Tip for climbing lower elo - the correct time to surrender.

BluePolarizer·Apr 20, 2015·1 votes·881 views

Not all games are winnable. You may need to surrender one to avoid going on tilt and to avoid wasting time. However, that risks throwing away a chance for a turnaround. Nonetheless, there are times where you should surrender.

If the score is 5-20 or something in 20 minutes, but the enemy has an early game comp while you have waveclear and an ADC that doesn't fall off compared to theirs (lets say you had Cait and they had Draven), DO NOT surrender. You can turtle and come back. The key is to maintain vision in your own jungle and collapse on any warding supports, junglers or mids. Gold will be scarce, so direct them towards 1.) your primary waveclearer and 2.) your ADC. Build tanky. Make catches. If you lose vision control of your own jungle, you will lose the game
On the other hand, if the score is 15-20 in 20 minutes, but you just got aced as an early game comp like and the enemy comp is something like , then I would consider surrender. You had your chance to suppress the enemy team, you failed and not only failed, actually fell behind, and it will only get worse from here.
The only time I start a surrender vote is when we lose control of vision in our own jungle before 20 minutes, and cannot re-establish it due to dying whenever we step out of base. There is no point; if you lose vision of your own jungle and both mid and a side lane inner is down, you can't even farm and can't contest any possible objectives. Even if you miraculously ace the enemy team they still are at an advantage.

Rule of thumb: if theoretically acing the enemy team twice still can't let you come back at this point, then surrender.

3 Comments

VexøsApr 20, 20151 votes

Seems pretty good. However, most of the situations you've listed are ones that are least encountered. Mostly low elo players encounter situations such as: We have early game comp, and they have late game scalers, and we are winning, or something like : one or two of our lanes are fed, and the rest are not. The score is kind of even (15/18 ish) and its more than 20 minutes. What do you suggest we do at this? Looking at it from the way you described the previous scenarios, the logical answer is to surrender for the first case( early gamers vs late gamers and early gamers are winning) and not to surrender for the second one. However, you should also take into point that most people dont see it from your point of view and will NOT accept surrender. If that happens, what should one do?

BluePolarizerApr 20, 20151 votes

then play it out since its not a lost game; you didn't get aced did you? You didn't get pushed out of your own jungle did you? You didn't give up a free inhib did you? Then its easily winnable and not in consideration for surrender. No one will accept a surrender if the score is at more than 1:2 or you haven't been aced/near aced for nothing yet.

if the score is 15/18 neither side is at a significant advantage assuming equal objectives. remember the key: maintain vision control over your own jungle. If you lose vision control over your own jungle it is over since you can do nothing.

Getting aced as an early game comp vs. a late game comp while already behind and with the late team comp losing nobody, pre-20 minutes, means you should consider surrender. I wouldn't personally start a surrender vote, since even then, you can make catches and potentially come back, it will just be way harder. In my example for instance, you can imagine that no matter how fed Vayne is, you can still delete her with a Gragas ult into your team then chain stun with Annie/Leona/Pantheon or delete Fiddlesticks before he ults (since if he is fed and ults successfully, he will pentakill your team).

I personally have the rule: no surrender after 35 minutes if at least 2 inhibs are up. Anything can happen at that point if you have survived. The biggest snowballing is mid-game. If they didn't snowball enough mid-game to finish you off, it means you have a chance. One defensive ace from homeguards is all you need to push for the win.

VexøsApr 20, 20151 votes

Alright! Your personal rule is now my new one :)))