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So like...How do I get better?

MohawkBeaver·5/21/2015, 12:45:40 AM·1 votes·686 views

I have a point to inquire about here. But the title pretty much says it. I don't really know or see how to get better.

I've been playing league for two and half years (ish) now, about 1000 games total and I'm only bronze 1. Clearly just simply playing games and "practicing" aren't really doing it for me because apparently I'm still bad. I really want to get better at league but I'm not seeing how to go about that.

I play a lot with silvers and one gold friend. I asked him how to get better and all he could come up with was "Idk man, die less and push objectives" and this blew my mind greatly... this guy was 6 divisions ahead of me and that's all he came up with? Is league seriously that simple that only the vaguest elements can separate bronze from gold?

I've asked this of many people and NO ONE is able to give me advice specific enough to actually help me. Nothing beyond the usual "die less" "cs" and "ward" bullshit. I get that these are very vital things but there has to be more to it than that...like Diamonds and Challengers aren't Diamonds and Challengers just because they die less and cs more are they?

I'm not a big believer in "elo hell" or whatever, but i really DON'T see what all these higher level players do that makes them crazy better than me or anyone else. Don't get me wrong i do recognize certain things they do, that i could improve on..... but all that really consists of is they die less and cs more,
LIKE THAT'S IT!!! that's all i can distinguish.... SO WHAT AM I MISSING?

When i play games with my gold friend, YES. he does do better than me but never does he do like crazy insane good. Just a few more kills and a couple less deaths. He gets fed sometimes... but I mean so do I. Is that really all that separates 25 divisions of players? A few more kills and a couple less deaths?

I really DO wanna get better here, and I do realize that improving my cs, warding, and dying less are certainly going to help... but beyond that..... like what? what is there? I am absolutely lost. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO IMPROVE. Or is league just THAT simple of a game, like is it just a matter of mechanics and reaction time?

To be fair, I have gotten some sort-of-useful advice, to the tune of "when you lose, look at what your opponents did to beat you", sort of like don't get mad but accept that some people are better than you and try to learn from them.... but this confused me a good bit because... aren't I placed in games with people of about my skill level? If that's true than what all do I actually have to learn from people who are "about my skill level". Wouldn't they posses the same amount of skill/knowledge that i possess as well?

It seems to me that in order to get better i need to play against people that are better than me...kind of like how you get better at anything else in the world... by interacting with people that are BETTER, and not OF THE SAME SKILL LEVEL. but league only ever puts you against people of the same skill level... so how am I supposed to learn from that?

IDk...

Can anyone share wisdom with me?

4 Comments

Palatimus9905/21/2015, 12:59:06 AM1 votes

die less and push objectives :)

lmao nah jk I wanted to read this too

Tormyth5/21/2015, 1:02:30 AM1 votes

i added you in game, seems like you are going through a similiar situation and old friend of mine went through i believe i have some insight that can help ya

Arcyvilk5/21/2015, 2:02:28 AM1 votes

As vague as it may sound, the process of improving consists not on learning a few big conspicuous things, but a shitload of little ones. It includes all these general rules like die less, cs more, look at minimap more often, get better than your opponents and such.

I'm going to focus on the last one. Get better than your opponents. It sounds kinda dull, isn't it? But it is the most important thing to learn on your journey to improve. Specifically, you have to learn how to recognize crucial mistakes your opponents are commiting, abuse them, build advantage on that and then actually use that advantage to win the game; and how to not make these mistakes yourself. Low level players commit A LOT of mistakes and get away with that, because their opponents don't know how to exploit them.

And this is an answer to your question:

It seems to me that in order to get better i need to play against people that are better than me...kind of like how you get better at anything else in the world... by interacting with people that are BETTER, and not OF THE SAME SKILL LEVEL. but league only ever puts you against people of the same skill level... so how am I supposed to learn from that?

Observe your opponents. Try to spot the mistakes they are doing. You won the duel? Think about what made you to win that. You lost it? Think about what made you lose. First, you have to discover how to beat your usual opponents. You don't need to face better than you, although it usually accelerates the process.

A few examples. Let's say you're playing midlane (it's my main roles next to support so I'll be able to give more specific advices).

Trading:

  • let's say that your opponent constantly tries to trade with you. If you are kind of equal, but you have more minions than him, he will probably lose the trade due to creep damage. Use your minions. Don't get baited into trade if the creep advantage is on his side.
  • if he has some kind of AoE spell, he has to choose if he wants to harass you or farm minions with it. Decide if you want him to push the lane (stand in your minions then) or you don't (stand away from them; if he misses you he wastes a lot of mana that way).
  • most of low level players, when going for harass, run straight in your direction so it's very easy to guess they are going to hurt you. Be prepared for that so you can dodge fast, and don't make this mistake yourself. Try to constantly "dance" at the edge of your range, so if you see the opportunity you can quickly cast the spell as they don't expect that.
  • if you lost the trade and are left with little to no HP - back off. Most low elo players hug the turret with no HP instead of simply returning. That's the thing I've abused the most when I've played on my smurf, for some reason they just don't expect you to flashkill them.

Zoning:

  • analogously - if your opponent lost the trade and is hugging the turret now, do not overextend. Killing them and then dying yourself to turret usually isn't worth that (unless you play something like LeBlanc). Use that to zone them off farm and experience, and go for kill when their vigilance gets dormant.
  • if you're going to zone your opponent, ward your lane deep or at least pay extra attention to the position of enemy jungler. It's only the matter of time you'll get ganked. If you feel confident enough, you can bait enemy jungler into trap that way and kill him.

Roaming:

  • if one of your lanes is losing and you won yours, you should start to roam. If the lane is losing only so-so, roam there and try to turn the tables around. If the lane is losing hard, you can else roam to the opposite one (so you can get another player rolling and you won't have to deal with the fed enemy alone) or wait for your jungler for the 3v1 or 4v2.
  • don't forget to push your lane to enemy turret before roaming and place a ward on your way. That forces your midlane opponent to clear minions before counterroaming; and if he decides to counterroam immediately, he will lose a lot of gold/experience and a good chunk of his turret's HP. If you warded your way, you will see if he is going after you and you can ambush him.
  • speaking about ambushing: most low elo players are conviced that they always need to counterroam. You can fake the roam and set an ambush instead. They usually don't expect you waiting for him in the brush so you get an easy kill.

That's actually why high level players seem like they have godlike reaction time. They really don't; they just expect their opponents to do something, so they are prepared for a fast flash/counterattack/whatever. Learn to read your opponent.

Keep in mind that this is only a small piece of tips/tricks, and specific for midlane, I could gave you. There are also mechanics, minion behaviour, matchups knowledge, decision making and a lot more. I would have to think about it much longer to write more. Also, I'm only Plat III so I probably lack a lot of knowledge that Diamond+ level players have. If you want anything more to know, ask.

Sometimes you're not able to spot your or your opponents' mistakes yourself, and then it's best to find someone from the higher division that can spectate you and tell you specifically what you're doing wrong.