League of Legends Role Select: Good News or Bad?

I stumbled across a picture online that caught my attention. It showed a ranked queue with a “select your role” option before actually queuing up. On several posts, all that was written with it was “next patch…”.

Surely with something this groundbreaking, Riot would announce the launch well in advance. After further research, I found that this picture was merely a concept. It originated on Reddit, though now there are many threads talking about the addition of a role-selecting queue.

So what is the point to having a World of Warcraft type queue?

If you want mid, but you are last pick, chances are you will probably end up doing something else. There are just those positions that are more desirable to a good chunk of the League population. Everyone wants to be able to carry themselves to a win, but you can’t do that if your team is depended on you for vision and buffs (and building damage while supporting does not help the team most of the time.) However, with this concept, you could queue up with people that more than likely want other roles. Last pick? No problem! There are the obvious advantages to this, but also some things that would need to be worked out before a system like this was implemented.

Good news, or bad news first?

We will start with the benefits this could bring to the game. Now you are second pick and called mid, but fifth pick wants mid as well. What would be the best thing to do is this situation? You could play another role, but you really want to mid. If you go ahead and pick your mid, you risk the chance of an AFKer or an insta-lock mid on their part. Call order vs. pick order is a huge debate in champion select, and can often determine the outcome of your game. With queuing up for specific roles, this would eliminate the champion select rage, or at least lessen the tension. You would be paired with people who want to do every other role you don’t. It would also create a better atmosphere in solo queue, and hopefully create better relationships and communication between summoners.

It would be a huge breakthrough for Riot. Ranking up would be a little more easier, and you wouldn’t have to worry about playing a position that is not your absolute best. I would personally love to mid every ranked game that I play, but unfortunately that is not the case. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made if you want a chance of winning. I would rather give up my position to someone who can’t do what is left than have someone doing something they have never done. Playing champions that you love makes the game all the better, and with role-selecting queues this could be that much easier. There are some downfalls that this system could face if it were ever to be introduced.

 

The Consequences?

Queues would be a bit longer, but I wouldn’t expect WoW dungeon queue long. Queuing up for mid would cost you more time, simply because that is the position that a majority want. Top would be another queue that would be full. Support could possibly be the shortest available queue, almost like the healer’s queue in WoW. What makes League substantially different is class specifications. In WoW, each class has certain talents that specifies whether you are damage, tank, or heal. You have your created character, with a specified class and role.

In League, you have every champion you’ve unlocked and whatever role you can do with them. So in League, you would be able to queue up for any position you want… and have the option to select a different role in champion select. People could do this for shorter queues, by queuing for support but saying they will mid. Limiting a players selection to deemed supports would not solve this problem either. Sona can support, and so can Elise or Morgana. Possibilities are endless, and suppressing players would cause an outrage.

Many also argue that this creates a set in stone meta for the game. League is a game of adaptation. Maybe you could create an advantage for you team by double-jungle, or no jungle at all. Though these cases are not seen as often as the meta, the flexibility of the game creates a sense of freedom for players. By creating this system, it would require a team to consist of one jungle, one mid, one top, one carry, and one support. A cookie cutter team with a very small area to work with.

There are many speculated solutions online that could make this system viable. I would definitely love to see this in action, but there are certainly issues that need to be sorted out. This would be a huge, and almost shocking chance to solo queues. There has been no official announcement from Riot stating that they have something like this in the works. Perhaps deep, in the darkest corner of Riot’s basement behind the water heater, one Rioter has an idea that will change a nation… Or rather, one huge gaming community.

What are your thoughts on a system like this for League of Legends? Do you have any solutions that could work out the kinks? Be sure to leave a comment and discuss what you think!