Boards›Player Behavior

Is picking something off-meta PUNISHABLE?

a silhouette··20 votes·3,372 views

Two Questions

Is it against the summoner's code to pick a champion that "isn't good" at doing something? I just played Ashe Jungle for fun and had my entire team flame me so much that i had to mute them all. And after the game, all 4 of them reported me and also got other people on the other team to report me too. I was trying to win the game just like they were, but for some reason picking a champion makes me a troll. I thought flaming people and dying on purpose made you a troll.

-: report ashe pelase -: we can all agree to report ashe tho right? a silhouette: why report me

  • left the room.
  • left the room. a silhouette: everyone lost lane without me -: because youre not good -: cause your choice was a clear troll picj -: and ruined our gaming experience a silhouette: i wasnt trolling

Is there even any reparations for reporting someone that is following the summoner's code? Why do people get to harass me for picking a champion? If this should be punishable, then it should be implemented into the game that if you pick a certain role then you can only play certain champions

133 Comments

Marshbouy16 votes

It's not punishable unless you -fed incredibly hard -were toxic -refused to assist team (this one is iffy)

a silhouette3 votes

so dying a lot is against the rules? and no for the record i had the second least deaths on the team

Marshbouy3 votes

Yes. if you are like 0/10/0 at 20 minutes with 5 cs and only level 6, then you will get punished.

second least deaths on the team

you are fine then.

a silhouette2 votes

really? if you have a bad score thats punishable? I never knew that... So if i picked ashe jungle and went 0/10 then i could be banned?

Void Nargacuga4 votes

Having a bad score and getting killed a lot while still doing your best to help your team isn't punishable.

Intentionally feeding (intentionally getting killed by the enemy over and over) and having such a end game score as Marshbouy said could very well be punishable.

Though with someone like Singed his whole job in game is, strangely, to get the attention of the enemy team by endlessly farming top lane to an absurd degree and make them pointlessly chase him until either A) He dies, but they wasted tons of time and resources to make it happen, or B) Gets away and has his team swoop in for the kill. He usually has a high Death rate, but makes up for it by having insane farm and lane pressure to get towers forcing the enemy to deal with him over and over so his other allies can take advantage of all the openings it makes for them in other lanes and objectives.

Flaherty9 votes

A couple bad games here and there is not going to get you punished, only a consistent trend of high amounts of deaths will lead someone in Riot to believe you are intentionally feeding. However, playing a non meta pick in ranked and then playing poorly with that pick will quickly make players think you are trolling even if you are not. It won't lead to an actual punishment unless it is a very constant thing though.

a silhouette2 votes

If it is against the rules or not.. The frequency of it happening shouldn't even be a factor. So you're saying i should only play ashe jungle a certain number of times a day?

Flaherty3 votes

No, that's not what I'm saying at all... you can't be banned for simply playing Ashe jungle but you can be banned for intentionally feeding. If you literally cannot NOT feed as Ashe jungle and play it frequently then it will most likely lead to you being punished for intentional feeding because the system or whoever looking at games will think the consistent trend of you feeding as doing it intentionally. Most people WON'T report you if you play a non meta pick AND do well or decent, but will most likely perceive poor performance with a non meta pick as intentionally trolling the game. The frequency of things happening is actually a very important aspect in whether or not a person gets punished in cases that aren't hacking/account sharing/death threats. A one time offender who is toxic in a game is not going to be punished, it's continued behavior that leads to people being punished in most cases.

Gary B Enkelis4 votes

I think after a while people stop caring about picks and stuff, kind of how we were when the game was new. I mean assuming people are still trying. I don't know.

You can play Sona jungle for all I care, as long as you have a reason that isn't like "piss everyone off because I'm having a bad day" and then feed or rage quit or something.

Really the pick doesn't matter. Feeding or rage quitting or something is what matters. In my opinion.

Dapper Hat1 votes

Yes you can. If your teammates say to you "we do not want ashe jungle in our rnaked game play someone else", even if you go 50/0 you will be banned for creating a "negative experience" for other players. This has been a policy since 2012.https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/tz5ke/you_can_be_banned_for_breaking_the_meta/

Pika Fox1 votes

Yeah, no. Other players cannot force you to play something, as thats entirely unreasonable. That quote is outdated and, if we are being honest, completely fucking stupid from riot, and im sure theyd agree.

