With the season ending, it seems fitting to write a list of pointers that will help the masses win more games in solo queue. This isn’t an article where you can read it and jump 3 divisions, but an article to change the attitude and direction of how many people approach games. While most of this information has been regurgitated at one point or another in some shape or form, the points I list are mainly very broad points that people can work on over time to become a better player. If you adhere to these guidelines, I guarantee you will get significantly better at League of Legends, or any team oriented activity for that matter.

1) Play more roles. I can’t stress this enough. Every solo queue regular understands the pain of entering champion select and having first, second, third, fourth, and fifth pick all call out for mid lane. Rather than risk this scenario every game and have 4 people on roles they aren’t comfortable with, it is much better to learn a new role so you can prevent this situation from happening. The end goal will be an increased win rate since now at most only 3 people will be failures.

2) Compromise. This is probably the single most important word related to winning games in solo queue. If you are not an LCS star who only mains one role, then you won’t be getting the role of your choice every game. This means that there will be many games where multiple people will be similarly skilled and also prefer the same role. You cannot control your teammates,but you can choose how to deal with the situations you are given. The team dynamic will be much better when you let your teammates play the role they prefer as they will be more forgiving and also easier to work with. I have played many games where one death results in an instant loss because the entire team becomes jaded when the first thing goes wrong. This is a sad reality of solo queue, and the chances of this happening is decreased when you give people what they want.

3) Communication. Whether you are in bronze, silver, or challenger, communication is a skill that can be utilized effectively in all levels of play. Whether you are pinging an MIA or trying to lead your team to do an objective together, relaying information to your teammates will often lead to better team play and execution.

4) Be humble. This is probably the biggest roadblock to players who are looking to improve themselves. Often the case is because these players think that they have nothing to improve. This mentality is terrible, and is indicative of much bigger problems. If every bronze and silver player knew all of their mistakes, they would naturally get better over time and advance a few divisions. This does not happen because everyone loves to play the blame game. Rather than blame others, you should learn to take all the blame. “I shouldn’t have _______ knowing that my teammate did ________” is a pretty general statement that can cover skirmishes, ganks, barons, dragons, initiates, and tower dives that work off of a teammate’s misplay. You can’t do anything about your teammate misplay, but you can do something about your own play.

5) Forward thinking. Accept, move on. Chances are the majority of terrible plays you see in game are not made with the intent to make a horrible play. Things did not go as planned, and adding fuel to the fire is only going to make your chances of winning the game worse. Relax, accept that your teammate sucks, and try to win the game. Anything negative you say will also negatively impact your chances of winning the game. Don’t dwell on the past, think about the future.

Rather than giving random solo queue tips for certain roles, I have bestowed upon you the gift of teamwork and cooperation. If you adopt everything I stated above I guarantee that you will become a significantly better League of Legends player than you are now.