Hello dear readers! Today, we’re going to be talking about something that is surely going to consume my life and more likely a good chunk of those of you reading this now, very soon: League of Legends Season 6.
For anyone who plays the game regularly I shouldn’t have to explain why the beginning of a new season can be both a stressful and refreshing time all at once. However, for those who aren’t quite so addicted, allow me to explain the highs and lows of starting fresh in a new season.
Imagine your first day of School…
You’re excited, but anxious. You hope that it’ll be just as much fun as you’ve been led to believe by your overenthusiastic parents (read; Riot Games), but you’re also terrified of the unknown and the idea that literally any mistake you make could haunt you for the rest of the year. After all, first impressions last!
You only have 10 games…
That’s right. Your entire future is decided in 10 games. So what happens if you go on tilt, or your mum decides that right when you’ve started a team fight is the perfect time to knock the plug out of the router with the hoover? I’ll tell you what happens, you’re screwed!
You have to bring your baggage…
For those of us with a season or two under our belts, your previous placement will affect how you place in the new season. It’s tied to you like an anchor, dragging down your ELO and making you pay for every little stupid mistake you made when you were still naive in the ways of the world. Going back to the school metaphor, imagine someone from your primary school is still in your class and is telling all the cool kids about that time you peed your pants during lunch. Yeah, you’re still paying for that one.
New Season means new players…
Maybe this won’t be so bad! New players will bring diversity and fresh ideas to the rift! Maybe one of your team mates will go on to become the next Faker, who’s to say! …Wait is he locking in Tahm Kench AD carry? And no one wants to jungle, so it’s double top?
Yeah, that’s never a good sign. I’m sorry, but no matter how many normal games you’ve played, I guarantee you screw up your first ranked games. The environment is completely different between these two modes. It’s a difference between being able to pull of that sweet 360 no-scope in private and then failing miserably when you try to show people. The competition of ranked brings with it a new attitude towards your plays and makes everything a lot more pressure. You’re gonna need some practice before you get to where you need to be.
After all your effort, you’re still gonna have to fight…
Here’s something you might not know about the League ranking system, it’ll intentionally place you lower than it thinks you deserve in order to ensure accuracy. Theoretically, if you deserve Silver 3, it will place you in Silver 5 because hey, if you really deserved Silver 3 you would get it no problem, right? Well that’s assuming you can avoid…
The Dreaded Fifth Division…
Anyone who has been stuck at rank V for a considerable length of time knows precisely what i’m talking about here. In LoL, it’s nearly impossible for you to drop between tiers unless you make considerable effort to do so. So say there was a player who deserved Bronze, but got some lucky placements and wound up in Silver through sheer luck. The fifth division is where they will spend the rest of their days, unable to drop to where they belong, but fully convinced they’re better than anyone in bronze and fully willing to shout about that fact. Should you be unlucky enough to play alongside these creatures for any length of time you may find yourself caught in the cycle of defeat, wherein you will struggle to climb only to be cast back down from the highest point. It’s a cruel fate, and to those who land here, may Illaoi’s squid god have mercy on your soul…
Good luck in placements everyone!
