My thoughts on Dynamic Queue
Yep, I know, jumping on the bandwagon, but I wanted to get some thoughts off my chest. Sorry.
So, to start us off, we need to understand the difference between New Champion Select and Dynamic Queue. I think there's a certain level of conflating going on, where people assume that the new role/champion select method and dynamic queue are the same thing. Let's break it down a bit:
- New Champion Select - Choosing your primary and secondary roles, then going into the new UI with the bans on the last three players and picking from there
- Dynamic Queue - The ability to play with any premade size from 1-5
Personally, I think New Champion Select is awesome, and one of the best things Riot has released in recent memory. I also think Dynamic Queue is perfect for normal games and is superior to the previous draft method in basically every conceivable way (other than queue times).
The issue I think people are having with Dynamic Queue is the fact it's also being applied to Ranked games. League of Legends, historically, has been built around individual skill and competition. The entire professional scene was born out of the fact that Solo/Duo Queue helps identify players based on their individual skill, and Dynamic Queue replaced Solo/Duo Queue for the most competitive ranked queue available in League of Legends.
The vocal playerbase seems to view Ranked as the queue in which players can determine their individual skill level as it relates to the team’s overall success. Riot, by contrast, seems to view Ranked as the queue in which players can determine their individual skill level as it relates to the company they keep. This is a pure difference in ideology, and honestly it's probably something someone is going to have to bend to eventually.
Mathematically speaking, the most accurate way to handle competitive play is the one with the least controllable (by the player) starting variables, and premade size happens to be one of the only ones left. If we view things on a continuum of competition for ranking individual skill, here's how it ends up:
- Most accurate ranking method - No player-defined premades at all, pure Solo Queue
- Moderately accurate - Only one type of player-defined premade, Solo/Duo Queue
- Least accurate ranking method - Random player-defined premade sizes, Dynamic Queue
This is, I think, one of the main issues people have with DQ. For a competitive queue, it's basically the least accurate implementation possible. Sure, it might help to address toxicity and allow for more socialization, but I think there's a disconnect in the actual point of having Ranked play in the first place.
My view is that, at the moment, ranks (e.g. Silver I) are shown per individual, which means that the ranking system behind those ranks should be designed around individual skill. I understand that this is a team game, but if the ranks are shown per individual I have trouble understanding why players should be able to queue with whomever they choose (within the limits), thus relying at least partially on factors outside their individual skill.
TL;DR: There is clearly a disconnect between what the vocal playerbase seems to want (ranked to be a highly competitive accurate display of skill) and what Riot wants (ranked queue with friends). I feel that getting the right premade together increases a player’s chances of winning regardless of individual skill, which dilutes the point of having individual ranks in the first place. It's a perceived integrity issue in my opinion, it has very to do with matchmaking balance or hurting solo players.
