Ways to improve your gameplay in solo queue

Solo Learning

First off, this is not some gimmick to quickly gain league points and divisions. This is more ways to improve your gameplay in the long run. Solo queue has long served as a staple for players of all sorts, from completely new players to the most distinguished of veterans. You may recognize the specific name of a player you've seen in spectator mode or on stream, or perhaps one or your allies has some platinum or diamond border. But whether you get grouped with new or experienced players, you can learn from both.

New players often show you what not to do. While you can hear all about the importance of positioning or farming minions, until you see someone on your team standing there, letting the enemy bash away, you may not fully realize just how quickly a melee character can destroy a ranged target. And though it may seem elementary to move out of area damage spells and effects, watching someone forget to do this in the heat of battle can highlight the devastating potential of combos, chain crowd control and simply auto attacks.

You'll soon know if you get grouped with a good team. They tend to communicate in team chat, call mia’s, farm minions fairly well, call out enemy actions (such as teleport or summoner spells), stay together, and quickly respond to situations. These same principles form the foundation of good teams in any game, and account for most of the success of players that rise high on the ladder. As such, taking the time to communicate with your team in solo queue and practice sound tactics not only improves your team's chances of winning, but it makes you a better individual player as well as a better team player.

Communication about Yourself

So what should you communicate to your team? If you have a character build that your team may not immediately realize, tell them, briefly, about it. Bruiser champions, for example, can type "going tanky" into team chat. This lets allies know they may need to utilize their damage output and not rely on that person. It also helps groups with item duplications such as locket or aegis. If one of them is rushing aegis, the other can look for other items that would benefit the team such as a locket or even just buying more wards.
If you have a form of team effect for your teammates, let them know about it. A support with Shurelyia’s for example can let the team know they have completed the item. With this information it allows the team to know they have a movement modifier to assist in engaging or disengaging team fights. Or even situations such as with Thresh where you can use the lantern in many different ways.

Several champions enjoy blinks or dashes into the midst of the enemy team for a quick strike, then teleporting out. If you plan to do this, let your team know beforehand. Otherwise, your allies may think you've gone suicidal or just have no map awareness. They may feel less inclined to help you, or end up engaging when they shouldn’t, unless they know you've got a concrete and realistic method to escape from danger.

Communication about the Enemy

As you approach the other team, press tab to look at the different builds. Look for obvious handicaps, such as low farm on a carry or a champion building full tank, and call them out. Ping wards as you see them or even champions if you get just a second of vision. This allows it to go into the chat where the team can see the last position of said enemy.

When in fights, allow yourself to notice things such as major spells used or CC used. If an enemy is in the middle of your team but cannot do anything due to cooldowns then why focus them when their damage carries are tearing you up? Also take note of ways the enemy team can engage. Champions such as Fiddlesticks, Hecarim and Sejuani can often flank a team from different angles causing mass chaos and essentially death if not ready. Place wards or remind teammates of the enemy teams potentials to engage or even take objectives.

Random Closing Thoughts

Solo queue offers many things to many players: a rich source for learning and trying new things, a place to develop individual talent and practice basic mechanics into advanced plays, hours of surprises and entertainment, and, of course, plenty of league points and IP. While many players take the game very seriously, you must remember that it’s just one game of hundreds you may play. Rather than rage and get frustrated look at what you can/could do better for your next game or what someone on your team did well that you can try yourself.