One of the most common questions we receive in support is how to NOT get reported, especially while dealing with the challenges of Ranked Play.
Tl;dr, the best way to avoid getting reported is to prevent disruptive situations from ever occurring. There’s a twofold method to our madness:
- Players have more fun in a friendly environment.
- Teams free of negative behavior win more games! (And who doesn’t love to win?)
But taking care of your own emotional state is only half the battle. What can you do when someone else starts acting poorly? Is it even your responsibility? Why should you even care?
When you start to feel the creep of irritation, it's important to remember Baron Nashor. He's strong. He's intimidating. Most importantly, he doesn't have a team by his side. When tilt sets in, it can be easy to idolize this lone wolf...err, lone monster. However, look at what happens to Baron when a team works together to take him down. Regardless of skill or rank, it's always easier to take down your enemies when you work together, rather than against one another
The goal here is to take down the (metaphorical) objectives and win more games as a result! Hopefully the ideas below will help you prepare for the task ahead:
The Power of Patience
There could be several situations where surrender may be the wisest option, but more often than not, surrender occurs because a team has lost the will to persevere. While a quick victory can be immensely satisfying, a game’s outcome cannot be predicted at first blood. Take a deep breath and try to rally your troops before waving the white flag. There’s nothing quite like a come-from-behind victory.
Temper Your Expectations
Luck can only take you so far, and victory cannot be achieved just by showing up to the Rift. Winning takes a lot of work and coordination, and you are just as likely to get cooperative teammates as your opponents. Try your best to win every game you play, but don't expect it to turn out that way every time.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
Every team has different strengths and weaknesses, and it can be counterproductive to stick to a specific play style or strategy after the champions are locked in. To paraphrase Charles Darwin, it is not the strongest that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.
Better Together
Our statistics show the likelihood of winning decreases by roughly 10% for each disruptive player on any given team. But don’t be discouraged! The chance to win increases significantly with each positive person on the team. Being that pillar of tilt-proof strength is often the difference between victory and defeat.
As human beings, we are often quick to judge but slow to praise, especially when it comes to strangers. Try turning that around – highlight your teammates achievements in-game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game changing moment or a minor victory, words of encouragement can have a far greater impact on the outcome of the game than any critique ever could (we promise). Besides, you are nearly twice as likely to avoid getting reported while engaging in positive reinforcement!
The Perils of Peer Pressure
Everyone has had a bad game. We bet you can recall a few times where everything went wrong (your team is outmatched, your enemies have Baron, you’re down in gold…you get the gist). It’s pretty likely that in those situations, team morale was at an all time low. And just as all hope seemed lost...inevitably someone says something unkind. Talk about twisting the Noxian knife!
Statistics show that people perform consistently WORSE under pressure. Losing a lane is already stressful enough without adding more negativity to the situation, so show some empathy and buff your teammate.
Make Morale a Main Objective
Enduring the frustration of your teammates can often lead to your own in-game irritation. Let's say a lane is at a disadvantage because a player gave up a few early kills. That player is probably really frustrated because they feel like they’re dragging down the whole team. The worst thing to do in that moment is scold them. Instead, try finding out what resulted in those early losses and, as a team, orchestrate solutions!
Did the lane get ganked by a jungler? Ward the lane for them. Did the lane get pushed directly? Gank the enemy champion. You might spend 75 or 100 gold on a ward, miss a wave or maybe even give up your own tower, but you will help the struggling element of your team catch up, and most importantly, relieve some of the natural stress that comes from losing a lane. Remember, of all the resources in the game, your team's morale is the one you cannot afford to lose!
Stand Strong
Let's be honest, situations where the teams are uneven (due to a summoner leaving the game, for example) suck. That is why we have a Leaverbuster system implemented to punish leaves, alongside after-game reports.
Frustrating as it may be, a 4v5 situation is not necessarily an automatic defeat. The person who dropped out might experience an intermittent connection issue and could return shortly. Here are some tactics that you can employ in the meantime:
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Contest objectives:
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You may experience more lane pressure, so you’ll need to catch up in gold quickly. Force your opponent to fight at objectives rather than pushing your towers. This way, you control the battlefield!
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Ward your jungle:
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This helps set up ganks if the opposition is pushing all lanes equally. Alternatively, this will help you dictate engagement if the enemy team does not have the vision in your jungle.
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Engage on your own terms:
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Attacking an enemy from a position where they lack vision will help enormously with target focus and dealing an extra chunk of damage in a pinch.
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Kill the carries first:
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Even if you are unable to win a straight up team fight, you can still catch the Marksman/AD carry on their own, which will slow the enemy push considerably (and buy time for your teammate to reconnect).
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Don’t be that guy:
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Remember. Opponents can’t see disconnection messages on your team, so DO NOT BE THAT GUY!
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- Never give up, never surrender:
- Perhaps you won't win this game, and like we said before, surrender can be the right option. However, if you end the game with a positive outlook, your opponents will know that brave champions stood united, unfazed by overwhelming odds.
Other Valuable Resources
- Tilt Test
- Everybody tilts, but knowing how you tilt and how to overcome the side-effects of a rough gaming session can be the difference between being a team player and just being upset. Not sure how to overcome a hardcore tilt? Check out our Tilt Type test here.
- Teamwork OP
- An amazing video with in-depth breakdown of positive behavior and its impact!
- Click here for the video!
- Tactical Teamfight (Courtesy of Cinderhelm)