EPT
The Right Mentality
Sometimes trying to rise through the ranks as a solitary player can be a rough climb. It might feel like no matter what you do, your teammates won’t listen or things just don’t work out as you imagine. Some might even go as far as to say they are stuck in “MMR hell” and simply can't advance as they struggle with finding a way to improve. Well, look no further. Here are some tips on how you can increase your chances of winning in Hero League and improve yourself as a player in the process.
The Art of Climbing Hero League is a series of articles covering ways to improve your gameplay and climb the ladder. Upcoming articles will be cover everything from having the right mentality to how to act as a team, map specific strategies, and drafting.
The most important thing to have when trying to improve as a player is having a good mindset. Maybe you think that you are held back due to incompetent teammates. Maybe you get easily frustrated and start lashing out on your teammates as you fall behind. In the end, these thoughts and habits need to be thrown away if you are to improve as a player. Think “What is the one thing I have control over? What is the one constant between the games that can be changed to increase the chances of me winning my next game?” The answer is you!
When trying to climb the ranks stop focusing on the plays others are making and focus on what you are doing yourself. Was I out of position? Was my timing on the camps slightly off? Did I ping and communicate effectively with my team? Most of the time your team won't know what you are thinking. Want to take boss after taking down 2 players on the opposing team? Ping it! You don't think taking the camps at any given time is a good idea? Explain it to them, and maybe they will provide you some of their insight as well.
The most important part is to not get frustrated when your team doesn’t understand what you want them to do and instead remain calm and try to direct the team as clearly and concisely as possible. For simple messages such as “pull back”, “do this camp”, etc., a ping will do just fine. For more elaborate plays such as soaking the experience in lanes or avoiding fights until a certain timing or talent tier, it can be good to type it out for your team. Remember to do the same in draft. If you really want to get that sick E.T.C Mosh Pit/Divine Shield combo going, make sure to ask your team for an Uther. The mistake is on you if you fail to communicate properly with your team.
By focusing on patching up your own play you will hopefully accomplish two things:
The second lesson is especially useful to learn, as frustration can easily cloud your mind and make for some dubious decisions in the heat of the moment. The more time you spend thinking about what somebody did wrong or what you didn’t like, the less time and brainpower are used on critical thinking and decision making. It is not something that will come on its own, but by approaching your gameplay more analytically, you can improve your decision making and game knowledge at a faster rate. Maybe you discover that you lack map awareness and that it often gets you killed while out on the map. Maybe you notice that your build with any given hero is not optimal and that it needs a rework. Maybe you just find yourself wondering about the timings on each map. There are many facets of your play that can be examined, and with a calm mind, the chance of you learning from your play increases.
The same idea applies when you are out of game at the drafting screen. Maybe you would have rather have had a Tyrande or Kael’Thas instead of a Nazeebo or a Tychus as the first pick, but that won't always be the case. Instead of lamenting the lack of drafting skills that your team possesses, try to look at what Heroes can complement the picks well and communicate this to your team. No matter how you feel about it, do not start trolling or intentionally making bad picks. Thinking that the game is over from the drafting screen is nothing less than defeatism and can be detrimental to your chances of winning.. Remember, this is not some major tournament, you are not playing to qualify for BlizzCon. It is simply a Hero League game. Even without a top tier composition, solid play will make up for drafting errors.
Heroes of the Storm features a matchmaking system that tries its best to maintain your win rate at 50%, so it is important to accept that you will have loses every now and then. Instead of focusing on winning, shift your focus to improving. You lost, so what? How you lost is more important than the fact that you lost. A Hero League game is nothing more than a tool you can use to improve yourself. If you find yourself struggling with frustration after each loss, don't instantly queue up for another game. Instead, try watching the replay and take note of how the game went, what you think lost you the game and small misplays that you should try to avoid doing next time. Recounting and reflecting over what has happened in the game will have a calming effect and prevent frustration from ruining your next game.
Instead of looking at a loss as a personal failure -- or even worse, a team failure -- look at it as an opportunity to learn. Nobody has ever played a perfect game, but by looking at our past mistakes and learning from them, we can get closer to an ideal level of play. There will always be losing streaks just as there are winning streaks. If you can contain the downward swings and focus on your play instead of results, you can reduce the amount of games you are playing in a mentally weak state and thus improve your play and ultimately your rank.
