Please help?

Chhipz·Jan 31, 2015·4 votes·983 views

I have been playing League on and off since 2012, and I was able to fight out of bronze after 700+ matches. I've been in Silver for the next few seasons, until now. Had an awful 3-7 in my promotional matches, despite me taking close to a week playing through all 10 of them (taking breaks between losses) I still lost way more than I should have whether or not I was playing well. As a result, I dropped from Silver 3 to Bronze 3.

As I've mentioned I've played this game on and off for a while, and rather than sit here and tell you I belong in "x tier" I've just been focused on improving. I used to duo with my Platinum friend in ranked, as well as used to having a Platinum elo in normals and doing very well against them. But it's come to the point where I need help because I'm not getting any results in ranked anymore, rather, I've gone backwards.

I watch various YouTube help videos, as well as high level solo Q matches. I read guides from lolking and solomid, and I spectate matches and take mental notes as much as I can. In game, I try to help others, but when you have a Xin zhao that doesnt know he's supposed to build tanky (Especially when he's behind) and a Blitzcrank that didnt buy items in his first trip, or a Brand mid that buys support items, etc etc it becomes demoralizing. I just can't worry about everything my teammates are doing AND focus completely on my own game. Worst of all, I asked some of these players what their tier was last season, and many of them were also silver. It just boggles my mind, that I can put so much effort into a game only to be put with people that have so much less experience and knowledge than me. Despite me trying to be helpful to teammates and lead them, in the end I can only pray that they listen, that they group up, that they stop getting caught, that they start warding, etc etc. I can only do so much.

I'm far from being a perfect player and have a lot to improve. I have trouble carrying games even when doing well/ getting players to coordinate when we're ahead to end games faster. I try pushing for objectives like towers and dragon, but occasionally I do lose track of dragon (and have to remind my support to help ward/ keep track of it). I've taken time to learn all the roles of the game, although adc still needs work. I don't have my original account anymore, so my champion pool isn't very large (although I've saved up over 40k ip, and wanted to make this thread before I spent it). I'm only 'really good' with one champion, and that's Pantheon (admittedly I've done poorly with him so far this season as I've been focusing on learning other champions).

Im not sure what I'm asking for here to be honest. I just want to get really good at this game. I need guidance. I've put tremendous hours into this game and have gone almost no where. So to achieve something I haven't done before, I need to do something that I haven't done yet, which brings me here. I know I have potential, I truly believe that. I just need more guidance and refinement from people who have been through what I have, and elevated their standing in ranked.

Thanks a million in advance.

8 Comments

hh the thinkerJan 31, 20155 votes

{quoted}

As I've mentioned I've played this game on and off for a while, and rather than sit here and tell you I belong in "x tier" I've just been focused on improving.

this I like here.

In game, I try to help others, but when you have a Xin zhao that doesnt know he's supposed to build tanky (Especially when he's behind) and a Blitzcrank that didnt buy items in his first trip, or a Brand mid that buys support items, etc etc it becomes demoralizing. I just can't worry about everything my teammates are doing AND focus completely on my own game.

don't focus on others, focus on yourself. you can't control them. most you can do is ping and hope they listen.

Im not sure what I'm asking for here to be honest. I just want to get really good at this game. I need guidance. I've put tremendous hours into this game and have gone almost no where. So to achieve something I haven't done before, I need to do something that I haven't done yet, which brings me here. I know I have potential, I truly believe that. I just need more guidance and refinement from people who have been through what I have, and elevated their standing in ranked.

it's hard to know what you need to work on since I haven't seen you play, but I can give general advice. first off, try to reduce your deaths to zero while also pressuring as much as possible. find out why you die each time. either from over extending or positioning. whatever it is, try to reduce it as much as possible. if it's teamfights, try to be the last one alive, even as a tank (don't join last though, I mean you jump in first, but have a way out and get out once you've taken enough damage it's risky to stay unless you can ace other team).

make sure you farm well, even later in the game, if you aren't full build and there isn't anything you really need to be doing, go farm jungle or a lane.

ChhipzFeb 1, 20153 votes

I'll try reducing my deaths and learning from them as much as I can, including team fights. And I'll focus on myself more as well.

