The Five Kinds of Teammates We Dread in Ranked

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It's not easy to take on ranked and win - but sometimes the biggest enemy is on our own side (Image Credit: Riot Games)

Life and League aren’t always fair, and there are some players in our ranked games who seem to exist to prove this point. Here's our top 5.

Ranked play is always a thrill - a chance to prove to yourself (and others) just how good you are at this game as you try to go ever upward. Yet League is a team game and everyone who has played it knows the feeling of having teammates that are not particularly supportive. With the ranked season ending soon, it’s quite likely you will meet a few of those, so it’s best to be prepared for a rough game.

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They know best. Image credit: Riot Games

The Wannabe Challenger

This player knows how the game is played. They’ve watched the pro matches, know all the guides and win rates, and know all about the macro plays. They will expect everyone to know them and follow them. When you are playing in Gold, however, there are a few small problems: first, they can’t execute on these moves, and second, everyone else is not on the same page.

Most of the team will in fact have no idea why Leona just went into five people rather than protecting the rest of the team as they try to burst dragon. What is a great idea when there are five people following the plan becomes a disaster when someone does it alone - and then proceeds to blame their teammates? It usually goes downhill from there.

The “FF Now Please”

This player is just sure that the game is done after one bad fight. Sure, there are games that are nearly unwinnable, but this guy or girl just decides that, welp, your team is 2K gold behind at 15 minutes, so it’s “GG go next”. When the inevitable surrender vote fails, proceeds to get indignant and uncooperative, or just goes AFK. Naturally, when this decides the game far more than a single teamfight ever could, it’s your fault for not appreciating their genius.

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You will pay for your sins. (Image credit: Riot Games)

The Punisher

Maybe someone pinged them missing the smite on the dragon. Maybe it was the last game. Maybe they just failed their promo and someone mentioned their own promo in chat. Either way, this is the player who is losing this game for you and it’s your fault. Buttering up can help but it’s not guaranteed to. Expect anything from “next time don’t pick X” to a novella in all chat about how you all suck to dancing around an enemy champion and a faux indignant “But I thought we were friends” in all chat when they get killed.

The AFKer

Sure, League has a degree of AFK protection with the Remake system, but we have all seen it fail. This is even worse with a player who goes away in the middle of the game, bypassing the remake system altogether. Maybe they have a good reason. Most likely they do not. Either way, you are almost certainly losing this game.

The Skill Gapped

The type that is the source of all the “Our Yasuo / Their Yasuo” memes - or the equivalent for other champions. It’s normal that not all players will be on the same level, but every now and then, someone isn’t - and when they get their off role or play a bad matchup, it becomes a tragedy. This is the player who doesn’t lose gracefully. They get frustrated and become an all-you-can-eat buffet for their lane opponent and anyone in the vicinity, dooming any jungler or roaming laner who comes their way.

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