----------------------- Page 1----------------------- The Art of Ranked When reaching level 30, many ambitious summoner will find themselves queuing up for a ranked game resulting in an unwanted, or possibly many unwanted defeats. This guide is targeted towards anyone looking to improve their Elo rating. This guide consists of not only my opinions, but opinions and techniques used by many players, across many ratings. To whomever reads this, these are suggestions and guidelines, and you are not restricted to any of the content within this guide. As of Season 3, the Elo system underwent a significant change. Your elo is now hidden and used as an indicator to who you are matched with when queueing up for ranked. A new function referred to as the ladder system has been implemented. After finishing 10 "placement" matches, you are seeded into a group and division. I. Elo and the "new" Ranked system. II. Knowing what you want. III. Following through. IV. Improvement. V. Preparation/Other. VI. Losses. VII. Final Notes. I. As of Season 3, the Elo system underwent a significant change. Your elo is now hidden and used as an indicator to who you are matched with when queueing up for ranked. A new function referred to as the ladder system has been implemented. After finishing 10 "placement" matches, you are seeded into a group and division. These groups consist of 250 summoners between 5 "divisions," I, II, III, IV and V. I being the top of the division, and V being near the bottom of the division. Each division roughly has 50 summoners in it, with the expected outliers and exceptions. Groups are named after a champion with a humorous, or "epic" title afterwards, such as "Syndra's Phantoms," or "Teemo's Cavaliers." These groups are 100% random. This system replaced the previous Elo system to give summoners a sense of accomplishment. When veiwing your statistics in ranked, it's much more satisfying knowing that you are ranked 50/250 as opposed to 299,000/500,000. It should be noted ----------------------- Page 2----------------------- that your Elo and ranking are in fact different, and opponents are found based on Elo, not rating. In these divisions, you are further ranked by League Points, replacing the old Elo. For example. I have just finished my 10 placement matches and have been seeded into Division III of Malphite's Commandos, Bronze. I start at 0 league points. I win my next match, gaining 20 league points. If I were to win another 4 matches, giving me 20 league points each, I would "qualify" to rank up into Malphite's Commandos, Bronze Division II. I'm placed into a qualifier series, giving me a "best-of-3" series of games deciding my future. If I win 2/3, I'll advance forward, if I don't manage to win, I'll be placed back at roughly 60-75~ league points in Bronze Division III again. Lets skip ahead. Pretend I've managed to climb the divisions and I've climbed all the way to 100 league points in Bronze Division 1. What happens now? I am placed into a promotion series, similar to a qualifier series. In a promotion series, I'm given a "best-of-5" chance to advance. If I win at least 3/5 of my games, I advance to a new group and tier. Lets say I've managed to advance, and I'm placed into Silver Division V of Zed's Hunters. Now I'm given the opportunity to climb the ladder again and repeat the cycle. But, what happens if I lose a match right after I've gained a new division of ranking? I'm glad you asked. Once you have recently entered a division or ranking, you are given a short period in which ranked matches will not bump you down a division. If you advanced an entire rank, such as Bronze to Silver, the only way to drop back down to Bronze would be through Elo Decay via inactivity, which takes place after 28 days without playing a ranked match. Let it be noted that you can NOT lose a rank, such as Silver or Gold from losing a match. *It should be noted that queue dodging a ranked match while in a promotion of qualifier series would be the equivalent of losing the series. Series' also expire in 28 days of inactivity. **On another note, you have a higher chance of being seeded into a group with summoners who you have befriended. II. This guide's purpose is to help you improve your ranked rating. While these techniques may make you a better player, the ultimate purpose is to increase your rating, remember that. I want you to imagine your rating. Now I want you to imagine what rating you would like to be at. Now, imagine how you are going to get there. The road to what you want may not always be easy, but is 100% possible with hard work, determination and the proper attitude. Remember when reading this guide that you are playing for a rating, not for fun. However, I highly encourage having fun whenever possible. III. Now that you have an objective, lets discuss how we're going to get there. A lot of people I talk to believe that they are trapped in an "Elo Hell" of sorts, meaning that they are much more skilled than everyone they play with, but are constantly being dragged down. While this may not be 100% false, and obviously not every game you will be playing