KwangoTangoFeb 1, 20152 votes

[deleted]

ChhipzFeb 4, 20151 votes

I've really started taking that into account since you've mentioned it. The part where I have to do everything myself and not trust others (much), and I hold myself up to that standard every match now. I've seen improvements too, Im taking more towers, putting map pressure, and reminding people about objective control if im not there to help out.

I started to pick up Jax again (both top lane and jungle) and am now going with him full force. I love his kit, how he shreds objectives, and his late game scaling. He's versatile and a force to be reckoned with when played correctly. I'm doing equally well with him in the jungle as I am top lane, maybe even better. I just recently had a ranked game against a WW. I controlled all 4 camps (both reds and both blues) for almost the entire game. I've never counter jungled so meticulously before. I can honestly say I shut him down, and we went on to dominate the game.

I dont have many AP champs on this account, so I try to avoid mid lane. While on this note, I have been looking for solid AP champions that can be played in multiple roles (such as top, jungle, and even support). Do you have any suggestions?

freeformlineFeb 1, 20152 votes

It sounds like you have played a lot more than I have and seem to be aware of the importance of warding and objective control, but I'll give my typical advice anyway. Of course, you are welcome to add me if you would like me to play with you or watch you play for more specific advice.

HH the Thinker made a good point in encouraging you to try to minimize your deaths. Choose your battles and avoid risks when you can afford to. Giving the enemies kill gold and denying yourself experience will do your team no favors. Don't engage or chase if you do not have vision of all enemies or the area you are going into and its surroundings. It is almost always preferable to miss a kill and not die than to trade even kills.

Vision control is objective control, and it's everyone's job. Even if you are not the support, do your best to maintain a pink ward on the map or use them to clear wards around objectives like dragon and baron. A single pink ward doesn't do much, but your team will be much stronger if you have five on the map. Buy a sight ward whenever you can and don't stray far from areas you control unless you have enough vision to ensure you won't be caught outnumbered. On that note, try to drop wards whenever you invade enemy territory, since you don't know when your next chance to do so will be. Upgrade your trinket when you hit the mid game. This will either give you more ward clearing power (the vision upgrade) or more vision coverage (sight upgrade) if you are maintaining a pink ward like you should be. Change to a red trinket if you can maintain vision without the yellow one, and use it as often as you can to deny enemy vision or to clear mushrooms. When an ally is warding well, tell them. They will appreciate it will probably play better.

Most people I play with don't seem to think much about wave management, especially once the laning phase is over. Unfortunately, this takes a fair amount of team coordination, but it can be done. Learn to set up super waves to prepare waves to push and make lane pressure without champion presence, which makes taking objectives much easier. In lane, learn to freeze the wave to safely farm without losing farm to the turret or making yourself vulnerable to ganks. There are a lot of good videos on this topic, and you can really see it come out when watching high-level team play.

I'll update this if I think of anything else. Good luck and have fun!

ChhipzFeb 4, 20152 votes

Okay so my computer wouldn't let me log in and comment until a few days later for some reason (tried different browsers and restarting, didnt work).

I was trying to say how I definitely will incorporate upgrading my trinket when possible. I do buy a lot of wards in general but upgrading the trinket is more economical, I remind people to help keep track of objectives (because I can be forgetful at times), and I'm trying to learn more champions that are good at taking objectives (such as Jax).

About wave management, I do know a decent amount about it and use it every game (freezing, pushing and roaming, etc), but what do you mean by setting up super waves? Are super waves the creep waves with the cannon minion or are you referring to the creep wave after the inhibitor is taken?

freeformlineFeb 5, 20151 votes

"Super wave" may not be in the standard vernacular, but it's what my brothers and I call a series of minion waves that have piled up into one very large wave. You can set them up by giving trimming an enemy wave so it is slightly smaller and weaker than the allied wave pushing against it. This is will cause the two waves to stay in place long enough for your next wave to catch up to it. Since your wave starts with a slight advantage, the lane will push in your favor, and will gradually accumulate another wave or two worth of minions, so it will be very large when it reaches an enemy structure. Setting up one of these large waves will force at least one opponent to clear the lane, giving your team an advantage in fights for objectives elsewhere. If you can get one pushing in two lanes at once (usually the side lanes), it can make it very difficult for your opponents to contest a monster or to defend their mid turrets.