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The Summoner's Guidebook: Don't be afraid of LoL; just do it!
Everyone who plays League of Legends has bad games every now and then. Everyone has bad community experiences, too. I think it's rare to have a game where everything just feels exciting and positive and wonderful all the way through. LoL is really not well-designed for that. However, it's fear of loss, of playing poorly, and of dealing with jerks that keeps us from actually enjoying the game. Those things are real, but if you let those things get you down, you'll never give yourself a chance to improve.
Hearthstone test season 1 ending January 2
Hearthstone Community Manager Keganbe chimed in to remind everyone that the first Ranked Play season will be ending soon. After the season ends, everyone's rank will be reset to 25 and the climb to the top will begin anew. We saw the fall (or at least, rebalancing) of mages in the inaugural season of Hearthstone. Test Season 2 will begin on January 2nd. We'll start seeing alternate card backs and golden heroes soon! Hearthstone Test Season 1 End Reminder Thank you for helping us test our very first Ranked Play season! This season is intended to conclude on January 2nd, so be sure to wrap up your climb up the ladder before that date. Once the season is over, everyone's ranking will be reset back to Rank 25, and Test Season 2 will begin! During the course of this first test season we've gotten some very valuable feedback and data from you regarding the new Ranked Play system. We greatly appreciate your efforts in helping us test this updated Play mode, and we look forward to seeing your future feedback in Test Season 2. In the future, once the Test Seasons have concluded, we look forward to adding our Ranked Play rewards: Alternate card backs and Golden Heroes. We can't move on without your help! Be sure to continue reporting bugs on our Bug Report forum here, and give us your feedback on Ranked Play mode on our general discussion forum here. Thank you for helping us test Ranked Play mode! source The highest rank I've been able to reach so far is rank 8. How have your experiences in Hearthstone been? Which decks have you been using to climb the ranks? Personally, one month per season is too short. I think each season should be expanded to at least 2-3 months at most. I feel as though it takes quite a bit of time for constructed (play mode) players to get to their appropriate ranking.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Dominion isn't ready for ranked
I'm a huge fan of League of Legends' Dominion gametype. One of the complaints I hear regularly is that Dominion doesn't have a ranked mode. Right now, Dominion's highly skilled summoners must choose between "curbstomping pubbies" in blind pick mode or waiting for a year in queue for draft pick mode. A ranked mode would solve these issues, as players would be encouraged to play more and would be able to see improvements in their gameplay. A lot of people don't think that Dominion is ready for ranked. Most of the arguments along these lines have something to do with poor champion balance. What do they mean by "bad balance?" I have a suspicion that many of the complaints stem from a lack of counter-knowledge more than any fault of the developers.
Clans still possible for Gears of Wars ranked matches [update 1]
Mark Rein maintains that Microsoft prevented the developer from implementing clan support (e.g., Halo 2's Party System) into Gears of Wars' ranked multiplayer matches. But, in a recent interview with Gamer Andy, Epic's VP did hint that team support could still be added, stating vaguely, "In the future we might roll out some additional functionality."In the meantime, a tedious workaround does exist. If one member hosts a ranked match, it's possible for the rest of the clan to grab spots in the match via the custom search menu. Of course, this method will become more difficult as the Gears player base grows and you and your teammates' TrueSkill ranks begin to differ.Update: Gamer Andy contacted us to clarify that his conversation with Rein was not an interview. According to Gamer Andy, Rein's comments did not hint at future clan-play implementation. The cryptic statement about upgrading functionality was just an offhanded remark delivered to steer the conversation toward a new direction (i.e. away from concerns about Gears' multiplayer).See also: Gears of War's ranked matches smell rank[Via 1UP]
