here's what I've pretty much figured out about your matchmaking. Games seem to fall into one of 3 categories:

1. Even matched: games that feel like true silver from both teams
2. Disadvantaged match: games that give you a player or two who are really off, and then gives the enemy team a player or two who are really strong
3. High advantage match: games that do the same as #2, but work in your favor.

Frequently, 2 and 3 feel like one team is gold vs. silver or silver vs. bronze. And in most of those matchups, you win or lose pretty hard.

And I've noticed with GREAT consistency that if I am in a match that wins hard, my next match or 3 will be from class 2. If I lose hard a couple times, my next game or 2 will be from class 3. Rarely does a game ever feel like class 1. Rarely.

And I've also noticed as a support main that I can predict these games by queue time. If I am queued fast, it usually means I am going to be in a class 1 or 3 game. If it takes me >30 secs to find a match, I almost always end up in a class 2 game. If I win hard, I am usually stuck in the next game with AFKers, troll pickers, generally weaker players in one or more of the other lanes. And that usually forces a loss.

So win rate sits at about 50%. As intended, I am sure.

But annoying. Very, very annoying. And as far as I am concerned, though it may be intended to push smurf types higher faster, I find that it seems to be doing quite the opposite. I mean, if they win hard one game and are bound for a class 2 game, then you're expecting them to carry a weak team the next game vs. a strong team. So naturally they will either lose because they can't, or they will let the losses happen to keep them right where they want to be.

It's like you have your overall MMR that determines from what pool you will be matched. And then you have a rolling game MMR that indicates who you should be pitted up against for the next match in hopes you will win or lose according to the desired outcome for the sake of "balance."

Why can't silver just be silver and gold be gold? How is any of this really balancing your rank mobility? All I see it doing is fostering a frustrating gaming experience that's based on forced "(bad) luck".

I am not sure how this dynamic pans out in gold+, but I'd imagine it's not too far off from the same. Albeit, at least gold players wind up in games with generally gold teams. And there's not a ton of difference between a gold/mid-silver player. But what's really, really sad about this is when you end up on a silver/gold team vs. bronze and vice versa. Winning hard feels artificial and is met with anxiety knowing that the next match will most likely be so miserable to play you might as well plan to ff15.

This isn't a post to say I belong anywhere other than silver. It's simply a post that states that silver isn't really silver. And the reason for that is this forced matchmaking process you have that artificially keeps players locked in a certain spot.

That said, I am fully aware that if I were to learn another lane the same as I have come to learn support, and I were to excel with a champ that can hard carry, I could likely easily climb out of silver. But since supports are needed, why make that the tactic? Just seems like you're once again punishing support mains by being highly ineffective on a weaker team and punished hard when they do win well in a match or two.

Not even sure if this post is anything more than a rant. I doubt anything will change as a result. And perhaps I will enjoy support main more in silver than in higher ELO where I'd basically be forced to play Soraka or something. IDK.

And maybe Pyke will help change things. IDK.

And maybe this isn't a support-only problem, but I highly doubt it.