SR just isn't appealing to me anymore.
I'll admit it, I began this game playing primarily only 3v3's. But, like most players I eventually shifted to SR in Season 2 and had a blast. Season 3 only made things better. I LOVED it. I never really played ranked much but I enjoyed playing Draft, Blind, and eventually Team Builder. I just found everyone much more willing to work together and never give up.
But since mid season 4 I have found myself really only enjoying ARAM, for a multitude of reasons. I find that SR everyone either thinks that they will be the....and I hate to use this...Doublelift of the team. On top of that, I have noticed that everyone, even enemies, will critique what you're doing.....even if you're doing much better than they are. I don't know if there was a huge player base shift or something, but it seems like the general player base has just gotten worse. I see people doing silly things that they never used to do. Partly, I blame LCS. Everyone wants to play the "new hottest trend" and they think that they're going to immediately be 20/0 just because they saw some professional player doing it. Lastly, and this is the main offender, I see people surrendering FAR too early. If we're 25 min into the game and only a turret or 2 behind, why would we surrender? ESPECIALLY if we haven't had a proper team fight. I could understand if we had 3-4 major team fights and lost them all one-sided. But even if they are close there is no reason to give up.
The only place where I find that people will continue trying despite overwhelming odds is, you guessed it, ARAM.
I would really love to get back into SR, but I just can't get behind these dragon buffs. I loathe them really. I understand it doesn't give a team gold bonus anymore, but to me, a damage or movement speed buff is far more threatening to the later out come of a game than a 1k gold boost could have ever done. In fact, I hardly see anyone put any huge emphasis on baron anymore.
Anyway, all this aside, my only point was to express sadness that I am finding myself drift away from a very fun game mode and to see myself shifting to a mode that no one takes seriously because there is no ranked form of it. I hope things change, I really do.
I hope some of you agree with me. If you've read this far, I wish you luck on the Rift, Abyss (or Bridge), Treeline, or Crystal scar.
all change the more i play and i go with builds i find more useful to my playstyle. i like your idea of having fun on the game afterall it is a game and thats really the whole point. anyways sorry i talk too much my whole point is the game at all its facets should be fun regardless of ranked unranked or map and mode just have fun and ignore the trolls and "experts" its a game enjoy it
Top wins many lanes, and applies so much pressure that people realize they have someone controlling the map, and they have a lax in pressure on their balls, because I have loads on mine (and demonstrating that you can get out of bad situations, or turn them around also inspires).