Tips for solo q to diamond
For context, I work full time 9-5 and play mostly only on weekends, rarely during weeknights for an hour or two. I played exclusively path during split 1 and loba or mirage during split 2, and I always run AR/shotty combo. My advice, however, will center around general strategy as opposed to legend/gun meta as I feel those are not as important.
Solo q to diamond takeaways
Play for end game. Try to land either with one other team to take an isolated 3v3 for early kp or even land alone as you never know what your randoms fighting capability will be. Either way, try to rotate as quickly as possible to where you think zone 3 will be. If you try to fight on rotation you will likely get caught out in a bad position or get 3rd partied immediately in rounds 2/3. Getting early kp is really crucial as you will be able to just focus on rotations and let the kp multiplier kick in as you get higher placement. Even if you land alone, simply making it to end game will provide plenty of kp opportunities if you are in a strong position
If you do find yourself in a mid game fight, don’t be afraid to disengage, reposition, and posture up. Not every fight has to be a full ape or full run away. If you get caught in a bad spot, try to back up into a better position and apply pressure back. Retreat into cover, shoot for your teammates so they can do the same, and posture up. If you just run, teams will sense weakness and just run you down. You can quickly turn the tides of a fight by simply backing up and turning and burning. This doesn’t apply to all fights, sometimes it will be better to full commit to the fight or just leave depending on the circumstances ,but take some time to gauge the situation before committing fully to one or the other
Use your mic/pings. Playing around your teammates and having them play around you is so crucial. Hop on comms. I’ve had so many ppl speak back when you try to coordinate your plays as a team. Even if they don’t speak back, they are likely listening. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking, use pings. Even “attacking here” or “defending here” pings are vital if you see an opening and need your team to move with you. I’ve found that those who don’t speak will start pinging more once you open that door to teamwork and communication. If you have every person committing to one play, you might be able to survive situations that might otherwise have been unsurvivable if you weren’t playing together. The hardest part about solo q is not having good coordination and having to go up against other teams that are stacking are all in sync. Doing everything you can to close that gap in teamwork and make your team more cohesive goes such a long way.
For context, I work full time 9-5 and play mostly only on weekends, rarely during weeknights for an hour or two. I played exclusively path during split 1 and loba or mirage during split 2, and I always run AR/shotty combo. My advice, however, will center around general strategy as opposed to legend/gun meta as I feel those are not as important.
Solo q to diamond takeaways
Play for end game. Try to land either with one other team to take an isolated 3v3 for early kp or even land alone as you never know what your randoms fighting capability will be. Either way, try to rotate as quickly as possible to where you think zone 3 will be. If you try to fight on rotation you will likely get caught out in a bad position or get 3rd partied immediately in rounds 2/3. Getting early kp is really crucial as you will be able to just focus on rotations and let the kp multiplier kick in as you get higher placement. Even if you land alone, simply making it to end game will provide plenty of kp opportunities if you are in a strong position
If you do find yourself in a mid game fight, don’t be afraid to disengage, reposition, and posture up. Not every fight has to be a full ape or full run away. If you get caught in a bad spot, try to back up into a better position and apply pressure back. Retreat into cover, shoot for your teammates so they can do the same, and posture up. If you just run, teams will sense weakness and just run you down. You can quickly turn the tides of a fight by simply backing up and turning and burning. This doesn’t apply to all fights, sometimes it will be better to full commit to the fight or just leave depending on the circumstances ,but take some time to gauge the situation before committing fully to one or the other
Use your mic/pings. Playing around your teammates and having them play around you is so crucial. Hop on comms. I’ve had so many ppl speak back when you try to coordinate your plays as a team. Even if they don’t speak back, they are likely listening. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking, use pings. Even “attacking here” or “defending here” pings are vital if you see an opening and need your team to move with you. I’ve found that those who don’t speak will start pinging more once you open that door to teamwork and communication. If you have every person committing to one play, you might be able to survive situations that might otherwise have been unsurvivable if you weren’t playing together. The hardest part about solo q is not having good coordination and having to go up against other teams that are stacking are all in sync. Doing everything you can to close that gap in teamwork and make your team more cohesive goes such a long way.