How to Win Ranked Games

League of Legends is a difficult game, especially when you have no way of verbally communicating with your team. Thus I have made a short and simple guide on how to improve your soloqueue gameplay so we can all start winning more games and have more fun!

Every game starts with picks and bans, therefore, this is where we have to start trying to win. Talk to your team and have them try to figure out what a good team composition would be (for example, a poke comp or an all-in comp). Try to pick one that everybody on your team feels comfortable with, then ban whatever would counter it. If you’re first pick, make sure you don’t pick a champion that the enemy team can easily counter. An example would be Katarina, who is very easy countered as her ult can be stopped by any form of crowd control). If you are last pick or close to last pick, find a champion that goes with the team composition that has already been established. Make sure your team has a good amount of both AP/AD champions and having some crowd control (stuns, slows, etc.) is helpful too.

Make sure you pick a champion and role that you are comfortable with. It’s not always possible to get your desired role in every game. So before you get into a soloqueue game, make sure you have at least two champions that you are capable of playing for each role. If there is a role you aren’t comfortable with playing, practise it in some normals first. There is a chance you could be stuck with your least played role in a ranked game and it’s not fair to bring your team down.

Teamwork is one of the most important components of winning a soloqueue game. With this in mind, communication and attitude is key. Since there is no in-game voice chat, make sure you type out buff timers and dragon/baron timers so everybody knows when to expect the jungle to be up. Also communicate who on the enemy team has their ult or summoners up. Using the pings is also a very quick and easy way to communicate with your team about what is going on in your lane or in the jungle. Make sure you congratulate your team members when they make a good play. This keeps morale up and makes your team want to keep doing well. Arguing teams lose much more often than teams that get along well, so keep a good attitude within your team!

Sometimes games look like they can’t be won. This isn’t true. Anything can happen. My main advice is don’t give up. If you resign yourself to the fact that you are going to lose, the game becomes that much harder to win. Keep an “I can do this” attitude and keep the morale on your team up. Try to figure out how you can turn the game around and do what you need to do to make a comeback.

In each game you enter, look at how you can improve your gameplay. Try to figure out what you personally are doing wrong and how you can do it better. This can range from changing what items you purchase to your in-game mechanics. If you aren’t quite sure what you should be doing at a given time, make sure to ask your teammates. They are usually more than happy to help you out.

Just remember, everybody just wants to win. So when you queue up for a solo ranked game, make sure you are ready to try your hardest. Communication and determination are key to a successful and fun game.

Happy summoning!