You wouldn't expect to win a card tournament with a starter deck

The Ecdysiast··3 votes·751 views

So don't go into Ranked with the expectation that you can be successful without knowledge. There are plenty of laning, mechanic, and teamfight tutorial videos that provide information that is absolutely necessary yet not provided by the game's tutorial.

Some information that you need is basic to the lane you're trying to play. That info would be like staple cards. It's like energy cards in Pokemon, land cards in Magic, or the extra deck in yugioh (unless you use monarchs, last I checked). If you don't have those, you only stand a chance if the enemy is equally lacking. But the information-- or those cards-- is not hard to find.

And that alone can get you decently far with many champions. The characters in this game are generally not designed to be incredibly difficult. Slightly more in depth knowledge of laning can get you ahead with easy, rarely changed characters like Darius, Annie, Vayne, or Leona.

But a few characters have drastically high skill caps, such as Azir, Taliyah, or Aurelion Sol. And their effectiveness mirrors the effectiveness of having someone else build you a good deck of cards. At first, you'll make more mistakes than with the simpler champions-- you won't see exactly how the cards work together. And you'll actually lose more even if the champion/deck is stronger. Then, when the champion-- the deck-- becomes second nature you'll see an incredible increase in your effectiveness. So there are in depth tutorials for more difficult champions as well.

It is your due diligence to do the research if you think you're ready for ranked. The game's tutorial gives you next to nothing, unfortunately. But the massive community has been doing their part to help. Just go to youtube. However, this is where the most important difference between readiness in a card game and readiness in this game comes in: you aren't playing this game for yourself alone. If you lose tournament after tournament because you don't have a single Mystical Space Typhoon, it's on you alone. No one else is effected by your ignorance. But if you continuously lose matches in Ranked because you don't know how to handle Rumble's overheat passive or how to farm while avoiding poke, you're a detriment to 4 other players as well.

So don't play ranked if you aren't ready. People are there to play the game seriously, with others who put in the necessary preparations in order to win games. It's a detriment to your allies, and it doesn't help you improve if your only wins are against players who were so far below your team that they could lose when you're unprepared. There's a mode for casual players, and it's where you belong until you're ready.

[EDIT] This is for the benefit of both the player and their allies. There's no reason to play ranked if you'll be placed in bronze and stay in bronze due to your own ignorance anyway. You don't gain anything from it but frustration. And there is nothing you can learn from playing bronze ranked that you couldn't learn from norms. You have to go out of your way to research tips and tricks because Riot's tutorials are completely inadequate.

If I had it my way, bronze wouldn't exist. Players bad enough to be in bronze would simply not be given a rank and given a time period before they could try again.

34 Comments

archerno12 votes

No. Ranked should be measurement of your current skill. Thats why we have divisions.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

We have low divisions because there are people who think they're ready when they're not. Bronze should not exist, but only does because so many bad players think Ranked is the mode for them. They aren't true competitors, but we need a place for them so decent players don't have to deal with their crap.

There is nothing you can learn from bronze matches that you couldn't learn just as well in normals.

Azure Hamster1 votes

{quoted}

There is nothing you can learn from bronze matches that you couldn't learn just as well in normals.

Not true. If you've played in Bronze-level normals, people take that even less seriously.

Caitlyn

Drugoth1 votes

This is not necessarily true, there are players of all skill levels in any competitive online game. Same goes for improvement. Some people improve more and faster than others. Still some players don't improve at all no matter how much they play. Saying that bronze shouldn't exist at all is pretty harsh. Sure there are players that may start at a bronze skill level, but many of them learn and climb out. Also, whether a player believes they're ready or not for ranked is entirely subjective. 1 player could hit level 30 and unlock the prerequisite number of champs and feel they are ready while another could play for years before he decides he is ready while another still may never play ranked at all.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

The fact some players don't improve at all no matter how much they play fits into my point. I'm saying that playing a ton of games at the bronze level doesn't teach you anything. You need to actively search for tips because the game doesn't provide them. Which is why we should not have a bronze level, it's just the place where people who didn't bother to put in that little effort or intentionally lose the game end up.

Whether someone is ready for ranked or not, I think, is akin to whether or not they'll be put in bronze. If you're assigned to a T-ball team when you try out for baseball, you aren't ready.

We should have a more in-depth test for placement, but also set it up so that bronze-level players simply don't get a rank since they've proven they aren't qualified.

Drugoth2 votes

Telling 40% of the community that they're not good enough to play ranked and removing bronze altogether sounds like a very elitist and overall douche thing to say...

The Ecdysiast1 votes

The fact simply is they aren't ready. There's no season reward for bronze due to that. There's nothing douchie about it. In fact, it'd save 40% of the ranked players from the grief of being in bronze for a long time.

