Winning the game at the Picks and Bans

Different strategies to secure that easy win

A lot of players don't realize that some of the games are won/lost ages before the actual game starts, it's secured in the pick/ban phase.  It could be won with strong communication and cooperation, or it could be lost with zero communication, and toxic players blowing their lid for not getting the role they wanted.

1) DST

As coined by Gregory 'Sky' Williams, this basically means you have to kiss some butt. He mostly covers it in the terms of in-game, which is more effective, but I'm going to apply it to the pick/ban phase. I'll post the actual video link down below so you guys can watch it when you want later.

When I say you have to kiss some butt, I don't mean you have to do whatever everybody else tells you to in hopes of a free victory fed to you like a baby chick. I mean be polite and try to feed peoples' ego. If you're polite and encouraging towards an individual, especially if they're apprehensive about playing a certain role, they'll do a lot better than had you talked down to them.

A simple 'I'm sorry, but this is my best role and we'll be more likely to win if I get it. I'll try to help you out though, since I see that's your worst role. Just play safe, and wait for ganks and/or help from other lanes and you'll do awesome!' goes a looooong way towards securing that easy win for you.

Also, on the DST, use it in-game. If somebody does well, compliment them and feed that ego. A bigger ego means they try harder, which means you win games! :)

2) Banning and Picking

Now this part is going to be a bit more complicated than step 1. This covers the banning and picking portion of the lobby and what you should do, regardless of whether you're banning or not.

First, you need to communicate. If you think a certain champion should be banned, just request it. However, don't start yelling and puffing up if they don't ban it for you. It's their decision, not yours. You going 'Omg gg didn't ban Kass ff20' doesn't give you a re-do on the bans, and it just demoralizes your team.

The second part of communication is express which role you want to play, in a positive light. "I'd prefer Top/Mid as they're my best roles, but I'll fill if needed" is an amazing way to start out the pick/ban phase. It shows people you can be polite and that you can be flexible, especially if you're 4th/5th pick. It encourages people to possibly give you that role.

Second, you need to think about what the TEAM needs. Don't get me wrong, playing a champ you're comfortable on is a MUST do. But if you have a pool of champions that you're really good with, you should pick one that will synergize with your teams composition. An example would be that you're last pick with a Shyvana top, Vi jungle, Leona support, and a Sivir ADC and you decide to go with Orianna/Gragas mid for the ult cohesion of your team. 

That being said, if you're not that great with a champion whose ult would mesh well with a team comp, don't play it. It's better to play a champion you can play well than one you can't. 

 

3) The end of pick/ban phase

This one is fairly simple, so I'll keep it short. Basically, be encouraging. Don't be rude or negative because you didn't get the role/ban you wanted. Say something along the lines of 'Good luck guys! Let's go win this game!' 

 

Thanks again for reading this, and if you want to comment/discuss anything here, I both encourage and welcome it!