Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Thought: Justify Anything

It's possible to justify practically anything in LoL. Madred's Bloodrazor on Akali? Check. Tiamat on Fiddlesticks? Sure. Zhonya's Hourglass on Garen? Certainly! With the "correct" assumptions even the most ridiculously bad choices can be heralded as viable strategies.

You might think my examples facetious, but these are actual item choices I have seen players make and argue for in all seriousness. They were not trolling, but honestly believed they were making correct choices. Because of misplaced priorities, poor understanding, and/or fundamentally bad assumptions these players made and defended terrible decisions which lost them games.

Funny as those decisions may be there's nothing stupid about them. These players were simply doing what everyone else does, applying their assumptions and priorities to the game itself. What went wrong wasn't the thought process itself, but the inputs these players used.

The true problem and danger is becoming attached to one's decisions. A player invested in their choices closes their mind, becoming unable cautiously reevaluate a choice in the face of alternative viewpoints and data. It's a problem that affects players across the spectrum of skill. Avoiding this pitfall is critical to keeping up with the ever changing landscape of LoL.

Walking this fine line between confidence in your knowledge and dogma takes humility. That might sound like a tall order, but you have what it takes if you've read this far without thinking, "This doesn't apply to me." Keep your mind open, even to stupid ideas. It's effort but it's worth it.

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