will result in a win, I believe that a good portion of these ----------------------- Page 3----------------------- people are full of it. "But if I carry all the time in Bronze elo, I deserve to be Challenger Tier! Just last game I went 10/2 as Teemo!" That's to be expected, as it is to be expected that a professional basket-ball player beats a high-school freshmen in a 1v1. If you gain one bit of knowledge from this guide, know that the rating you "deserve" to be at will eventually come out, whether from 100 games or 1000 games. Never give up. Anyways, no matter how hard you're carrying, there's always room for improvement. You may have went 10/2, but have you do everything to the best of your ability? If you are truly so much better then everyone, make it your mission to carry! IV. "But how do I carry these monkeys with an internet connection?" I'll tell you how. Get off of your high horse and realize this. Whether or not they are monkeys, and whether or not you're better then they are, they are your team mates, and if they aren't cutting it, pick up the slack. Gameplay can be divided into 5 categories. *Farming Lets face it. You won't be able to win a game level 1 without items. Gaining Experience and Gold is a major part of League of Legends. If you prefer to play in a lane, always try to be in experience range of the creeps, so you don't lose out on any when they die. Creeps also give precious gold when last-hit by a champion. This is important because so much gold goes to waste per game, it could solve world debt. If you don't last hit the gold, who does it go to? Well 9/10 times, a friendly minion will have swiped that creep from you. Unfortunately, minions can not buy items and win the game for you, so you just wasted gold. Think of it as turning down free money, which is NOT cool. Go into a custom game and practice last-hitting with your favorite champions. Keep in mind that each game will be different, and sometimes you won't be able to get every last bit of gold, but remember to get as much as you can. Even if you last-hit one more minion per wave then usual, you'll notice a spark in income. *Combat and Interactions There are two sides to Summoners Rift, and these sides are pitted against each other in a competition of brawn and wits. Know you champion, and know your opponents champion. It never hurts to visit the League of Legends wiki and take a look at some stats or base values. Knowledge is power after all! Knowing what your champion does to an exact level means that you can play your champion more efficiently. *Positioning and objectives Always know what you're doing and why. If you want to win a game, never idle, there's always something to do. Winning a game revolves around completing objectives, such as gaining global gold of buffs from slaying the Drake, or Baron Nashor, or even an enemy tower. Know what objectives are important and when. If your team is standing off against the enemy in the mid lane, it may not be the best time to be in the bot lane, farming and pushing, especially if you have no way to reach your team in case a fight broke out. ----------------------- Page 4----------------------- When you get around to fighting, analyze the situation. When you're in lane, try to predict where the enemy is. Is my opponent baiting me into fighting him just so his buddy can come help him kill me? Know where your opponent is at all times, and you will control their movements. This being said, the single best item in the game is a ward. You can't complete objectives if you're dead. When in a huge fight, know what your role is, whether you're the team's sustained DPS, the anti-carry, or whatever. *Character Selection When you queue for a ranked game, you will be placed into a lobby with 9 other summoners to ban and pick your champions. Learn as many champions as you can, and always play champions that you're familiar with. In the draft mode of ranked, it's a common tactic to "counter-pick" your opponent. If you're sure that you will be facing off in a lane against a certain enemy, you can pick a champion who fairs well against your opponent. While countering is important, never compromise picking a champion you're good with just to counter an enemy. In champion select, try to fill whatever roll your team needs. You must be confident in your skill, so be confident in your allies by ensuring they get a roll they can play. Make sure you can at least play each of the main roles of today's meta at a basic level, you never know what you'll get stuck with. Always treat your team-mates with a polite manner. If you find yourself raging in the champion select before your team has even done anything, it may be time to take a deep breath and calm down. Try to learn a specific role especially well, make sure to notify your team that you would prefer to play this role because you have the most experience in it. If you can perfect a single, or group of champions, you won't regret it. A popular youtuber I'm subscribed to talk about exactly how much elo "famous" summoners have earned from their signature champions, and the results were staggering. Basically, it