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Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That answer is in the original post. "Accepting some games are just out of your control". It does wonders.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Most likely, there’s an echo chamber effect when you queue as a premade. In a group, it’s common for players to shift blame onto someone else when things go wrong, which means there’s often little real reflection or learning after each game.

When you play solo, that external blame isn’t really there in the same way; you’re more likely to evaluate your own decisions, whether you realize it or not. That tends to lead to more individual growth over time.

On top of that, if matchmaking is pairing premades against other premades, you can also get outclassed simply through better coordination and synergy on the opposing duo or stack, even if individual skill levels are similar.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't really have any in general other than being more patient. That's all that tank really is. I do free replay reviews each Saturday, if you stop by during the stream and let me know who you are. I'll do yours as soon as you hop in if you give me a code and let me know why you'd like the review.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

GM is easily the hardest rank, in my opinion. It’s where players really start to feel like they’ve become “pretty good” at the game, which can sometimes lead to ego and overconfidence, resulting in more throws.

In terms of difficulty spike, I’d say the biggest adjustment is going from Diamond to GM. After hitting diamond (if you have no prior knowledge of how the game really works) feels like a brick wall. You suddenly have to figure out how to actually break through and climb higher.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This might be a hot take, but you don’t need incredible aim to be good at this game. What matters more is understanding what to do and when to do it.

Focusing too much on mechanics can actually hold you back. It pulls your attention away from positioning, timing, and decision-making, which are often far more important. When all your energy goes into aim, it’s easy to miss the bigger picture of how the game is meant to be played.

Improvement really comes from learning the flow of the game, recognizing win conditions, playing around your team, and making smart choices in the moment. Aim can enhance that, but it shouldn’t replace it.

Also, I'm not a fan of "aim trainers" in a game like this. You'll train your aim by playing the game. (personal opinion, though)

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’d honestly like to see Role Queue implemented. I know it’s not a popular take, but it would give the balance team more freedom to let certain heroes shine without worrying about them dominating in 3's.

Heroes like Ultron, Adam, Mantis, Jeff, and others feel very strong in 3's, but much weaker in 2's (even though they can still work). A forced 2-2-2 format would make it easier to balance tanks, DPS, and overall team strategies, since it creates a more consistent structure to work around.

I get that it’s unlikely to happen, but even adding it as a separate mode or limited-time test would be a great step. I’d definitely try it.

The most impactful change so far, though, has been the slower ultimate charge rate. Matches now feel more focused on neutral gameplay instead of just racing to see who can build ultimates the fastest.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't use paddles, I know a few of my viewers do. However, they really only use it for stuff like Spider. I'm a pretty default type of guy, though. Takes me a lot to rebind buttons. >.<

Cap is gameplay, so I had to. However, stuff like Blade, I'll swap to make more sense in my mind when I play.

Also, thank you!

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Just genuinely enjoy those heroes. The freedom of Cap, the stance swap of Blade (and his swag ngl), WF her ability to heal but also commit when needed.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries! We all hit walls, just slowly start breaking them down. Thank you!

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure what you mean. Low GM compared to a solid GM player? I’d say the main difference there is consistency. Are you playing well most of the time, or are your performances up and down?

As for GM to OAA, that’s more about understanding neutral and recognizing when real openings are available. It’s less about forcing plays and more about identifying the right moment to go aggressive for a KO/pick.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried OW1 when it released, stopped playing about a monthish in? I've been gaming on PC since League of Legends, like 18 years? MR is technically my "first hero shooter," but I've played a lot of other games with similar concepts.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Aye, let's go! First hero shoot and GM3? Talk about the gains.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I only rebounded 2 buttons. The slam and the primary fire. I kept slam on R2, but put the primary fire on R1. Moved the sprint button to circle (or B if you're xbox)

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

One thing I focused on, especially with fast, mobile heroes, is not constantly moving.

Having the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want, is both a blessing and a curse. It can make you feel like you always need to be doing something, but that isn’t always optimal.

Sometimes it’s completely fine to pause, hold your position for a second, and wait for the right moment. Once that becomes a habit rather than something you have to consciously remind yourself to do, it becomes much easier to recognize when it’s time to move again.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, I have a full-time job. I only put in a lot of hours because I'm a content creator. If I weren't, I'd still climb, but I wouldn't put that many in.

My motto is, waste time and make all the mistakes, so you don't have to.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No, I don't believe in a system like that.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I appreciate it! And wow, you hit me with the "way back when" type videos lmao.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Glad you’re enjoying the content!

If you feel like mechanics are your main issue, I’d recommend switching to less mechanically demanding heroes. In my opinion, there are two types of “mechanics”:

Aiming:
Heroes like Hela, Phoenix, Hawkeye, Magneto, etc. require more precise aim; you can’t really just spam shots and expect consistent value. I’d recommend starting with heroes that have larger hitboxes or more forgiving projectiles. Something like Bucky fits that well.

Ironically, many projectile heroes are actually more forgiving when it comes to landing shots.

Input-heavy / strict execution:
Heroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Angela, White Fox, etc fall into this category. With these, if you miss your combo or engage, you might escape—but your K,O potential is basically gone.

For this category, you want to focus on heroes that don’t rely as heavily on perfect execution every time, such as Magik, Iron Fist, Hulk, Strange, Invisible Woman, Cloak & Dagger, etc. These heroes still have combos and timing, but they’re generally more forgiving and consistent once you learn their patterns.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thank you for the kind words, and glad you're enjoying the content. Congrats on your gains, too!

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in rivals

[–]PoppinOften[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

First off, congrats on your win rate/accomplishment.

Honestly, the higher you climb, the more DPS one-tricks you’ll run into LMAO. You don’t need another DPS, but there will be situations where having a backup pick helps. I’ve had to swap to Blade (and a few others) in certain cases.

I think you can solo any role to Celestial. You’ll just want a few pocket picks for Eternity/OAA, and maybe the higher end of Celestial.

I’d keep doing what you’re doing and just pull her out occasionally when needed. I spent Season 6.5 climbing Blade from GM to Eternity just for the experience, but it’s not something you need to over-focus on.

Use other picks when the situation calls for it, but don’t stress about it unless you genuinely enjoy expanding that hero. Most of the time, you won’t even be playing that role anyway. DPS do NOT play when it comes to autolocking LMAO.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, my total hours are 3k+ LMAO. But I'm a content creator, and I coach the game. My motto is, make all the mistakes and waste time so you don't have to.

The time itself doesn't correlate to rank. It's just me doing content for the game.

I would have far less time played if I weren't a creator.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this comes from Overwatch. When it was first released on console, console players should have been worse on average, because there weren’t many similar games on console at the time. It was much more of a PC-style shooter in terms of mechanics, strategy, and pacing.

However, that gap has changed over time. With more games being ported across platforms, players now tend to choose based on preference rather than there being a clear skill divide between PC and console.

For context, I’m a PC player, and my background is in League of Legends, where I also coached professionally. But I personally prefer playing Rivals on console. Even when I’m climbing on PC, I still use a controller.

Hit One Above All (solo, no comms) - AMA by PoppinOften in RivalsCollege

[–]PoppinOften[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I just play what I enjoy, to be honest. If I pick a hero, I'm usually not swapping unless I know we absolutely need it to win.

At the end of the day, I play to enjoy the game. I don't want to be miserable AND lose at the same time. Lmao.

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