That was back when you could be banned for just playing eve. Playing a champion they made was considered ban worthy.

Flaherty1 votes

What stupid person would report a teammate that went 50/0? Also the link you sent doesn't mention whether or not the person carried the game or fed 90 kills. Most players won't report a teammate who does well unless they were toxic, but yes most people will probably report someone who does really badly and also picks something non meta. But pick non meta =/= automatic report and ban.

Dapper Hat1 votes

Picking off meta creates a "negative experience" and is bannable. https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/tz5ke/you_can_be_banned_for_breaking_the_meta/

Icy Spectre1 votes

I create negative experience whenever I play this shit game with babies and insecure kids who get triggered by everything, and I am still not banned.

EDIT: reddit is full of shit, next time link something better.

Dapper Hat1 votes

That link is directly from the rioter wookie all the way back in 2012. If a company statement isnt good enough for you theres nothing more i can do to link you you crybaby loser.

Icy Spectre1 votes

I ruined over 2k games and I am still not banned.

Atanchan1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Schrute Farm Fan,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=alXFidcm,comment-id=00020000000300000000,timestamp=2016-08-28T18:53:12.440+0000)

all the way back in 2012

That was literally four years ago.

League is turning 7 years old this October.

Four years ago would've been back in season 2.

I think, maybe, just maybe, a statement about how you're suppose to play competitive League back when competitive League was just leaving its newborn state might be about as relevant to present day League as the quality of the toilet paper you use.

Cripes, people change so much over the span of four years. Something that typically has a lifespan only a fraction of a human's - a multiplayer game - is likely to be unrecognizable after that much time once you've peeled back the surface a bit.

Reket DeAlk9 votes

As long as you were playing with the intent to win, then no it's not punishable.

Those reports won't do anything as long as you did nothing wrong (No flaming, trolling, grieving etc).

a silhouette1 votes

even if the reports dont do anything should i report them for talking to me that way?

Reket DeAlk4 votes

[{quoted}](name=a silhouette,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=alXFidcm,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2016-08-27T21:45:26.643+0000)

even if the reports dont do anything should i report them for talking to me that way?

Up to you in the end really. If they were talking that way to you all game then I would say yes.

And it's not so much that dying a lot is punishable. It's more like an off meta pick + horrible score is more likely to be viewed as trolling. Having a bad game by itself is not punishable. Purposefully having a bad game is however.

Gary B Enkelis5 votes

https://support.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/201752884-Reporting-a-Player#h2q5

"5) DO NOT REPORT A SUMMONER FOR NOT STICKING TO THE METAGAME"

Asking people to report people is reportable, though.

a silhouette1 votes

what do you report someone for when you are reporting them for asking to report... That was hard to type

Gary B Enkelis3 votes

I don't know. Unsportsmanlike? Negative attitude? I forget the categories. Whatever fits with bullying.

xXMrPeanutXx1 votes

https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/tz5ke/you_can_be_banned_for_breaking_the_meta/

Gary B Enkelis1 votes

I disagree with that Rioter.

https://support.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/201752884-Reporting-a-Player#h2q5

"5) DO NOT REPORT A SUMMONER FOR NOT STICKING TO THE METAGAME"

tooomine1 votes

rule # 1 of the summoner's code: be a team player.

Gary B Enkelis1 votes

That means listening to all your team mates... Even the one who wants to play AP Hecarim mid.

tooomine1 votes

I have flexible enough game to accomodate.

Gary B Enkelis1 votes

I don't understand.

tooomine2 votes

meaning I play a tank graves when my team wants to go all squishy glass cannons in roles.

if they are going off meta, I have a game for that. maybe I can't win, but I can adjust how I paly to fit the needs of my comp. because maybe we can win.

NickMP4 votes

Essentially what the system wants from players is to make their picks in good faith, let's say I main AD Janna top(Something I've played before and am experimenting with but wouldn't play in Ranked, yet.)

I wouldn't get punished for playing that in Ranked because I'm making the pick in good faith, which would mostly be shown by how often I would play it, both in Ranked and in Normals practice to keep myself sharp, I could, of course, still get punished for other things not related to my pick, such as unacceptable treatment of my allies.

