Riot does not pair "new players with new players" and "smurfs with smurfs," despite popular belief.

Jesus is Savior·Jun 19, 2018·2 votes·870 views

Anyone with RTS/moba experience gets put with the smurfs. You need to basically be new to video games (miss every single cs, etc) to not get put with the smurfs.

Way back when I started playing League, I got put with smurfs. I had moba experience (Dota allstars, Warcraft 3 map). My mercurial scimitar full AD Nunu somehow got detected as a "smurf" despite me being awful at the game (and placing bronze 5 when I finally got to ranked). Just because I somewhat knew how to play this style of game.

So yes, the new player experience is horrible. Unless you're literally new to playing PC games. Then your new player experience might be okay.

https://i.imgur.com/My4ZXDD.gif/img

7 Comments

ChargeItDownMidJun 19, 20181 votes

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Jesus is SaviorJun 19, 20181 votes

{quoted}

I started playing league after a few years worth of experience in dota and never considered myself to be a "new" player. Different types of players have different needs. People new to mobas need to be paired with other new players. People who are experienced in mobas but new to league benifit more from being paired with more experienced players.

Not really. I thought I was actually influencing games. I was actually just derping around and getting carried (or crushed). I didn't learn ANYTHING until I had a visible rank attached to the account to let me know how awful I really was.

ChargeItDownMidJun 19, 20182 votes

[deleted]

ParoeJun 19, 20181 votes

{quoted}

I guess everyone is different. Pretty much everyone I know with a dota background was able to learn a ton from playing with or against better players.

Playing against better players =/= getting roflstomped. When a game is 10-36 with the ten being on your assassin jungler... you dont learn ANYTHING because theres no trade, no nuance, no dialogue with skill expressions.

The last time i said "damn that was a good play" was a support alistar getting a 1v4 while defending their tower because they mind gamed the enemy into diving and dodged all the shit that was thrown at them.

SangreDeNocheJun 19, 20181 votes

Yeah... had a game on twisted treeline (which I haven't played a TON over my league career, but I've played enough to be paired with gold+plats fairly regularly) and somehow when playing my bi-annual "remind myself why I don't play twisted treeline" session of games I got paired up with someone who had just started playing 4 days ago (their words not mine.) One has to wonder how I and those I am usually paired with could be paired with a fresh new player if the system is so good.

[sg-lulu]