Riot’s announcement over the new Dynamic Queue was met with predictable resistance and overreactions. This is a big change and if there’s something League players hate, its change. Not only is it changing a cornerstone of the game; it is also something no one seemed to be asking for. Honestly, aren’t there more pressing issues Riot should address before making nonsensical additions to the game? Will this Dynamic Queue mean the end of competitive League and lead to League’s collapse?
No. Stop it. Dynamic Queue is OK and not a big deal.
Let’s be real, Solo Queue sucks. At any point, on any League hub, you will see a few posts about how upset people are with their experience in Solo Queue. You might have convinced yourself otherwise because you are raging at the idea of Dynamic Queue but it really sucks. I don’t understand why we’re defending the sanctity of Solo Queue so much. There are so many negatives about Solo Queue that it is embedded into our community’s culture. From pros to content creators to players leveling up, we agree that Solo Queue is a cesspool full of halfwits you’re better off muting. I’ve played many team based games and League’s “I hate you, you hate me, let’s try to win,” attitude towards team play is so uniquely frustrating that it has become part of the game’s charm. Players at every Elo complain about their teammates. Too many trolls, too many AFKs, and far too many times you may wonder how the “mid only,” player managed to die so many times before 5 minutes.
So why aren’t we happy with the idea of Dynamic Queue? With Dynamic Queue you will now be able to choose your teammates. You won’t have to deal with these players any more. It removes the Russian roulette of current Solo Queue where you can lose before Champ Select just because someone wants to ruin your day. Did someone feed more than acceptable? Don’t invite them into your party. Did someone rage at another teammate? Kick them out of your party. Did someone ragequit and AFK? Remove them from your friends list and never play with them again. If you have a choice, why not choose to play with people you like instead of risking a loss based on the luck of the draw? If the alternative is trolls, AFKS, and toxicity every few games, isn’t Dynamic Queue a preferred option?
One point of contention is Riot’s stance that you should play the game with your friends. This, by itself, caused people to instantly hate the idea. Most of our friends suck and we don’t want to play with them unless it’s a trolly normal game. But we might be taking things to literal. When Riot says “Play with Friends,” they don’t mean play with your Bronze/Silver IRL friends. “Play with Friends,” means “play with like-minded individuals of similar skill level.” Maybe you queued up by yourself and ended up really liking the team you got matched up with. Why not shoot them an invite and keep climbing? Add them to your friends list and play together when you get the chance. Do this a couple times and you’ll have more than enough people of your friends list to play whenever you want.
This is actually a scary proposition for many League players. Due to our negative experience with Solo Queue and teammates, we actually treat this team game as a 1v9. We’ve been conditioned to dislike the social aspect of League just because we expect to fight without whoever we’re matched up with. If Dynamic Queue fails, it will be because we usually don’t like other players. And this is wrong.
League of Legends is a team game. We hear this now more than ever. And every season Riot brings about changes that make it even more about teamwork. Long gone are the seasons where you could solo carry a game. You are still expected to destroy your opponent but you shouldn’t be surprised if you lose. Hey, it’s a team game, you can’t control the outcome of the match just because you did well. That is not acceptable. With so much importance placed on the team play and teamwork aspect of the game, we should have more control on our team. That is what Dynamic Queue sets out to do. We will finally be able to play this team game as a team.
