Hello there!

I’m JayKay, a normal Heroes of the Storm player and enthusiast just like all of you! Also like you, I have thoughts, opinions, and stories that I’d like to share with the Heroes community in hopefully an informative and fun way. That’s why I’m here today to introduce my first blog entry in a series that I am calling: “The Ordinary Platinum Pleb.” (O.P.P.)



Background:

I’d prefer to preface this publication by pinpointing the precise period I plunged in to Heroes of the Storm due to persuasive peer pressure in the fall of 2015. My Preseason preliminary participation placed me Rank 16 and with proper practice and persistence, my prior placements put me at Platinum 5. Since then, I’ve been perpetually Poppin’ Pustules in the purgatory pit of Platinum permanently puzzled by my past and present performances.





I primarily play solo lane/bruiser protagonists in Hero League, my team in Team League, and local tournaments. My popular picks comprise of Blaze, Tyrael, Malthael, Thrall, Zarya, Artanis, Yrel, and Leoric. Periodically, I pop to the flex position with Tassadar, Medivh, or Hanzo.



In simple English:

(Some background of mine in HotS: I’ve been playing HotS since the fall of 2015. In the preseason, I was rank 16 and placed in Platinum 5 the first official season and have been virtually in Platinum every season since. I primarily play solo lane heroes (especially for my team in Team League and events). I typically play the solo lane or flex position. )



Phew! I affectionately apologize for all the accidental alliteration. I appreciate your commitment to reading this assessment. It shouldn’t happen again. On to the blog entry:



The P’s of Playing in Platinum

Let me start by saying I’ve extremely enjoyed my time playing Heroes of the Storm. I find the game fun, enjoyable, fast paced, and nostalgic all in one. I view it as a refreshing take on the current MOBA genre. I've dabbled in League of Legends in the past, but it didn’t hold my attention the way HotS has. Almost three years later since I’ve started HotS, I’ve learned so much about the game and have come to appreciate the mastery knowledge that is possible in a game like Heroes yet love the simplicity it takes to dive in.



As a Platinum ranked player, I’ve come to realize that I’m basically right in the middle of the pack when it comes to the Heroes of the Storm ranked ladder. Yes, I know, there are ranks below Platinum. From a community perspective though, it “feels” like all of the aspiring high level players are at the Platinum rank flaming, blaming, and shaming all who are in their path to Master/Grandmaster rank stardom. While we’ve all had those moments of frustration with our teammates, we can all learn from our experiences. Because of these experiences in Platinum for so many seasons, I believe I’ve pinned down five traits that sum up what perennial Platinum players (Plats) in Heroes of the Storm can work on to personally climb out of Platinum which I’m calling: “The P’s of Playing in Platinum.”



Performance

When we think of performing in HotS, there a few general skills that are needed to play the game at a high level. Many players will debate all of the skills needed to progress in rank, but from the OPP perspective, we can boil down the proficiencies needed to a few overarching types:

Micro – Mechanical movement, positioning, reaction time, team/enemy cooldown monitoring, etc. Macro – Map and objective knowledge, camp timings, mini-map awareness, etc. Meta – General Hero power levels, typical/standard Hero talent builds, common draft compositions, general strategies, win conditions, etc.

I will be the first to admit I am not great at most of these skills (hence the Platinum ranking). My experiences in Platinum also tell me that my past teammates and foes are proficient in one or two of the techniques but lacking a third. Lots of players I’ve crossed have excellent micro management of their heroes but fail to see the broader picture that the only way to win is kill the core in any way possible. Other players have superb macro shot calls and map awareness but struggle with their hero and get lost in team fights.

Personally, I would say I’m average at Mechanical and Macro and above average/great at the Meta. I know how to stutter step decently, watch for important cooldowns during a fight, and know what it typically takes to win the different maps. I check statistics on HotsLogs, read the HotS sub-reddit daily (isn't this what everyone does at work anyway?), and watch pro games when I can.





However, as I’m now in my mid 30’s, Father Time the Keeper of Time seems she casts Slowing Sands directly on my computer chair as I can feel my reaction times coming to a crawl. My positioning suffers, my mini-map awareness declines, and I suffer from the dreaded tunnel vision - which I like to think of as laser focus. After so many years of LAN parties of Quake and Halo in my late teens/early 20’s and CoD/Battlefield/Gears of War in my mid/late 20’s, these games have taken a toll on my mechanical skills which continue to regress.



