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The biggest mistakes you make that cost you Elo

Phat Pat·5/18/2017, 12:35:10 AM·8 votes·722 views

  1. Playing too many champions – As much as you can play a lot of champions, it’s a different thing from mastering them. Understanding your limits on a champion is important in outplaying your opponent and edging advantages. If you want to carry games and win more, you need to be constantly ahead in your games, and furthermore be able to transition those leads into team wide advantages. Being ahead also develops trust that you’re competent, meaning players will listen to calls and advice more readily than if you’re also dying to the fed jungler.

  2. Not understanding when to concede CS and objectives – Sometimes you have a bad matchup, or they got some roam kills, or maybe in some crazy alternate universe, you made a mistake and died; you should not contest for minions if you know you can’t 1v1 the opponent or they can poke you without reprieve. Try instead to stay back and soak exp while edging on their damage range. Gold is easier to get later as minions start to increase in worth and large waves are readily available.

  3. One tricking or ignoring team comp – You never want to pigeonhole your win conditions to one strategy. One tricking can end up with heavy ad or ap comps, which means you have a time limit to win on. Any game can turn to a clown fiesta and go late, never bank on an early win. On the same note, having a wide champion pool but of all the same damage type and role is detrimental as well. Sometimes you can work with the team, but you letting them play their best champ and style increases their morale and play.

  4. Overreaching rather than obtaining small leads – The most notable thing to say on this is that you don’t need to make hero plays to win games. If you use your ult and burn the enemies flash, forget diving the turret, push the lane, ward up in the enemy jungle entrances, and recall. Now you have vision to play aggressive, you can even come back with a pink for more control. Thinking on this sort of level, is key in edging wins.

  5. Not pressuring lanes throughout the game – Push up lanes. It’s as simple as that. If you watch high level gameplay from teams, they always pushout before backing or heading for objectives. This presses vision up by your minions, and allows you to freely move up aggressive wards for baits and objective secures.

  6. Underestimating your opponent – You are not the genius you think you are, and your opponent isn’t quite as boosted as you think. If you’re thinking it, they are probably doing it. This pertains to a wide variety of situations, but basically you should trust your instinct. If you’re backing and telling yourself it’s a bad spot, just move. If you think you’re being invaded on, just concede the buff and gain advantages on the other side of the map.

  7. Underestimating deaths – If you die, you should be evaluating why you died and learning. Apdo is one of the best players at climbing Elo and he averages 2 deaths or less on all the champions he plays according to his newest smurf. Pretend you are playing Hardcore Diablo 2 and you can’t die or you lose the match and LP. A defensive mindset will allow you to punish mistakes instead of making them.

  8. Identifying win conditions– You’re never going to win games if you can’t assess your comp and strategize a victory. The most common response to dying is “Can we group and teamfight.” Grouping isn’t always the best option. Maybe you need to 1/3/1 or 1/0/4, or siege and disengage. Point out the key targets to cc and kill, who needs to go in, how you should layer cc. Work with your team and presume everybody wants to win, even if they don’t admit it.

  9. Instigating tilted players – If someone is flaming in chat or obviously pissed, offer to help them by warding, ganking, or even swamping lanes. Jungler behind? Tell him to come 2v1 and gain exp or give him a leash on a camp. If they are beyond civility, then put them on ignore. If your team is bickering amongst themselves, say something friendly and then focus on a win condition to give them a goal. Every player isn’t a lost cause and being negative back is only going to elevate your blood pressure and cloud your judgment.

  10. Being consistent – The most important thing is to focus on these tips and win conditions every game. Don’t play if you’re tilted, have something that is not league related to fall back to. It doesn’t matter if you play a couple of good games if you burn yourself out playing 3 games at a mediocre level. Make sure you are identifying mistakes in your games and focusing on improving those in your next game.

-Just a note: This doesn't all have to apply to you, it's just something I wrote up for myself that might help others looking to improve.

10 Comments

Gasburger5/18/2017, 4:30:31 AM1 votes

kewl thx

General Esdeath 5/18/2017, 4:52:18 AM1 votes

Getting in queue

Dream High5/18/2017, 5:23:07 AM1 votes

not using /mute all. Seriously forgot to do this and the flame threw me off completely.

Ahristocats5/18/2017, 5:25:34 AM1 votes

i'm an exception then?

been since s3 that i play a lot of champions and it didn't cost me elo

The Deckowner5/18/2017, 5:27:49 AM1 votes

The biggest thing 50% of the population did that lost them elo is playing ranked.

since they drop from unranked(default mid silver elo) to bronze and low silver.

TEA Nietzsche 5/18/2017, 10:10:02 AM1 votes
  1. One tricking or ignoring team comp – You never want to pigeonhole your win conditions to one strategy. One tricking can end up with heavy ad or ap comps, which means you have a time limit to win on. Any game can turn to a clown fiesta and go late, never bank on an early win. On the same note, having a wide champion pool but of all the same damage type and role is detrimental as well. Sometimes you can work with the team, but you letting them play their best champ and style increases their morale and play.

I don't think this is too bad. Team comp matters much less than people think, especially below masters. One-tricking is pretty helpful when you consider 1. It's better to play a champion that doesn't fit the comp but you can play very well than picking a good champion that you can't play.

Fed by Snu Snu5/18/2017, 10:15:25 AM1 votes

If people promote one trick ponying, then they shouldn't complain about sub-optimal picks.

Hallbuster5/19/2017, 1:33:10 PM1 votes

I disagree with 3. Yes every once in awhile your team comp won't be bread and butter, but that, by no means should deter you from being a one trick. Play one champion over and over and I can guarantee your ponies win rate will rise along with your ELO.

Phat Pat5/23/2017, 3:07:34 AM1 votes

Feels like people are defending one tricks, but no one is using any reasoning. One tricking can help you get past parts of your game that aren't great, but it's a bandaid fix. First thing, it's not going to get you to diamond with silver mechanics and game sense. One tricking shores up one of the many facets that makes a complete and good player. No one said you can't one trick, but you are not becoming a better play by doing so. This game is about improvement and so i my post. In my opinion, one tricking is not going to help you get better at the game, it will only become a crutch and a deterrent from you reaching your full potential.