Hey! I'm level 29 and slowly approaching level 30. I know I shouldn't rush right into ranked, but I want to be prepared for when I do. Are there any specific tips you might want to give me about strategies and stuff?
Oh, and I'm planning on maining Heimerdinger, so tell me if that's a big no-no.
Don't.
Okay for ranked you should have 1 main role and 1 to 2 off roles. main role should have 2 or 3 champs you KNOW how to play well and off roles should be one or two champ(s) that aren't in the meta but are still pretty good in that role. If anyone says you are a noob its 95% of the time better to just mute them (trolls/ragers need you to react to them to make it worth it to them). take a short break after a lose to think what you could of done better (don't be one of those people "stuck" in elo hell cause of their "bad" teams cause you'll never get better if all you do is blame the team you had). If you aren't winning lane its cool its not the end of the game just don't get to far behind and don't give up too many kills to your lane. If you are behind try to find times to roam and help other lanes win. Resist your mind's urge to see patterns that aren't there, for exp top lane giving first blood then feeding one game and then the next game your top laner giving up first blood your brain wants to think he's going to feed and you could just get on tilt from that. Never be the one who insults people and please realize that typing, if its not to help someone, wastes time and puts you behind. oh and most important of all have fun and take it serious but don't make it a job, its still a game.
Play every role. You'll find which ones you like the most. Pick 3 of those roles and get yourself at least 3 champions per role that you are reasonably proficient with.
Play every champion at least once. You don't want to enter into a ranked game and have to ask your team "what does Kha'zix do?" because that negatively impacts the team morale.
Buy wards. Buy at least one on each back. Learn to buy pink wards and pink ward your own jungle to prevent invades from happening.
Learn what freezing a lane is, how to freeze a lane and when to do it.
Learn how to CS properly. Even if you prefer to support, learn to CS.
Watch your own minions in laning phase. The enemy will try to last hit them. Make them pay an hp tax for every last hit they make. This will influence future trades in your favor.]
Don't be afraid to sacrifice yourself for an objective (towers, dragons, inhibitors especially) but don't die for no reason. Don't go roaming into the river alone to check for danger if it was pinged to you multiple times.
Call your MIAs. Give your bot lane a fighting chance against that roaming Katarina.
Know how to mute someone.
oh and heimerdinger has great lane phase but outside that I've haven't seen one do good besides split pushing all game so unless you find a way (either on your own or finding more help through this or youtube) I would definitely just find another champ that has a very viable way to win with and fits your playstyle.
One more tip: When you're waiting on the game to load take a look at the enemy's champions and try to formulate a way to beat that champion. For instance if you're Heimerdinger and you're up against a Talon you shouldn't use your stun for poke because he will just dodge it and immediately jump on your face. If you're Karma and you're up against a Heimerdinger you will know to R + Q any time he throws up a turret. Or if you're Soraka and you see the enemy team has a Katarina you plan on only using your silence pool for when Katarina ults. Stuff like that. Make a game plan before the game starts so you have something to go on before you get into the game.
I rushed into ranked too soon and completely destroyed my MMR. I got placed in Bronze I and dropped to Bronze IV in a couple weeks before I decided to take a break. I should of stopped a lot sooner but I kept getting trolls, afkers, ragers, etc and I kept blaming others and telling myself "next time my team will be better."
When I finally took a step back I realized that while I did get a lot of trolls, I was certainly not blameless. I made plenty of mistakes and because I didn't take time to reflect on my play and honestly assess my abilities I kept making those mistakes. Ultimately the only person's behavior I could control was my own and I wasn't even doing that. And since I wasn't being honest with myself or putting in the necessary effort to become a better player I deserved to be where I was in the rankings.
Since I came to that realization my ranked play has improved IMMENSELY. My average KDA has doubled from 2 to 4 and my win ratio has increased over 20%. The biggest factor in this improvement is I watch replays of most of the games I play. In addition, I now watch LCS and compare my play to how the pros play. The final change I have made is I don't play ranked unless I have a duo partner so I can minimize my chance of getting a troll. This rule has certainly slowed down my ability to climb the ladder but I find I enjoy myself in ranked games much more.
I truly hope you learn from my mistakes, they were quite painful for me to learn. If you want more tips/tricks for ranked check out my streams. I do instructional videos where I point out the things me and my teammates do well and the things we do poorly.
should rush into ranked so you can learn faster
Learn Support Learn Jungle Pick 1 of the other positions to learn
Learn three champs per roll
Once you've done that just start so that way you start learning early. Don't be upset to be in bronze or silver... Trust me it's ok. Remember to learn from each match. Always wonder what you could have done better. Never blame teammates. Never argue Always block toxic people Reassure your team as much as you can. Take over the game if you have too. Shotcall, get fed, carry even if necessary.
Good players will grind out of bronze and silver and the ones who don't, definitely don't do enough self reflection.
Most of all, have some damn fun. Laugh at mistakes, laugh at enemy mistakes, laugh when katarina or Yasuo get a penta. Be lighthearted and open minded.
Heimer is a good champion, wouldn't recommend maining him.
