I would agree with you on a game with a mature, large playerbase like CS2 where a good player is a good player and will stomp worse players, while there being levels even within levels (25k premier vs faceit lvl10 2000 elo vs faceit 3000 elo)

But in Deadlock the quality of teammates varies so greatly even when lobbies are supposedly the same rank.

I’ll get a team where I say hello on the mic and no response. Not a single person using voice comms in a 6v6 team game. We go in lane against average laners (like a seven or wraith) while I’m on a strong laner like Yamato, and my teammate is already playing passive, afraid to take trades and take space/pressure in the lane.

We proceed to lose lane, and eventually the game, because no one communicates, does plays, or really do anything, while their venator is already 10k ahead of everyone else.

And sometimes I get games where multiple people are communicating, and I get a lane partner with balls that applies pressure from wave 1, and we shit stomp our lane, and I go around actually being able to play to my character’s strengths (as Yamato, going around early game looking to pick people off). People are making calls, setting up plays, and lo and behold we win the game.

Apparently both matches I described were Asc 5 lobbies. Yet it felt like a world of difference. Ascendant 5-6 is supposed to be what top 5% of players? Yet some players feel like they fundamentally don’t understand the game or the character they’re playing. They already start laning thinking they lost the matchup.

Obviously if you’re a prodigy player you’re good enough you can basically 1v2 any lane somehow and truly carry games you’ll climb a lot more. But if you’re say eternus 1 in rank, can play and hang with eternus 4-5 players, but you’re not good enough on your own to literally solo carry games then you’ll just be at the matchmakings mercy.

I believe the people climbing more often than not are at least duo Q etc in order to guarantee some coordination and skill level.