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"It's just flex" - The State of Ranked Flex

StigtriX·2/2/2017, 9:22:52 PM·2 votes·1,357 views

The state of Ranked Flex is just tragic. It seems like the extreme reset with rough placements has made players consider Ranked Flex to be an unserious game mode. I have never seen so many players going new champs for the first time in a ranked mode, and then play without even trying to be serious. What do they write when I politely question why they do X and Y, which is less than optimal for the respective champ?

"It's just flex."

They simply do not care - not at all. It is not that they do not know any better, they just play like this is a Custom game, and then explicitly comment upon the matter. Could you at Riot please do something to address this? I do not have the mountain of data that you have to analyze in search for a solution, but you could begin with the way placements for the mode functions, as there is clearly something horrible wrong with it.

Another option would be to crack down on unserious players, have a note about this in next patch, and make a video where you address the problem.

I would really like a Rioter to leave some comments, and everyone else are of course welcome to do the same :) Do you have some stories to share?

6 Comments

EndlessSorcerer2/2/2017, 9:26:11 PM2 votes

Placements and the harshness of the reset have nothing to do with it.

Flex Queue is just a rebranded Dynamic Queue, which is a casual and less competitive ranked queue.

Ranked was a joke for the entirety of S6 due to Dynamic Queue and Flex Queue has become even less relevant since Solo/Duo Queue has returned.

If EUW was one of the servers to lose normal draft, I wouldn't be surprised if Flex Queue was just used as a replacement for practicing champions.

After all, Blind Pick is rather horrible for anything remotely competitive or structured.

Trenitaliyah2/2/2017, 10:02:21 PM2 votes

We went from "Relax, it's just a normal" to "Relax, it's just a 3v3" to "Relax, it's just a flex" to "Relax, it's just a game" (for solo/duo Q).

It's just what it's convenient to say when losing.

Teemodanegro2/2/2017, 9:25:27 PM1 votes

Im not 100% certain but I think flex has its own mmr. And that would 10000000% be the problem.

People don't care what happens since its its own rank and doesn't count towards your solo / duo queue performance. But if there was a minor impact based off your MMR and matchmaking because of it, people would take it seriously.

ModKnightsKemplar2/2/2017, 9:29:56 PM1 votes

I think that reporting people for "negative attitude" now includes "giving up" under the heading. I would qualify "not trying" as the same thing, functionally. I report for that kind of thing. I'm not sure if that really does much in terms of a ban, but I do know that the Rioters that look into reports look at every game where someone gets reported. Reporting and including a good note about why you reported someone IS NOT USELESS.

So yeah, I would also like to see a Rioter's thoughts on this, but I think reporting is the right way to go.

BIackfox2/2/2017, 9:40:09 PM1 votes

No thanks. Flex is to just fuck around. Why would you ever want to play it on the first place? Play solo q