I can’t think of another metagame that has been quite as contentious as the current tanky DPS game, and for good reason. Tanky DPS is infuriating to play against, even more so than the old poke/heal or R->win of days gone by. It lengthens games to a ridiculous degree. It encourages tower humping. It slows teamfights to a crawl. And, unfortunately, I think Riot underestimates just how bad it is.

Just check this noncommittal post from Guinsoo. He talks about all sorts of testing that’s going on, but in his final paragraph says that it may or may not pan out, may or may not release, may or may not do any of the things they’re supposed to do. Add to that the fact that Riot seems to be trying anything to shorten games except significantly nerfing the bruisers and it seems that tanky DPS is here to stay, at least in the meantime.

I’m actually fine with the idea of a consistent metagame. It gives players a chance to settle into a routine, which isn’t such a terrible thing, especially for a competitive game. In the case of tanky DPS, though, the metagame makes the game a lot less enjoyable. I’m pretty comfortable saying that my average level of fun has decreased dramatically in League of Legends over the last couple months. Games are so long these days that I’ll get one, maybe two games in before I’m so worn out that I don’t have much interest in playing further. I think that can be mostly attributed to the prevalence of tanky characters. Tower diving doesn’t work. There’s too much health on the board to bother taking risks. It just isn’t fun.

I’m hoping the game takes a serious shift some time soon. Several of the designers have mentioned items that directly counter the tanky meta, but when will we see those? I’m guessing 6-8 weeks. Until those items release, tanky DPS will reign supreme.

Now that I’m back to winning, I’ve been able to spend more of my time thinking about game mechanics and less time wondering if it’s possible to set my horrible teammates on fire from great distance using only my mind. In all seriousness, though, when I’m in a losing streak I tend to lose focus on simple things, like paying attention to whether or not my opponent Fiddlesticks’ ultimate is up. I also tend to get super kill-greedy, which is why I’m making this post.

I finally had a chance to play some Arranged Team with two friends and enjoy some time on Twisted Treeline. It went well for the most part, though we did struggle in one game. Our success was largely due to our focus on team solidarity, meaning we were consistently targeting the same target, switching targets to protect one another, and generally playing as a team. It’s one of those things that’s hard to pinpoint when it isn’t working, but feels so damn good when it is.

If you’ve been having trouble stacking up some wins lately, try to get back to teamfighting basics. Always stick with your teammates, and try to position yourself so you can be most effective. For support, that usually means away from the action. DPS and tanks can be in the mix, trying to rip down targets as fast as possible. Whatever you do, though, make sure you move as a team.