The Abyss Of Elo Hell

Posted by: Serge Gaidamaka

Elo hell.

We have all experienced this place at one point or another, With the constant feeders, afk's, ragers, dc'ers, and my favorite - the troll Evelynn pick. Many of those who are in this supposed hell are stuck and don't understand the proper means of getting out. Often we see players complaining that even when they dominate their lane, it's not enough to win the game seeing as you cannot carry 1v5. Others are frustrated with the repetition of bad teammates, people disconnecting mid game, or those lovely trolls picking Evelynn and running revive/teleport summoner spells.

Many times, I have heard someone saying they do not belong in their elo. They dominate their lane every game, and always go positive. Even when they have completely shut down their opponent in lane and are fed, they still cannot win due to bad teammate(s).

Let me say this: you do not carry yourself out of this hell by winning your lane and having a high personal score. This occured to me when I was in a solo que game, played brand mid and went 18-2-15:
 

or my 17-4-8 score as caitlyn: 
 

So if completely dominating your lane is not enough to win the game, how do so many players climb out of the 1200s and move onto 1300+?

1900's elo player NinjaChurch claims, " You must have an infinite amount of patience - have patience and you will reach your goal". Being patient with your teammates and keeping your cool when they are doing something wrong as well as when your games are going bad is a critical point. Do NOT let ranked frustrate you and get the worst of you, If you wish to go up then you must be dedicated and stick with it.

Aside from that, here are three tips that come together to create a strong player.

Farm: The biggest difference between a 1500's player and a 1800s player is the capability to farm. Players in low elo will get roughly 80% of the incoming creep, whereas the higher ranks are farming 90% or higher. In terms of money, a kill is roughly worth 20 creep, so if you are behind in kills but have a higher creep score then you are in good terms. Having more money is a very big advantage. It is not just to get your ideal build faster, it's to have the leisure of affording wards. A rule of thumb is to have enough left over money when you recall to afford 1 ward every time before going back in lane.

Decisions: A strong player will analyze the current situation quickly, decide what action to take, and execute. If you want to win the game, you must know when to push your lane, when to leave and shop, when to go gank, and most imporantly when to initiate. You are matched up with 4 random players, sometimes 3 if you are in a duo que. Of course the team chemistry / coordination will not be there, but you do have the same disadvantage as the opposing team. The player who is able to lead his team by deciding when to go kill dragon, baron, split push, or initiate a fight, is the one who will carry himself out of elo hell. Most teammates tend to run around waiting for someone to make a call on where to go. If you are the one to say, " Hey look, there ad carry is farming top, let's force dragon right now and make them fight us for it 4v5 " - small communication like that will lead your team to win important battles.

Knowledge: I hate to sound cheesy but knowing really IS half the battle. Many players follow a routine build no matter what game they are in. This is very wrong! You have to know what items counter your opponent. Every game is a different situation and you must alter your build accordingly. More important then that is, you must tell your team mates what to build. Saying something as obvious as " Hey guys, their team is 3/5's ap, make sure everyone gets a banshee's veil or some form of magic resistance" will win you the game. Along with knowing what to build, you must know your opponents abilities. You need to know which champs you can beat pre-level 6, how long there cooldowns are, how there ult works, when you can go in to exchange damage, there weakness' and strengths.

As I said these three work together:

1.  You cannot farm well if you are not able to decide whether to last hit or harrass your opponent. You need knowledge of your opponent to know which is best.
2.  You cannot make good decisions if you are behind in items due to lack of farm. You need knowledge to know how effective you can be with the items you currently have.
3.  You cannot WIN the game with knowledge alone - you might know exactly what to do, but if you do not farm well or make good decisions you WILL lose.

These are three strong abilities that once you take the time to master will help you rise in elo. Unfortunately, though, anything under 1400 elo is considered hell and there are a handful of great players who are stuck there due to disconnecting or severely unskilled teammates.

When I asked 2.1k solo que player " The Silent Rogue ", who recently name changed to "Nidalee", what separates low elo players from high elo, he answered my question in just one word:"Luck. "

My last word of advice to summoners is to take your time. There is no rush to go do solo que ranked and I strongly recommend you have at least 500 normal wins, or you WILL get stuck in elo hell and have a heck of a time getting out.

For those of you who are already there I hope this will shed some light into your hell and you are able to reach the elo you truly deserve to be at.

Good luck summoners!