Finished the S25 (solo queue only/no darkrai,mimikyu) grind and all i can say is please take care of yourself and your mental.

Pics for proof /Solo queue only proof https://uniteapi.dev/p/yumi_umi

After these past few gruelling days of ranked solo queue i have finally achieved the stupid sticker by myself. What made me to make this post specifically about mental health and taking care of yourself is from my own experience and watching multiple unite streamers whether they be solo queuing too or trios etc.

As you know the new matchmaking changes has REALLY fucked things up specifically for solo queue players. The game is so stacked against you now and it’s really disgusting how bad it is for solo queue players who are the majority in the ranked mode. It was already bad before but somehow games feel a lot more worse and teammates WR% are sinking even lower where YOU WILL SUFFER as a solo queue player with a 55%+ WR. There must be some hidden algorithm adjustment or something sneaky going on with the recent update that wasn’t mentioned in S24 and S25 notes.

During my time grinding i was often watching unite streamers on the side and a lot of them displayed signs of tilt, anger, hopelessness etc. I can’t blame em as i myself found this season to be so bad that i even had myself yelling at my screen/ out loud in my room which I usually never do in ANY game including league of legends. There’s just something about current unite that tilts the fuck out of me ( must be the rank changes ).

With that said please take breaks when grinding out ranked this season, even i have come to accept that i cannot do the 1-2 day ranked 1600 solo queue grind anymore due to these changes. Please please take breaks after a losing streak ESPECIALLY PAST 1400 elo PLEASE.

Nothing is more mentally damaging in this game than to see a barrage of losses accompanied with -10 points. Going from 1450 -> 1400 from 5 losses (5x -10 points) and needing to win 7 times (7x +8 points) to gain 56 points and go from 1400 -> 1456 to break even is disgusting and will fuck your mental up where you will become hell bent on regaining the points and tilt queue into oblivion if not careful/ unlucky. I have let my teams down multiple times when playing in a tilted mindset and i am sorry I wasn’t playing better during those crucial moments.

Stopping at 1200 or 1400 or whatever isn’t bad and you shouldn’t feel bad or ashamed etc of it. I cannot fault anyone for feeling like it’s hopeless cuz it technically IS impossible now for majority of solo queue players and mediocre trios/duos to get to 1600 let alone 1400. It’s just a stupid sticker at the end of the day. You can still try throughout the season obviously but don’t lose your mind and sanity in the process please. Set personal REALISTIC goals for yourself and celebrate it as small victories etc.

i.e on my way to 1600 i would look at a 10+ point on my overall elo as a new personal best. So like when i was at 1550 i would want to hit 1560 as my new goal despite 8+ points for a win. So after i hit 1566 i would pat myself on the back for reaching a new PB, even if i lose points i would try to tell myself it’s okay i can get back to 1566.

LEARN HOW TO DODGE PROBLEMATIC PLAYERS IN QUEUE. This can’t be done always but for sure can help a lot after having a really bad game with trolling individuals etc.

i.e when you finish a match go to the recent teammates/ player tab in the lobby ( press Y on switch ) to pull up a list of the players from your previously played match. Wait until those individuals you want to dodge get into a match as it will say “X mins since match started” and start queuing. Sure it only works every now and then but it does help keep your sanity in a healthier state than to play with that troll decidueye again who stole jungle, did 10k damage and scored 0 points.

I myself am heavily thinking about if i should stop solo queuing early in the season as shit is getting out of hand and i am not having fun anymore basically lol. The points/ elo changes is way too much for me and i really don’t think i have it in me to go for S26 if nothing is going to change. I already feel like dodrio is also going to get power crept by rapidash ( after watching the videos )but ofc i’ll have to try the new mon for myself.

Anyways thanks for reading and i hope S25 treats you guys better than it has for me, may your wins be plentiful and your games not giga sweaty. I for sure am REALLY FUCKING HAPPY i am done with this shit season. Time to take a break finally… until S26 maybe…