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New to Ranked Player Discovers Normal Mode is Useless.

NuSix3·12/8/2014, 2:41:25 AM·1 votes·1,871 views

I've been playing this game for over a year now. It was my first moba and didn't play my first ranked match until last month. After only playing only a few ranked matches here and there and I finally finished my ten game prelims yesterday and ended up in Silver III.

Here's the thing - my normal mode MMR is bad and it should be as I started with nothing. The problem is the competition and my teammates are far better even at just a Silver III ranked match than they are in my normal games. The honest truth is I don't think my playing is up to par. Not because I can't do it -- but because I've played so many normals that it totally throws me off to see junglers actually setting up real ganks and players who aren't mindlessly kill hungry -- people picking Ziggs and Diana in midlane and clearly having a better grasp on the matchup than I have. One time I walked through a ward and got rekt in every direction by three players. That kind of attention just does not exist in my normal games.

Point is, Normal Games were great when I knew nothing about the game. Now they are actually making me worse. My biggest fear is that I'll get demoted to bronze before I can step my game up and from there I'll just adopt this awful style of play so that if I were to ever climb back into silver, I'd hit this exact same wall and perhaps be even worse than I am now.

I guess I'm just looking to hear from someone that can relate. Should I stick it out, or should I grind out normal wins until my MMR matches my ranked games before going back into ranked? That could take ages since there is no indication of what my normal mmr is.

11 Comments

The Chin12/8/2014, 2:56:07 AM8 votes

You could play normal draft, people take that a bit more seriously than blind pick and teambuilder

Amelie12/8/2014, 9:30:47 PM2 votes

Blind pick / team builder is absolutely useless (for training to play ranked). People play whatever they want, however they want. Playing Normal Draft will give you a closer feeling to ranked.

I play pretty much only Normal Draft and I have the opposite problem of you. My ranked elo is currently Gold but my normal games are against Plat/Diamond, so they are much more difficult matches.

eyes wide shut12/8/2014, 2:45:29 AM2 votes

never play normal games, they are a lie. you most likely will fall into bronze, and have to grind out. and that is exactly what will make you a better player, having to learn how to single handedly carry 4 other bronze players consistently in order to escape the clutches of hell. Good luck in your learning experience. I was there once.

FHMarshy12/9/2014, 5:00:38 PM2 votes

Don't be afraid to drop. It is to make sure your play against people around your level, and that is when you can learn. Don't blame normal games. Normal games are for people to have fun, as games are supposed to be. They might not help you to improve your skills, but they shouldn't deteriorate you either.

I can help you in games if you need, pointing out where you might be missing or things you might not be aware off. Add me in game : FHMarshy

I placed in silver 2 when i started ranked in season 3. I dropped to silver 5 0 LP at one point. Now, by the end of season 4, I made it to plat.

M4nTiCoR312/9/2014, 12:39:41 PM1 votes

Play more draft or team builder. Honestly I woukd love to see team builder interface in ranked que where players choose lanes and positions and it is visually shown on screen. That would help those players picking last who don't read chat que and then you have a team with no juggler or 2 mids.

I'm personally boycotting blind normals because I want it to disappear and force the player base into team builder and draft so que times are shorter for everyone. Tram builder is exactly like blind pick normals without the toxic cluster fuck of fighting over positions, and with the vast majority of blind pick normal players being forced into it, que times would drop like a rock.

Live2LetDie12/8/2014, 9:53:19 AM1 votes

Play normals for new champs, builds, etc.. You won't get true team experience playing normals becuase other players are doing the same or are just trying to go for kills. Focus on your gameplay. Few things I believe you should start practicing.

1.CS CS CS, your CS is horrible for the amount of time your in a game. You should always shoot for 10 CS a minute, your around 3 right now. CS and exp is more important than killing your opponent becuase if you fall behind it will only get worse. 2. Dieing in lane can be avoided. If your getting rekt try warding both side bushes and cs under tower. Once the opponent gets from you playing safe he will try to roam but you have vision to tell which lane to watch out. 3. Your junglers have a lot of deaths so I am assuming you get countered a lot. Ward up a lot more. 30 min game and you dropped 11 wards with that many deaths? The first time you get countered it should be pink at red, call for pink in river from your mid and ward entrances. Next time he comes call your closest lane for help and get the kill.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll let you know if I think of something else.

Avengous12/10/2014, 6:17:31 PM1 votes

Quick tips (Plat 3 Solo/Ranked 5s):

If you que up a game thinking you'll lose your lane. You probably will.
Demotion is part of the game, we have all dealt with it so you won't be alone.
Play comfort picks, if you don't have one then pick a champion and make it one and master the hell out of it.
Stop playing if your on tilt, play normals, another game or watch questionable videos. Sometimes I even take a nap.

The sad truth is that in Silver you can't expect any teamwork. Honestly, teamwork only starts to show up in platinum and even then its meh. If its there then take advantage of it, if its not and you can't make it happen, sorry man but unless your stomping you probably won't win.

One thing I like to do to influence your team into objectives is to become the team's damage/playmaker. People will naturally go to where the kills are, if your the source of those kills then conveniently move yourself towards an objective and ping it. Don't place yourself out of position but your team will naturally follow the 'leader'.