Introduction

About the Author: Zig

Hi, I’m zig a previous member of unR / XXX (pre-Crs). I currently play for Team Dynamic [formerly Monomaniac eSports], and I have 3 accounts that are at the platinum mark, here are a few: "TD zig" (2400+), "zig" (2400+), "Shao" (2300+).  I’ve seen hundreds of matches and streams from both successful and unsuccessful players, and over time, I’ve learned what it takes to be a winning player in solo queue.  I played for TD competitively and now I kind of bounce around teams, I'm too young to play in Season 3 so I'll be playing in the ammeter league in season 3 (should be fun).

Introduction

Let me start off by saying that Elo Hell is defined by many people in many different ways, but for the purpose of this guide, Elo Hell is the range of rating that you are “trapped” at despite your best efforts of try-harding & playing the best that you possibly can.

There are a lot of guides out there explaining how to get out of Elo hell. I’m going to try to explain the journey as simply as possible. You need to be proficient in two different skill-sets – game mechanics is one of them, with the other being people mechanics.

If you’re in a low Elo bracket, you possess neither of these characteristics. If you’re in a mid Elo bracket, you have either a) an insufficient grasp of both skills, or b) a sufficient grasp of one of the two skills. If you’re in a high Elo bracket, this guide probably won’t help you.

Don’t worry – your Elo is not a static value and can change by rethinking attitudes towards the game. It is very possible that you possess the skill to play at a higher level, but you just need a little bit of help to reach the next level. This is where the LoLPro guide comes into play. Read on, for knowledge!

Change Log: 

11/25/2012 - Added and edited some content

The Ranked Ladders

Before we get into strategy, we must first cover the basics of the rating system & the ranked solo queue ladder. To rank up, you need to win games. Winning will increase your rating, which is measured in Elo. Your initial rating is pegged at 1200. For the first 10 games, your rating gained per game is enhanced at a rate of 3 – 5 times the norm. After your first 10 games, your rating will show on your profile. It will only be visible to others if it is higher than 1249. After 50 wins, your rating gained per game will normalize at +/- 11 – 14 per game, depending on who was favored to win by matchmaking.

Solo queue is only offered in the 5v5 draft mode format, where the players on each team are organized from captain to 5th pick by rating. Matchmaking is random – your chance of being captain is 1 in 5, so don’t rely on this mechanism to rank up. If you leave in champion select, you are awarded the same loss in rating as if you had played & lost the game. To maintain a rating, you must win the same amount of games that you lose. To increase your rating, you must win more games than you lose. And for the purposes of this guide, we will be explaining how to win only in solo queue. Duo queuing will give you a slight advantage if you are well-coordinated with your partner and you lack people skills to get along with 4 teammates (as a duo queuer, you will only need to endure 3 unknown teammates / game).

Excuses, Excuses…

Before we delve into the two different skillsets, we must first break down the walls that will prevent you from learning. The most common excuses all deal with blaming someone, or some factor. Just remember this: everyone gets unlucky at some point. We all have to deal with the same bullshit of some random player getting angry, trolling, griefing, feeding, or just plain being bad. We all deal with the off-days and the other nonsense that makes us play worse (i.e. power outages, hurricanes, whatever).

The point is, everyone can think of some excuse to use, or some factor to blame, but this alone does not stop the best players from climbing the ladder. Many players are stuck with the ‘blame’ mentality, and they will forever be stuck in a low-rated bracket. If you’d like to break out, improve, and ultimately climb the solo queue ladder, read on!