Ultimately this just comes from the fact that you're a human being and you're matched up with four other human beings, and the rules are ultimately just an attempt to remind players of that.

If you have success rushing Bilgewater Cutlass on Support Soraka because you've enjoyed having a point and click slow that isn't tied to Exhaust's cooldown, go ahead, it's your choice to make.

Dapper Hat2 votes

Absolutely positively incorrect. You get banned for creating a "negative experience for other players." If your teammates say "we dont want AD Janna" it doesnt matter if you go 50/0. you've created a negative experience for your teammates and WILL be banned. This has been a policy since 2012 and reaffirmed by lyte in 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/tz5ke/you_can_be_banned_for_breaking_the_meta/

NickMP2 votes

Going off that logic losing lane should get my lane opponent banned for creating a negative experience, or being deleted by Rengar every ult cooldown as an ADC, because those aren't enjoyable experiences.

That Rioter worded his post poorly, but the spirit of what he meant is clear if you look a little closer, the person banned was punished for refusing to cooperate with his team and for experimenting in Ranked.

Players who join Ranked do so because they want to test their skills and increase their elo in serious matches. They don't want to deal with someone who's not going to take it seriously or experiment with new builds.

This is the part that clearly shows what the post is really about, Riot wants players to make their picks in good faith.

Good Faith - Noun: honesty or sincerity of intention.

Yeah you can be banned for AD Janna if your entire team asks you not to, but the same goes for Rengar Jungle, Jhin ADC, and Soraka Support, the issue isn't what you're playing but refusal to cooperate with your team, which shows a lack of good faith.

Finally about a year ago a player got to Challenger maining (Pre-rework) Fiora mid. https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/2el3bp/i_main_fiora_mid_i_just_reached_challenger_in/

That player was banned because he didn't seem to be taking stuff seriously because he was first timing stuff in Ranked, which is partly why I said to practice stuff in Normals first, you should absolutely do that anyways, but for off-meta builds it also establishes good faith.

Atanchan1 votes

I wouldn't take the peeps linking that stuff remotely seriously. They're linking something from 2012 - that's way back from Season 2!

Void Nargacuga3 votes

You should remove the summoner names since that could count as "Naming And Shaming".

a silhouette2 votes

I removed their names although i was not shaming them

Void Nargacuga3 votes

Its for the best interest to not include summoner names whenever possible since it could start a "Witch Hunt" and I'm sure you don't want to do that at all.

Just trying to help you out in that part.

Icy Spectre1 votes

Yeah, not let people to speak because some trolls and jerks will start pissing people off.

Punish people who "name and shame" instead of people who witch hunt.

Void Nargacuga2 votes

What? Your comment is very confusing to read.

ModPrandine3 votes

Playing off-meta with the intent to win? No. Playing off-meta with the intent to troll and be a jerk? Yes. From the Tribunal FAQ:

Can I be banned for not playing the meta? Players are not banned by the Tribunal for not playing the meta; they are banned for consistently creating negative experiences for others.

We have data suggesting that reviewers of Tribunal cases are very thoughtful and accurate in their verdicts, so if you were reported for not playing the meta but were being a positive player, you can expect to be judged fairly.

In general, players should feel empowered to play what they want and to try new strategies; however, this does not give you a license to be disrespectful or rude to your fellow gamers.

a silhouette1 votes

So how is picking a champion or buying an item disrespectful or rude

a silhouette2 votes

I think people judging you on what items you buy and what champion you are playing is infinitely more rude

manbearswine1 votes

{quoted}

"We have data suggesting that reviewers of Tribunal cases are very thoughtful and accurate in their verdicts"

Lol what a load of crap, old tribunal was an auto punish witchhunt, say something which isn't the nicest thing to say in complete disregard to context and the would overwhelmingly vote to punish.

It was just a puppet for riot, the only thing deciding if one got punished or not was riot's algorithm choosing whether or not to place someoneone to be judged by the tribunal to begin with, as once someone got there the case was done, so I'm glad we got rid of that thing, whos only purpose was to remove responsibility from riot.

