So you’ve decided that this year is going to be the year — no more languishing in Bronze and Silver, you’re going to make it to Gold in League of Legends if it kills you. A noble goal, to be sure, and not at all out of reach for someone of even average skill, but if you don’t want to devote all of your waking hours to grinding out games, there are ways to make the climb a little bit easier on yourself.
Here are five simple tips that will help you reach Gold before the end of the season without making you want to tear your hair out.
5. Fix your mindset
Like all competitive activities, League of Legends is as much mental as it is physical. You don’t need 500+ APM and an encyclopedic knowledge of every champion’s abilities to climb in League of Legends, you need good decision-making, patience, and the ability to work with four internet strangers to achieve a common goal. Make sure that you’re going
Make sure that you’re going into each game with the right attitude: sometimes you’re going to get an AFKer, or your Teemo top will feed the Diamond smurf Riven, but even the pros don’t play perfectly every game. Don’t flame your teammates, stay positive, and focus on improving your own playing ability.
4. Brush up on game knowledge
This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised — make sure that you know how to play in all of the roles and fill if you need to. It’s ok to be best at one lane but, especially in the lower leagues, you’re going to have to be flexible. Know how to jungle, know how to support, and be prepared to pick up the slack if your team isn’t willing to.
You might not carry the game if you’re stuck in a bad role, but if you don’t have at least some idea what to do, you can definitely lose it. If you’re feeling really ambitious, get to know things like Dragon/Baron timers, common jungle gank times, and when certain champions hit a power spike (Pro Tip: Don’t hang around the lane with half health when Annie hits level 6).
3. Specialize!
Even though you want to be able to fill any role if need be, one mistake that a lot of new players make is not finding the champions they’re skilled with and sticking with them. Don’t worry about counter-picking or flavors-of-the-month, focus on a small number of champions that you find fun and are good with.
Don’t worry about whether or not Gangplank is viable, if you can play a champion well you can carry, and you’re more likely to play well and not get frustrated if it’s someone you know well and like playing.
2. Think big
If you’re in a tough matchup, or even if you’re dominating, it can be easy to forget what the game is all about — destroying the enemy nexus. You can be 10 – 0 and still lose and 0 – 10 and still win, so long as you take all of the objectives.
Bronze and Silver players are consistently bad at remembering to take towers, dragon, Baron, and other objectives.
Bronze and Silver players are consistently bad at remembering to take towers, dragon, Baron, and other objectives. Keep the big picture in mind while you’re playing — it doesn’t matter if that Vayne messed you up in lane if you take both her towers before she takes one of yours.
In the same vein, remember that as long as you’re winning more than you’re losing, you’re going to climb. Don’t let a single game discourage you; even a 50.1% winrate means you’re winning more than losing.
1. Have fun!
I know it sounds lame, but seriously, enjoy yourself. If the pressure gets to you, take a break and play some ARAM or another game and remind yourself why you want to get to Gold in the first place. This is a big part of the mental game — if you’re relaxed and in a good mood you are less likely to make mistakes or get frustrated by setbacks, and you’re way more likely to be a positive influence on your team.
This is a big part of the mental game — if you’re relaxed, and in a good mood, you are less likely to make mistakes or get frustrated by setbacks, and you’re way more likely to be a positive influence on your team. Sure, it’s fun to climb, and it’s a good goal, but there’s no reason to torture yourself along the way.
Sure, it’s fun to climb, and it’s a good goal, but there’s no reason to torture yourself along the way.
