10 Mistakes That Keep You Hardstuck in Low Elo
Blog post description.
5/18/202510 min read
If you’re stuck in Iron, Bronze, Silver, or Gold, you’re not alone. You’ve likely tried grinding endless games, swapping champions, or venting about “unlucky” teammates. Maybe you’ve even uninstalled League of Legends in frustration, only to return a week later. The harsh truth? You’re repeating the same low-elo mistakes that keep you hardstuck.
In this guide, we’ll break down 10 common mistakes holding you back and provide advanced, actionable fixes to help you climb the ranked ladder faster. Stop spinning your wheels—let’s fix these errors and start winning more games.
1. Wasting Summoner Spells by Not Using Them
You had Flash up. You had Heal or Ignite ready. So why did you die with them unused? Holding onto summoner spells like they’re precious artifacts is a classic low-elo mistake.
Why It Hurts: Unused summoners mean missed opportunities to survive ganks, secure kills, or turn fights. Every death without using your spells is a wasted chance to impact the game.
Advanced Fix:
Use Summoners Proactively: Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Flash to dodge a critical skillshot (e.g., Lux’s Light Binding) or secure a kill that leads to an objective. Heal early in a trade to bait enemies into overcommitting.
Track Cooldowns: Summoner spells like Flash (5-minute cooldown) or Ignite (3-minute cooldown) are game-changers. If you use Flash to escape a gank, note the timer and play safer until it’s back up.
Adapt to Matchups: Tailor summoner usage to your lane. For example, as Caitlyn in bot lane, use Heal to counter an all-in from a Leona engage, but save Flash for high-damage threats like Blitzcrank’s Rocket Grab.
Example: If you’re playing Ahri mid and spot the enemy Lee Sin ganking at level 3, Flash preemptively to avoid his Sonic Wave rather than waiting to be hit and dying with Flash up.
2. Skipping Replay Analysis
Spamming games without reflecting on your performance is like studying without reviewing your mistakes—you’ll stay hardstuck forever.
Why It Hurts: Without analysis, you repeat the same errors, from missed CS to predictable deaths, and miss opportunities to improve your macro and micro play.
Advanced Fix:
Targeted Replay Review: After a loss, focus on the first 10–15 minutes using the in-client replay system or tools like OP.GG. Analyze:
CS Efficiency: Did you miss creeps under tower due to poor auto-attack timing? (E.g., melee minions need two tower shots + one auto, ranged need one tower shot + two autos.)
Positioning Errors: Did you die to a gank because you lacked vision or ignored minimap cues?
Ward Timing: Were your wards placed too late to spot the enemy jungler’s pathing?
Track Patterns: Use a notebook or app to log recurring mistakes (e.g., “died to gank twice without warding river”). Create actionable goals, like “ward river by 2:30 every game.”
Compare with High-Elo: Watch VODs of high-elo players (e.g., on Twitch or YouTube) playing your champion to see how they handle laning, roams, or objective setups differently.
Example: If you’re a Top-lane Garen and died to a Warwick gank at 3:00, check the replay to see if you missed the jungler clearing raptors on the minimap. Adjust by warding the river brush at 2:30 to track early pathing.
Pro Tip: Use tools like Mobalytics or Porofessor to get automated insights into your CS, vision, and death patterns for faster improvement.
3. Playing Too Many Champions
A wide champion pool might feel versatile, but it’s a trap that dilutes your mastery and keeps you hardstuck.
Why It Hurts: Constantly switching champions prevents you from learning matchups, mastering mechanics, or understanding power spikes, leaving you inconsistent in ranked.
Advanced Fix:
Narrow Your Pool: Focus on 2–3 champions per role, ideally ones that are meta-relevant (check tier lists on u.gg or op.gg) and suit your playstyle. For example, low-elo-friendly picks like Annie (mid), Malphite (top), or Sona (support) are forgiving yet impactful.
Master Matchups: Deep knowledge of a few champions lets you anticipate enemy abilities and item spikes. For instance, as Annie, know that Zed’s Shadow Slash has a 20-second cooldown at level 1, so trade aggressively when it’s down.
Adapt Builds and Runes: Experiment in normals to learn your champion’s limits (e.g., testing Conqueror vs. Grasp of the Undying on Sett for different matchups). Tailor builds to counter enemies, like rushing Seeker’s Armguard against Fizz as a mid-lane mage.
Example: If you main Lux mid, practice her Light Binding combos in practice tool to land multi-target snares consistently. Learn to counter Yasuo by holding your Q until his Wind Wall is down (22-second cooldown early).
Pro Tip: Track your win rates with your chosen champions using Porofessor to ensure you’re focusing on picks that maximize your LP gains.
4. Chasing Kills Over Objectives
Kills might boost your ego, but objectives win games. Low-elo players often throw leads by chasing kills instead of securing map control.
Why It Hurts: Chasing kills into fog or diving for a 1-for-1 trade wastes time and resources, letting enemies take Dragons, Towers, or Rift Herald uncontested.