P erception

The trait that seems to be noticed the most in Platinum games is the pompous perception Plats have of themselves. Platinum rank is a breeding ground for high egos and salty slander. Some would call this group the entitled g eneration who believes they should be in mid-Masters. Instead of focusing on the current game at hand and attempting to get better each game and every day, these players throw blame and leave a trail of flames in the wake of their teammates. I just don’t grasp why these people think they are better than me. Don’t these Plats understand they are all holding me back from my true rank?



Positivity

Possibly the most controversial characteristic in the Platinum ranks. We all have bad days. We all have bad games. Stuff happens. But for some reason, the melting pot of piss poor pessimism converges right in the center of the proverbial Platinum hurricane. If you venture far enough from the eye of Hurricane Platinum in either direction, the flaming waters fizzle out and the gale force winds slow to a breeze.



I will fully admit, I can be a negative Nova. (Note: I never play Nova. Such a troll pick ;) ) I’d write long winded sentences calling out terrible plays explaining to the team what should have happened instead of what we should do now. However, I would be the first to call out a bad play by myself and ask for forgiveness in chat. All I asked was for my teammates to do the same. I felt because I took the time to call out my errors, my teammates should as well. Is that too much to ask? I’ve learned it actually is, but it’s my fault for expecting so much. Better to forgive and move on than to hold a useless grudge.



Being positive in Platinum can be difficult. As stated above, Plats have certain skills that are at Diamond or above but others that are gold or below. This creates this awkward paradox where Plats either are mechanically gifted or know too much about the game, but rarely both. I confess I’m the latter; I see how pro games unfold and expect that type of experience in Platinum. Again, I’m asking a lot of everyone involved instead of just enjoying my games and getting better personally.

Patience

As the common saying goes, "Patience is a Virtue". I think of patience as the unnecessary "finish your vegetables and you can have dessert" phrase parents give to their children at dinner time. As I was once a child myself, I know you're going to give me my cookie, so why not just give it to me now? Ugh.... parents.





Regardless of my views and desire for post-dinner cookies, patience is a true balancing act. There are times Plats are playing with their keyboard on fire. They force fights just for the sake of fighting with no benefit to gain, secure that first blood in mid lane when the game starts while other team soaks, rush a vehicle objective right down the middle with no backup, or capture a camp too early for the objective (see Performance>>Macro). I fall in to this category. My guilty pleasures are kamikaze missions to secure an objective or steal the boss 1v5. I could smartly surrender and defend the objective, but it’s about sending a message: "you're not coming to our house and stealing our cookies!"



Of course, there is a flip side to being impatient; the Ying to my Yang, if you will. That is being too patient or cautious. There exists a group of Plats that enjoy taking the road frequently traveled, safe, and predictable. Whether it’s from constant reminders from teammates or numerous community websites that preach “Play safe! Don’t Di e!”, these Plats know that extreme patience is truly the virtue. They are willing to risk a loss from being gun-shy rather than being the troll of recklessness. Their strengths of restraint are only undone by their fear to fail and the subsequent learning from their mistakes. "You can't get caught with your hand in the cookie jar if you don't try!"



I wish I was more risk averse when playing HotS though. It could probably help me become a better player. But you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right? Or maybe I should have taken the time to finish my vegetables and then I wouldn't be hungry for the cookie? Either way, patience is one of those skills that Plats must learn to make perfectly balanced, as all things should be.



Perseverance

Perseverance is a sign of true dedication and progress. If you put in the time, you will see some form of reward. That’s the thinking anyway. Plats need to understand it may take hundreds if not a thousand games and a necessary mind shift in mentality to reach their personal goals. This isn’t just about grinding games to get results. Plats must learn from their mistakes, practice mastery, maybe watch some of your replays, keep a practical open mind during all phases of the game, and translate that to future success. Taking care of your body is also a good strategy as it keeps a clear mind and a positive attitude.





The biggest thing I can recommend to endure the grind, is Recognize Early Signs of Tilt or REST. We each have our own tolerances to tilt. For me, I have to set schedule and set aside time where I can play HotS. When I'm playing during those times, it's hard for me to walk away from HL games when I can only fit a handful in every week. But trust me on this - REST and wind down.



Like most working adults, I juggle my daily life to make time for HotS. My wife and I have recently had our first child (spoiler: possible future blog entry) which is taking up all of our time. I enjoy my job enough where I like to devote hours to perfecting my craft even though I know it could be spent cursing at my teammates in HL. What keeps me sane is my weekly TL practices with my team that truly keeps me enjoying the game and motivated to play. While time is not on my side for grinding the ranks, I'm happy with the progress I have made. I know I may never climb, but I've appreciated my experiences in Heroes of the Storm so much that I’ll continue to play and plug away by grinding up the proverbial Platinum Perdition of Pestilence.Thanks for your time and good luck on the ladder!