I'm new to League, starting out my first season in Ranked. My experience so far.

To be frank, i'm a fairly experienced gamer. From FPS, RTS, RPG, MMORPG, and others, i've played a mild amount of MOBA over the years (a little original DOTA, a little SOTA and especially mods like Zealot Frenzy on SC2). I've played my fair share of games online or otherwise since the late 90's. However I started League about 4 months ago (created my account years ago, but played till level 10 and stopped until then).

You always run into people who do stupid things, in any game, people who aren't interested in the challenge, but for the emotional high of flashy lights and explosion (granted, it's worse in the current generation of CoD gamers and such), and it's hard to get matched up with people who are a good challenge, either they're too strong, or too weak, for your skill level. That said, a lot of these games focus highly on individual skill, which isn't to say MOBAs do not, there is a level of independent play that is thoroughly needed to get anywhere. But MOBAs in particular rely so heavily on matchups being more accurate for games to be even remotely fun or challenging.

But to get to the point. My experience in ranked so far has been pretty amazingly bad. I did my 10 placement matches and got put in Silver D5. I know bronze in most games is generally where everyone is until they get a little bit better grasp of gameplay mechanics and train themselves to play better on a more reflex level, rather than having to think consciously about absolutely every click. So I was fairly happy with that, I thought to myself "well, I should be matched with and against other players of a similar caliber". But after an abysmal time of players constantly feeding their lanes, doing silly things when ahead and throwing the game, or doing even sillier things when behind, costing all chance of actually coming back from a losing position, constantly losing due to people not listening or just not even knowing how to play the champs they chose to play, I got demoted to Bronze D1. Fine I thought, maybe that's just the level I am.

I proceeded to win, from memory, every single match in Bronze 1 (which turned out to be sheer luck) and was almost within a couple hour period, back into Silver D5. I started to hypothesize "oh, maybe Silver is a bit of a hurdle and I was being matched up with other Silver 5s, and going against Silver 1s, and was just unlucky otherwise". Again though, I was losing every game, people were doing things that even in those Bronze 1 matches for promotion, just weren't doing, stupid things.

I investigated, I found that I could check people through lolnexus, during a match, to see where they were placed. What I found was somewhat confusing. In Silver 5, I rarely play with or against anyone in Silver 5 or better. Almost every match i'm placed with Bronze 3-4s, and against Bronze 1-4s. On top of this, it seems the division placement is almost arbitrary. In a recent couple of matches I played with a specific individual who doesn't even know how to leash for the jungler, stole all the xp at the start, then proceeded to play top lane which he "has never done before", proceeded to die multiple times in the first 5 minutes. And in the following game which he was placed with me again, offered blue buff to me as (I understand there is the CDR, but it's not worth it vs say, , who was in mid and struggling at the time). He also fed the enemy team pretty badly that entire game (that said, so did the entire team, I think I was the only one with kills until the enemy had about 15, at which point they went "yolo" and just played with us until they won, giving us pitty kills here and there). This person was Bronze 1, which in my eyes, he clearly shouldn't have been even in ranked games, let alone in the first division of bronze.

So really, I guess my point is, i'm confused as to how the matchmaking and placement system works. Is there any plan to allow re-placement through provisional matches again? maybe even just paying for a rank reset with Riot points or otherwise? Because as far as I can see, there is quite literally no way to get out of bronze once you are in bronze, outside of sheer luck where you get placed against the worst of the worst 10+ matches in a row.

I know i'm not experienced, or a pro at the game. I don't know counters to every champion, I don't know every single champion's skillset, I don't know how to itemize every single champ. I don't know the masteries by heart. But i've met plenty of players who do like to spout that knowledge who don't know how to retreat when they're @ 10% hp and deep in the lane and have been pinged that the other lanes missing, among other similar things. So I don't hold that much weight in that, vs actual map and situational awareness/skill.

I also understand it's the start of the season and it's likely extremely chaotic at the moment. Lots of freshies (like myself) getting placed all over the board, people who just aren't into the min/max or playing an efficient game who have thought "i'll give ranked a go (again)" before stopping in a month or so when they can't get anywhere. So maybe it'll settle down and get a little more solid soon? I don't know.

Anyone setting up some 5v5 team or want to play some duo matches, etc..? feel free to add me, I know few people on league at the moment, the ones I do already dedicate time to people they've known on league for longer, which I fully get.\