Hi all, I hit level 30 about 5 months ago, and I have a total of 357 wins (294 in summoner's rift). I've played only 3 ranked matches, 2 of which I lost (1 of the losses was due to an AFK ADC) So if I started playing ranked, which champions and lane would you say is the easiest to play and rank up? When am I ready to play for real?
Speaking behind the experience of a few hundred ranked games, I would say that only you can know that best. While my advice may hold SOME bearing, I am not you and cannot tell you for sure either way.
Here's some good criteria to examine your readiness for ranked play:
I'd say that if you can answer positively to all three questions I listed above, that you are probably ready for ranked, but you need to be fully honest with yourself no matter your decision.
There is no "champion and lane" of which is "easiest to play and rank up", because different people have different playstyles. For example, as an AD Carry main, I can't recommend going top myself, since I am very bad at it and have no experience with the current meta, outside of one champion.
As biased as I am (despite being an AD Carry), I believe Jungle is the easiest to "rank up with", if only because your actions directly influence the result of every lane, and every teamfight, especially if you are proficient at the high-impact champions like Lee Sin, Skarner, Nocturne, or Elise.
TL;DR: Please interpret what I say with a grain of salt - in my opinion, nobody is ever truly "ready" for ranked; regardless, this can ever only be your decision to make.
Well, my best advice is going to be to get comfortable in other lanes. Specialization only really becomes useful in a team that guarantees other spots being filled. Until Team Builder gets to Ranked, you have to be ready to play any role. You don't have to be godly, but you being comfortable in every spot means a teammate goes to a preferred lane and most of all isn't forced into a role they don;t like. Of course, by all means try to go for your favorite lane but if there's a conflict (there usually is) having the ability to be flexible is invaluable.
That being said I would suggest to start learning Top Lane or Mid lane first. Focus on your laning (ESPECIALLY last hitting) and most of the other mechanics will follow naturally.
As for champs, anyone with the 'recommended' tag is technically introductory, but with the exception of Yasuo and Orianna most champs aren't too difficult to learn if you focus on staying positive and correcting mistakes.
I highly suggest also doing two things: play plenty of Draft pick to get used to banning and counter picking as well as working with your team picking and all. Secondly, go to a site like Lolking and see what champions are trending in what lanes and ELO's, so that way you'll have a reasonable guess of who you may go against.
The moment you are ready for ranked, is the moment you pick it. Just do not expect to be Gold or higher after placements.
Be prepared. People are going to be try harding(man i hate that term) left and right. People are going to complain, cry, act like a 3 year old, and even be kind. Expect anything and everything from people. Some people will be all kool but at the start when you are doing well but if you then start having a rough time turn on you in a instant.
If you want to place in not in bronze you might want to make sure you have a decent understanding of the game. While meta changes(op and not op) fundamentals of the lanes stay pretty much the same. You will go farther understanding the game than skills alone will take you.
Do you have a rough idea of what every champ does? Nothing sucks more than losing a fight and then the gmae cause you do not understand what killed you or why you could not move. Knowing what champs do what will allow you to pick your targets at the start of combat.
Also if you play temmo you are not ready fro ranked ever. Jk, but seriously do not play temmo.
TLDR Game understanding, Guts, not being teemo, and clicking ranked
I would say you're ready for ranked as soon as you can play 2 or 3 champs in every lane.
I think it all depends on your comfort in the game. Also, as general advice, I would say not to worry about it too much, ranked is for you to play with people at roughly equivalent skill level, to help you improve on your own game. Generally, if you're feeling nervous, tired, or angry, I would avoid ranked (a little emotion before the game is fine, I still do this, but you want to be able to have a clear mind to focus on the game when you're actually playing). For the most part, you want to be at your peak when playing (ie. play a practice game vs bots or in normals, if you feel like you personally are playing well, your mechanics are good and decision making is sound, you can probably play ranked and do well).