Advanced Fix:
Objective-First Mindset: After every fight or pick, ask: What objective can we secure? Prioritize:
Tower Plates: 160 gold each (up to 800 per turret before 14 minutes) for early gold leads.
Dragons: Permanent buffs (e.g., Infernal Dragon’s damage boost) and Dragon Soul at four stacks can decide games.
Rift Herald: Breaks towers for gold and map pressure; use it before 14 minutes to maximize plate value.
Turrets: Open the map and create pressure.
Trade Smartly: If you can’t contest an objective (e.g., enemy team is at Dragon), push a side lane or take Rift Herald to trade value.
Time Your Plays: Avoid chasing into unwarded areas or diving under turrets unless the reward (e.g., a shutdown + tower plate) outweighs the risk.
Example: As a Jungle Vi, if you gank bot and secure a double kill at 6:00, don’t chase the enemy jungler into their fog. Instead, ping your team to take the first Ocean Dragon and ward the river to secure vision control.
5. Ignoring the Minimap
Map awareness isn’t just for junglers—it’s a core skill that separates hardstuck players from climbers.
Why It Hurts: Failing to check the minimap leaves you vulnerable to ganks, unaware of rotations, and disconnected from your team’s strategy.
Advanced Fix:
Frequent Minimap Checks: Train yourself to glance at the minimap every 3–5 seconds, ideally between last-hits or while repositioning. Increase minimap size to 100 in settings for better visibility.
Track Key Information: Use the minimap to deduce:
Enemy Jungler Pathing: If you see them top at 3:15, they likely started botside and cleared upward.
Missing Laners: A missing mid-laner at 6:00 might signal a roam to bot or a ward in your jungle.
Objective Timers: Check Dragon or Herald spawn timers to anticipate rotations.
Ping Proactively: Use caution pings to warn teammates of missing enemies or signal pings to coordinate plays (e.g., pinging an enemy ward in the river).
Advanced Strategy:
Cross-Reference Game State: Pair minimap data with lane states. For example, if the enemy jungler shows botside and your top-lane opponent is low, dive or push for plates.
Ward Synergy: Place deep wards (e.g., enemy raptors or blue buff) to track jungler pathing and enable counter-ganks or invades.
Example: As a Mid-lane Syndra, if you spot the enemy Kha’Zix ganking top on the minimap at 4:00, shove your lane and roam bot or invade their jungle with your jungler to steal camps or secure a kill.
6. Greeding Instead of Resetting
Staying for “one more wave” or “one more CS” often leads to deaths that cost you more than you gain.
Why It Hurts: Greedy plays give enemies shutdown gold, experience, and map control, erasing your lead and tilting your mindset.
Advanced Fix:
Prioritize Clean Resets: After a kill or good trade, back to base with your gold to secure item spikes (e.g., Serrated Dirk for Zed or Lost Chapter for Viktor).
Calculate Risk vs. Reward: One extra wave (6–8 minions, ~100–150 gold) isn’t worth dying and giving up 300 gold + experience.
Track Enemy Threats: Check the minimap and tab to see if the enemy jungler or mid-laner is missing before overextending.
Advanced Strategy:
Manipulate Waves Before Resetting: Slow-push or fast-push the wave to ensure it’s in a safe position when you return. For example, as Darius, build a slow push before recalling to set up a freeze or dive opportunity.
Time Your Back: Recall when the enemy can’t punish you (e.g., after they recall or when their key abilities like Fizz’s E are on cooldown).
Example: If you’re Ashe in bot lane and force the enemy to back at level 5, shove the wave to their tower and recall immediately to buy a Noonquiver, returning with an item advantage.
7. Mismanaging Waves
Mindlessly shoving waves or failing to control them turns your lane into a gank magnet and hands free farm to your opponent.
Why It Hurts: Poor wave management leads to lost CS, missed roams, and vulnerability to ganks, stalling your ability to impact the game.
Advanced Fix:
Master Wave States: Learn the three core wave management techniques:
Slow Push: Build a large wave by only last-hitting to pressure the enemy or set up a dive (ideal before objectives like Rift Herald).
Freeze: Keep the wave just outside your tower by matching the enemy’s damage to deny their farm and force them to overextend.
Fast Push: Shove the wave to the enemy tower to reset, roam, or secure tower plates.
Match Wave to Game State: Freeze when ahead to zone the enemy, slow-push when preparing for a dive, or fast-push to roam or recall safely.
Track Minions: Count enemy minions vs. yours to maintain freezes (e.g., keep 3–4 extra enemy minions to freeze near your tower).
Advanced Strategy:
Bait with Waves: Slow-push to lure the enemy jungler into a counter-gank setup with your jungler.
Deny CS: Freeze when the enemy recalls to force them to lose a wave or Teleport back, wasting their Summoner Spell.
Example: As Top-lane Sett, freeze the wave near your tower against a Teemo to force them into your E range, denying CS and setting up a kill with your jungler.