was discovered that the majority of elo gained was from their best champions. Think of it this way. You maintain a high winrate with your favorite champion. The more games you have played, the more this winrate will mean, ultimately, you are winning more then you're losing, therefor improving in rating. *Communication Always always ALWAYS communicate with your team. If you feel as if you have nothing on-topic to say, don't. Visit an IRC to make conversation, you're playing league to play league. Instead, communicate via pings to notify your team of what you want to do. If a team-mate or opponent are taunting or flaming you, mute them if it begins to bother you. It's just not worth putting yourself in a bad mood. If you find yourself raging, stop. I mean it. Take a deep breath, apologize, and count to 10. this is easier said then done. Try to think; "Will this game matter in 1 year from now?" If the answer is no, it's not worth raging over. ----------------------- Page 5----------------------- V. Many summoners I've talked to admit that they have an anxiety from playing caused by a fear of losing. This anxiety can even go as far as to effect your gameplay. We're going to discuss how to take away the symptoms of anxiety of ranked, taking the anxiety away itself, then preventing the anxiety from occurring again. To counteract "getting cold feet," cover up. Try it! Wear a sweat, wrap yourself in a blanket, but make sure to remain comfortble. Maybe wear gloves that don't restrict your fingers too much. To calm yourself down, take deep and slow breaths until you have normalized your breathing rate. To pump yourself up, mimic playing the piano by moving your fingers really quickly. Do some streches to warm your muscles up. To calm yourself down, have a cup of tea or water, maybe even a beer, though that could hinder your thoughts. Try to stay away from having too many instances of caffeine or sweets. It's been shown that caffeine doesn't reduce stress, but increases it. Go take a warm bath, or a shower. Possibly take a small break and play a different game you're fond of. To set the proper mood for yourself, listen to non-vocal music. Out of the summoners I've talked to, some agree that vocal music is distracting. Lower the volume of your client. The championselect music and countdowns may intimidate you, causing anxiety in itself. Take whatever steps you see fit and queue up for a game. When a lobby has been found, kindly greet your team mates and state your preferred rolls, and if possible, that you will gladly fill. Remember that pick order is always superior to call order. Depending on what pick you are, you may find yourself in the position to counter an opponent. Visit a counter-picking website and read up on what counters popular champions. Learn what mechanics counter these champions, and associate these mechanics with champions you play well. NEVER lock in a champion you can't play because they are a "counter-pick." Make sure you have runes and masteries adequate for the situation. Learn what stats the champions you tend to play benefit from and make common mastery and rune pages for them. Look at guides for your favorite champions and learn efficient combinations. Always adapt to the situation, make sure that your masteries and runes make sense against the enemy team. When the match has started, take a last series of deep breaths and try your best. It's all up to you now! Remember the mechanics we talked about earlier. VI. If you fear losing a game, realize that every game you lose is still a learning experience. You only truly lose when you've learned nothing. Every loss also means that you will be matched with easier opponents, and that any league points lost can be earned back! It's also normal to lose. Even pros do it. Losing a game does NOT mean you are worse then another player, and winning a game does not mean you are better then another player. ----------------------- Page 6----------------------- VII. There may be a time that you will be matched with teammates that aren't on an equal skill level with you. They may do bad, they may do downright awful. This does not mean you should blame them for the loss. Out of all the games in your league career, you won't play with these same summoners very often. Instead, as mentioned previously, try to understand on what you can improve, instead of dwelling on how bad your team-mates are. Take responsibility and realize that the only one who can improve your elo is you. Change your attitude accordingly. Remember to always treat each game like a new one. After a nexus explodes, you can never go back to that game again, and the only thing you should take with you is the experiences and room for reflection. Reflect on how you could have played critical moments better. Most importantly, never give up. If you afk, you may miss an opportunity to make an amazing comeback! You could potentially get banned! You'll never get the opportunity to improve yourself if you spend your time in the spawn fountain. Best of luck on the Fields of Justice summoners! ----------------------- Page 7-----------------------