The biggest hurdle to hitting crystal is...

[yaba_gabagool]

Not getting queues.

For days now, the queue just sits forever.

I only first started getting but a handful of games last night, for a batch of 5 games, and then the queue immediately died again.

[iVolke]

It's late in the season, this is normal.

[yaba_gabagool]

It's late in the season, this is normal.

So why smash casual over ranked if neither matter at this point?

Logic doesn't check out.

inb4 faulty logic - "Casual is easier and more enjoyable for higher ranked chars!"

Except not, because nobody likes playing with bots, afkers, and low-efforts in casual. That's a last resort. Ranked sorts that out the higher you go.

Yet here we are, casual queue overwhelmed, and Ranked barren.

[RyanCousland]

So why smash casual over ranked if neither matter at this point?

Logic doesn't check out.

inb4 faulty logic - "Casual is easier and more enjoyable for higher ranked chars!"

Except not, because nobody likes playing with bots, afkers, and low-efforts in casual. That's a last resort. Ranked sorts that out the higher you go.

Yet here we are, casual queue overwhelmed, and Ranked barren.

in ranked theres consequence to losing so it does matter more than casual, some might not wanna risk their rank or are tired of losing so they wait till next season or they got to the rank they wanted, i stayed plat for season 1-4 for alliteration purposes and now im always playing(aside from the days that i cant) because cc is challenging, its because casual offers nothing to lose and alot to gain, that its more active than ranked also its just as ivolke said, the logic checks out fine when you put more thought into it, i would prefer if the rank reset every season but unfortunately that probably wont happen

[yaba_gabagool]

in ranked theres consequence to losing so it does matter more than casual, some might not wanna risk their rank or are tired of losing so they wait till next season or they got to the rank they wanted, i stayed plat for season 1-4 for alliteration purposes and now im always playing(aside from the days that i cant) because cc is challenging, its because casual offers nothing to lose and alot to gain, that its more active than ranked also its just as ivolke said, the logic checks out fine when you put more thought into it, i would prefer if the rank reset every season but unfortunately that probably wont happen

What consequence? You go down in ranks until you're at the bottom of that tier and then nothing happens?

Also, you also drop ranks from inactivity so there's that too. Other people outclimb your spot.

Please, the only real consequence is when you're trying to climb out of diamond and into crystal, where you can actually drop ranked tiers.

Other than that it's literally just a numbers game.

I'm climbing on pld right now, and it's just the numbers that matter until Diamond +.

People just have a bad perception in their mind, or they're trying to mask an ego.

You're going to lose, get over it, it's part of the climb. You just gotta outlast the bad matches.

[RyanCousland]

What consequence? You go down in ranks until you're at the bottom and then nothing happens?

Please, the only real consequence is when you're trying to climb out of diamond and into crystal, where you can actually drop ranked tiers.

Other than that it's literally just a numbers game.

I'm climbing on pld right now, and it's just the numbers that matter until Diamond +.

People just have a bad perception in their mind, or they're trying to mask an ego.

You're going to lose, get over it, it's part of the climb. You just gotta outlast the bad matches.

if you think its just about one's rank then you really gotta think more about the facets of the state of ranked activity, i stated rank as just one example but theres a plethora, not everyone has the time or interest in the "numbers game" , so a loss that results in 5-20 min per match and not counting que time is enough for some to to not play in what some might think as waste of time compared to casual where again theres nothing to lose and alot to gain,

also if youre goin into the mindset of "just a numbers game" you probably wont make it that far, its more than just that, theres timing of what and when to use your toolkit as well as team combos and positioning, baiting , blocking ect

i dont know where youre getting this "ego" psycho analytic from but its defo a bit of stretch compared to the more obvious answer that its late in the season and there are other things to do with ones time

[Mistress_Irika]

Not getting queues.

For days now, the queue just sits forever.

I only first started getting but a handful of games last night, for a batch of 5 games, and then the queue immediately died again.

What consequence? You go down in ranks until you're at the bottom of that tier and then nothing happens?

Also, you also drop ranks from inactivity so there's that too. Other people outclimb your spot.

Please, the only real consequence is when you're trying to climb out of diamond and into crystal, where you can actually drop ranked tiers.

Other than that it's literally just a numbers game.

I'm climbing on pld right now, and it's just the numbers that matter until Diamond +.

People just have a bad perception in their mind, or they're trying to mask an ego.

You're going to lose, get over it, it's part of the climb. You just gotta outlast the bad matches.

