Your First Ranked Games — How to Not Ruin Everyone's Experience

Before you play your first ranked game, make sure you have:

1. At least 30 casual games played. You need to understand the basics before you play ranked.
2. At least 2 heroes you're comfortable with in your main role. Your main might get banned or picked.
3. At least 1 hero you can play in every other role. You won't always get your main role.
4. A basic understanding of all 5 roles. You need to know what your teammates are supposed to be doing.
5. The right mindset. Ranked is about improving, not about winning every game. You will lose. That's okay.

If you queue for ranked without these, you're going to have a bad time — and so will your teammates.

The draft phase (banning and picking champions) is part of the game. Here's how to not mess it up:

• Show your preferred role in the pre-game lobby. If someone else wants the same role, be flexible.
• Ban meta champions if you're the ban captain. Ying, Marco Polo, and Lapulapu are safe bans.
• Don't first-pick a champion with hard counters. If you pick Luban No.7 first, the enemy will pick Ying and you'll have a bad game.
• Communicate. Use the quick chat to say which role you want. "I'll play mid" is better than silence.