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Is Duo Q "Cheating"?

WitchQueen Annie··4 votes·1,539 views

I find that its MUCH EASIER to climb in Ranked if you Duo.

I almost always win Mid lane but more often than not I can't do anything once Bot or Top starts feeding.

I tried Duo-ing with a Bronze friend and almost immediately we go on a MASSIVE winning streak. But is it considered "cheating?" By placing him in ADC I make sure that even if bot loses the lane won't mega-feed (we played Normals and practiced a lot). This in addition to the lower MMR usually enables my Vladimir to scale into the late game and hard carry to a win.

But is it considered "cheating"?

If I climb to Gold on this Duo Q tactic, will people go "you're not a real Gold because you didn't get here Solo Q-ing" or has this game gone to the point where almost everyone is doing it to some extent?

I feel like I can game this system indefinitely to get to Gold by simply doing variations of this strat. I look for people who are actually mechanically pretty good and pretty decent at laning (but who are Bronze or Silver because they can't out-carry when other lanes feed and so never climb) and then take advantage of the MMR differential and my expertise in scaling champs to carry and climb.

What do you think?

27 Comments

Limmie3 votes

It's not cheating, but it definitely ruins the competitive integrity of the ranked system. We can only blame Riot for allowing it though, not the players.

WitchQueen Annie2 votes

{quoted}

It's not cheating, but it definitely ruins the competitive integrity of the ranked system. We can only blame Riot for allowing it though, not the players.

is it just me though or does the game feel way too out of control with 4 random players?

I mean, at this point I literally feel like Ranked is too frustrating/unplayable if I don't Duo up with some tested player.

The auto-fill, random feeds, disconnects, and the fact that my team often chooses to lose the game at CHAMP SELECT (Teemo top, Soraka Supp, Jhin bot, Nidalee JG for example)....

OH MAN

Ritesh2 votes

tbh it does feel like cheating since it basically gives a safety net per say. For example I duo with my friend all the time and we climbed from Gold to Diamond 3+ and we're trying for Masters. We could not have gotten this far if it weren't for each other. If one of us doesn't do well the other does. If we both don't do well then whatever but you see my point. It gives more chances of winning basically.

WitchQueen Annie4 votes

{quoted}

tbh it does feel like cheating since it basically gives a safety net per say. For example I duo with my friend all the time and we climbed from Gold to Diamond 3+ and we're trying for Masters. We could not have gotten this far if it weren't for each other. If one of us doesn't do well the other does. If we both don't do well then whatever but you see my point. It gives more chances of winning basically.

I mean, it just feels so frustrating (and often impossible to win) when you have no control over your 4 other team mates. SO FRUSTRATING.

DrCyanide2 votes

No, it's not cheating. The only time it could be considered cheating is if someone of higher rank makes a new account to play with you, effectively bypassing the ranked restrictions.

WitchQueen Annie2 votes

{quoted}

No, it's not cheating. The only time it could be considered cheating is if someone of higher rank makes a new account to play with you, effectively bypassing the ranked restrictions.

Hmmm...

So you would be okay with it if for example, I duoQ with RedMercy and then go on a massive climb (even though, we'd probably end up with a roster of enemy Platinums or Golds)?

DrCyanide1 votes

You're Silver 5 Redmercy is Diamond 2

That's exactly the type of situation I said wasn't ok.

WitchQueen Annie2 votes

{quoted}

You're Silver 5 Redmercy is Diamond 2

That's exactly the type of situation I said wasn't ok.

I thought you meant it it was okay if Red Mercy plays on his Diamond account (so his Diamond rank would factor into the MMR averaging)... but not okay if Red Mercy played on a new/Silver/Bronze account?

DrCyanide2 votes

The game won't let you queue up with him unless he made a new account.

It restricts who you can queue up with to people within 1 division of you, so a Silver can queue up with a Bronze or a Gold, but not anyone higher.

WitchQueen Annie2 votes

{quoted}

The game won't let you queue up with him unless he made a new account.

It restricts who you can queue up with to people within 1 division of you, so a Silver can queue up with a Bronze or a Gold, but not anyone higher.

Ah I had forgotten about this...

But lets say I teamed up with a Gold I?

DrCyanide2 votes

That's fine, but if that Gold 1 gets to Plat while you're still Silver you won't be able to duo together until you get to Gold or he falls back to Gold.

