… in my experience that is. I normally play really casually, like 18v18 or hang out in doom match to take a break. I’m also pretty new to the game in the grand scheme of things since I only really started playing in season 8. One last thing for reference is that I’m in Gold 2 and have a sub-50% win rate at the moment I believe. On console.

Everyone seems… really good. Like… really good. Oppressive Hela or Cyke players with +50% accuracy. Black Panther players that seem nigh impossible to react to and Venom players that never seem to die. Many players on both teams seem to have animated icons for characters, where I only have a couple of lords.

The real gripe I have with the mode is the matchmaking. I was under the impression of if it’s a competitive mode and there are ranks teams should be of approximately the same skill level. That does not seem at all to be true. I’ve like 20 ranked matches played this season. I think 5 or 6 had someone on my team leave, a few where someone on the other team left, and probably half of the games are where my team just flat out gets stomped.

I can accept that this is just my skill ceiling, that’s fine. I play casually anyway. Is the playerbase really this good at the game though? I ask that as a serious question. I could swear I’ve faced higher ranked players in qp or doom match or 18v18 and it doesn’t feel nearly as bad as this. I check teammate and enemy profiles after some matches when I get curious. Maybe I just don’t deserve Gold and that’s fine. If I suck at this game, so be it. But it doesn’t seem very forgiving or fair to new players. At least with ranked that is.

Below I will list some specific frustrations, if you like reading that sort of thing. If not, then thanks for taking the time to read this far at least.

1. I’ll play Magneto and bubble my supports if they get dove, but it still often is not enough. If it’s Venom he can get in, harass them for a genuine 10-15 seconds and still survive even though I turn my back to attack him as the supports on my team desperately try to scramble away from him. That Phoenix teamup is kind of crazy.

2. The other team will have a Blade that just literally shreds everything while in vampire form. Even if we have 3 supports the guy just literally cuts them apart. Even if I turn and shoot at him the guy still kills them.

3. Iron Man will just hover over my team and melt them with his laser. I try my best to pressure him but when I’m on Mag or Groot (I play tank primarily) there’s not a whole lot I can do. My tracking isn’t that good but I know he’s there and I try to get the guy to fly away. It just always feels like I try to stop one person and something else goes wrong.

4. No one knows how to deal with BP. I’ll swap to Thing or the stretchy guy since Peni usually gets banned. The guy always manages to get in and out before I can get to or disrupt him. Like if I turn my back to the frontline for one second I’ll turn around and a support is just dead. Why am I on the frontline with those two? Well, we often only have 5 people on the team or I’m the only tank to begin with.

I’m pretty new to this game in terms of when I started playing and am new to this sort of game genre in general. I’d say myself that I play very casually since 90% of my time is in the 18v18 mode, ai practice or just the practice range. I just pick a hero and play them and I’ve always had fun doing so.
Although it may come as little surprise to some of you, it came as a surprise to me that I would feel that competitive mode is not I thought it would be. I’m rather disappointed in the quality of the matches I’ve had and overall it’s been a negative experience.

The issue I’ve personally had in matches 9/10 times are them being a stomp. Sometimes my team just runs the other over. Sometimes we get put through the wringer. Neither of those feel fun or enjoyable or any bit competitive. Add the issue of people leaving for whatever reason, which has been like half of my games and I’ve come to the conclusion that this has not been the ‘put effort in, work hard to get results and maybe just have fun doing so too’ I was thinking it might be.

I don’t think the mode is all bad. I think it’s cool that you get rewarded for milestones you can achieve, like unique skins or banner crests. Personally I think that’s a cool incentive to want to work toward. It feels rewarding to have something physical to show as a sign of your accomplishment. I also enjoy the short time it takes to get into matches. I’m in Silver and it takes but a moment to load into a game. If I have a horrible match experience, at least I can get into another one quickly and move past the last one. A final thing I’d add is the introduction of the ban system. It adds a hint of strategy and makes it feel more like the choices I make have an impact on how the match can go.

With that said, I think I was hoping that wins would feel more hard earned and losses would at least most of the time be attributed to something that can be improved upon instead of getting tossed into a garbage bag and hurled into a dumpster. Regardless, I‘ll continue playing because I hope to find what I want out of it and also work for the end of season rewards for reaching Gold at least. I feel a bit silly typing this but I can always look back on this perspective and eventually find out if there’s any merit to what I’m feeling. Or perhaps I’ll seem like I’m crazy. Either way, if you read this far, I thank you for taking the time to do so.

Hey all, leaving this here since I’ve got a question(s) about focusing fire on an enemy in a match. I understand normal communications might include calling out who’s low and if you’re ulting, see a diver, et cetera. But when it comes to singling out and focusing an enemy during a match, which is the better option?

Focus their weakest link and try to make the fight a perpetual 6v5.

Or

Figure out who their best player is after a bit of fighting and then focus them, working to slow down and deny them value.

Or

Something else?

Also, does this answer change if your team does not have good (or any) communication? Is it worth the effort to focus someone if you’re solo?

As I’ve browsed the main menu, I’ve gotten mail that I’m eligible to play for tournaments (or something along the lines of it). After reading that it left me with some questions. If anyone wouldn’t mind answering them, I’d appreciate it.

1. What is organized play like? (I play really causal so 18v18, ai, etc. not competitive whatsoever)

2. How good do you have to participate in tournaments? I understand that’s a vague question, but realistically what rank or skill set does one need for tournament play?

3. Probably a tie-in with question 2… Are tournaments available for players in lower ranks?

I’ve heard a little bit about people communicating through text or voice chat in matches. As someone who never uses text or voice chat, should I? What should I be saying if I do? There is an advantage to using it I presume?

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

I’ll try and keep this short. Not on Reddit much but I enjoy this game and have managed to reach gold. I’m just looking for any advice for how to get better and to rank up.
I normally just play the ai mode and play a good chunk of the roster for fun. I wouldn’t say I’m really good at any of them, though. Are there certain characters I should play? Certain things I should do on said characters? General things I should work on getting better at?
I also play on console if that makes any real difference.