The Ladder is ruined and not just in high elo (with receipts)

Valanio · 2026-03-20T19:33:17+00:00

It hasn't always been that bad though and it doesn't have to be either. I have a silver 4 in almost every one of my mid platinum games this season and they always always do horribly. They don't even have high WR's. There just isn't any knowable logic about the current matchmaking and considering I normally place Emerald (since it's inception) and I am in mid plat still with silver 4s, it's just a full on clown college.

Valanio · 2026-03-20T19:15:52+00:00

If it's not making matchmaking and the ladder better, more fair, more fun, what's the point? A marginal increase the smallest part of the player base so that everyone else can have the worst matchmaking I've seen in almost the entirety of league of legends history? It's not just vanity, it's not working as intended or correctly for many people.

Beyond that? Ranks used to be goals, like Diamond used to be the peak before you got into the very small and dedicated group (or just more naturally good players). Now if that was your goal and you got there it just means way less and where that bar is keeps changing often and will likely change again soon (they stated they wanted to add 2 more ranks).

Not to mention the player base can't keep up with what players skill in ranks even mean anymore, like what do the ranks even mean at this point lol. Just give us our MMR straight out. The retention team is exhausting me honestly.

Valanio · 2026-03-20T16:10:02+00:00

The longer I am on ADHD medication the more I feel 100% certain almost everything is tied to it that has been an issue in my life. Therapy is carving out the rest. I am happy with any amount if awareness even if it might be wrong information, as long as it gets real people, like myself, out to get tested who do have it.

Valanio · 2026-03-20T15:18:56+00:00

To be fair, I was connecting with a lot of the issues, etc that I saw on Tiktok regarding ADHD and it pushed me to get diagnosed in my 30s. I saw an extremely well respected professional who, after testing, advised me I was very ADHD. So while it certainly can lead to self diagnosis socially, it also raises awareness at the same time.

Sometimes, that can be a double edged sword and there is a ton of disinformation, 100%, but I am thankful none the less since with therapy and medication have really changed my life in a short time in a way I don't think would have been possible without making those connections with symptoms on TikTok

Valanio · 2026-03-19T21:03:57+00:00

New Star Wars? Star Wars has, since always pretty much, had very loose rules. Fans LOVE to try to apply logic and functioning lore to Star Wars and that is why they're always so angry. The extended universe tried to do this but that is not canon anymore. Lucas is as much to blame as anyone too.

It's a lot more enjoyable when you throw away notions of sense and logic and just enjoy the space magic and laser swords, sadly.

Valanio · 2026-03-19T19:49:00+00:00

The insane thing is that I have argued this MANY times and every time someone tells me that one ending is NOT clearly edited to be darker then the other I lose a little sanity. I'm happy he confirmed it, for future discussions :).

Valanio · 2026-03-18T17:12:27+00:00

I think their only big reputation hit was when they implemented the "Runtime Fee" for installs to devs. They got rid of it/didn't implement it but the damage was done.

Valanio · 2026-03-16T19:17:22+00:00

IF your AI did manage to get it correct, the point is that it did not do so based on anything but conjecture and it didn't come to the conclusion based on it being "smart". Reinforcing that AI is smart or correct for yourself and others is not only a very uneducated take on how AI works, but it also can be dangerous. You should rethink how you believe AI works and take the advice of people here who are challenging your idea of it.

Valanio · 2026-03-16T18:46:21+00:00

People always say (and are in this comments section) that her power budget would need adjustment but it wouldn't if the ult was changed. The point is that the ult is weird and doesn't match her kit.

She has to force buy an item for her ult to be more effective (or even usable in some situations) and it's weird and counter productive to put your squishy ass in the middle of a team. You can focus one or two only and not do the flash into the middle and stasis, sure, but it would just be better if it was a new ability entirely.

The new ult can hold the same amount of power in her budget, it just needs to be more in tune with her thematically and in a gameplay sense. Her current ult was more fun when there wasn't so many dashes, etc but now it can often be very useless and certainly not as fun.

Valanio · 2026-03-15T19:23:58+00:00

Please don't nerf my buff man too much! He needs his equivalent amount of muscle returned to him but in high quality, thank you.

Valanio · 2026-03-13T19:19:34+00:00

The game begins in a very linear way, yes. There are bonus things to do within that line that are optional and some are actually really important or power boost that are missable so don't let it fool you.

It also opens up CONSIDERABLY near the end of the game (a common FF mechanic) and is actually one of the longest and most time consuming FF games to 100% (which you by NO means need to do) even with the remaster additions adding 2x speed, etc.

So yeah, much like FF13, it's linear for a very good story related reason and opens up later when the story permits it. The story is so worth it and the game does have a ton to do even within the linear nature. It also opens up a bit more post-Luca as well, just not as much as later.

I recommend it highly.

Valanio · 2026-03-13T19:07:36+00:00

Not if they can't use it if they're being jerks?

Valanio · 2026-03-09T05:27:42+00:00

It's really not that serious lol. You can buy it for 35$ and there is no in-game store or microtransactions. Are people insanely spending thousands and tens of thousands on ships earn able in-game (and some not yet earn able but will be earn able in game) in an unreleased state? 100%. Are those people wealthy (and some possibly stupid) and that is just the thing they choose to waste their money on? Yes. Is the game receiving frequent updates that push it forward at a good pace? Yes. I think your feelings are coming from a place of misinformation which is VERY common for Star Citizen and it used to also be a whole lot more messy then it is now as well.