ModPrandine

{quoted}

Lol what a load of crap, old tribunal was an auto punish witchhunt, say something which isn't the nicest thing to say in complete disregard to context and the would overwhelmingly vote to punish.

Wrong. Back when the Tribunal was up we could see what everyone in the game on both teams said, not to mention the end-game stats of the person in question and their team. This meant that we usually had some context there of what was going on. There were even a few cases that I myself voted to pardon. It just so happens that the majority of cases in the Tribunal were of people deserving of a punishment.

It was just a puppet for riot, the only thing deciding if one got punished or not was riot's algorithm choosing whether or not to place someoneone to be judged by the tribunal to begin with, as once someone got there the case was done, so I'm glad we got rid of that thing, whos only purpose was to remove responsibility from riot.

Wrong again, players were only punished if the majority of people judging the case voted to punish it, though permabans were always issued out by Riot themselves. The judges were players just like you and me. Yes there were some people that just spammed punish but if memory serves people who did that received punishments themselves for doing that.

The reason it was removed was because cases were very slow to get, not to mention that it took way too long for someone to receive a permanent ban. The Tribunal had it's fair share of pros and cons, but unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros in this case, hence why it was taken down and replaced with the Instant Feedback System we know today.

manbearswine1 votes

{quoted}

Wrong. Back when the Tribunal was up we could see what everyone in the game on both teams said, not to mention the end-game stats of the person in question and their team. This meant that we usually had some context there of what was going on. There were even a few cases that I myself voted to pardon.

I didn't say that wasn't shown, I said people didn't care for it.

It just so happens that the majority of cases in the Tribunal were of people deserving of a punishment.

No, they didn't, the vast majority of cases were "mediocare flame", and you can whine about "deserve punishment wah wah" all you want, but fact of the matter is that this would end up banning >50% of the current playerbase(just think of the last time you played a few games with 0 flame)

Wrong again, players were only punished if the majority of people judging the case voted to punish it, though permabans were always issued out by Riot themselves. The judges were players just like you and me.

And as I've said they were on a witchhunt and auto punished everyone.

Yes there were some people that just spammed punish but if memory serves people who did that received punishments themselves for doing that.

No, they got a ~95% accuracy rating and got rewarded by being allowed to judge more cases.

The reason it was removed was because cases were very slow to get, not to mention that it took way too long for someone to receive a permanent ban. The Tribunal had it's fair share of pros and cons, but unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros in this case, hence why it was taken down and replaced with the Instant Feedback System we know today.

The only "pro" it had was it being a puppet absolving riot of responsibility("you have been judged by your peers, don't look at us"), it was a well known fact it had ~95% punish rate, it's existence was pointless.

What is Snowball1 votes

[deleted]

manbearswine1 votes

[{quoted}](name=What is Snowball,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=alXFidcm,comment-id=00080001000000000000,timestamp=2016-08-29T01:49:16.443+0000)

Well considering the instant feedback system has a 100% punish rate I'd prefer the tribunal so an actual human could see context and instead of getting an undeserved punishment I might get pardoned.

Except they never bothered reading anything to begin with.

Also this way you can contact support and get a much more serious review, as they can't just tell you "well you've been judged by your peers, so we have no responsibility here".

What is Snowball1 votes

[deleted]

manbearswine1 votes

[{quoted}](name=What is Snowball,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=alXFidcm,comment-id=0008000100000000000000000000,timestamp=2016-08-31T20:44:52.584+0000)

Well it's unfortunate they didn't read it sure, some people did.

And it didn't matter, they were the minority, or on a witchhunt themselves. They would press punish on the slightest provocation, how many times did you go "well this guy isn't the most pleasant teammate but I see way worse on a regular basis, hence this is within the acceptable range of human behavior hence I'll pardon it"? It was always "omfg! this guy isn't literally jesus, permaban this shit!", then add to that the fact that auto punishers got a really high accuracy and were rewarded with judging more cases+could judge them much faster, and you get a really pointless system.

Also, I believe the system now doesn't really check, it has more of an automated detector of "toxic" things in chat to validate a punishment. The only things I really believe are reviewed are permabans.

As I've said, you can still send a mail to support and they will respond with a reason, they can't just go "well you've been judged by your peers, so we have no responsibility here", like with the old system.

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