Champion Mastery Rank....ed?

So we're all aware that a while ago Riot "introduced" us to Champion Mastery Ranks. I use quotation marks becuase similar features can be found in other games, but that's not the point of this post. I love Champion Mastery. It's fun to practice a champion to the point that you can play them really well in a variety of scenarios, and it's a blast to earn points and watch your bar go up. Not to mention that spammin the emote at your opponents when you're destroying them is one of the most fun things I can think of in League. However, I think this awesomely fun feature is a mere shadow of what it could be, both in "fun" and in gameplay. Too get an idea of what I'm talking about, let's talk about what is "fun" about ranking up a champion. In talking to my friends on League, it seems like the main drives people have for leveling up champions are bragging about their mastery and obtaining the emote and loading screen icon. As mentioned above I also enjoy these aspects of champion mastery. As far as gameplay is concerned, the only way the feature affects gameplay is POSSIBLY (Not necessarily. That distinction is important for later.) making a summoner better with that champion. I think this is pretty sad. Instead of making champion mastery something that makes the game a better place to spend time, Riot has essentially created a mini-Skinner Box to keep us at our screens. Below I will briefly outline my proposal on how to use champion mastery as more than just an emote and a bar to fill, but first we need to talk about Ranked Queue, particularly Solo Queue, in depth. Ah, Solo Queue. A place where heroes, trolls, and try-hards a like can find glory in the midst of epic battle. That's not sarcasm. League of Legend's Solo Queue ranked matchmaking is honestly my favorite PvP experience. It's ranked in tiers, which gives the player something to care about besides a number moving up and down (MMR), allows you to communicate with your team about the upcoming game before it starts, and allows you the flexibility to try all sorts of new combinations and strategies. Besides all that it's queuing you for a MOBA, which is the most competitive gaming atmosphere I've ever experienced. Like I said above, one of my favorite parts about Solo Queue is that it's flexible, which is going to make my next statement sound a little odd: Solo Queue is too flexible. Anyone who is level 30 can jump into solo queue with any champion that they have purchased with IP or RP. You wanna try Galio for the first time? Sure! Hop into Solo Queue and have a go! That's one of the best parts of Solo Queue...for the new Galio player. The rest of his team is stuck with someone playing a new champion for the first time. Are there people who can play a new champion and do well every time? Probably. But I think most of us would agree that it takes time to learn how a champion fits into the multitude of scenarios that League can throw at you. Now let's talk about these other four players. They've seleted champions they are comfortable and practiced with. They are in this game to win it. The specifically did NOT hit the normal queue button so that they could have a competitive experience with a team of like-minded individuals. The player who picked Galio, however, is in it for the fun of the game. These players may just be in Silver or even Bronze, but they queued into Solo Queue to win and move up. They shouldn't have to be matched with someone who isn't playing to be competitive with their champion, and since we can't control if someone wants to play ranked or normals, here is what I propose: Do you remember when you first hit thirty and you were so excited to hop into ranked and draft pick? But alas! You hadn't purchased 16 champions yet! Nooooooo! That restriction is a practical move by riot. It leaves you someone to play even pretty much no matter what. Okay that's great! But this should be taken a step forward. I propose that to play in ranked mode, you must have at least 16 champions ranked to level 4 or higher. It's not hard to get a champion to level 4 mastery, and I don't think its that much to ask. This might also allow for the average ranked game to become more similar to professional play in the form of the ban pool only being mastered champions. Pro players know who to ban against certain players. Wouldn't it be cool if we could ban out their main? But that's not the primary purpose of my proposal, and not even necessarily what I'm proposing, just an idea of where it could go. Just limiting ranked play to a pool of people who have achieved rank 4 or higher on 16 champions alone allows for us to avoid playing with that first time Galio guy and actually enjoy the overarching competitive spirit of Solo Queue. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this rant! I wish you all well in your endeavors. See you on the rift! Broregard