Improving the Lower elo Ranked climb reward system
I have been playing League of Legends for about five years now and as a player who took quite a bit of time to get savvy to the game and all of its ins and outs I have noticed something. There is obviously a vast community of lower elo players that vary quite a lot. With such a large amount of the LoL community being made up of lower elo players, why does it seem like there is very little attention being paid to them and their learning experience in the lower elo climbs? It goes without saying that the lower elo ranks(Bronze, Silver, Gold) are in place to keep the less experienced players away from the more experienced players but this system is also in place as an indirect teaching mechanism. These ranks are your first steps toward what higher elo players call "the real game". Lower Elo is widely regarded as "not even being apart of the meta". With that said, these lower ranks seem more like a rudimentary version of the game for some lower elo players like me than they do a learning experience. That isn't a bad thing, as a player there are many tools and abilities you need to improve over time in order to move forward to a more strategically wholesome ranking in the game. With that said I will move on to my experience and what I think should be done about players in my situation. As a player, I wasn't very understanding of what makes a great player for a long time. Until recently I have essentially been playing the game on auto pilot just for the sake of playing it. Recently I have moved passed that and in a short amount of time I have learned a great deal about the game and what does put a less experienced player on the path to become a seasoned and skilled player. With the recent boost in knowledge and skills I have felt a lot more confident in my abilities to climb the ranks and it shows. However all of these feelings are on my end. I feel like if someone is learning something, then positive reinforcements and incentives will give that someone solidarity in being knowledgeable, It would acknowledge their work as a player and show them that what they are learning isn't useless. There should be a reward system for lower elo players like me who have acquired knowledge and skills above the call of what is needed in their current elo. With such a thing in place, players like me would feel less like they are in "elo hell" and like there is more of a chance for them to surround themselves with players on their level in ranked setting without feeling so heavily reliant on their teammates being on that same level and aiding them to their goal. League of Legends is a very community driven game and I have many friends way above my rank that I play with in norms all the time that show me new things and carry themselves in such a way as a player and teammate that makes you expect the same from any other teammate. However when you enevietably return to solo queue for that climb, you feel distinctly out of place amongst your teammates. With LoL having been around for so long there are so many ways to learn and get better now. The aforementioned way of learning from your higher elo friends is just one. There are streams, detailed guides, videos and more. With that said, just because someone like me is utilizing all of those tools to become a better player doesn't mean every lower elo player is doing so. With that said the system I propose is simple. The difference in my skill from six months ago to now is alarming to say the least, every aspect of my ability as a player has blossomed into something useful for a team that could put these skills to use. Yet I am still climbing through "elo hell" at Bronze IV. The idea came from looking at my match history when I realized I am on a six game win streak in my ranked climb and I have almost nothing to show for the role I had to play in collaborating with players who were not on the same level to sieze victory regardless. The system would reward players who are blazing trails in their elo based on a streak system. Something as simple as a three tier streak system at three wins, five wins, and then seven wins. If you are on a streak you recieve a moderate lp bonus at each tier until seven wins to aid you in your quest to a more strategically wholesome rank. At seven wins in your rank you would be put directly into your placement matches. The reasoning behind that last tier is this, if you are winning seven games plus straight, there probably isn't any particular reason you should still be in that ranking. A system like that would give players like me who are having a lackluster climbing experience, filled with toxic teammates, leavers, less experiences teammates, and the all around inconvience of feeling out of place in your ranking, something to look forward to, something to strive for, A valuable chance to be around more experienced players that could enhance your learning experience. This system would only be in place through Platinum V as that seems a comfortable middle ground for the kind of players who are going above and beyond to continue going above and beyond. Some players, like me, don't get it right the first time around in get placed into an environment where even if they end up using all of the learning tools at their disposal to become a better player there are still so many other factors in play that make it harder for them to get to where they need to be. This system could change that mentality and make lower elo a more positive setting. It could destroy the "elo hell" mentality and leave it to the player to learn and grow to be better and if they can't seize this opportunity they will know it is solely on them as a player. My idea isn't perfect but even something akin to it could improve the lower elo climbing experience. An experience that most definitely needs some improvment.