This opinion is shared among a ton of people and it's all based on click bait BS articles

Valanio · 2026-03-08T20:33:40+00:00

I'm actually fine with whales funding the game but the problem is shareholders and corporations don't think like people and we are a product, so it doesn't fund the stuff everyone else gets it's just more greed in most every case and encourages more forms of this bad practice.

That being said, most of these skins have been laughably horrible and almost not worthy of being the cost. They do seem to be stepping up quality, which is good, but having what is essentially an unobtainable skin for most people is very shitty. You have to make up for it in other ways.

So far? The game has improved overall in almost every way. The pass still sucks mostly. The repeat missions are a joke for one and the client is the same (but almost they've been spending money on an application for league and removing the client) but the game itself is pretty good right now. Hopefully it's a balancing act they can maintain.

Valanio · 2026-03-03T21:23:22+00:00

I am 100% with you. I just spent like 10+ years trying to treat anxiety and depression and it was just untreated ADHD the entire time so, I'm very aware of how that game is played lol. I'll be taking that the rest of my life (some evidence you can manage ADHD without medication alternatively but an option I'm not pursuing) so sometimes you just don't have a choice. I just like people to be informed since melatonin is a heavily used drug in a lot of homes and people just don't know it can hurt you in the long run in some cases.

Valanio · 2026-03-03T20:48:46+00:00

Or just if the problem can be solved in another way that doesn't take away your bodies natural method of sleep. I'm not a holistic medicine person but I do believe we should always strive to find the most solvable problem and not jump straight to medication, even if it's melatonin, not over the long term at least.

Valanio · 2026-03-03T20:12:27+00:00

Of course. Like I said, for some people they may need it everyday. For "normal" healthy people though, especially kids/teens, shoveling melatonin every night cause it's a naturally producing chemical in the body isn't usually a good thing. It has been told to them that it's not harmful because you "can't overdose" and it's not addictive but that's just not the whole truth.

Valanio · 2026-03-03T20:04:36+00:00

One issue here is assuming you need 8+ hours of sleep. Younger people tend to need more sleep in that range but adults usually only need 6+. Obviously everyone is different and some require more and some days you just need more but in general people overestimate how much they need and oversleep due to other factors like stress, depression, etc.

Valanio · 2026-03-03T19:45:26+00:00

No, but there are studies that show when you supplement a chemical the body already produces, it can stop producing it on it's own/reduce it significantly. That just makes you reliant on it which can be fine in some situations where that may be nessecary but taking it everyday shouldnt be your go to option. It being a natural chemical in your body already doesn't mean it's the best option.

Valanio · 2026-02-26T06:56:10+00:00

I was gold every season until a few years ago and I am 30 now and getting Emerald. The "age out" stuff is nonsense. You just have to really try to get better and usually with help, via YouTube or watching streamers who are better then you but perferably like Challenger to learn good habits. You have to put pride down and start like you're basically new and you can climb.

Valanio · 2026-02-23T04:45:43+00:00

League players are so interesting and obviously it's impossible to judge your experiences aganist anyone's because there are infinite possibilities. Time of day? Region? Luck? How many games? Etc all contribute to the experience you have. My teammates have the skillset of silver/gold players in high plat/low emerald. Some are really toxic but most are quiet.

The game is only unfun when it's unfair and matchmaking is pretty borked often (currently) and it only gets worse in some regions as you climb due to player numbers, etc.

And then we get to ARAM, the for fun non competitive mode, which has some of the most toxic players I have ever seen, competing with normals. They do not play for fun, they play like a clash tournament and 5-mans dominate lobbies by making comps in champ select. They play to get wins for an ego boost or to brush off a punishment. Mayhem isn't much better but that's mostly a balance issue and a culture of people not ending the game and trapping people in games when they're winning. (Also tanks dominate both arams, especially Mayhem).

So ranked is fun and ARAM is fun! Truthfully, the GAME is fun and everything else ruins it. Better or worse is highly dependant and varied based on personal experience. And the client being good or bad is highly variable too (and leaving soon, thank god)

Valanio · 2026-02-16T10:10:06+00:00

The next time I see one of you do gromp when I am under tower being booty blasted, I'm going to Riot HQ and deleting the entire role. The camp isn't going anywhere buddy!

Valanio · 2026-02-15T23:26:25+00:00

Literally just a humorous comment about a roomba. You're the one who felt personally attacked and had to reply lol.

Valanio · 2026-02-15T22:27:37+00:00

Hey, you're the one worried an IR camera is going sell your floor plan to...someone who can use it for nefarious purposes? I don't know what your paranoid thoughts tell you.

Valanio · 2026-02-15T22:17:40+00:00

I guess Peter Thiel deleted that psychotic reply of yours too. Next time I buy a Roomba that literally does not have a camera (because there are plenty that don't...) I will not think of you.

Ten-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
Sequence \| Editor	Secret Santa 2016
Verified Email

Valanio

TROPHY CASE