That's what happens when you make it easier to climb. Something breaks in the ranking system, and queues eventually die somewhere within rank. I honestly don't see that changing as long as getting everyone into the higher ranks remain a priority.

Consequences are severe late into the season. I had to find that out the hard way. A couple of seasons ago I've invaded the Crystal server and got to diamond for the first time. I've coasted throughout the season. However, it took one night to be in a room full of top 100. Instead of staying out of queue I tried to climb. 3 straight hours struggling while being diamond 5 the entire time before eventually being pushed back to platinum. I've never gotten another game for the rest of the season despite queues staying at 5 minutes. So these days I don't spend too much time in rank.

I do agree that for some people there's nothing to learn in casual games. However, let's be honest. Why queue rank if you're going to be potentially punished by not getting games for simply being bad? How can you 'git gud' if you're forced to sit out? There's literally no difference between now and back then when a few people were forced to sit in rank queue for 7+ hours. I'm sorry if you got the short end of the stick, but that's how things are, especially in platinum.

[Doozer]

Have you considered just queuing for ranked with more skill? Just do it better.

[ThaCa]

It's the usual, there's handful of regulars tackling ranks early season and having last minute games at very end of the season.

There's nothing worthwhile for your average player to queue up for, most of the rewards are one and done.

I miss Season 1 grindfest with tons of people.

[Mistress_Irika]

I really hate derank and was against it for the longest time. But the community asked for this unfortunately. They hated all the casuals being in Crystal rank in season 1 and 2 that made their titles and stuff feel undeserving because of how easy it was to climb. The community wanted ranked to be limited to the most dedicated and try hard of players. Not the causals that decide to play a month after the season starts. You can blame those people for why the queues are as bad as they are now. They wanted this because this is the "industry standard for PvP" they are used to and makes things feel more competitive for themselves by gate keeping everyone else out. I absolutely agree that you can't get good if you have to sit out.

Let me see if I can explain this without missing the point or outright ignoring you. TL : DR - you're wrong. (JK. Please let me joke...)

Right now you have 3 groups: those who see the game as a skillful game, those who see the game as an RNG game, and those who got left behind and are unable to participate at all due to factors beyond their control.

Those who see it as a skill game is unsurprisingly those who have played for a long time. After all, rank is supposed to be games WITH people of similar skill level. (I have yet to see it this expansion lol) I can't deny about them being upset that them being too many casuals at the top. However, it was said at one point that rank was no different than casual queue. If that's the case why have 2 separate queues? It's a waste. Rank and casual should never have the same atmosphere feeling. While I do think that it should be slightly easier to climb in rank I do not agree with how that was handled at all. I would have been fine with a loss prevention system over...this.

Those who see it as an RNG game is unsurprisingly those who have defended the no penalty system. "I deserve Crystal because of my teammates." "Losing rank progress feels bad." Imagine if you didn't lose any stars for losses. Imagine is you didn't lose any points in Crystal for losses. At that point this is no longer about how great you are as a player but how much points you have earned through winning. Funny enough a similar system was used when crafters and gatherers got their own contest an expansion ago. Those that participated can tell you how that went. If folks are blaming their teammates for losses I do have to worry about what would happen if you were only allowed to que solo mode regardless of what mode you picked. (I'm looking at you frontline players...from a distance)

Then there are those who are left behind. It's those who have either started late or wasn't able to climb with the star system. It's that very small group that are often bypassed. I remember a thread back in season 2 where someone said that they wasn't able to get any games, and the only comment I saw then was "Try again next season." That's the result of not having an impactful punishment for losing games. That's the result of everything being funneled to the top and not having a way to trickle down ever leaving everything below barren. This is the group that I now fight for. "Try again next season" is a poor excuse and doesn't solve the problem of the rank system being broken. It's only justifies the bubble's existence.

I was solely behind adding demotion back into the game. In fact, I wanted folks to get demoted back to BRONZE for repeated losses if it's deserved. It's probably the harshest thing I've said thus far. However, I care about play time. No one should be locked out of rank for simply being low. I do believe that not setting a bar as to where people should go will fix a few things: running into the same players over and over again, playing in a room that's 2 tiers above you, and the inflated crystal ladder to name a few. It's a shame that rank has the 2nd smallest window to play in the entire of pvp queues compared to casual which anybody can play at nearly any given time.

That's just me though. If most are willing to walk away from the traditional way or have an entire different way of pvp's vision I don't mind getting out the way for everyone to do their work, do their magic, and discuss. If I'm wrong about something I don't mind accepting this as well.