The current meta game is killing the game for me.

[Bulwarked]

Bruiser/Sustained Top
Ability Power Mid
Support/AD Ranged Bot
Jungler/Initiator

That's all you get, do it or else you're ridiculed for having a less than 'ideal' set up. Sure, you can get away with changes like swapping the AD Ranged and AP Mid but that's about it. Sometimes I wonder if the meta actually only exists because the pros and game designers say it exists. Why not just throw your AP up top with a support, forget the jungler and have a ranged AD in mid then a kill lane bot with two damage dealing champions? What's stopping anyone from doing that? Imagine if you didn't have to worry about playing a specific type of champion in a certain lane.

The meta game, or just the sole fact that a pretend meta game exists, is really getting to me. I've been playing this game since beta, maybe not as frequently as most people, but I've been around it long enough to watch it grow and evolve into what it is today. A mass marketed, you-have-to-play-it-this-way game. I feel so bad for the champion designers because the current meta prevents truly unique champion design. If a champion cannot fit into any of those roles, they are ultimately destined to be doomed and unplayable in competitive play. (Which isn't a good design philosophy)

I have other lesser problems I'm running into as I figure more and more out about how the games played. Unfortunately I doubt they're ever going to change them now. The design of having two different forms of damage that can be modified and damage increased through items is annoying. Maybe not game breaking, but annoying. Items should be there to compliant your champions tool-set, not steroid it. If Riot focused more on balancing the champion's tool sets against each other and creating smarter counters that lasted through the entire match, the game would be much more fun. But the "existing" meta game prevents that.

All I want is for the game to be more flexible with it's meta. Why should there have to be a set guide telling you what type of champions you can play? The meta should allow any kind of champion to counter any kind of champion. When a team picks an AP champion for their mid you shouldn't have to look at your available champions and be forced to pick another AP champion for their AP champion in the middle lane. You should be able to look at all the types of champions you own and pick any that can counter that champion and go into that lane with that champion.

Why does the meta even exist? The huge population of players need to stop acting like sheep and doing only what the pros say to do.

[Thallidomaniac]

Why does the meta even exist? The huge population of players need to stop acting like sheep and doing only what the pros say to do.

The current meta works as it is because it provides the most and most efficient gold farm output through the 4 lanes. (top, middle, jungle, bottom) And as statistics have shown, other than a fluke game where either a team gets lucky or a team throws a game, the team that gets the most gold output usually wins the game.

And technically you can counter pick against an AP mid by sending a bursty AD such as Talon to mid, but you'll have to get an AP top such as Rumble or Vladimir since otherwise the amount of damage will lean towards physical, in which the enemy team can build armor to mitigate 3 of your 5 damage dealers should you use a typical AD bruiser instead of an AP one.

But yes it does get old after a while.

[yuca247]

I really couldn't have put it better myself. I wish the game was more "freestyle" but as it is now it's either play the way the masses play or be ridiculed.

[dangelo37]

The current meta works as it is because it provides the most and most efficient gold farm output through the 4 lanes. (top, middle, jungle, bottom)

This exactly. I agree, though, that it shouldn't be like this. Playing normals isn't very hard but you can diversify much more with random people who aren't going to cooperate anyway. Makes the game much more fun imo.

[Lyriok]

Play with friends and make your own meta if it really bugs you currently. Or maybe try a new role.

[Thallidomaniac]

I really couldn't have put it better myself. I wish the game was more "freestyle" but as it is now it's either play the way the masses play or be ridiculed.

It's sadly even got to the point where you'll get yelled at for using an "inferior" champion instead of the most popular ones. One example would be choosing MF or Sivir for AD carry, only to get yelled at your team to pick Graves or Corki instead otherwise they'll threaten to feed, even if you're picking them to counter-pick the enemy. (i.e. picking MF against an enemy Soraka pick, or Sivir to counter an enemy Caitlyn or Karthus pick.)

[Deleted]

Exactly my thoughts. I somehow got a bit bored by LoL but couldn't quite place why. This is definitely one of the reasons why.

I 'switched' to DotA 2 recently, and must say I'm impressed. The abilities seem more overpowered, but at the same time, you have to use them well. Lot's of abilities have quite a high cooldown, so if you misuse an ability, you're probably unable to use it for the entire teamfight.

Also, you often see games without a jungler, trilanes etc. Way less rigid meta, I like (:

Edit: I do get the point of the meta in LoL. AP's go mid, because they benefit greatly from a level advantage. This means they can go to the lanes and gank and probably get kills. However, in normal pubgames, most mids will never gank.

Also, giving all you gold as a support to the AD, assumes the AD will put this gold to good use, by positioning and killing enemies while not dying. This also rarely happens in pubgames.

These two factors make me dislike the meta...yes...theoretically it's better, however, if players are unable to use it to it's full advantage, why enforce it (enforce as in, those players will flame you for not following the meta)

[Deleted]

I don't get people complaining over the meta. Would the game be so much fun if you could play a duo lane mid? I really can't see the difference.

And you don't need to be a professional player to benefit from "following the meta".

To name a few obvious benefits:

• Your AP mage wants the blue buff, he can't get it if he's top or bot and you're on the wrong side of the map (and even if on the "right" side it's still a longer walk).
• You don't want to lose out on every early dragon so two players are pretty much needed for bot, not only for player advantage but also ward coverage.
• You want a support because one fed player is better than two weak players.
• You want to support the AD carry because he is the weakest without items and the strongest with items.
• You want a sturdy top lane because during ganks help is often far away.

As for player roles, you wouldn't have good luck going into a random 5-man dungeon group in WoW and demand 5 mages. That's pretty much the same concept.