8. Playing While Tilted
Tilted players make reckless decisions, lose focus, and tank their win rate.
Why It Hurts: Playing while angry or frustrated leads to ego plays, poor macro decisions, and negative team morale, costing you LP.
Advanced Fix:
Take Breaks: After two consecutive losses, step away for 15–30 minutes. Play an ARAM, watch a stream, or listen to calming music to reset your mindset.
Mute Toxic Chat: Immediately mute teammates who flame or spam pings to stay focused on your game plan.
Dodge Bad Lobbies: If your pre-game lobby shows signs of toxicity or a doomed team comp (e.g., no tank vs. a heavy CC team), dodge to save MMR (-3 LP for the first dodge, -10 for subsequent).
Advanced Strategy:
Mental Tracking: Keep a mental or written log of your emotional state during games. If you notice tilt creeping in (e.g., chasing kills impulsively), pause and refocus on objectives.
Anchor Your Focus: Set a specific goal each game (e.g., “ward river by 2:30” or “secure 80 CS by 10 minutes”) to stay grounded even when behind.
Example: If you’re tilted after a bad loss as Jinx, take a break, mute chat in your next game, and focus on hitting 7 CS/min to rebuild confidence.
9. Ignoring Your Team’s Win Condition
You’re 0/3 as Jhin, yet you’re still trying to 1v1 the fed Darius. This is a classic low-elo ego play that throws games.
Why It Hurts: Failing to adapt to your team’s win condition (e.g., playing through a fed teammate or building utility) wastes opportunities to come back and win.
Advanced Fix:
Identify Your Role: Assess your game state by tabbing:
If Ahead: Play aggressively to snowball, but avoid reckless dives.
If Behind: Build utility items (e.g., Locket of the Iron Solari for supports or Zeke’s Convergence for tanks) and play around your fed teammates.
If Even: Focus on farming safely and contributing to objectives.
Play to Your Team’s Strengths: If your Yone mid is 5/0, peel for them in fights or set up vision to secure their lead. Don’t force plays that don’t align with the win condition.
Avoid Ego Fights: Don’t challenge a fed enemy unless you have a clear advantage (e.g., numbers, item spikes, or cooldowns).
Advanced Strategy:
Track Win Conditions: At the loading screen, note your team’s scaling (e.g., Kassadin spikes at 16) vs. the enemy’s (e.g., Lee Sin peaks early). Adjust your playstyle to delay or accelerate fights accordingly.
Communicate Intent: Ping your intentions (e.g., “assist me” for a dive or “on my way” for a roam) to align your team around the win condition.
Example: As a Support Nautilus, if your Vayne is 3/0 but you’re 0/2, build Knight’s Vow to protect her and lock down enemies in fights, ensuring she carries instead of trying to be the hero.
10. Staying on a Doomed Account
If your LP gains are abysmal (+12 per win, -18 per loss) despite solid play, your account’s MMR might be irreparably damaged from excessive losses, dodges, or ranked decay.
Why It Hurts: A broken MMR forces you to win significantly more games to climb, and you’re often matched with inconsistent teammates, making progress feel impossible.
Advanced Fix:
Assess Your MMR: Check your LP gains/losses after games. If you’re gaining significantly less than you lose (e.g., +10 vs. -20), your MMR is likely tanked.
Consider a Fresh Start: Create a new account to reset your MMR. Play placement games seriously to land in a higher starting rank (e.g., Silver or Gold instead of Iron).
Optimize Placements: On a new account, focus on high-impact roles (e.g., jungle or mid) and meta champions to maximize wins in placements.
Advanced Strategy:
Smurf Strategically: Use a new account to practice one role or champion pool, avoiding the experimentation that tanked your main account’s MMR.
Track Progress: Compare your win rates and LP gains on the new account using tools like OP.GG to confirm it’s a better climbing environment.
Avoid Dodging Excessively: While dodging bad lobbies is fine, frequent dodging (-10 LP after the first) can further harm MMR on your main account.
Example: If you’re stuck in Bronze 4 with +13/-19 LP gains, start a new account, main Amumu jungle, and focus on securing early Dragons and ganks to place in Silver after placements.
Pro Tip: If you’re hesitant to abandon your main account, duo with a higher-MMR friend to boost your matchmaking and LP gains temporarily.
Final Thoughts: Break the Cycle, Climb the Ladder
Climbing out of low elo isn’t about being a mechanical god like Faker—it’s about eliminating consistent mistakes and adopting a growth-oriented mindset. By using summoner spells effectively, analyzing replays, mastering a small champion pool, prioritizing objectives, improving map awareness, resetting smartly, managing waves, staying tilt-proof, playing to your win condition, and considering a fresh account, you’ll turn losses into wins and climb faster than ever.
You don’t need to win every game—just win more than you lose. Focus on small, actionable improvements, stay honest about your weaknesses, and commit to breaking the hardstuck cycle. Your next rank is within reach—start today!