Hey guys so I'm that 9-9 in normals guy who did mostly coop vs ai games.

I had a serious question that I wish addressed that has been bothering me. Anytime I ask for advice people suggest massing normals then moving to draft pick normals then going to ranked.

What is wrong with starting by just massing ranked? Ya of course my rank elo will be super low lets say even 400 but as I improve I'm sure it would go up as deservingly as I perform and if I actually do get better to a point to carry whats wrong with having a difficult time raising elo? I don't intend to play 100 or even 200 games to stabilize my elo, but at least 500-600 if not more.

I wanted to understand the logic people have for massing normals instead of ranked then moving to ranked when decent instead of just massing ranked till decent.

Thanks for your input regardless. I really like being able to get the responses from the more experienced players when they are open to help as they are here. So insightful and definitely helpful so please be honest and I will appreciate it regardless.

Because while you don't mind putting in the time for your elo, you'll still be affecting others game play. There are a ton of different things you need to learn in order to fulfill your role, and without playing a ton of normals you'll just not be learning them. Which isn't to say you'll learn everything in normal, its just a great start before moving to ranked.

I'm by no means an "experienced player", though. In fact, I've yet to do ranked for this very reason. I know I'll fall short and I don't wish to hurt other peoples ranked. After I learn more (champions, positioning, proper ways to react, etc), I'll happily move to ranked. But normals for me until then!

don't fall for it. just play ranked now. if you don't care.

even if you wait till later, chances are you'll get unlucky then, and all that time waiting was for nothing. only difference is you'll just be more mad then, cause you fell for the lie of more experience/knowledge of the game will translate into higher elo. not true. luck is a big factor.

plus if you wait it would be hard to turn away from LOL then, your brain was rewired as expected, and you invested too much time effort to just leave. this whole mindset of "im getting better for that one day i do ranked" is really the mind set that is the reason LOL gets so many hours played by people each year. it's not the proper mind set of just having fun. it's something far more unhealthy. don't fall for it.

Well... games in "elo hell" are a little bit different IMO. I don't believe what a lot of people do in that they are at a level they can never leave through no fault of their own, because it is all the fault of their incompetent teammates they can't advance to the level they belong.

But...

At a certain elo level games are decided quite a bit more by ragers, afkers, DCers, etc. So they way it works out is that you have less games where your skill level matters in whether you win or lose so it will take you longer to get to where you want to go in theory. Also, in low elo levels certain champs and roles are less effective and you will have to play a certain way to carry your team at times.

The way down to 400 elo will be painful, people really hate losing in ranked.

^ and it's not going to help when they see you only have 9 normal wins, they might rage especially hard then.

I can't say don't play ranked right away, while I also can't say play 400 normal games first. Start ranked when you feel you are ready and don't listen to anyone else, but yourself.

Play some draft games first though. You don't have to amass 100 wins or nothing, just some warming up. If you're prepared to dedicate a couple hours to the game, play a draft normal to warm yourself up first before you start ranked.

Play draft normals until you win, then play a ranked. If you win continue playing ranked. If you lose go back to normal draft. Etc etc. This way, you can mitgate some of the lost elo in ranked, while still learning what you need to. If you ONLY play ranked you'll find yourself in a fast downward spiral. However, if you switch back and forth you can learn more, without plumetting in elo.

Remember if you lose a SINGLE ranked match, go back to normal. Once you win a normal, immediately go play a ranked. This can keep you momentum going, while helping you recover for loses. If you lose 3 or more in a row, try taking a break. Read some guide, watch streams, etc.

Find a balance between winning and losing and as long as you stay even in wins and loses you should stay between 11-1300 elo.

Because you may regret it later on. Just look at the Solo Queue ladder, the guy on top is like 12-1 whereas a few down is like 80-40 etc. The more games you play overall the less ELO you'll gain per win. Then again the best way to gain experience is just to play ranked but if you feel you are competent enough then go ahead. Then again you can find harder games in normals than ranked, atleast in lower ELO.