After nearly 2,000 games in Solo/Duo, I have some observations.

First and foremost, the biggest point of contention in Silver right now is the my-way-or-no-way attitude. Countless mid laners, tops, bottoms, and junglers across those games have been very hell-bent on doing things their way, with little to no communication. Should their decisions go sour, and worst case scenario, they die, the lane in question is almost always met with 'Okay well fuck you no ganks gg.' Same can be said for any lane player that roams as well.

Second, the pessimism. I absolutely get it, being behind is frustrating at best, but there is a time and a place for tilt and neither of those is League during a match. Dozens of games, my attempts to be reassuring to my teammates, and nudge in a direction that can lead to a positive outcome get ignored. Some will even do the opposite out of spite, and then keep slamming the Surrender button because things aren't going their way. I've seen I don't know how many players just sit in base when there is a viable chance of turnaround and type instead of playing.

Third. This is a broad topic but it merits discussion, and it's tactics. Many Silver players do not understand when to relinquish certain objectives in order to secure a better late game opportunity. Offensive play is almost always run first, to the detriment of the team and only sets players further behind. Which in turn, for the players who are trying to bide time and play defensively, leads to more flaming or bitterness.

Fourth, control. This goes for vision, map pressure, and self-restraint. Too often, players in Silver especially will dive into the enemy team while ahead, handing them not only a kill, but access to more objectives and then more gold. This feeds into points two and three, respectively. Thirst is something I see entirely too often with 'carry' roles, and that tunnel vision causes an unintended snowball of losing any edge. In addition to this, the players in particular who are explicitly intent on doing things their way, attempt to micromanage their teammates and cause behavioural problems that arise from the lack of flexibility. Any non-adherence or refusal to do as that player wants is met with either petty feeding, verbal abuse, or a combination of the two.

Fifth. Patience. Silver players as a whole have none of this, and the ones that do are left in the dust trying to make up for poor decisionmaking. Supports especially are left high and dry from this, if their damage-dealing teammates are too busy running face first into fed enemies.

There is a reason you see players come into this board, and decry the report/punishment system while simultaneously getting themselves into trouble. Matchmaking this season has been controversial at best, and absolute garbage at worst, and the end result is a lot of very skilled but unsatisfied players feeling stuck in divisions they don't necessarily belong in.

Do I have a solution for this? No, but I do know that there is a reason people think elo hell is a thing, and it ultimately starts with the player base to fix it. It's a team game. You cannot survive League of Legends if you don't work together.