When you are down a talent and it feels like the game is just not going your way, it can be tempting to give up or tell your teammates that the game is over, that there is no use in still trying to win the game. No matter the situation, this approach to the game is a bad one. First of all, it denies you practice on how to play from behind. Second, there is no such thing as a 100% lost game, and even if there were, there is no guarantee that you or anyone else can accurately predict if your current game is such a game. Instead of abandoning the game early or being afk or even simply not giving it your all, always try for the win. Soak the lanes, split up on objectives while avoiding team fights, and see if you cannot get an opponent out of position. In the late game, being a Hero up is all that’s necessary for the game to even out. Your opponents are humans and they do mistakes. Capitalize on those mistakes and there might be a comeback after all.
In a similar vein, it can be important to try and combat toxicity and defeatism in the rest of your team. Try to comment with encouraging words like “Well played” or “Good job” when someone on your team does something good. If things start going south, try to lighten the mood and help them believe they can make a comeback. Doing so will actually increase your chances of coming back in the game. Do not respond negatively back with personal attacks like talking about how bad they are or how they should feel ashamed for being so toxic. Instead, go for a more positive tone or try to take a calm approach and objectively explain what needs to be done and how it can be done. For example, an effective explanation would look like: “We need to get someone with Stitches hook if we want to win the team fights.” No emotions, nothing to create frustration or distract players from the game, just a pure methodical approach to the situation at hand. Toxicity toward the team can take more forms than just typing or pinging as well. Ignoring allies, going off to do your own thing, or intentionally dying is something to be avoided at all costs.
Not everything will always go your way. Sometimes there will be frustrating losses where you want to vent on your teammates or just give up before the game is over. This is fine. Changing one's mentality is not something that happens overnight. Just like your mechanics and your game knowledge, it is something that needs to be trained and honed. With a more constructive mindset, you increase your chances of winning regardless of the teammates you are placed with, not to mention that you will end up throwing fewer games out of frustration and toxic behavior. With this in mind, practicing a better mindset will lead to an improvement in your win rate as well as a higher rank. Keep at it and maybe one day you will climb to the top.
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
The Art of Climbing Hero League is a series of articles covering ways to improve your gameplay and climb the ladder. Upcoming articles will be cover everything from having the right mentality to how to act as a team, map specific strategies, and drafting.
Focus on Your Own Play
The most important thing to have when trying to improve as a player is having a good mindset. Maybe you think that you are held back due to incompetent teammates. Maybe you get easily frustrated and start lashing out on your teammates as you fall behind. In the end, these thoughts and habits need to be thrown away if you are to improve as a player. Think “What is the one thing I have control over? What is the one constant between the games that can be changed to increase the chances of me winning my next game?” The answer is you!
When trying to climb the ranks stop focusing on the plays others are making and focus on what you are doing yourself. Was I out of position? Was my timing on the camps slightly off? Did I ping and communicate effectively with my team? Most of the time your team won't know what you are thinking. Want to take boss after taking down 2 players on the opposing team? Ping it! You don't think taking the camps at any given time is a good idea? Explain it to them, and maybe they will provide you some of their insight as well.
The most important part is to not get frustrated when your team doesn’t understand what you want them to do and instead remain calm and try to direct the team as clearly and concisely as possible. For simple messages such as “pull back”, “do this camp”, etc., a ping will do just fine. For more elaborate plays such as soaking the experience in lanes or avoiding fights until a certain timing or talent tier, it can be good to type it out for your team. Remember to do the same in draft. If you really want to get that sick E.T.C Mosh Pit/Divine Shield combo going, make sure to ask your team for an Uther. The mistake is on you if you fail to communicate properly with your team.
By focusing on patching up your own play you will hopefully accomplish two things:
- See your mistakes more clearly allowing more rapid improvement in your own play.
- Decrease frustration with your teammates leading to less toxic behavior improving both you and your teammates play.