They are not good enough for a reward by Riot's standards. The bottom rung should not just be a shit pile. If you think it's elitist to want an actual barrier to competitive, then that's just you. What I want is for there not to be a rank where others have quantifiable proof to tell you you're a shit player.

BigBellBrute1 votes

{quoted}

The fact simply is they aren't ready. There's no season reward for bronze due to that. There's nothing douchie about it. In fact, it'd save 40% of the ranked players from the grief of being in bronze for a long time.

They are not good enough for a reward by Riot's standards. The bottom rung should not just be a shit pile. If you think it's elitist to want an actual barrier to competitive, then that's just you. What I want is for there not to be a rank where others have quantifiable proof to tell you you're a shit player.

Then what you really want as opposed to what you say you want is to do away with a ranked system. People will get nasty and call anyone ranked below them a shit player in any ranking system. Get rid of bronze and golds will call silvers shit players even though technically gold players are still shit players in the grand scheme of things too.

HaIlMonitor1 votes

40%? Broze-silver together is 80%, so bronze has to at least be 50% of the player base. I agree with you, just the numbers are crazy large.

Jorencice1 votes

{quoted}

We have low divisions because there are people who think they're ready when they're not. Bronze should not exist, but only does because so many bad players think Ranked is the mode for them. They aren't true competitors, but we need a place for them so decent players don't have to deal with their crap.

There is nothing you can learn from bronze matches that you couldn't learn just as well in normals.

Orrrrr... They are just bad players.

Not everyone can be in the olympics.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

That's extremely different. Most, if not all, players should rightfully be able to reach Gold if they're serious. The problem we have is that players who don't even know basics of their event are trying to do it competitively.

Jorencice2 votes

{quoted}

That's extremely different. Most, if not all, players should rightfully be able to reach Gold if they're serious. The problem we have is that players who don't even know basics of their event are trying to do it competitively.

No. Silver...3? 4? Is average.

Tons of average people exist.

Simply because YOU think everyone should be able to hit gold if they try doesn't mean it's actually possible.

Some people simply can't do certain things. I know people that have tried to drive stick their whole life and are terrible at it. And I know people who have pretty much mastered it on the first attempt.

Humans are an extremely varied species.

I've been playing for 6 years and I'd say I'm low gold in skill.

I know someone who hit diamond 1 in their first 6 months of playing. And it was their first ever Moba as well.

They simply flat out have a difference in innate skill.

Telephone Booth1 votes

Yeah but if we didn't have bronze, then silver would just be bronze. Bronze is just the lowest division in a ladder system. So you're saying last place shouldn't exist in a tournament? (Since you're comparing the two). Furthermore, ranked is a ladder system, not a tournament. It's completely different. People can participate in ranked play for whatever reason they want. Maybe they want their games to actually count towards something, instead of every game being alone and thrown out after it's done. Normals are completely inconsequential, other than the IP and experience you earn. So a lot of people don't want to do normals. It's like renting instead of owning. You just throw your money away to the rent gods, not building towards anything. In ranked, you are climbing a ladder. Games actually seem to matter more. It's not because they want to win league. Ranked is not a tournament.

ModPeriscope2 votes

What a terrible metaphor. The card deck is more analogous to the tools (in this case, champion pool) one has available to him, but you start talking about skill level.

A novice with a shuriken can still be beaten by an expert with a stone.

BigBellBrute1 votes

I win card games with a standard deck all the time.

Poker Gin Rummy 52 pick up. slap jack black Jack Crazy 8s Bull All kinds of card games can be won with a standard deck.

BigBellBrute1 votes

As for not playing ranked until you're ready, only part of playing ranked is to climb. The other part of the purpose of playing ranked is to be matched against like players. You don't have to want to climb to challenger to play ranked. Some people don't care if they're bronze. They just don't want to play against Diamonds if they're bronze. Riot isn't going to tell anyone sorry, you suck so badly we're not going to let you even play. And it would be a Bronze V level business decision if they did.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

Then players should click an option telling the game whether they're trying to climb or not, so they don't get matched with those you claim don't mind being in bronze--- or trolls, as they're normally called since they take the game as seriously as drunk players in norms.

There's an MMR in norms as well. Your argument assumes that isn't the case, but it is.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

That's exactly what I said in regards to champions with higher skillcaps. Please finish reading posts before you comment.

And as I said with the comment about some guy in Destiny winning somethin' with the starter gun, this is not a game where your mechanical skill is the deciding factor.

You can't right-click any harder with Tryndamere no matter how much better you are than the opponent at street fighter 2.

