I think the duo bot requests probably end up with like a 25% win rate in ranked for me or so. I typically assume that whoever the duo is with, the lower elo guy is going to try to run support.  I don't typically see awful champ picks though on the duo queue. 

re:the you/karl duo theory - provided 1 semi fed mid is enough to carry ofc.  I like the jungle/mid duo combo best as well, though.  Provided your jungler will gank for you ofc. 

I really don't think there is an ideal duo queue setup, though.  I'm 1st pick, you are last.  We don't have a guarantee on getting Mid/jung.  We can ask for the role, but that's it.  Occasionally you get to work the mid/jung setup.  You can often bully your way or just ask and get an adc/support setup as they are less popular roles atm (imo).  So, you can argue it might be worth to duo IF YOU GET THE ROLES YOU WANT.  If you don't, well super, now at least 1 of you are filling - and you still have the elo offset working against you.

That's another gripe on ranked as it stands.  Everyone is subject to needing to fill, which often puts weaker players in roles they aren't as good at.  If I carry my way to diamond as adc, I'm probably not going to carry as hard out of mid with an ap champ.  Champ select forces us to rely on other folks letting us get the roles we request unless we are fp).  Again, not ideal, but at least everyone is in the same boat (though again... completely arguable that a game where a diamond adc forced to play mid (for bad example) fighting against a diamond mid, well, that diamond adc is a disadvantage and its not as fair a setup... ALL completely dictated by luck of pick order.  I guess I don't find champ select that fun of a game...

Which brings me to RANKED teambuilder.  This I'm excited about and hope we see some iteration on PBE soon.  As its been described, you go through the standard ban phase but you select your roles (likely before queuing up - just not the champions).  I'd simply see a screen saying the role I want and off I go to get grouped.  They need to make sure I can't leave queue based on looking up some players stats and deciding they are crap (without a pentality) and ensure that folks play the role they said they wanted.

THAT is going to make ranked something I'd really enjoy - though I'd be super happy if it was, in fact, ranked SOLO queue. 

Didn't Riot claim that Duo Queue winrate stats were under 50%?  So, in a statistical sense, they are helping you (more likely to be on other team than your team) and they aren't helping themselves.  Of course, that is a statistical statement so there are plenty of exceptions (people inappropriately inflated due to duo queueing), but whatever.

In other news, Pacov's fantasy LCS toplaner pulls the first negative score of the season!  Luckily, pacov's ADC makes up for it by scoring 3.5 points.

PS - Neither of these are good things pacov...

Ill have to watch that game Karl is refering too, must of been even more brutal than Elements vs Fanatic.

Yeah, Jungler + Support/Mid is the highest potential for advantage IMO.  Thresh lanterns to Karl for free LP in Season 5?!  I feel that Hedgie and I had some good communication and pick synergy at times in the past for bot lane, but for the most part I think people overestimate the advantage of having someone in TS3 pointing out how great it would have been if you had only hit that hook.

Duos can be a bummer sometime but for the most part I think that allowing the people who have more fun playing with their friends in Ranked is worth the price. Riot did what they could with nixing the Kaceytron/Diamond style duoing but anything more wouldn't be in anyone's best interest.  If Riot took out duoing, a lot more people would quit Ranked than those that would play more because of the change.

Also, I some people are able to get higher in Ranked than they could alone but not what the big deal is.  If someone has a talent for finding people who can play way above their current MMR and can ride them to a higher league then more power to them.  You can only get so far that way before your horse reaches the MMR where they belong.

Except for Pete.  Have him play Malz but tell him he needs to practice other roles/champs in Ranked while you're not around.  Boom, Diamond.

I find it hard to believe that hearing me point that sort of thing out over and over is not helpful.  Anyway, sorry!  But that aside, ts can either be a help or hindrance (like in your example). 

I don't think it is, but hey - to each his own.  I guess I've haven't met folks that actually enjoy ranked and only enjoy playing ranked with a pal.  Oh boy I can't wait until my buddy gets on so we can play ranked every night is not a "feeling" that I get or have seen someone else have ever.

I suppose its worth talking about ranked in general and why we treat it the way we often do.  Like - why do you want to play ranked?  If I'm honest, I like proving that I'm better than other people.  Sounds arrogant as fug, but I mean, think about it.  Why do you care if you are challenger?  You've proven that you are excellent at this game.  Someone can talk trash or say what they will, but guess what - I've proven I'm good while you are just running your mouth.  So, in my mind, if I'm duo queuing up, I'm not proving that I'm doing it on my own.  I'm just proving if I have a dedicated support, I'm good enough to get to X place.  Not I'm good enough in and of myself.

So, for me, spending a bunch of time duo queuing is an absolute waste of time because I do not really accomplish my specific goal.  That said, my specific goal might not be anywhere near your goal... but then again, ask yourself, why do you play ranked?  Curious to any other reason other than I show that I'm better than others.  The boarder rewards you get, the skins, etc, all that crap is there for you to showcase how well you did in ranked.  

But let's look at it another way - how many of us look forward to either solo or duo queue ranked as our preferred mode of play?  Within our group, afaik, cow does that a bit and so does zen.  Everyone else seems to just play ranked to keep their standing or in really brief stints.  It's not something that's often associated with fun.  It's generally something where we feel compelled to do it.  Again, perhaps going back to wanting to prove we are excellent players or "better than X" players, but also perhaps having some anxiety that we are not.  So, we work up the courage to have a go at it and go at it... for a bit. 

Here's what I want to do with ranked.  I want to figure out how to play well in it but also to really have fun.  If ranked became a mode I played several times a week for fun, that would be great.  I can force myself to do it and start grinding on up, but wouldn't it be better if it was my try hard fun mode.  hurm.

All I know is that I found it VERY difficult to move up from lower elo playing primarily support.  I kind of think a good support needs a decent adc and if you don't have that... well... smeh.  Anyway, I def wish you luck in your placement series when you get around to it if you have not. 

@Cow: tbh, Fnatic's midlaner got even more points than your ADC. Ha?

Cassieopia picks?!?!?!?!? WHAT

went 5-5... managed to win another thresh game haha! I had a pretty uncarriable game as ziggs. Jarvan had some nice ganks mid that ended with him getting kills (not sure if I could of finished any of them so can't say he took them) if they were on me I might of been able to get far enough ahead to make a difference but I never did. An AD malphite pretty much won every lane for the other team. 

I WAS YELLING "DONT DO THAT BARON" AS I WAS WATCHING YOUR STREAM.

yah - I played really bad that game as well.  Dc'd at start of game... didn't even know that as I was load screen stuck.  The irelia was actually doing fine until she went full brain dead crazy.  She'd been pinging really unsafe barons a few times.  Her last thing was to spam ping baron and say she was going to zone the enemy team.... and then she instead opted to stand in baron pit.  Was a pretty obvious awful decision.  The game certainly wasn't going to be won based on my "good" plays, but an insane call will obv lose it for us. 

On the bright side, I didn't really have any ranked anxiety re: the game.  Was a bummer to lose game 1 of 10 though.  Oh and I think cow said he placed in plat II or plat III. 

Lv 2 dragon cheese - so, what do you think about these strat?

It's cheese, but again, people aren't really looking if the top laner and jungler are missing this early.  Worth for the early dragon?  You could also pull in the support to do this and just send the adc solo bot.  I'd imagine this will actually have a pretty high success rate.  Cost to top lane is teleport.  Cost to support (if used) is low xp.  Cost to adc is zone/cs/xp.  Cost to jungle is slow start and potential counter jungle.  Win to team is that early drag buff that does work all game.