How the ranking system and toxicity are linked
I know I'm not the first one to say this but it needs to be said until riot gets in to their heads that this is the reason your community sucks. The nature of the game is team based but the elo ranking system is (originally designed for 1v1 chess play) is inappropriate for a team game. The only thing that currently matters is "did we kill the nexus or not" this should be shifted to "how well I played my roll. Nothing in the competitive sports world works like this. If a basketball player is putting up 30 points a night for example but his team losees a majority of their games that does not make him a bad player. Anthony Davis with the New Orleans Pelicans comes to mind. If NBA scouts and coaches used the elo system to evaluate talent then he would be considered one of the worst players in the league and not an all star like he is irl. Riot you have forced solo players in to a mindset that they must play as a hyper carry to have any chance to rise. Creating a bad atmosphere in champion select even before the game starts leading to early rage. Season four is even worse then before by adding a rubber band mechanic that draws games out even longer taking away even the hyper carry strategy that solo players cling to for any hope to rise. So now when you have a bad team the superior team can not even put you out of your misery quickly. Adding to more rage and giving you nothing to play for. Sure you might be able to grind out some 50 min plus split push comeback. But has inferior team learned anything from this hand holding? Has the superior team been rewarded for their play. No on both accounts. Fixing the rage means giving the players something to play for even when the game is going wrong. By creating a ranking system based on individual play would give every player a reason to play their best in all stages of the game. It would take a complete overhaul of the system but it would fix community overnight.