In your analogy, the shuriken novice wins every single time because ranged auto attacks are targeted. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You do an AA fight Kennen vs Taliyah, Kennen will win every single time because every 4th attack has bonus damage.

ModPeriscope1 votes

Mechanical skill might not be the deciding factor, but it's certainly over teamwork.

As to the stone/shuriken thing it was a Naruto reference. I was implying that skill has priority over the tool or in this case, champion that one uses.

Drugoth2 votes

This is all around pretty solid advice. +1

ModAcademy Kayn2 votes

Heheh, I mean, some guy scored first in Iron Banner (Destiny) using the Starter gun, soooooo.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

That's not analogous. In a game where mechanical skill actually makes the most difference, that's possible. But no matter how good you are at FPS and fighting games, you can't right-click any harder as yi.

Azure Hamster1 votes

Vayne is not easy.

Caitlyn

The Ecdysiast1 votes

I only said the first ADC who came to mind. Caitlin is only easy right now because the items have been changed so heavily in her favor. But Vayne's W makes her strong regardless of the state of items, so she's the first to come to mind.

Azure Hamster1 votes

{quoted}

I only said the first ADC who came to mind. Caitlin is only easy right now because the items have been changed so heavily in her favor. But Vayne's E makes her strong regardless of the state of items, so she's the first to come to mind.

I'm a Cait main, so I just sign Cait at the end of all my messages. I was not trying to say Cait was easy. I only said Vayne isn't easy. Largely because her passive makes it very easy to overextend when you're new to playing her, and landing Condemn for a stun isn't as easy as the pros make it look. :) Oh, and no fucking waveclear. :D

Caitlyn

The Ecdysiast1 votes

Her passive doesn't make it easy to overextend unless you're new to playing the game, not just Vayne. Only a new player hits minions 3 times thinking they need their three-hit passive to proc.

Azure Hamster1 votes

{quoted}

Her passive doesn't make it easy to overextend unless you're new to playing the game, not just Vayne. Only a new player hits minions 3 times thinking they need their three-hit passive to proc.

I'm not talking about E. I'm talking about her passive. She moves faster toward enemies and slower away from them. Since Q is a gap-closer with extra damage on next AA, the feeling I always got was that I could move easily and get extra damge from Q. Suddenly, I have no means of escape, and my walking speed is slower running away.

Playing Vayne not-badly is counter-intuitive.

Caitlyn

Limmie1 votes

Riot's tutorials are completely inadequate

Wait, what? You mean to tell me that item 3075 isn't the proper rush item on Ashe ?

Sukishoo1 votes

but it's liek da bestest e ver on her! you'll get challenjour fer sure!

The Ecdysiast1 votes

Well they just buffed it. And you normally fight AD champions at bot, so why not? Clearly the best choice. :^)

Simbafluff1 votes

If bronze is removed, silver will effectively become the new bronze, albeit slightly shinier.

I feel like any competitive sports/games can be designed as free-to-enter, as in the case for League. The tiers are in place to place similar skill levels together. So what if they're less skilled than higher tier players? They're (theoretically) playing with others who are similar in skill level, for whatever reason. They may not be as competitive, they may need more time to learn the ropes, they may be unlucky. I see no reason to bar someone's ability to enter the competition, since every participant will simply have to deal with the tier they're placed in based on their individual skills anyway.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

That's not true, with the replacement I've suggested. I want a much stricter screening process to prove readiness for ranked in the first place. Yes, it will be the lowest, but it will also prove without a doubt that you had the skill to be ranked at all.

AirJoker1 votes

I agree to an extent. However, no matter how good you are, you cannot carry 2-3 feeders and trolls during your matches. Which means you get stuck in the hell-hole known as bronze, where you win a few games, lose 10... Finally move up a division, then get bumped right back down because you received a streak of unskilled or troll players in your matches.

I had this conversation not long ago with friend that agrees, there are too many people that hit lvl 30 and think they are pro. The problem is, they have no idea what they are doing unless they are a smurf, and they drag the other 4 people down with them when they feed their lane to the point of unkillable.

There should be a requirement when you are attempting to play ranked to have 50-100 regular matches played as a lvl 30 before you can queue into your promos. Not I bought the Digital Collectors pack when I hit 30 so I am good to go.

Just my 2 cents on a broken and crappy placement system. I get it that this is a team event, but it is garbage that you get stuck in Bronze 5 as a player that plays very well just because a troll or new player sank your game.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

That is exactly why I think Bronze should not exist. There should be a longer placement period, and if you don't make the cut, you don't get into Ranked. That way there isn't just one rank where all newbies get stuck because they know nothing about the game, horrible players get stuck because they won't bother learning, and some unlucky bastards get dragged down with them.

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