Runes, Masteries, and Spells Should be Unlocked Early On
I understand that Riot is trying to make the game less complex for new players by keeping some features locked until 30. However, it really only takes a few levels to understand and appreciate all the features and then it's just a matter of waiting until everything is unlocked. It's frustrating not being able to play with the optimal stats and tools that the game is made for; players can't experiment with different strategies/builds and some roles are just more difficult (e.g. jungle). I also think it would be better if players had much more experience at the highest level of play well before entering ranked at 30.
I think rune "tiers" should be removed with tier 3 stats kept, all runes slots should be unlocked by level 10, and basic rune sets should be purchasable by level 10. I also think 30 mastery points should be available by level 10 with 3 per level, and summoner spells should all be unlocked by level 5. I understand that Riot wants to maintain a sense of upward progression with leveling, but there are other ways to do this. For instance, a player could unlock basic summoner icons, skins, etc. upon reaching certain levels and maybe an RP reward at level 30.
With these changes, the new leveling system would look like this: 1-5 - learning how the game works, learning to lane, learning each new spell 5-10 - learning to jungle, finish unlocking runes and masteries 10-30 - main learning curve, experimenting with new runes/masteries, expanding champion pool, unlocking icons/skins/etc. 30/ranked - competing with best champs/builds, refining skills