Many people are talking about the amount of time professional League of Legend players spend behind the keyboard – the amount of time it takes them to gain the skills they have. Looking at an interview from Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok, he has claimed to play (or shall we say practice) for up to 15 hours a day. Taking the research a bit further, we find that many professionals have claimed to practice between 12 to 14 hours a day while their teammates played for eight hours.
One could wonder whether it’s the amount of time they’re practicing or the time of the day that matters the most. When is the best time to play League of Legends? Personally, I believe the best time to play LoL or any other game for that matter will all depend on the person. I say this because while one person is a morning person, the other person may be a night owl. Take me as an example, and I like to play my best during the night because I’m a night owl. However, my best friend wants to wake up, grab a cup of coffee and start playing League of Legends. Playing during the morning hours is something I find very hard to do because it’s hard for me to function during that time. My friend, however, finds it hard to function at night and likes to wind down and watch television before bed.
The best time to play LoL will depend on not only the individual but also the purpose or reason for playing the game.
Playing Ranked
For those of you who are playing ranked matches and gain LP, I would recommend playing during the evening hours and during the weekends because this is when more people are playing the game, especially on North American servers. When you have more players queueing up on League of Legends, this makes it so that the matchmaking system will have more options to choose from when it’s creating games, and this means that you are more likely to get matched with people that are closer in skill and experience to you.
Also read: League of Legends Duo Queue Rules
Practicing a New Champion
For those of you who are just looking to practice a new champion or learn some new mechanicals, there’s really no special time of the day to do this. You can pretty much hop on and jump into a normal game regardless of the time of day or night. Teammates may complain that you’re not doing good when you’re learning something new, but this is something that’s going to happen no matter what when you’re playing a game. Just do it. If you feel the need, explain to them that you’re learning a new champion or trying to do something new and are sorry for not being experienced with the champion you’re using.
When I Play
When I have the day off from work and feel like playing League earlier in the day (before 5 PM), then I’ll usually hop on and queue up for ARAM or some other special game mode that’s on offer. I think of these as little warm-up sessions or social sessions to play with my friends. I don’t expect to win games with these matches, but they do give me a feel for whether I am physically and mentally ready to play a couple of ranked matches later on. If I feel tired or just not feeling right, then I queue up for normal or ARAMS.
Think of League just as you would think of any other sport. When you compete when you’re not ready for it or aren’t in proper form, then you’re not going to do your best. So, If the only time you feel like playing ranked is during the morning hours or in the middle of the day, there’s nothing wrong with doing it; no one is going to judge you. Just keep in mind that you will probably get your fair share of potatoes on your team, so be prepared to win despite them.
In League of Legends, I believe people queue up for ranked matches when they’re not ready physically and/or mentally, only to find themselves having to deal with the additional stress of competition on the game causes the individual to become a toxic player and lash out at other. Some players in League don’t have the self-awareness and maturity it takes to make choices about what is good for their mental health, so the rest of the players end up suffering.
Also read: Best Mobile Hotspots for Gaming
Final Words
When should you play League of Legends? I’d say play the game when you’re well-rested and are in a good place physically and mentally. You may want to avoid playing after hours when you’re tired because this is when the game can become frustrating, and most people are tired and more likely to make dumb mistakes. I noticed players are friendlier, and there are fewer trolls between the hours of 7 AM to 1 PM, and you may want to avoid the game between 2 AM to 6 AM because a lot of people who are playing during that time are smurfs, and the hardest of hardcore gamers stay up during those hours and pump out games.
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