Here is a video version of this guide. Scroll a down to the next section if you'd rather read the guide.

https://youtu.be/XSSi4CM5hwo

Make sure you actually play better than the average gold player.

Guys! if you play like a gold player, you belong to the gold tier! It's that simple.

Here are the things you need to learn to become a Diamond player by skill:

1. Know the meta
   
2. Be proficient with at least 2 meta champions for each class
   
3. Have good loadouts for your champions
   
4. Have good aim

Practice makes perfect and if you want to improve these things, I highly suggest you to play casual siege.

Me, I avoided ranked for the first 10 months when I joined Paladins. Then, I switched to ranked and got to Diamond 2 in about three weeks.

Being good at the game is not enough though, so here's step two:

Ranked is plagued with trolls. We can either complain about that or find a way around it.

How do you get a team you might ask? Just ask people to team up with you after every match. That's how I do it. Start solo and try to assemble a party of at least 3 people in the next match or two. I usually aim to get a party of five people. Five stacks are punished in casual but they work wonders in competitive. For me, anyway.

Still not sure? Look, if you are a good player and teammate, people will want to join you. If nobody wants you in their team it might be because you either underperform or are toxic.


Don't send friend requests straight off the bat. Most people will reject a friend request from a stranger. Instead, invite them to your party first, do a couple games together and if you see you get along well, then sure, you can add them. You can invite people to your party by typing in their name manually. They don't have to be in your friends list.

Having a party is great. You can be sure those people will not afk in spawn. The next step is to try to find their strengths. Try to find out who is better at which class or champion and chose your team composition accordingly.


Be ruthless. You are doing competitive. Every defeat means you lose precious ELO.

It's okay to play casual with friends and have fun no matter what but when it comes to competitive, stick to people who take the game seriously and are good at it. Don't team up with people who refuse to communicate or cooperate. Don't waste time on people who don't know what teamwork is.

I see a lot of beginners going for competitive as soon as they can and that's a huuuge mistake. They are sending their competitive ELO down the drain and it then takes AGES to get it back. Play casual for at least few months before you get into competitive.


No, I'm not talking about ethics or morale. You know what is the easiest way to NOT get any heals in a match? Exactly, by spamming "Need Healing!". I know it's frustrating when your team is doing all sort of weird crap instead of playing the game normally, however getting salty and toxic will make things even worse.

Listen.. YOU. ARE. AWESOME. Don't let a momentary burst of anger make your team think that you're a d***k. Because nobody wants to be in a team with a d***k. When my team is toxic, I lose all motivation to play; I underperform and that does not contribute to victory.

A bad team is a problem. By getting salty at them you create even more problems. You don't need that. Look for solutions instead. Try to work things out and get the most out of the situation, no matter how bad it is. After all, you do want to get to Diamond, right? Don't let your anger and frustration stand on your way to your goal.


Unlike popular belief, competitive rank does reflect skill. If you want to get to and stay in Platinum, you should be able to play the game every day for at least one hour a day. If you want to get to Diamond, you should play for at least two hours a day. I see a lot of people playing the game sporadically and expecting to get past Gold. It simply won't happen, folks.


If you suck at a certain champion or class, be transparent about it. You can practice them in casual but please don't pick them in competitive. This way you will save you and your team a lot of stress.

A lot of decent players are stuck in Gold. Don't be one of them. Follow these steps to break free from the eternal doom Gold rank is and rejoice in the heavens of Diamond *w*

Okay, getting to a higher rank will not necessarily grant you peace of mind and illumination, BUT if your goal is to get past gold, this guide might be exactly what you were looking for. If you found my guide helpful, you check my other stuff, maybe you will find some value in them too :)


5 Tips to flank Like a Diamond Player
Top 10 Beginner-Friendly Champions
5 Tips to support Like a Diamond Player
Beginner-Advanced Support Guide