Ranked is also a statistical sort of thing, meaning you shouldn't decide you're playing bad just because you lose a game or two. Maybe their team was just better, or some other factor outside your control. Over time, if you're playing well you should be able to win most of your games. Take a look at the win/loss ratio of challenger players and you'll see that most of them hover around 50-60% wins. And that's for the best players in the world, not to mention a lot of those players have smurfs, where the player will get really good win/loss ratios and only play on their main when they're doing spectacularly so as not to damage their ranking.
My advice is not to make such a big deal out of it. Everyone starts out somewhere in ranked. Nightblue3 (who's a very high elo jungler, he was #3 in challenger in season 3, so not a bad player by any means) has mentioned several times on his stream that when he first started playing ranked, he didn't even place in bronze (not sure if that mechanic is still in the game). If you place in plastic 8, no big deal, that's where you start, what's important is where you go from there. I got lucky in my placement games in season 3 and was placed in silver, but honestly was having a tough time getting even a 50% w/l record. This season I was placed in bronze, I've honestly learned a lot and improved a great deal, and actually just this morning got back into silver. Honestly, ranking doesn't really mean anything, it's nice as a marker of your achievements, but achievement doesn't mean anything if you don't earn it. The more you learn about the game, the better you get at it, that's what's really important here, your ranking will naturally follow your improvement as a player. And everyone gets flukey games every once in a while, it's your job not to let those get to you, or if they do, take a break. If you're good at the game, know how the game is actually played and won, you will win more games and you will naturally rank up; there's no golden bullet to guarantee 100% win rate.
Now, to actually answer your questions, I would say pick the champions you are most comfortable on, especially mechanically. Being very comfortable mechanically is incredibly important to develop to progress in ranked (not necessary to play ranked, but important to improve on as you play more ranked); the less you're thinking about your mechanics, the more you can think about the actual game. Knowing your champion inside and out, knowing their matchups and how you play with and against certain champions, as well as knowing how to build situationally depending on your team and their team is very important to learn (it's a lot, you don't have to know it all at once, or even when you start playing more ranked, but they're important goals to be working towards). Same thing goes with roles; play the role you're most comfortable as. Every role can carry the game if you know how (yes, even support). That said, it is a team game, and Riot seems actively pushing this aspect more and more (honestly you can carry a game easier with good shotcalling and decision making than you can with pure mechanical skill).
Finally, if you're serious about improving your game, I would start seeking out more information around the internet. You can only learn so much grinding in solo q. Best of luck!
It really depends on what you're playing rank for. Is it just to try it out? Is it for the season rewards? Is it the achievement? Is it to test your limits?
I agree with a lot of what Riot Shao said, especially that only you can really know if you're ready or not.
Having said that here are some things I find helpful if you intend to go far into ranked:
Check your equipment. I've spectated a lot of my friends placements games and you'd be surprised how many people are not using all 30 of their mastery points and/or don't have full runes. Regardless of where you put these points or what runes you're running they will help because they're still something. Not using these resources that are available to you puts you at a disadvantage from the start of the game to the end.
Make sure you have at least one champ that you feel very strong and confident with.
Be prepared to compromise. You will more than likely encounter role conflicts. If you value the meta a lot then you should be prepared to compromise, because chances are you're going to have multiple people wanting a certain role or multiple people unwilling to compromise about that role. While it can be difficult, it is not impossible to win while breaking the meta. If you're not willing to try then you've already lost.
Versatility can be very helpful though not required. Being able to play multiple roles and bring different damage types etc. to the team can be very helpful and advantageous. That being said, there are many people who make it to diamond and challenger just spamming a few or only one champ so it's not required at all.
If you intend to play something other than support or jungle being able to cs well will let you go far. I generally suggest to my friends to aim to average about 100cs/15min but that can be considered a bit high, especially if you're not aiming for anything higher than silver.
