Advice for my Upcoming Gatekeep Matches Tonight

Hey Guys,

Currently at my season high about to breech into gold (high 1800s). I’m not stupid. MM system will attempt to de-rank me tonight. I was above 1900 and know a series of <40% chance of win games are planned for me in my upcoming queues tonight (gatekeepers). About the next 10-15 matches will be a freaking nightmare. I’m smart enough to pick up the evidence since I was matched with a 5 dps, no voice, completely troll-pick team just before I quit last night (dipping me back into 1800s). So I know that tonight is going to be one of those nights where I spike the nearest eletronic device.

Any advice how I should proceed with my matches tonight? How do you win your games when you’re up against the toughest odds? What are you strategies?

I’ve found using LFG, finding the smurf/carry in the enemy 6stack and making their life complete hell… generally works quite well. But not always if the other team has 2 carry picks. It is a bit harder. For example, last night I was matched against a 4 + 2 stack after 4+ wins in a row followed by a 7min queue time resulting in 1 high gold player on each stack (2 smurfs) that completely rolfstomped my low silver LFG team.

You need to be playing like the rank you want to be before you achieve the rank you want to be.

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do not lay down mid match, good luck

Advice: Stop thinking like that. (Unless you’re a fan of self-fulfilling prophecies.)

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I’m not naive. It’s how you play with the hand you’re given which makes truly skilled player. For example, a good poker player can be dealt a terrible hand and still win with a good bluff or mind game on their opponents.

I realize my skill is probably Silver. Getting into Gold and staying there as a Silver skilled player is not impossible if I play my hand correctly. It’s all about playing smart with the team I’ve been dealt, even if odds are against me.

Blizz developers have explicitly stated the MM can match you with a below optimal chance per win. Therefore, the MM explicitly riggs your matches whther you agree or not. You’re chance of winning near tier upgrade will be below 50%. It’s how you play to beat those odds that makes you a skilled player.

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Here’s what’s going to happen. If you have played well enough in your past 10 matches or so for the matchmaker to approve you to get into gold tier then you’ll make it. If you haven’t then you will have around 25% chance of winning which is basically a forced loss.

However, if you group with people it will make it more difficult for the matchmaker to create a rigged match and you could make it into gold tier. The bad news is, right after you stop grouping the matchmaker will put you on a loss streak right back down to silver.

Lol. This is so sad, but true. I’ve been playing this game long enough to call it from a mile away. I could literally bet my life savings on it.

What kind of Mr. Miyagi crap is this.

Be the play-maker.

If you aren’t able to be the play-maker at your current rank, you don’t deserve to be in a higher rank.

As far as tips go:

  • Never flex to a character you can’t play
  • Try keep your main tank alive
  • Always have an escape plan
  • The longer you stay alive, the better the position you are in to improve your team’s chances of winning

Give up all hope of climbing. Play for the fun of the game. Accept that there are competitive players that aren’t of a competitive mindset and try to play to compensate for them.

I, personally, can’t accomplish this. Still trying.

^ True this part, but I take solace in the fact that there is 1 more slot on the enemy team likely to have this type of person, because I will be fighting every step of the way. If that other slot on the enemy team is that non-competitive type person, they are going to be utterly rolled.

High Silver is a bear to climb out of. Best advice I have is stay positive no matter what happens or what the team picks, just try to run with it. If you can, play your strongest hero so you can have the best impact. Communicate with whoever is in vc and try to combo ults and pushes. Use your ults wisely. Retreat when the fight is lost so at the very least you don’t stagger yourself. The fewer deaths the better you’ll perform so even if it is a loss shouldn’t be too bad. Stay alive and help keep the main tank alive. If they die your team will die too.

You can’t control what your teammates will do or who they will play. So don’t get all tilted if they pick dumb or trickle in. Try to get them to group up and work with what you do have. If you guys don’t have someone shot calling, be that person. If someone is calling shots, you’re much more likely to get follow up.

LFG might be a good option to as at the very least you’ll have people who can fill roles. But you’ll also face more coordinated teams in return.

You will fall. Statistically people lose their gatekeeper matches. Don’t get too upset. Realize you can always play another game, because eventually you’re going to recognize this game is rigged to create a thrill, regardless of who it hurts doing it.

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Why do you and a lot of other people here act like tourists and don’t take control of your own destiny?

You would already be carrying half your matches if you belonged higher, but you make it sound like it is all out of your control?

If you feel like it is out of your control now, how do you expect to cope when the competition is even 200 SR harder?

You will know when you deserve to be higher because you will be like “is this ez mode?”

If you aren’t getting that feeling now, you are where you belong.

See Bronze - Sliver - Gold ranking guide, especially the psychology section.

Is the matchmaker specifically trying to de-rank you? Or could it be possible that the games get harder as your SR increases? If you’re playing at a rank higher than normal, it makes sense that games would be harder to win, and so you’re less likely to win.

Advice: Stop thinking like that. (Unless you’re a fan of self-fulfilling prophecies.)

THIS a thousand times over, so many people just refuse to accept that a good mindset is 50% of what makes a good player.

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Then respect your team mates, don’t yell at them just because they don’t pick what you want and don’t get frustrated at them. Tilt is what gets you the loss, not the team composition. If you can focus on how to play with your team, and what works with them, rather than thinking about what else it could be, you’re significantly more likely to win.

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Could not agree more. A lot of people watch OWL or other organized play and assume that applies directly to solo Q, when in fact its the opposite.

Solo Q comp rewards REACTIVE play, not EXPECTANT play.

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How does this work from a logical point of view?

SOMEONE has to win those games.