People need to learn what a flex pick is.

So, you are in solo queue. You end up as first pick and any champion you pick runs the risk of getting hard countered (IE, a lux into a zed). What is the solution? In my opinion, the best thing to do is find a flex pick. A champion who you can play in more than one lane successfully . An example, I am good at playing Cassiopeia in both the top and mid lanes (and she is easily viable in either lane, especially if you know her extremely well) so if I end up as first pick I usually say something along the lines of, "I am picking Cass as a flex pick for either top or mid lane, I will tell you which once the other team picks their champions." I believe this is a very strong strategy for helping you win games, and I have again found much success in doing this. That being said, I have run into an issue lately wherein people at lower ELO's who don't understand what that means will tell you, "no, I am going top." even if you tell them where you are going LONG before they pick. They seem to believe that if you say flex pick it forfeits your right to first pick and will even defend that to the point of screwing your team over just so they get their pick. I guess this is a rant as much as anything but the point is, please, all of you faithful boardies, if someone says flex pick understand that they are trying to help your team win by doing their best to avoid the counterpick. Sometimes they aren't good at a so called 'safe' pick or their safe picks are banned, so the best way they can avoid losing lane and feeding because their champion is useless against the champion picked by an enemy is by picking something viable in more than one lane . Do yourself a favor, and do your team a favor: respect the flex pick and profit.

EDIT: For the sake of clarity(TM) I will add that when I refer to this I mean I am the VERY FIRST PICK IN THE GAME, so for instance I say flex for top or mid, I pick Cassiopeia, its now the other teams turn to choose their first two champions. They pick Azir (a strong counter to Cassiopeia) and malphite (a champion who Cass can bully really easily). I would then tell my team I am going top before anyone else on my team has even had the chance to pick a champion. I always tell my team where I am going based on the picks immediately following mine and BEFORE anyone else on my team is even able to pick a champion.