Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece based on the concepts and views I have as a writer of the dynamic queue, furthered by brief conversation with players in the upper echelons of the ranked ladder.

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We can't deny it -- the dynamic queue looks great and some of its functions are exactly what League players have been asking for over the past couple of years… however, it's created more problems than it aimed to solve in the first place. In fact, some of the major issues with the dynamic queue straight up makes many players wish for the return of the old solo queue style,which had its own flaws, but was a much better way to measure one’s individual worth on the ladder (even if people are convinced they're not where they belong in terms of divisions or tiers). The solo ladder shouldn't just be a measure of your own mechanical skill (especially when we consider that LoL is a team based game), but should also measure how strong you are as a teammate when push comes to shove. While the dynamic queue attempts to make teamwork in champion select much easier to accomplish, there are still major issues with the system that if not addressed will continue to produce very unsatisfactory games as well as an inaccurate representation of people’s skill. Not all is lost with this system; all it requires are a few changes here and there.

1: Turn the “assigned role” into a “pick preferred role”.

One of the biggest concerns at high elo is the time it takes to find a game. According to several pro and ex-pro players, ever since the introduction of dynamic queue, the wait time in queue has sky rocketed. From what usually wouldn't take longer than 10-20 minutes on a very inactive day, all the way of up to 40 on a regular day. (Dexter also mentioned how it even took him 2 hours to find a game when he was at 600LP Challenger). There simply isn't enough players at the top that would allow a system with predetermined roles be effective. Sure, most of the champ select discussions about roles have been toned down, but this style is only effective when there is enough players in each role to fill up several teams at once. When the discussion is put forward about locking roles before queueing up, an overwhelming majority of people don’t have an issue because there are enough people to compensate.

How this would work is really simple: instead of roles being locked in on a map grid, it would be removed entirely. Underneath each player would be the roles they picked before queueing “Preferably top/mid” or “Preferably Bot/Fill”. This would allow multiple players of the same role to queue together, which is thoroughly necessary when it comes to high elo play. (Not every jungler in masters/challenger can be online at the same time to make sure there is no shortage).

2. Incentives for supports.

As much praise as solid support players get, it still stands as the least appealing role to play -- especially in a ranked queue on your own. You're the one that gains the least gold, probably deals less damage, and ultimately gets blamed for a lack of vision (especially since the warding limitations placed by Riot Games). You can do everything in your power as a support to make your team succeed, but if the damage dealers aren't doing their job, then you're royally screwed. Supports can carry a team, but it will only ever be so far if the team doesn't respond. As the old saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”.

The mastery grading system did nothing to help the cause. Numbers can't tell context. If I, as a support Braum, am capable of tagging multiple people with my passive as well as defending my carries before inevitably dying as the remainder of my team cleans up to give us a teamfight win can very well be the biggest reason why our team won, but the post game lobby won't give me an S for timing my abilities perfectly. Sure I get assists, but my death weighs more in stats that my assists (as it rightfully should). I'm not knocking Riot's grading system based on stats, but it's never going to be able to read specific situations in the game that simply can't be measured in numbers. I might be the only person concerned enough to write about it, but it has to be mentioned.

3. Removing the multi person queue system in higher elos.

As strange as it sounds for a team based game, finding your true worth as a single player is what the ranking ladder should seek to prove. As much as the playerbase blames their peers for their losses, after a couple hundred games, you're usually placed where you belong. Sure, you can't possibly control the outcome of every game, but there are many situations in where your actions may well be the difference between winning and losing.

However, since the introduction of the new dynamic queue, one of the oldest demons of the ranked ladder has returned. The limitations on queueing with multiple people were increased on ranked solo queue for a reason… for several reasons in fact. These include, but are not limited to, being harassed by multiple players in the same lobby, games being surrendered without your opinion mattering, having players voice communicate and excluding you as a teammate in their calls, and calling roles simple because they're queued together and demand it (you'd assume this is no longer the case because you can pick roles before queueing up, but no it still happens, and more often than I’d like to have seen).

Conclusion:

The concern really stands by how one sees the ladder. If you want to look at it as a measure of your individual skill as well as your capability to adapt to the team around you, then the current queueing method really doesn’t do enough to prove your worth as a single player. Furthermore, it’s impossible to keep everybody happy, especially since many players have welcomed the Dynamic Queue with open arms (sort of).

Ultimately, the decision is in riot’s hand. Do you want to make the queue favor those in lower elos and allow them to play amongst themselves better, or do you want to aid those on the upper echelons to give them a better practice environment?  Even though I play a lot of :eague personally and have enjoyed the dynamic queue at times, I firmly believe that the most viewed esports around the world should favor the very players who are making it the most viewed esport around the world.

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This piece of content was written prior to Patch 6.7 so it doesn’t include possible improvements the system may or may not have seen.