[Redcinder]

You dont like the most efficient way to lane ? hmmm

[Axethor]

I feel like we had a similar agreement pop up a few weeks ago, so I'll say again what I said there. The meta exists for what it was designed for, high ELO and tournament play. Everything else is fair game. Sure, you will have the people who whine and complain if you don't follow the meta, but they are idiots and are yelling at you do they don't have to follow it themselves. In normals just play whatever you want and you still can win. Ranked is a different story with a different mentality, so if you aren't following the meta there, you deserve to be yelled at.

[Toxigen]

As previously stated, the meta is simply the most efficient way to produce gold.

I don't think the masses are being sheep, its simply the easiest way to produce a working team comp.

[Boomcats]

The last two posts win the thread.

[Burton68Zeppelin]

I 'switched' to DotA 2 recently, and must say I'm impressed. The abilities seem more overpowered, but at the same time, you have to use them well. Lot's of abilities have quite a high cooldown, so if you misuse an ability, you're probably unable to use it for the entire teamfight.

Also, you often see games without a jungler, trilanes etc. Way less rigid meta, I like (:

This is only true until people learn the best way to play DOTA2 and then people like you will be making the exact same complaints you have about League. Some team, some time is going to figure out the strongest comp to play with and that will be the meta for it, just like what happened here.

OT: Others have posted exactly why the meta exists, it has been proven repeatedly to be the most effective way to play the game currently. If you've been playing for as long as you claim you know that the developers aren't forcing anything on you. The changes to the jungle made it so pretty much any champion is capable of jungling, you are not forced to use certain champions to clear it any more.

[Durzlla]

Wanna know what SURPRISINGLY has worked for me 6/10 times? all 5 mid, not joking....

[Renwin]

As much I don't like the meta as well, it's most efficient and will win games with the right people most of the times. It's not to say you can't do other combinations (One normal I did was with two APs and Jayce/Darius/Draven against a meta-based team; somehow we made them surrender and I didn't even died once), but don't expect the same results in a ranked game. You'll be bested most of the time from a meta-based team there.

[Bulwarked]

This is only true until people learn the best way to play DOTA2 and then people like you will be making the exact same complaints you have about League. Some team, some time is going to figure out the strongest comp to play with and that will be the meta for it, just like what happened here.

Actually no. This is so untrue on so many levels. I'll admit to playing DotA 2 now, just to say that this is so false that it hurts to see someone say this. DotA has been competitively played since 2005 and it's proven to be above any kind of meta for years. If you weren't completely sure, DotA 2 = DOtA: All Stars (with shiny new engine and graphics, that's it)

Back on topic, The meta game exists as the fastest way to produce gold. I totally get that, I even knew that when I posted. I was going to rant a little longer about the current issues that compliment the greater problem with items and the way their designed.... but I realized how much I would be dissecting the game. Then how much I would rant on about how it should be designed more like the original DotA: All Stars.

And we know what those threads turn into, flame wars.

I was just frustrated that a game I've been playing so long has become so much less fun the better I've gotten at it. I've reached the 1700~ elo with less than 350 wins between normal and ranked and every time I queue up for a ranked I know exactly what I'm getting myself into and how annoyed I was about to become.

The constant idea that's been used to counter meta-game arguments is that the meta game is only important and truly exists for high elo and professional play is total Bull. You have to been god awful at the game, or new to playing it to not know the meta exists and follow it. Sure, it's not as effective in lower skill brackets, but no one actually cares about low-skill brackets. So that's a stupid argument. I can't just magically become ignorant of the meta and become a level 1 summoner to play with people who don't care about it/are unaware of it's existence without ruining their experience by just stomping on them while they learn the game.

to be honest I have no idea where I'm going with this, I'm just annoyed that a game I've come to like and spend so much time playing is becoming dull and was wondering if I wasn't the only one.

[_Fire_]

I hardly ever play with the meta roles when I play with friends. But after doing this for a while it becomes more and more obvious as to why the current meta is in place. If you are really bored with the current meta find 4 friends and completely destroy it, it can be a blast and probably one of the best times you'll ever have on the game(especially if everyone is on Skype).

[Bulwarked]

I hardly ever play with the meta roles when I play with friends. But after doing this for a while it becomes more and more obvious as to why the current meta is in place. If you are really bored with the current meta find 4 friends and completely destroy it, it can be a blast and probably one of the best times you'll ever have on the game(especially if everyone is one Skype).

I've done this a lot. We found a website that randoms what champions you play and what items you HAVE to build and we do that. You can lose pretty damn hard, but it's still fun.

edit: found the website, lol http://giantfunny.com/ultimate_bravery.php

[Durzlla]

I hardly ever play with the meta roles when I play with friends. But after doing this for a while it becomes more and more obvious as to why the current meta is in place. If you are really bored with the current meta find 4 friends and completely destroy it, it can be a blast and probably one of the best times you'll ever have on the game(especially if everyone is one Skype).

i've done this before!! We've also built flat out counters to the meta, like Galieo mid, two bruisers bot, soraka up top (yeah we've yet to see her lose a tower up there lol)

[Dundebuns]

Wanna know what SURPRISINGLY has worked for me 6/10 times? all 5 mid, not joking....

I've encountered it once and it took me exactly 3 seconds to realise how to beat them. An all mid team will probably consist primarily of mages and champs with high burst, and will attempt to peel off kills and push the other team into an untenable position. When we realised what was happening (I was mid with Malzahar) the first thing I said was for everyone to remain in their lanes and push as normal. The enemy team took 2 of our middle towers but I played super defensively and gave them no kills. In the end we were all 5 levels higher than them and we didn't lose any other towers.