Instalocking, why you shouldn't do it

YumScrumptious96··4 votes·539 views

Instalocking plagues league frequently, it is done by people desperate or just trolls wanting to ruin a match. It often has effects that can very well make your team's chance of winning plummet. These are some.

  1. It often tilts teammates or makes them dislike you, stopping any chance of good teamwork existing and making other members feel angry.
  2. It can put someone who called their role at a severe disadvantage, say you instalock top and the top main has to go jungle, a role they aren't experienced at as much or not skilled at, putting your team's chances (again) in threat.
  3. You take the role because you feel entitled to it, eventually others are going to see that and start instalocking as well, spreading the problem.
  4. Ruins the atmosphere of the match. No explanation needed IMO.
  5. You will get reported (eventually). Nobody likes it when their role is unjustly taken, so they are probably gonna report you for griefing as that can count as griefing.

In general, please don't instalock, at the very least, just dodge the queue. Dodging is bad but at least instead of taking someone's role and messing up the match you can start anew. Be a good guy, don't instalock and then you can always say despite anything about your skill, you aren't a dick.

17 Comments

No flash no life4 votes

The thing is, though, even if they don't instant lock-in, they're not going to change their champ choices anyway no matter what others say and will just go " (insert role here) or feed". The end result is going to be the same. It's the mentality that needs to be changed.

Kei1431 votes

i've instalocked kat in my past few games.

practicing her, don't care where i go. jungle support, adc included.

YumScrumptious961 votes

I have no idea why you decided to say this? Are you trying to make me angry or something? Instalocking is bad, that's my opinion, doesn't matter if you fill roles you still have a bad champion for the role you get unless its mid.

Kei1431 votes

no .. just saying that your argument has a different side to it.

But, you can definitely get angry at me for going off meta.

Btw, if I don't instalock it, I'll still lock in Kat after everyone has gotten their roles.

YumScrumptious961 votes

I can't do that. I don't like sabotaging my team for my own minor wants.

Kei1431 votes

that sure is noble ..

but you'll have to practice somehow. in matches that favor your, or against you.

playing the champ in different positions also throws other people off (cos they aren't used to playing against that champ) and it gets to test the limits of that champ and your skill.

Kat jungle is pretty beasty for ganks after you get your 2nd jungle item. Try it one day, you'll find it to be pretty strong.

YumScrumptious961 votes

I wait till I get my role to practice a champion. Don't really go off meta because it never seems to work out.

Kei1431 votes

Once you understand the moderate mechanics of the game (what each champ does, range, cooldowns, ratios, different itemization synergies etc etc), that's when you can try to be creative, theorize and try out what works, what doesn't and what are the limits of that champ.

Did you know that Elise and Shyvanna were initally designed as Top lane champs? Through people's experimentation, they are now meta junglers. Graves and Quinn were obviously reworked as ADCs, and now they can go pretty much everywhere. Then there are super flex picks like Kennen & Lulu (which are 5 lane flexes), they all have to be played and experimented, and its not just the Top ELO players that can experiment.

YumScrumptious961 votes

Yes they were used top lane, just like hecarim was a jungler, but they didnt get changed into different roles by bronze players. I am with bronze players after being silver because of promo's, idc about my rank. But when some bronze player thinks he can do off meta picks when I know his skill isn't high enough to do well means we lose the game. This is what happens 95% of the time in my ELO.

Kei1431 votes

Just won a game with Sona mid, Panth ADC, and me as Urgot support.

Bronze3

You're still playing with people at around the same skill level. The mechanical level isn't that high here to the point that all this meta stuff doesn't matter.

YumScrumptious961 votes

Sona mid has been done before, the rest not so much, but I'm gonna make the assumption you weren't bronze 3 last season. Here where I currently play at B5 elo its not people who can be mechanically skilled enough to make good plays on bad situations. Skill level is very much not the same, every rengar game I go its a slugfest to 50 mins + even if I'm fed beyond belief.

Kei1431 votes

Ended at B1 last season, I do consider myself better mechanically. Its just the mid-game decisions keep weighing me down.

YumScrumptious962 votes

Congrats, I was Silver 5 last year. Doesn't mean much because this is still low ELO.

Eawaf1 votes

would you rather have someone instalock at the beginning of champ select, or not say anything and wait till 2 seconds left to pick the champ they were going to pick from the beggining. There is no 3rd option.

YumScrumptious961 votes

I'd rather they call the role they want, and if they don't get it, not be an asshole and fuck the entire team because they have a hissy fit.

The Queen Viper1 votes

"Instalocking" doesn't exist anymore... unless you are playing the wrong / obsolete game mode.

YumScrumptious961 votes

I don't use draft because it takes too long as dodges happen more often.

More from Player Behavior

More by YumScrumptious96