tl;dr: The new changes are bad because they assume that Ranked Solo Queue is a measurement of individual skill when in reality it is a measurement of overall ability to perform consistently well in a team environment, which is a much larger spectrum of various skills together INCLUDING individual skill.
A preface to my post:
I'm what most players/Riot would consider a toxic player. I've been temp-banned repeatedly and been chat restricted numerous times because of my in-game behavior concerning the performance of my teammates.
I would love NOTHING more than to have the random players who are likely to infuriate me never be on a team with me. It would be great to just queue with 4 friends and pubstomp through every division. In fact, if a Rioter would be comfortable with it, I encourage them to view some of my negative chat logs or maybe even post them in response to this just so you can get a general idea of how pissed I get when my team does not perform up to my expectations because of my insanely intense desire to win (even in normals).
If there is anybody who would benefit from being able to queue only with friends in ranked, it would be me and others like me.
I still think these changes are absurdly detrimental to the game because they are being made for the wrong reasons.
Here's how I'm interpreting your explanation/Riot's reasoning for the changes:
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Relying on 4 other unknown players is not considered a true measure of **individual **skill.
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Ranked Solo Queue is a representation of your individual skill, which conflicts with the above and necessitates change.
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All gameplay experiences should be streamlined to be easier to use, clearer, and more friendly.
Here are my issues with such reasoning (not the proposed changes themselves):
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League of Legends is a team-based game. The notion that Ranked Solo Queue is a measure of individual skill is a misconception.
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Ranked Solo Queue should be known as a measurement of your ability to play consistently well in a team environment regardless of unknown variables. This is where the perceived purpose of Ranked Solo Queue and its actual purpose come into conflict.
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Individual skill in a team-based game is a secondary priority in a competitive context.
The actual changes themselves are irrelevant when they are created with the above in mind.
What can possibly be done to achieve a better player experience while also keeping in line with Riot's goals with the currently proposed changes:
_In general: _
Do not shoehorn changes geared toward individual skill into Ranked Solo Queue. There is already a system in place for measuring individual performance: Champion Mastery. If players want to be recognized for their sole contributions to a match, it should be through Champion Mastery's post-game grading system. Flesh it out more; maybe some sort of overall average grade that is displayed similarly to your ranked league and division (ie "wow that guy's got an average of S+ he must do well really often/have good mechanics/be good in 1v1s").
Regarding a dynamic queue:
While a dynamic queue system is not inherently good or bad, the details of how League of Legends works as a game pose problems with it. If a more streamlined overall queue experience is the goal, you must place restrictions on it to avoid extremely unfair match-ups. A quick suggestion would be to disallow 4-man premades entirely so that solo players cannot be placed on a team with diminished communication. This way, 5s will only be matched with 5s, 3s will only be put on a team with 2s and matched with another team with 3/2, etc. You can still get the friendly ranked experience with minimal impact on the minority that would be negatively affected by larger premades being on or against their team. 5 man premades being allowed is still up for debate as they should only be matched against other 5s, however I see that as pointless because that's what Ranked Teams are for.
I personally think that a dynamic queue would actually improve the experience of Ranked Solo Queue as long as it is implemented correctly, but it is a very daunting task and you should be very cautious. It will only be the right decision when no player is affected negatively by the changes.
Ranked Solo Queue vs. Individual Performance/Skill:
Currently Ranked Solo Queue operates in a fashion where ranking is determined by how well a player can perform consistently and independently of all other variables (such as teammates' performance). This encompasses individual performance/skill (mechanics, laning, etc) and how well they can impact the state of their team through various means (e.g. winning your lane vs helping win other lanes/taking objectives). It can be seen extensively by examining higher level players in lower elo matches. The complaints that you cite are related to the belief that Ranked Solo Queue is supposed to determine only individual skill; players complaining that their team drags them down, that their promos were ruined by somebody who fed and raged, etc. This is simply not true and needs to be reinforced as the key to what Ranked Solo Queue is for: ranking players based on how much they can play like a coordinated team with strangers.
Clarify what Ranked Solo Queue is for and how it works beyond the technical aspects. Make resources available to show players that it's not for determining how well you can play in a lane or with a certain champion, but how well you can impact the game with your decisions and gameplay no matter what situation you are presented with. Diffuse ranked stress with reassurances that team oriented decision making is what impacts your ranking the most, not how much your teammates feed, how little you die to enemies, or how many kills/towers/dragons you get by yourself. This has already been addressed before, but not reinforced like it should be. The message should be that in Ranked Solo Queue, not only is Teamwork OP, but how much successful team play you can facilitate is also essentially indirectly equivalent to your rank (rather than wins == rank, while teamwork is a tool for winning).
The misconception that Ranked Solo Queue is only for determining individual skill is a fairly large issue that is rarely actually considered or addressed. It's a concept that is always present but largely ignored by the playerbase for a variety of reasons. This is why support is seen such a popular role in ranked in comparison to normals. It also contributes to negative behavior, ranked stress, etc. The fear that your teammates will lose you the game or the idea that you alone have to carry the entire team and do everybody's job for them comes from this. The clearer the distinction between the individual and what Ranked Solo Queue actually measures becomes, the better it will be for everybody. I'm a good example; I'm very guilty of letting my teammates performance get to me in even when I know that losing a match means that I was simply unable to impact the game enough through team oriented play. The community reinforces these ideas consistently and makes it extremely easy to fall into the trap of blaming your teammates and going it alone for the rest of the game rather than realizing that Ranked Solo Queue is working exactly how it is supposed to.
Please take these concerns, suggestions, and explanations into consideration. As one of the players who is frustrated and complains a lot with the exact same complaints you cited, I do NOT want these changes to go to live without major overhauls.