Don't be afraid to give suggestions to your teammates and don't be afraid to not listen to them either. Sometimes people will make stupid calls, you need not follow them. Sometimes people won't know any better and it doesn't hurt for you to tell them you think something is unwise. Having said that, remember that you're not always right and it's okay to be wrong. Learn from it, and be willing to learn from and listen to others.
If your teammates are struggling help them out. In my opinion mid is easiest to play and rank up. If all the lanes (and/or jung) are struggling you have easier access to all of these to make plays and help out.
Be prepared to lose. Losing happens, it's unavoidable. You will win some and you will lose some. You will encounter games where you landslide to victory as well as games where you landslide to defeat. Just learn what you can from it.
Follow the Summoner's Code and "Stay positive!"
I've only played a total of 31 solo queue games (20 last season, 11 this season). I placed silver one last season and gold IV this season, only duo queue-ing once last season and none so far this season so my experience is fairly limited.
Remember, this is all my opinion and while these are helpful, they're not necessary to do well in ranked and only you can really know if you're ready.
just play! getting over the 'jitters' of ranked can really be detrimental to your performance. if you're able to keep up with your friends that are ranked, you could maybe use that to gauge where you might stand, and go for that? gl!
The ability to keep calm and fresh even if you hit an immense loss streak.
Some losses are not your fault, it is near impossible for one person to carry a game.
However, one person can lose a game very easily. Your job in ranked is to not be that one person.
Honestly, as long as you don't get mad at your ranking and just focus on playing well every game, you will go up. It might be slow, as there are games you can't win at times, and also there is always the chance of a losing streak.
My advice, and I admit I don't follow this fully myself this is just general guidelines.
1)If you lose a game badly, play some normals afterwords and try to blow off some steam
2)After 2-3 wins give it a break. Win streaks are fun and I'll admit this rule I have especially broken many times>.> At the very least stop after you lose. No use going on a losing streak after a winning one.
4)Be patient and determined. Not many people fly up the ranks in one day. Some days will feel fantastic. Other days you will start questioning all of your own skill. You may even gasp lose a promotion series or two?!?! Calm down stay focused and eventually you will climb.
5)If you aren't feeling your 100% stay out of ranked. No need to lose lp because of minor mistakes.
7)Cs Cs Cs Cs Cs Should be higher on the list. Practice csing in a custom game on your own with champions you play. Aim for 90-100 cs
when you destroy in normals alot so just play and just try to win so you can get high up
if you want to really win just play fiora that bi
Ranked is just another game type, the best advice I can give from personal experience is to not let the stress get the best of you. The games you play in ranked are the same as normal, in either type of game style you will face from bronze 5 - challenger 1. Don't go into the game thinking you can carry and get past the easy things because it just sets a bad example for the other players and teaches them nothing but getting a free ride through another game. All ranked games are based on teamwork and communication which is needed in every single game. The only thing I can tell you about laning on the other hand, is choose someone you are comfortable with and look for counter picks. If your going into ranked, that means you are comfortable with all lanes and should have at least 2 champions in each lane to play every game, bans may hurt sometimes, but having a larger pool to choose from ensures a better game, this is why they set the 16 champ minimum for players that want to play ranked.
Item selection is key too, knowing what item skills counter others is a good way to really push past your competitors, but also remember that some items also help your team, don't just always go straight into damage, try to pick up a semi-global buff if your team is struggling to help them in lane, like a locket or a zeykes herald. You'll find that item counters as well as champion counters make for an interesting game.
Basically you need to have some CSing skills and map awareness. After that you need to know how and when to trade, initiate, and disengage. Then you need to learn about objectives and which ones take priorities (nexus > inhibs > towers > everything else). Until you get into upper gold/plat you won't be able to easily main a role, so you need basic understanding of all roles.
A guide done by one of the RoG mods on this.
