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Why do people think Unusual Lanes/Roles are bad?

ReshiKillim··2 votes·712 views

I often play unusual lanes/roles on my accounts, but the common response to me doing so is rather.. Ridiculous. Just letting my teammates know sometimes causes toxicity or dodging in champion select. Or flaming in game over tiny mistakes even though we're winning. Here's a few examples.

Xerath support for a bullying poke lane, it generally works well but gets all kinds of hate from both my and the enemy team. I'd like to know why. I can understand someone on the enemy team being mad or frustrated by me chunking them even when they try to farm under their turret, but I don't get why my own teammates would get upset at me for playing an off meta but well working pick.

Shaco support for mind games and a lot of fun as well as some nice CC and zoning (Nothing like people being afraid to check bushes anywhere) them away from the sides of the lane. Terrifying the life out of junglers who make the mistake of ganking is hilariously fun, I don't know why I get flak from both sides of the match for playing it. (Even though we do well and win lane on average)

Yorick support. A super oppressive botlane that ruins the day for any enemy (It makes total sense why THEY'D be pissed, but not my teammates) I'm up against and wins me lane almost every time. Now, I understand why enemies would be pissed. Being totally and utterly oppressed without being able to counterplay anything isn't fun for them. What I don't get is why I get flak from my teammates about it.

I'm puzzled as to why so many people think that I'm trolling because of any of these kinds of unusual picks?

13 Comments

NoMonku2 votes

It has to do with people not liking "change". They also don't offer as much as a traditional champion in the support role would, technically speaking. Everyone is familiar with the staples like Blitzcrank Braum Thresh Nautilus and know what they can offer. If you pick something like Xerath Shaco Yorick they are unknowns to your teammates, so they don't know what they have to offer, which is imo what causes your teammates dislike. They also don't offer peel for the ADC outside of Xerath and if you miss your E, then you can't really protect them.

The only one I'd be hesitant against you playing is Yorick . Maybe with all the buffs/nerfs other champions have received he can function well now, but he got nerfed way back when he was released because people were taking him as support(me included in that number). Anyways, the nerfs made it so he wasn't able to harass well enough in lane anymore so he wasn't worth taking compared to other supports that could harass.

ReshiKillim1 votes

It's actually hilarious playing Yorick support (I prefer to play in norms draft pick for clarity) against the first four you mentioned, as you can spawn a ghoul to block all of their ranged abilities and possibly frustrate them to no end.. As long as you have mana. Same principle applies with Shaco boxes and other 1 target skillshot abilities. Ancient coin path fills this need rather well, while giving some nice sustain.

A Blitz who pulls an AoE slow that chases is not a happy blitz x3

Support Leona is actually bad against Support Shaco, as I mainly pick support Shaco against botlane CC engage comps (Because it works really well) with self pulls.

But overall viability or tactics aren't the topic here, sorry for getting off topic.

It's just kinda frustrating to get flamed for trying to have a fun time trying out new/off beat things, I can understand them preferring more consistent/meta picks. But I just want to know why they get so upset over someone playing something they're unfamiliar with, in normals.

I'd be more understanding if it was ranked they got upset over, but people more often then not get angry about it then in ranked. Which is really confusing for me.

NoMonku1 votes

Oh if it is normals then idk why they get upset then. I say it is just people who can't handle change, which means anything new can dump on them pretty easily.

For me I just dislike them because they don't offer me the protection I like as an ADC.

50000000000000002 votes

Like others said, off meta supports mean that most likely your adc won't know what to do. A huge advantage of playing off meta champions is surprising the enemy, but as a support you're also his surprise your adc. At the same time, support is the best position to try different things because you get the most freedom as to your role outside warding. It's unfortunate, but there are strong top and mid lane picks for sure.

lHopeBotWins1 votes

because unless you play exactly how TSM plays you are bad and should feel bad about it. if you play anything outside the meta i will just afk because you are a noob.

/s

GinoSoldier1 votes

I'm puzzled as to why so many people think that I'm trolling because of any of these kinds of unusual picks?

It's not so much the pick as much as how people play these picks. Typical supports exist to get an ADC fed, not get fed themselves. All three champions you cited are largely more item dependent than support champions to reach any real efficiency. Also, non-supp support players tend to ignore buying Sightstone and working for vision, which is tantamount to the role.

redniwediS1 votes

"People fear what they cannot understand." Syndra

That's honestly what this is about, understanding. Sticking to the meta gives your allies guidelines of expectation. They know what sort of thing you'll be doing, and they can take comfort in that knowledge.

Part of the reason this is a problem is if you present something new to them they have to leave their comfort zone and learn. For some reason not everyone is interested in learning. They would rather follow what is essentially a flowchart of rules to follow when playing, rather than try to come up with their own stuff. This is a completely different mindset to those who innovate, and so things will almost always get heated.

The other part is based on the meta itself. Our meta is loosely based on what the professional players do, and their meta is based on consistency. They don't want a champion that can do well, but can also fall far behind, they would rather have someone who does the same thing time and time again in many different situations.

Off meta picks, by this logic, are not always very consistent. It's not about how frequently you do well, but rather how far behind you fall if you don't. People have bad experiences with others who try off meta picks and fall into uselessness, and so it leaves a bad taste in their mouths for any future players trying a similar thing. They make an assumption, and while that isn't always the best thing it is based off of personal experience, and so for this type of person you will have to prove yourself.

Personally I love innovation and experimentation (Leona top FTW!), but I try to do it only when I have a premade with me. People who so innately disagree with my way of thinking have a habit of ruining my good mood...

ChargeItDownMid1 votes

[deleted]

redniwediS1 votes

But what do all of those off meta things have in common? Consistency.

Our meta is only based on the meta the pros use, so there is room for other things in it. However the people who will rage at a non-meta pick are not the same people who embraced AP Tryn. I'd bet money on it.

Baby Ghoul1 votes

I've played some off meta things in my day. I think the rule is generally your pick should have purpose, and you should know the direction in where you're going. This maybe looking up some guides, practicing in bots, or just creating a build for that pick. If someone is also trying to gain more experience with their off meta pick, I don't mind either. We're all practicing to some extent in normals.

If someone says they're going Yorick support, then I don't think it's that big of a deal in blind and draft pick. I trust that they have a plan, and they're putting effort into contributing to the team.

The problem I have is people who lock things like AD jungle Leblanc and their reasoning is, "Dunno seems like it will be fun xD". You have to remember that you are part of a "we" when you play team games. If you're having fun, and your teammates aren't, then that's a problem.

I think the stigma is attached to off meta picks because we're so used to seeing trolls pull that, and waste 20 minutes of everyone's time. If you're trying to get a first win of the day, or practice for ranked, then it can be a little annoying. I can't blame people for leaving champion select in those cases. It's a balancing act. All your picks seem to have nice reasoning, and I'm sure you put in the effort when playing.

The reason people get so disappointed by your picks in champion select is because you're a stranger, and we're all so used to seeing off meta picks shine one moment, then fail miserably the next. I cringe from time to time when I see someone twisting themselves into a pretzel to make a pick work the way they want them to, but at least they're trying.

Koldheartedjsp1 votes

because they're god awful at this game

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