WitchQueen Annie2 votes

{quoted}

That's fine, but if that Gold 1 gets to Plat while you're still Silver you won't be able to duo together until you get to Gold or he falls back to Gold.

right

Dominick Destine2 votes

No.

arcinex1 votes

It is if it's Viper boosting a silver mid laner ;)

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

{quoted}

It is if it's Viper boosting a silver mid laner ;)

The Riven Main?

arcinex1 votes

yes. his current smurf: https://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=teamfighting

22-0

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

{quoted}

yes. his current smurf: https://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=teamfighting

22-0

this is allowed though????

KVbqbFsC8e1 votes

Its unfair, but I wouldn't really consider it to be "cheating".

Hyrum Graff1 votes

If it is both of your main accounts, it is not cheating.

If your friend has the skill to be silver, but is still bronze because he just hasn't played very much ranked this season, then your opponents are going to be easier, and your rank will not represent your skill as much.

If both you and your friend play a significant portion (1/3 to 1/2) of your games solo, then this will be enough of a factor that I would still say your rank represents your skill.

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hyrum Graff,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=VyNW1VQt,comment-id=0006,timestamp=2017-03-26T21:07:36.087+0000)

If it is both of your main accounts, it is not cheating.

If your friend has the skill to be silver, but is still bronze because he just hasn't played very much ranked this season, then your opponents are going to be easier, and your rank will not represent your skill as much.

If both you and your friend play a significant portion (1/3 to 1/2) of your games solo, then this will be enough of a factor that I would still say your rank represents your skill.

Yeah we both play on our main accounts (in fact, I'm not a fan of running multiple accounts, seems kind of pointless).

Is it supposed to take hundreds of games to get out of Silver by yourself or?

Last season I managed to get to Gold promos playing Solo but then went on a massive loss string. I've never been able to find my stride solo again even though I'm not sure what went wrong. New meta maybe?

Last season it just felt like it didn't matter what happened early, I could always hard carry as Vladimir in the late game and 1 vs 3/4. But now the game is decided in 20 minutes if someone feeds.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Vlad Maine ,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=VyNW1VQt,comment-id=00060000,timestamp=2017-03-27T00:45:15.516+0000)

Yeah we both play on our main accounts (in fact, I'm not a fan of running multiple accounts, seems kind of pointless).

Is it supposed to take hundreds of games to get out of Silver by yourself or?

I think it took me something like 200?

bloodybadger11 votes

An in game mechanic is not cheating. Also it may not work at a certain level. One of you will hold back the other. Then you have to go back to solo and find a new person and/or improve yourself.

paisy1 votes

Not at all but I think it's pretty lame that a duo bot could be in comms with each other or a mid/top with a jg can easily plan to snowball off each other

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

{quoted}

Not at all but I think it's pretty lame that a duo bot could be in comms with each other or a mid/top with a jg can easily plan to snowball off each other

Yeah but doesn't that basically mean you HAVE to Duo Q?

Imagine the frustration going Solo against this stuff...

I mean, how often do people Duo nowadays? It is the norm or?

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

If you duo, you have SOME control over who is on your team.

Even though some people say you should do Bot/Supp or Mid/JG I actually prefer to have Mid and someone in Top or Bot lane (for feed control/laning control).

You've changed the probability of there having 4 idiots to only 3 idiots if you play your cards wisely.

draecina1 votes

Well when I duod, I climbed super fast like you said and won most of my games...Then as soon as I stopped I went on huge lose streaks and fell right back where I was after placements. It took a long time to get back to where I was when I duod. Take my anecdotal evidence as a warning that it may screw up your mmr.

WitchQueen Annie1 votes

{quoted}

Well when I duod, I climbed super fast like you said and won most of my games...Then as soon as I stopped I went on huge lose streaks and fell right back where I was after placements. It took a long time to get back to where I was when I duod. Take my anecdotal evidence as a warning that it may screw up your mmr.

Yeah I suspect so as well.

For the longest time I insisted on climbing by myself (solo style) but I just keep getting thrown all over Silver on these crazy win/lose streaks.

Then I noticed that my friends started to Duo (and they didn't even Duo with smurfs, just ex-Golds/present Silvers) and they literally go on these massive climbs.

So I'm starting to do it too and the winrate has just exploded...

Its ridiculous really. But the amount of tilt and randomness in Solo-Climbing has become too much (with the 4 random team mates in this snowball meta) that at this point I feel like the game might be unplayable Solo.

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