How I've improved my rank: Just a Little Dick :P

So I've been playing league for quite some time now, and I made it to gold 5 last season on my main. Now I know this isn't special to some of you, but as someone who enjoys league for its competitiveness it matters to me. (inb4 bad tryhard) Before that I was stuck in bronze and silver for the seasons prior, and boy was I a "stereotypical bronzie". So I just wanted to share some things that I changed that helped me improve my matches.

0) You are the only constant in your games

Not the "bads", the trolls, the d/cers, none of those are true constants. You are the only true constant in your games. You are the only thing that you have 100% control of and can change. Blaming anything/one else for you being in low elo will not get you out

1) Over Communicating

I can't emphasize this one enough. Talking to my team and pinging (way too much) helped me to an inexplicable degree. I'm often told to "SDFU" "Stop pinging so much!" "STOP OMG!", but the results of just letting my team know what's going on and what I'm doing have gotten me to G5. So even though it's annoying if you're like me you'd rather be annoying with a W than silent with a loss.

2) Hyper Map Awareness

What I mean by that is simply knowing where your opponent is going as much as possible. Even if you're not engaging just knowing where the enemy is can set your team up for a countless number of things. Knowing which buffs are up and who can capitalize off said buffs the most, is also apart of map awareness. Sometimes even though you have someone who can use a buff they are too far away to get it, depending on the situation you can leave it for them or take it preventing the chance of it falling into enemy hands.

3) The Ignore Feature

Is your team being toxic at champ select or in game? Do you think you're going to have an argument in game with someone? Don't waste time and build up negative energy. Just ignore the person you're disagreeing with. It's that simple. There's no need for name calling and being harsh towards your own team. It's counter productive and only taking away your chances of winning. Once you've ignored someone they can still ping most important info for you.

Edit: One thing I do is after some time has passed in the game is take some people off ignore because they tend to have calmed down a bit. You can always put them back on ignore if they go "back to their old ways". Also even if you've ignored someone still say good job after every successful play. They may keep up their negative attitude, but compliments will not damage the situation any further, they may even help turn things around.

4) Being a little bit of a dick (aka Leading your team)

There's an artform to being a dick, and if you do it right even if people think you're an ass they will love you and you'll most likely win games. When you command people they tend to get defensive and/or angry. So even if you don't agree with someone's build or someone's feeding avoid telling them what to do at all costs. What you should do is make suggestions backed up in facts.

Example: The enemy team is all AD and one of your bruisers is dying a lot. "Hey, (champion) get some armor since they're all AD it will help keep you alive."

Note that sometimes (more often than it should be) you'll still get a harsh reaction from whoever you're offering advice to, but it's just advice. Keep calm and keep playing. Don't get into a debate/argument with them. If they don't heed the advice you'll just have to work around it. The same logic can be applied to teamfights and objectives. If your teams not pushing well enough rally them:

"Guys we need to take (turrets/inhib) or we're not going to win."

Simple, obvious sure, but it gets the point across without being harsh. Again you could still get a negative reaction from suggesting things the team needs, but its better to have tried and failed than to not try at all.

Edit via Shierusensei : people who are not trying to play League of Legends but a single player RTS game where the other units are controlled via chat commands ^^DON'T BECOME THIS GUY^^

(Not Shierusensei he seems pretty cool :P)

You're playing with OTHER PEOPLE! That means they're different from you and will often have other thoughts about how to play the game. Which is why we love League in the first place. Respect that everyone's got different views.

5) Being competent in every lane

You do not have to be a master at every lane, but you should be able to play every lane without feeding. Face it in solo Q you're not guaranteed whatever lane you want. There will be a game where you're not in "your lane". You have to be prepared for this eventuality and step up to the plate. Again this doesn't mean you should be best top, jung, mid, supp, and adc. This just means you can hold a lane, farm, and not feed your lane opposition.

6) Being Nice/Staying Composed

I know this seems contradictory to the title, and it's also the hardest thing to do in this game. There's still a very Call of Dutyish mentality in League, but it has gotten considerably better over the years. (Pats on the back guys :) good work) So when you compliment people more often than not they say thanks, that small positive reinforcement will go a long way if you're consistent with it. It helps sway people your way and makes them more receptive to what you have to say. THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON TO COMPLIMENT PEOPLE, but it is beneficial and helps win games.

And NEVER ENGAGE IN FIGHTING AMONG YOUR TEAMMATES! Just, don't. There's no need for animosity between teammates, you're going to win or lose together. It may sound sappy, but it's an irrefutable fact.

Edit: Personally I'm a fan of over-complimenting. This doesn't mean kissing your teams ass every time the get a cs. Just after a solid play a quick "Gj team/player" or when there's a lull in the game and you're team's doing well "Gj team. Keep it up." simply keeps morale up.

That's about it :) If you have any suggestions or question leave a comment! If you've gotten out of "elo hell" tell us what you did as well!