Where is the line between enjoying the game and ruining other people's experience
Edit: it is about separating different colonies of players. Not about player behavior and moderation so don't remove it from gameplay.
When should a players privilege to interact with a specific group of players be denied to them? It's a pretty broad question but it's been asked so many times you probably already know where I'm going with this.
Blind pick is generally the mode of choice for newer players or people who just want to get into a game quickly with their friends so they can screw around. Some players use it to practice and further their capabilities with higher contested champions because of the lack of a ban phase.
Normal draft is for players who want to play with their friends or try out new champions alongside the simulated ranked system. The primary attraction of this mode is the ability to ban out certain matchups you don't like so that it you can get some real practice without the stress that comes with ranked solo/duo.
Ranked solo/duo is for most commonly used by players who want a competitive environment and to test their skills vs other players who are also going all out. Alternatively, it is used by players who hate the broken matchmaking system of normal draft so they play ranked mode to get more even teams.
Ranked flex is the same as ranked solo/duo except for larger teams. It is more centered around premades that want to test their collective skill as a team rather than as individuals. You can also use it as an alternative to ranked solo/duo because it is where players are more competitive but with better matchmaking (or so im told).
We all agree that players who intentionally ruin everyone else's time shouldn't be allowed to play. League is a privilege not a right. But what I'm curious about is why do we consider league as a whole a privilege, but ranked as a right? Why do people who play ranked without any knowledge of their champion or the game any different than the guy who runs down mid? Not in the sense that they should have the same punishment, but why aren't they separated from the community they ruin?
Intentional feeders and griefers ruin the game for everyone they come in contact with, so they are removed from the community as a whole. So if a player consistently ruins the game for the competitive audience, why are they not separated?
I'm talking about consistency here. Newer or less experienced players who want to try out ranked as soon as they meet the champion pool requirements when they probably don't even know what those champions do?
Now I'm fairly reasonable. I understand that no automated system could prevent this kind of thing. But the entire point of the report system to flag players who don't belong with the community they are trying to infiltrate. Would the competitive community as a whole not benefit from a report system that prevents people from queueing in ranked? Why not have a report system that, when enough players say so, gives you a prompt that says you need more practice in normals before trying out ranked?
This isn't meant to be a "fk the newer players" kind of post. But ranked is not the place to learn how to play league of legends. If players would go into ranked and then go back into normals to practice and refine their champions then maybe it'd be a different story. But how many games of playing poorly or sub optimally does it take before you realize maybe you need more practice before going into ranked?
I don't know. I could be wrong but the truth is kind of blunt here. Having a bad game is one thing. Being inexperienced in a matchup happens to everyone. Picking a champion you don't play very often is stupid, but sometimes the situation warrants it and it can pay off.
If you lose your first 7 ranked games in a row because you lack basic proficiency on the champions you've played for over a year and are consistently the primary cause of your teams loses... maybe ranked isn't for you.
~Signed, someone who is in favor of harsher punishments overall, especially in the designated competitive game modes.