While playing ranked matches on League of Legends, one will experience what appears to be an endless cycle of inevitable losses due to being consistently placed on teams with bad players. Being trapped in this cycle of unwinnable games is referred to as Elo Hell, and typically affects, but is not limited to, players around 1200 elo or lower. By being forced to play with team mates that constantly disconnect, feed, AFK, or rage-quit, a player loses elo due to reasons outside of his/her power. This makes League of Legends feel frustrating and annoying to play in addition to placing large amounts of stress on the player over time. As we investigate this recurring event further, it becomes apparent that while there are some elements of Elo Hell within the ranked system, it is merely a myth that can be debunked with some analysis.



Most players that complain about “bad teams ruining their elo” will point out that no matter how well they play, they cannot carry the 0/27 AD jungle Veigar on their team. This is true, sometimes you will get into games with unskilled team mates that are just outright awful and will throw the game no matter how flawlessly that you play. In addition, not only did that unlucky player just lose 12 - 15 elo, they will now be placed with even worse team mates. This can be a very frustrating experience.

Contributing to this phenomenon, angry players tend to mindlessly queue up after a bad game with the mentality that their next team will be useless feeders that will cause them to lose even more of their precious elo. If someone queues into a ranked match with such a negative mentality, then they have already lost the game before it started. With these scenarios running rampant in low elo matches, in hindsight it seems that Elo Hell could truly be a legitimate problem within the ranked system. It also becomes feasible how escaping the depths of Elo Hell may seem like an impossible battle, thus ruining the experience of League of Legends. However this problem can be easily solved by simply improving two things: attitude, and skill level.

Eventually, everyone will get a team mate that rages over petty things, and completely refuses to communicate with the team. While these kinds of players do cause losses, that does not mean all of the blame rests on that one player. By using bad team mates as a scapegoat, many players easily ignore their own careless mistakes which can throw away vital opportunities to turn a losing game into an easy victory. This is an example of one of the many issues people tend to overlook. Let’s look at some other ways to improve elo through individual improvement.



No matter how good you think you are, there is always room for improvement in one of these areas.

Try watching streams as well. Streams are an inexhaustible source of free information for improving your game. If you can find a professional streamer on an alternative account trying to raise their elo from a low score, then you can examine how they handle getting bad team mates from time to time. Professionals trying to carry themselves tend to play as an AD (Attack Damage) Carry. This is due to the fact that the AD Carry has the most important and game-breaking role in the game. AP mid, jungle, and top lane are still viable roles in which to carry oneself despite the increased difficultly. Also, pro players do not start to cry and slam insults into their keyboard if their team mates die a few times, or if they lose an objective. They remain focused, calm (usually), and find a way to turn things around for the team. By using their incredible skill in addition to keeping a positive mindset, pros usually have no problem climbing to 2000+ elo where they belong.

Removing oneself from so-called “Elo Hell” also takes time. There will be days where it just seems impossible to win, nearly everyone can relate to this. Although you may drop 100+ elo rating in one day, it is negligible in the long run. There is this mathematical law called the “Law of Large Numbers” that can apply to League of Legends. Basically it states that as an experiment (in our case playing a ranked match) is repeated many times, the average value (elo score after a few ranked games) that results from the experiment will start to approach the true value (true elo skill of a player). Basically it means that if you play enough games, and are worthy of a higher elo score, you will receive it. It simply takes time. Try to remember that next time you are having some unlucky games.

Keep in mind that “Elo Hell” is no excuse for losing elo. If you lose multiple games in a row; it is likely that you are the prime cause. Elo Hell is simply a widespread state of mind. When you have a constant cycle of unskilled players blaming other unskilled players (with the occasional unskilled player having a very bad game) no improvement is made, thus those people tend to fluctuate very little in terms of elo. No one wants to admit they are unskilled even if it hinders improvement, which is only normal; everyone has done this at some point. However the great players are the ones that will admit their mistakes, and then strive to correct them.

To conclude, Elo Hell is simply a self-perpetuating mentality of shifting blame to other people, fueled by the refusal of acknowledgement by its participants. Some players will break free of this cycle, others will not.

Feel free to discuss or contest any points made in this article in the comments below!

This article was written by Nicholas Ewing currently an SK Gaming LoL Editor on trial. If you'd like to get your work seen by thousands of gamers why not apply yourself at SK Jobs.