The second lesson is especially useful to learn, as frustration can easily cloud your mind and make for some dubious decisions in the heat of the moment. The more time you spend thinking about what somebody did wrong or what you didn’t like, the less time and brainpower are used on critical thinking and decision making. It is not something that will come on its own, but by approaching your gameplay more analytically, you can improve your decision making and game knowledge at a faster rate. Maybe you discover that you lack map awareness and that it often gets you killed while out on the map. Maybe you notice that your build with any given hero is not optimal and that it needs a rework. Maybe you just find yourself wondering about the timings on each map. There are many facets of your play that can be examined, and with a calm mind, the chance of you learning from your play increases.
The same idea applies when you are out of game at the drafting screen. Maybe you would have rather have had a Tyrande or Kael’Thas instead of a Nazeebo or a Tychus as the first pick, but that won't always be the case. Instead of lamenting the lack of drafting skills that your team possesses, try to look at what Heroes can complement the picks well and communicate this to your team. No matter how you feel about it, do not start trolling or intentionally making bad picks. Thinking that the game is over from the drafting screen is nothing less than defeatism and can be detrimental to your chances of winning.. Remember, this is not some major tournament, you are not playing to qualify for BlizzCon. It is simply a Hero League game. Even without a top tier composition, solid play will make up for drafting errors.
Accept That Not Every Game Can Be Won
Heroes of the Storm features a matchmaking system that tries its best to maintain your win rate at 50%, so it is important to accept that you will have loses every now and then. Instead of focusing on winning, shift your focus to improving. You lost, so what? How you lost is more important than the fact that you lost. A Hero League game is nothing more than a tool you can use to improve yourself. If you find yourself struggling with frustration after each loss, don't instantly queue up for another game. Instead, try watching the replay and take note of how the game went, what you think lost you the game and small misplays that you should try to avoid doing next time. Recounting and reflecting over what has happened in the game will have a calming effect and prevent frustration from ruining your next game.
Instead of looking at a loss as a personal failure -- or even worse, a team failure -- look at it as an opportunity to learn. Nobody has ever played a perfect game, but by looking at our past mistakes and learning from them, we can get closer to an ideal level of play. There will always be losing streaks just as there are winning streaks. If you can contain the downward swings and focus on your play instead of results, you can reduce the amount of games you are playing in a mentally weak state and thus improve your play and ultimately your rank.
Defeat the Defeatism
When you are down a talent and it feels like the game is just not going your way, it can be tempting to give up or tell your teammates that the game is over, that there is no use in still trying to win the game. No matter the situation, this approach to the game is a bad one. First of all, it denies you practice on how to play from behind. Second, there is no such thing as a 100% lost game, and even if there were, there is no guarantee that you or anyone else can accurately predict if your current game is such a game. Instead of abandoning the game early or being afk or even simply not giving it your all, always try for the win. Soak the lanes, split up on objectives while avoiding team fights, and see if you cannot get an opponent out of position. In the late game, being a Hero up is all that’s necessary for the game to even out. Your opponents are humans and they do mistakes. Capitalize on those mistakes and there might be a comeback after all.
In a similar vein, it can be important to try and combat toxicity and defeatism in the rest of your team. Try to comment with encouraging words like “Well played” or “Good job” when someone on your team does something good. If things start going south, try to lighten the mood and help them believe they can make a comeback. Doing so will actually increase your chances of coming back in the game. Do not respond negatively back with personal attacks like talking about how bad they are or how they should feel ashamed for being so toxic. Instead, go for a more positive tone or try to take a calm approach and objectively explain what needs to be done and how it can be done. For example, an effective explanation would look like: “We need to get someone with Stitches hook if we want to win the team fights.” No emotions, nothing to create frustration or distract players from the game, just a pure methodical approach to the situation at hand. Toxicity toward the team can take more forms than just typing or pinging as well. Ignoring allies, going off to do your own thing, or intentionally dying is something to be avoided at all costs.
Wrapping up
Not everything will always go your way. Sometimes there will be frustrating losses where you want to vent on your teammates or just give up before the game is over. This is fine. Changing one's mentality is not something that happens overnight. Just like your mechanics and your game knowledge, it is something that needs to be trained and honed. With a more constructive mindset, you increase your chances of winning regardless of the teammates you are placed with, not to mention that you will end up throwing fewer games out of frustration and toxic behavior. With this in mind, practicing a better mindset will lead to an improvement in your win rate as well as a higher rank. Keep at it and maybe one day you will climb to the top.
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
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