What's up gamer's?
I know it has been a while since I have posted, but I am here to tell you what I have been up to. League Of Legends is a total time sink, meaning it will send you into a time warp of sorts. When I first started playing, it was more of a social expenditure. I would get on Teamspeak and chat with my friends, even my brothers played it with me. Now, it has become an obsession. I spend my time playing LoL like a maniac. I work toward getting that extra LP (league points), pushing for the next tier. This isn't quite the story of my entire League experience, more so a guide to getting out of Bronze. Bronze is commonly known as LoL HELL.
First, let me tell you what being in the Bronze League is like. A typical game has typical players doing oh so typical things. In League, player behavior is like a virus, it spreads and spreads until it infects just about everyone and everything. In Bronze, it is the worst. Players leave games after dying once. People quit before any real objectives have been taken. Sometimes, people try to ruin games on purpose, this is called trolling, or being a "troll". Trolls are commonplace in League, but in Bronze, it is a 50/50 chance of getting entangled with one.
Being stuck in bronze is terrible. The way the League system works is that you have to win games in order to gain LP (league points), once you reach 100 LP, you are then up for a promotional. series. If you win your next 2 of 3 games you move up to the next rung. The leagues are broken down into 5 Divisions one through five, and six Tiers, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and finally, Challenger. The VAST majority of players are locked into the Bronze and Silver tiers. Once you get 100 LP, and win your 2 of 3 games, and move through the 5 divisions, you then get to play a promotional series to get moved up to the next tier. This promo series is best three of five.
Now, finally, here is my story. In LoL, you are placed into games based on your MMR (match making rating) or previously known as ELO. In the beginning, I thought I was a pretty good player. I would be matched up with other sucky players, and I would beat said sucky players, and have a nice boosted ego. Boy was I wrong. One day, I decided I was good enough for ranked play. I am not sure who told me to do it, because I was soooooo not ready for the competitive league. When I started my first ranked games, I was playing on a locked screen, and was not using smart casting. Two basic fundamentals of the game that were unknown to me. Regardless, I dove into ranked anyway...
I made a HUGE mistake! Jumping into the ranked games like I did royally screwed me. When you first play in ranked games, your performance in 10 games is taken into consideration when you are initially placed into a division and tier. The more games you win, the higher you are placed. I won maybe one or two of my placement games, which placed me in.....drumroll...... BRONZE 5!!! I didn't think much of it, but this was going to be quite the journey. Getting out of Bronze isn't difficult, it's damn near impossible! I didn't whine about it, I played. And played some more. And after that, I played some more.
When you are in bronze, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting a troll, or someone that leaves the game. If you are lucky enough to get a full team, you then have a 50/50 chance that the players are going to be horrible, or feed the enemy team, or any other number of shennanigans. I moved all the way up to Bronze 1 six or seven different times. I moved all the way back down to Bronze five three times. I had multiple Bronze 1 promo series that were lost. One series, I had an afk two games in a row. One of my demotions, I was unfortunate enough to have an afk or a leaver six games in a row.
After all of this, I made it. I made it out of Bronze, and I can never go back! Here is how I did it:
1. I played the same champs over and over again.
I chose a couple of champs based on my style and played them non stop. I chose Corki, an AD Carry or Marksman. My final stats with Corki are, as of today 92-64. Previously I was playing Sejuani, a Tanky jungler. I changed to a carry position, because you must be carrying the game to win. A tank or supporting role is much harder to win games with if you have bad teammates.
2. I ignored and muted trolls
If you want to win you cannot take part in any of the toxic behavior. The best way to go about it is to mute and report.
3. I took on a leadership position
This is a team game, even if you don't like your team. I start out every game by saying "Thanks in advance for your teamwork and sportsmanship". I know it sounds corny, but it works. I also will do things like, when someone makes a mistake or dies, say things like "It's okay we got this", or "Don't worry we have a better team comp". This is a huge factor in winning games.
4. Never give up
I have a rule, I never give up, and I never surrender. This game almost always has room for a comeback. This season will be comeback city, so hang in there.
5. Feel good when you play
I think the mental part of LoL is almost as important as the skill level you carry with you. If you feel good mentally, and have a good attitude, you will win more games.
So there you have it! I made it out of Bronze and I am now earning my way up through silver. After hacing a terrible early run, my final stats are now 266 wins, and 266 losses. I was at once point at a 40 game deficit, so I have earned my silver wings. I hope this helps at least one person. If you want to play with me on the NA servers, my username is WinstonBAMF.
The Masked Gamer is out!
