League of Legends - Let's talk ELO hell...

If you ask anyone who is relatively high elo, people who make videos about league of Legends, commentators and even Rioters if ELO hell exists; they all say it doesn't exist.

I was talking to GG.Infinitus about how ELO hell doesn't exist but it does in a sense; but in an exact opposite way. The most classic reasoning behind believing ELO hell exists is "No matter how well I play, I could go 10-0 I will still lose because of my team mates" This reasoning is wrong but is the exact reason why 'elo hell' effects some people.

ELO hell isn't alive because of ELO being used as a 1v1 algorithm it exists because of players mindsets and lack of responsibility. The very complaint that ELO hell exists is probably what's keeping them low ELO in the first place. Understand? Well let me explain a little further...

If you go to LOLKing, or ELO Buff take a look at KDR for your score. If you go positive you win around 50%+ more of them time and you lose when you go negative. Obviously there are exceptions; but typically you will usually win if you go positive and usually lose if you go negative. So now that we've got that myth out of the way, let's discuss trolls.

A common belief is that even if they play amazingly some mega-troll is going to ruin the game for them and cost them the game. Stop.

Let's assume you are 100% not the reason why you are losing, you are a god-tier LoL player who is just stuck in 'elo-hell' if anything, you should be getting more free wins than you are free losses; statistically speaking this troll has a 56% chance of being on the enemy team and only a 44% chance of being on your team; basically if your complaint is it's the trolls reason you lose and you are the best player on your team but trolls ruin your elo, you are wrong or a liar; because you should be winning 56% of the time which will be a steady increase of ELO over time and eventually get out of this so-called ELO Hell.

But now that I have broken the theory of ELO hell with basic math; let's talk about how to better yourself, not be one of these ELO-Hell irrational whiners and how to get better at the game you love.

First things first is clear your head. Accept some responsibility for went wrong that well. If you lost and the whole game you were raging at your team and not thinking about how you can improve; you don't deserve the ELO hell.

I believe Starcraft 2 is a great example of self-betterment as it's 1v1 ladder forces you to accept that it is your fault you lost, you were not as good as your opponent and you need to get better to deserve more ladder points.

League works in the exact same way except from it's disguised in a team game. Yes it is still 5v5 but Solo Queue tests your ability as a player to work with what you have and to come out on top despite all of the odds.

This is why pro-players consistently place high-elo season after season and why the people who complain about ELO hell will never rise above Gold.

Be a better player, take responsibility for what you did badly, and gain some ELO.

-DI