The Secret to Winning in Bronze? Don't Die
Yeah, I know, I'm Bronze V. Whatever. The point still stands. In bronze, it's guaranteed that people are going to die... a lot. More than they really should. So by not dying you're already better than them. Look at almost any bronze player's stats on OP.GG and you'll see what I'm talking about. Ignore the win rates and look at their KDAs. When you're averaging 10+ deaths per match with your most played champions, how can you honestly expect to be consistent enough to climb your way out of bronze?
Despite being Bronze V, this is the one thing I pride myself on, that keeps me semi-positive, rather than just beating myself to a pulp like I'm the main character of Fight Club or something. Simply put, I tend not to die stupid deaths, and just not to die period. Going down the list of my 7 most played champions, my per game averages are 3.6, 4.9, 5.2, 3.8, 4.8, 6.4, 7.2. Compare that to this guy, chosen at random from one of my recent matches. 8.6, 9.4, 5.5, 9.2, 6.9, 11.2, 6.8.
To me, anything over 5 deaths is getting to be excessive, unless you're a support and sacrificing yourself for the sake of kills (ex. 0/8/23), and double digits is feeding, plain and simple. And this is why I hate to let anyone else go top lane besides me. Up there, you're on an island fighting 1v1, meaning if you mess up you're often on your own. With bot lane you have a buddy (plus the jungler) to help you out. With mid lane, your jungler and bot lane are right around the corner, so to speak, if you're in need of help. But top lane is everyone else's last priority, generally speaking, and so if you don't know how to play smart and safe, 0/3 is liable to turn into 0/6, and that's usually what happens to the top laners I play with when they start struggling. If someone else isn't there to cover their butt immediately, it's all downhill from there.
I think this is because bronze players just want to be the ones getting all the kills, and so they'll be like the Xin Zhao top I had one match who fed all match and never once bought a single defensive item. Plus there's no patience. If I need to sacrifice a little CS until I have my ignite and ult up for an all-in guaranteed kill, so be it. But I'll often see people on my teams going ham on an enemy who's levels above them and at nearly full health. Yeah, it's gonna end differently this time than the last couple.
So, yeah... in short, simply staying alive will do wonders for your game. For proof, look at my stats for season 4 compared to season 5. I'm still bronze, but the improvement is undeniable. And all it took was dying less and warding/CSing more. Those three things alone are enough for you to become a more reliable, consistent, and just all around better player. I honestly think I'd be as high as B2 right now... if I were only more flexible, which is why I've been spending nearly all my time broadening my champion pool. Top lane and jungle aren't my problem. It's the other roles that I've been needing to improve on.
