Adjusting to the Preseason

This time every year can be a cause for a lot of stress; struggling to make that last push in ranked before the end of the season, the end of warm weather, maybe your favorite champion didn’t get a Harrowing skin, and of course the foreboding presence of next year’s competitive season. Preseason is the time between the competitive seasons during which Riot utilizes to really push forward big, new, and often times jarring changes. Sometimes these changes can be so big League feels like a different game with similar pieces.

These big changes can be very daunting especially for new players who just finished acclimating to the game as it is, but there are some things you can do to quell your fears and help you face the new season head-on and stomp your less prepared competitors.

Read ALL the Things!
In late October and the first week of November, Riot will start posting on the forums their plans for preseason changes and, shortly after, ship them to the PBE (Public Beta Environment) for testing. By keeping up on posts and reading about the changes before they go to the live servers you will be more informed and as we know from GI Joe, knowledge is power!

Knowing all the changes is good, however, knowing the reason behind each change is even more valuable. Sometimes having insight as to why an aspect was changed will tip you off to new possible weaknesses. It could also give you an idea of how likely the change is to stay in place and thus how much time you should dedicate to playing with the change.

 

You’re Never too Old for Bots

Once you’ve read all you can and the preseason officially begins, don’t jump right into ranked expecting to play just like last year. Odds are even if you know all the changes it will still feel too different to properly play competitively. Instead, get a few friends together and start up some custom games and/or play against some beginner/intermediate bots to help you acclimate. Your goal isn’t to win, it’s to familiarize yourself with each change and its impact on the game.

You learn through doing but your research beforehand will give you a much quicker grasp of what new items you’ll probably want and maybe some new strategies to try out. The more games you spend fully experimenting with builds and exploring new features the better off you’ll be when putting them in practice against other players.

 

Keep Scratching your Competitive Itch
When you’re well-read and the bot slaughter is over you’ll probably be left wanting again. Before long, you’ll miss the raw pitting of skills and intellect against other players and want to hop back into the ranked scene. That’s okay! Do it! Odds are by now you’re more prepared than most others in the ranked queues which should give you the edge over those too hasty to learn the game changes.

You might be thinking, “The competitive season is over! With ranked ladders being reset before next season why would I play ranked?” Aside from satisfying your own competitive side, there is still a very real reason to continue ranked play: accuracy. Even though your standings on the ranked ladder may be reset, your MMR will stay put and fluctuate with each game. Riot Magus hopped on the forums at the end of last season to provide players with an FAQ pertaining to ranked games during this time.

Their concise answer to the question was:
“Let's be clear: these games still matter. The reset at the beginning of next season isn't a hard reset. You'll be reset to a position relative to your current skill so that the first few weeks of ranked play isn't Diamond players crushing less-skilled players. Since your skill and standing will still be on the move during preseason, these games will have an impact on where you start for your placement matches next season.”

The preseason can cause a lot of grief, but the best way to combat it is to be prepared! Knowing what’s new and how it influences the game and getting practice in ahead of time will save you a lot of frustration and give you a good early start to the next season. It’s important to remember that it takes time to adjust to so many big changes but following these guidelines will help make the transition from season to season a seamless one.