A Look Back at League

Greetings fellow Summoners,

I started playing league of legends at a friends bequest nearly four years ago now, and, while i know its not much of an accomplishment anymore, i am nearing 1000 wins! It's been a long road, full of ups and downs, and i just wanted to kinda take a look back at my league of legends career, not that it is all that exciting or unique really.

I struggled, when i first started, trying to find a character i liked. i remember at the time Ashe was free, and i took a liking to her (still one of my best and favorite champions) and i learned the basics through her, don't dive turrets, don't stand still, don't let minions focus you, etc. I had alot of fun learning the game, more probably than i have now anyway... something about the massive list of items and the huge selection of champions that i had no idea how they worked or who they were just... kept me fascinated.

i think in those first few months of league i played more games per day and had more wins per day than any other time in my career. Some time during the first two or three months of play i was rewarded a Teamwork banner, and this concept amazed me. I had played online games before, but i had never been rewarded for not being a total douche, and this inspired me to continue being positive and helpful to my teammates! i think it was just because of this feature, which i am told didn't even exist a month before i started playing, that i was able to carry through the harder times of league. and there were alot of hard times. i remember my first ranked game, fresh to level 30. i thought i was so good at the game, i hadn't lost a blind pick in ages, and i was even doing pretty good learning how every champion worked, and how to counter them effectively. i knew what all the items did, and what order to build them, man i was hot shit back then... then i got first pick. wait... whats this? bans? well i just clicked teemo by default (he was my best champion at the time... i know just hush...) and suddenly my team was raging at me. "Why waste a ban on TEEMO? now blitz amumu malph mundo or katarina will get through! you f****ed us noob!" i was so confused i just dodged the queue... and thats how i found out what draft pick was and how it worked... and also that dodging a ranked game queue counts as a loss... oh well... so i launched back into a new game, not first pick this time awesome, ill take mid teemo, wont be an issue, my team didnt care said teemo was fine mid... then the enemy team takes fizz... ive never played against a fizz at this point, he wasnt very popular in blind pick around this time since so many people were playing kassadin, ryze, katarina, or tf mid... oh boy i got into lane and auto'd my first minion, sent a poison dart down at fizz and he just q-auto-ignite-auto'd me and i was deader than... well a teemo laning against a fizz... so needless to say i didnt enjoy my first several games of Ranked (this was before leagues were a thing, so i have no idea where i stacked up against others) it was also around this time that i found out that spending all that sweet hard earned IP on fun, new champions to play and try out was a bad idea... as i was level 30 and still didnt have runes.

I can't say that I've done much better in ranked (im bronze 4 currently, with an 8/4/13 KDA and average .89 turrets per game... carrying is hard man) but i dont play alot of ranked. seems like everyone wants to put you under so much pressure, like its a matter of life and death... hard truth is something like 99% of us will never be famous for playing league... most of us will never have a summoner spotlight, and thats ok! If there is one thing ive learned over the course of my league career its that youll have the most fun when you cooperate with your team, when you treat them kindly and fairly, and when you dont point out their mistakes in an aggressive way. I've had a teamwork banner since the project came out, never once have i lost it or dropped it, and while we all have our rough games if you treat people with respect you'll go a long way in this game. Im proud of my little green strip, as its the only thing i have to show off my accomplishments in league.

but speaking of accomplishments, i remember my first penta (my most recent was today, coincidentally) I think in four years I've scored maybe 5 pentas.(but i main support generally, so i dont get alot of kills) I was using teemo, naturally, it was shortly after Ranaan's Hurricane released, and i knew, just knew, it would be one of my favorite items. it was actually the first game id ever built that item in a game, started liandries (also new) then built gnashors and Hurricane, feeling good, got 3 kills under my belt and a good 200 farm, id dropped four or five satanshrooms around their red buff and a teamfight broke out. i was nowhere close so i tp'd to a shroom. during the channel my team got wiped out, 0-4 but they left the enemy team at around 400 hp each... i baited two into shrooms, then mowed down the rest with about 3 autos... instant penta-kill. probably one of the best moments in my career. just ahead of my first baron steal (lux laser from way downtown with no vision. it was something special) I think its the moments like these that i play for nowadays... what keeps me going. its certainly not the community. i just keep trying to help out as much as i can with every game i play and maybe someday ill be able to get a cool border and a neat skin (only janna skin i down own is victorious janna... sadface) well anyway, looking forward to 1000 wins, maybe ill see if a rioter will join me for the big fourth digit, but ive bragged about myself long enough... now to the point.

Thank you so much Riot, and indeed my fellow Summoners, for making League a game that can keep me interested for so long, and keep me coming back for more and more, and hopefully someday i'll see you on the rift!