Yegg Wrote:Summoners!

Ranked Games are about trying hard and competing to the best of your ability. Meanwhile, Free-to-Play champions let you try out a new champion and see if you like it. These are really conflicting goals, so we wanted to investigate disabling the Free-to-Play rotation for Ranked Solo/Duo Queue.

We found some interesting statistics:

If a player on your team is fielding a champion he doesn’t own, you’re 8% more likely to lose the game.
A teammate fielding a champion he doesn’t own is 62% more likely to leave the game.
If a player in your game is fielding a champion he doesn’t own, the game is 34% more likely to result in a player being reported.


That’s a big deal in such a competitive environment, so we’re making a change to keep the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue as competitive as possible. We’re removing the option to select champions you haven’t unlocked in the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue as of May 22nd. If you have a champion unlocked and it’s on the Free-to-Play rotation, you can still play that champion.

We’re leaving the Free-to-Play rotation intact for Normal Games because they fit with the spirit of Free-to-Play champions. In Ranked Teams, your teammates should already be aware of your intentions to play a champion you don’t own, so we want to leave you that option.

FenixR Wrote:Too bad swaping champs will be a little more difficult.

FenixR Wrote:Too bad swaping champs will be a little more difficult.

WillDaSnail Wrote:Good point.

Though arguably, the whole change might motivate people - like me - to obtain more champs.

FenixR Wrote:What else would you get will?

Worthyness Wrote:I would personally love to see that happen cause the "new and exciting champions" should be 6300, but the older 6300 champs could be lowered to 4800 or 3150 eventually as they lose their "awesome new"factor.

Dark Link Wrote:They need to return to lowering 6300 IP Champs. Last I remember, they said they "haven't forgotten about it", lowered a couple more champs to 3150, and randomly stopped again.

Polantaris Wrote:Those are interesting statistics but doesn't that mean that if you've never purchased a Champion (Perhaps saving your IP for Runes), you can't play Ranked at all?

Not sure how likely that is, but it seems a tad extreme. Add on to the above post, about how you can be good with a Champion and never purchase it... And yes, I know that once in a while you get freebies, but that doesn't mean you can actually play a freebie. I have a few freebies and I can't play them for anything.

Overall I find the IDEA great, but I have to imagine that there was some other way to do that other than "Buy it or no Ranked with it." Maybe they should have recorded plays with X Champion, and at a certain number unlock it for play in Ranked if it's on the Roster? Seems like a better way to handle it.

Corn Wrote:Looks like someone never played ranked before.

Kaasoljoyyx Wrote:You don't even have to play ranked to find out. Whenever I see a person using a free-week champ in normal, 90% of the time they suck unless they have a skin for it. It's okay since it's normal but some people do that in ranked which is supposed to be a competitive environment and testing out champs should not be done there.

Raul Wrote:FTFY.

Kaasoljoyyx Wrote:Even people with skins suck sometimes. You fixed nothing.