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I just don't understand what I can do.

Niyumi·9/17/2015, 4:08:29 AM·1 votes·1,433 views

So, I have a few issues when playing ranked. In normals (I have near 800 games, with a >50% winrate), I absolutely carry most games, and I can go 25/3 or something like that. In ranked, I'm lucky if I go positive. I get out-farmed, out-played and just generally have my ass handed to me.

My first issue is laning. Oftentimes while laning, I just can't even compete -- the worst part is that it seems to be because of the champions I use; where I would play someone like Azir, Ahri or Ekko mid, they play Katarina, LB, Annie, Diana or someone else who has a very, very simplistic kit and can quite literally instakill me with little effort, and I can't dodge any of it because it's all targeted abilities. Yes, I know I can cancel Diana/Kat's ult as Azir, and I can cancel Kat's ult with Ahri as well, but against an LB? There's just nothing I can do. Is there any way to win a lane like that without playing a boring champ like the ones I listed? : /

The second issue I'm having is the teams I get matched with. Oftentimes, it seems like my team is made up of people whose IQ is about the same as a stick, and they just don't even seem to know how to play the game. At the end of the laning phase, I'll be 3/1/2, and they'll be 1/5/0 or some score like that. Then, the fed enemy team just stomps all over everyone, and despite trying my best, I just can't do anything to turn it around. I've lost NINE promo series (not 9 games, 9 series) in a row, and then got summarily demoted to silver 3 after a string of losses, and now I'm sitting at ~40 LP after yet more losses. How can I even try to climb when my teams are made up of absolute morons?

Third is just balance, or lack thereof. So, earlier you saw that I play Ekko and Azir -- both are mechanically complex, hard to use champs, but I feel like their damage is just pathetic. If I go against someone like Fizz, Xin with a sated, LB, any tank, Vayne, etc... I just absolutely pale in comparison. Where my whole combo does maybe 800-1000 damage, they just instantly kill me with auto attacks or targeted abilities... how can I compete against something like that? I don't understand how it's fair or balanced in any way that the champs who take the least effort/skill get to be the strongest in the game, and do most of their damage by just clicking on people. You can't dodge or out-play an auto attack or targeted abilities (unless you're someone like Yasuo), so I just don't understand what I can even do against something like that.

So what can I do? How can I win lane against champs who can easily out-trade me and easily kill me? How can I win when every team has a collective IQ of maybe half a stick? How can I beat champs who just click on me and instantly kill me? I just want to be competitive and earn at least gold, so I can get the season rewards, but I'm really just doubting I'll even still be in silver by the time the season ends. Maybe I don't belong in ranked, and that's my whole issue... I just don't know what to do anymore. I go against gold/plat people in norms all the time and absolutely stomp them, but in mid-level silver ranked, I just have my ass beyond handed to me.

... What can I do?

Sorry for the long post, by the way. : /

10 Comments

DeadlyQuestion9/17/2015, 9:05:51 AM2 votes

Son, most of what you're saying is fallible in its construct. But I know your issue.. the issue is ranked games are a 100% gamble. You remember the bad games more often because they're the ones that hurt the most, and the times you get into the competent teams you quickly forget. It does feel like sometimes the League system is matching me with players that have similar past performance than I do.. If I do really well, I get on a streak of wins where my teams are competent.. when a streaming challenger is smurfing for the climb (or like what some streamers do is lose on purpose to drop their rank/elo down so they can play against less challenging players) and I get my ass kicked.. I realize that my next few teams are all generally in the negative ratios and on losing streaks, incompetent and I also get onto a losing streak.

It sounds like a conspiracy, I'm just repeating what it sounds like to me, but start seeing ranked as a 100% gamble. You're either going to be on a really good team, a really bad team, or you'll luck out and find the rare game where both teams are holding their own.

Big Hans9/17/2015, 8:50:50 AM1 votes

You just said you get outplayed in lane yet you end up positive and the rest of your team sucks. Im not sure what to belive.

I can however look at one important metric that doesnt lie... http://wardscore.loltools.net/?name=Sciela&region=na

You should look at it yourself and maybe change something.

Merxamers9/17/2015, 6:07:39 PM1 votes

I feel this pain pretty often. It feels like my teammates in ranked games are almost always much worse than my teammates in normals. I'm currently at 0 lp in Silver 2, and i'm honestly afraid to play any more ranked because i don't want to go through that awful tedium of another promo series just to get back into silver 2. I recently decided to try maining top lane because i'm sick of jungling when every single one of my lanes loses, even when i gank. At least if i'm top, I can assure that one lane won't get crushed and/or make awful decisions.

So yeah, I feel you man. It's just the way the game works i guess.

Matthias91199/18/2015, 5:48:57 AM1 votes

My first issue is laning. Oftentimes while laning, I just can't even compete -- the worst part is that it seems to be because of the champions I use; where I would play someone like Azir, Ahri or Ekko mid, they play Katarina, LB, Annie, Diana or someone else who has a very, very simplistic kit and can quite literally instakill me with little effort, and I can't dodge any of it because it's all targeted abilities. Yes, I know I can cancel Diana/Kat's ult as Azir, and I can cancel Kat's ult with Ahri as well, but against an LB? There's just nothing I can do. Is there any way to win a lane like that without playing a boring champ like the ones I listed? : /

Kat isn't too dangerous as long as you save CC for her ult (and don't get low enough to let her burst you with her other abilities). She has to all-in you to do significant damage. If you can consistently poke her you should be able to get an advantage.

LB only has one targeted ability (well, I guess two if she uses her ult with Q). But it only does half its damage unless she hits you with another ability right away. Yes, her combo REALLY hurts. No, it is NOT easy to land all of it consistently.

Annie can be a pain between the stuns and the unavoidable Qs. But if she's casting Qs on you she's going to go OOM quickly, and if she uses them to last hit then she's vulnerable to trades while it's down.

Diana has to land a Q to get her ult reset, and it's usually a bad idea for her to use it without that. Don't let her chip you low enough that she can just R in and burst you down. She also has to all-in you to deal substantial damage, and before 6 she can't exert much pressure in the lane at all, at least if the opposing laner is ranged.

Air scales super hard into late game but isn't great early. Against lane bullies you may have to play passively unless you are way better than the opposing player.

Ekko has a ton of utility but trades that for not being outstanding 1v1. Again, not shocking that you'd feel weak in the early game.

I'd at least give some consideration to champs who can win lane really hard and snowball off of that.