Dunno if you start playing Sion. http://community.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/fancreations/3v7EgFRA-riot-sion-rework-attempt
Okay, so I feel like there is a lot of great advice from many different posters to your question. You should know that I see ranked as a place to play seriously and to see where you stand compared to other players with this system. I don't rank often, but I do rank. I'm currently Silver 2, and plan on getting to Gold before the end of summer, and maybe plat by the end of the season. Now, the only thing I would like to offer as 'new' advice (even though it is really a re-iteration of what other players have said) is this:
If you want to rise fast, main a couple of different champions (~-3-5) that you feel extremely comfortable on that can get you the wins. My ADC-main friend always goes for Caitlyn or Jinx when he gets ADC because he knows them pretty well inside-and-out. As a support-main, I have my go-to 5 supports (Thresh, Braum, Morgana, Nami, and Leona) that I know I can play.
Before you rank, make sure you can play every role decently well, and perhaps knowing a couple champs for each role as well. For example, I am place in Silver 2 right now. I think that my ability to play ADC/Mid/Top/Jungle is probably at that level, with a little variation. But I'm planning on rising in the ranks because my supporting skill is (as I believe) higher than Silver ranking, more Gold level and maybe low-Plat (I am in no way a Diamond-tier support). BUT I have at least 3 champions I can pay for all the other roles, for when I don't get my preferred role of support. I can Orianna or Talon mid, Nasus, Shyvana, or Renekton top, and I can take Lulu in either lane (or even support). I have Amumu, Hecarim, and Vi (although I don't own her yet, but I loved her when she was free) for jungle. I can play most of the ADC's well, but I have my preference of Caitlyn or Jinx.
Most importantly, make sure you are still having FUN. If you aren't then maybe ranked isn't for you. Or maybe you should find a duo partner that you love to play with, as I do. If the try-hard A--hats try to take you apart via chat, MUTE them. You don't need to deal with their crap and do your best to win the game.
Like Riot Shao said, take this with a grain of salt. This is only my opinion, and it has been formed through my experiences (in both ranked and normals).
TLDR: main a couple 3-5 champs, be able to play every role, and HAVE FUN.
Just play support and be positive. 
I believe that it must be taken as a pool it may feel cold at first but you have to dive in to be able to swim. I hope my grammar didn't get in the way of my message.
The easiest to rank up with is probably support bot only if your adc is a hyper carry I.E. jinx Lucian Vayne these adcs can carry no matter what the case of their team but short of that you will have to hope your team is decent
Knowing when your ready to play ranked really comes down to three things.
Being able to work as a team
Knowing what lane you excel at the most
Map awareness
you can further Break these topics down
(team) when working as a team you want to know what champs work well with your teams choices while, at the same time knowing what works against what the enemy team is picking. and being able to foresee what kind of strategy thy may be going for
(Know your Lane) after playing for a while and hitting lvl 30 you should know what position your best at and how you can work that position to help the team carry even if your 4v5 or worse have a feeder. and VERY IMPORTANT having more then one champ per position that you can play in-case you get a role that you didn't what to play (Que can sometimes Pick order over teamwork) the best way to do this is to have at least 2 champs that counter each other for that one position if they where against each other. this will insure that you can always have a champ that you can use and you can still help your team.
(Map Awareness) I would say that this is the most important thing you can do for a team. yes EVERYONE should be warding but it goes deeper then that. Know where the enemy team is ganks, catching someone alone. knowing when ults are down. knowing when you should or shouldn't have someone split push. Objectives (turrent, dragon, baron, wave pressure) also when to start a team fight and when to back. if you can be aware of everything around the map and relay that info to the team in a timely manner even if your not the best on the team you help the best be better and if you are the best you keep yourself alive to do great things and bring your team with you.
once you can do a little of this I would say that you have mastered Ranked. but don't worry ranked is a different play style then Norms so in the beginning it's ok if your not the best.
i loled from bronze 1 to silver 5 solo q'ing as morgana :3
