Issue about free to play champs in ranked solo/duo queue - Resolved

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/....php?t=2123364

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Originally Posted by Yegg

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.

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Finally. I like this change so much. :f2:

The only thing I don't like about this change is that it's taking place next week.

Too bad swaping champs will be a little more difficult.

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Originally Posted by FenixR

Too bad swaping champs will be a little more difficult.

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Good point.

Though arguably, the whole change might motivate people - like me - to obtain more champs. :f1:

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Originally Posted by FenixR

Too bad swaping champs will be a little more difficult.

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I've been reading through the 2nd giant thread that Lyte has constantly been posting in, and the findings are that the majority of ranked players don't take advantage of swapping champions. Yes, people in high elo do it more often, but by that point they already own a lot of the champions, or if they don't, they soon will.

I myself have never taken advantage of champion swapping in ranked games.

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Originally Posted by WillDaSnail

Good point.

Though arguably, the whole change might motivate people - like me - to obtain more champs. :f1:

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What else would you get will?

Champs are just so expensive that it can take 1 or 2 weeks in getting one 6.300 (Of course depending on how much effort you put into it)

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Originally Posted by FenixR

What else would you get will?

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There's quite a few champs that I have my eyes on atm.

maybe they could implement a way to select 2 free champions, free of chare, when you start the game. with a new champ every few weeks, MOST of the champs are 6.3k, which takes forever to obtain. They could also implement a 30% off day for IP pricing to encourage more champ buying (yes even though it's technically free unless you count your time as money). 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.

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Originally Posted by Worthyness

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.

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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.

Damn. Now I have to actually buy cassioepia.

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Originally Posted by Dark Link

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.

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And that the recent 6300 IP champ price reductions only reduced them to 4800.

But it's about damn time they made that change.

Disliking this change. There are plenty of champions I don't own that I can play well and do play well with in ranked games. But I guess if those statistics are true it'd have a more positive influence on my ranked games teamwise. Getting randomned due to whatever reason is a lot more forgiving now too.

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.

Yeah I like that idea. Number of plays with champs to unlock ranked mode with said free rotation champ.

I would have hated this before I got my champ roster. For instance almost all of my corki games in ranked are free week corki plays.
I didn't even buy him until I just about stopped playing as him in ranked.
Same goes for MF, I had played half my ranked games with her as free week winning lane every single time.

I guess it doesn't really bother me so much these days but I feel for anyone that is good with a champ but hasn't earned enough IP to unlock them yet.

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Originally Posted by Polantaris

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.

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Looks like someone never played ranked before.

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Originally Posted by Corn

Looks like someone never played ranked before.

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You don't even have to play ranked to find out. Whenever I see a person using a free champ in normal, 90% of the time they suck. 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.

Around my level, if I see a shen on my team, 99% of the time they're horrible, go off on their own, and rage at us when they die. Haven't run into a Cassiopeia yet but if I see an enemy one I plan to push them hard since I really doubt inexperienced people can farm with her especially at tower.

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Originally Posted by Kaasoljoyyx

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.

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FTFY.

I like it, since now it additionally guarantees that if someone its playing ranked, then that person also have played a lot of matches to farm the ip needed to buy the 12-15 champs required to play draft mode. So people who just hit lvl 30 may or may not play immediately, who knows, maybe this will also reduce the trolls and leavers in ranked play by a fair margin?

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Originally Posted by Raul

FTFY.

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Even people with skins suck sometimes. You fixed nothing.

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Originally Posted by Kaasoljoyyx

Even people with skins suck sometimes. You fixed nothing.

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The idea is to reduce the number, not make it 0.