Is Elo Boosting Worth The Money In League Of Legends?

Climbing up the divisions, especially in solo queue, can seem like an unachievable feat at times. Maybe you’re not that mechanically gifted, or maybe it’s just jungle difference. Whatever the reason, if solo queue pushes you past your limits, there are always boosting services. You can avail these services to increase your rank in ‘Ranked Mode’ and climb up the divisions. Of course, they are not free of cost, which is why you need to think about if they are worth it for you.

Elo boosting services are not worth the money. Having an expert smurf play on your account to increase your rank will do nothing as you will lose on those higher ranks when you play yourself.

Either you boost yourself all the way up to challenger or you stay stuck till the division your account was boosted too. However, if you are using the coaching services of these elo boosting websites, that is worth the money, considering they are charging a reasonable price.

Elo boosting has been frowned upon in the entire League of Legends community as it throws off the balance of matchmaking. Lower ranks need to face smurfs, who inevitably decrease their LP, while higher ranking players sometimes find noob players who have been boosted to a certain elo.

This makes the match extremely infuriating to play, regardless of the division. But let us talk more about how elo boosting affects the player in question, and why I do not recommend using these services. Read on to understand as I elaborate further.

Elo Boosting: Boosting VS Coaching

Almost all elo boosting services now provide several services, besides simply boosting your account. These entail coaching in different ways and account trading. We won’t be talking about account trading as it is wrong and get your account suspended if Riot Games is informed of it.

Coaching on the other hand is where you play on your own account, but have an expert coach helping you make decisions. They are constantly spectating your match and pointing out your flaws or areas of improvement. This can help greatly as you see how you can play better and carry yourself out of your elo.

Boosting is definitely a no-go as far as I am concerned. It teaches you nothing as the expert smurf will log into your account, play matches until he reaches the specified elo, and then leave. You do not improve in any way and will lose every match in the new elo if you ever dare to play it that is.

But I would not go as far as to say every type of boosting is worthless. Some e.g. placement match boosting might be required at times so you can break through that glass ceiling. If you are impatient and want to get into that new division, boosting can be deemed acceptable.

Boosting

Divisions

The most popular option for boosting is boosting your account through several ranked divisions. This is done by authorizing a player with a much higher skill level (grandmaster or challenger elo) to play ranked mode on your account.

Due to their incredible mechanics and gameplay, they can easily get your account to a higher elo without you having to do anything except pay. This service can usually be availed up to Master elo since after that the opponent’s skill level is exceptionally high as well.

I do not recommend using this service at all as it is a waste of money. Unless you need to prove you are a higher rank to somebody, getting to a higher elo is useless if you cannot play ranked mode again. You learn nothing as you are not getting tutored about your mistakes. And if you ever dare play ranked again, the enemies will most likely stomp you.

Another aspect to consider is that you will most definitely be placed into the smurf queue. When the game detects that someone is smurfing (a higher tier player playing in a lower tier), that account is automatically placed into a smurf queue with other smurfs. So you think if this is really necessary.

Placements

Boosting your placements can be seen as a valid reason to spend some cash. Since you need to win 3 out of 5 of your matches, it sometimes may require a higher skill level to get you through with feeding teammates.

The major drawback to this is the same as boosting through divisions though. If you cannot reach a higher elo, it simply means your skill level is not adequate for that elo. Even if the booster gets you through placements with a 3-win streak, you will probably be demoted very soon as the elo does not properly correspond to your mechanics.

Duos/ Wins/ Champion Mastery

These are the lesser used types of boosting services. Duo boosting might still be considered worth its value but if you are boosting your win ratio or champion mastery, I assure you it is money down the drain.

You can easily gain mastery of any champion by playing them in ranked mode. If you are having difficulty reaching the higher masteries such as 7 that require S grade tokens, try to better your mechanics instead of boosting the champion. This can be deceiving to your teammates when you are mastery 7 but do not know simple combos of the champion.

I would never recommend win boosting as a higher win rate or higher number of wins do not provide you with any rewards. They are simply a statistic shown on your profile to track your progress. Boosting your wins will have no direct effect on your gameplay or account.

Duo boosting is almost similar to coaching, with the only difference being you will most probably win the match. Duo boosting is where a player will play alongside you. Depending on the service you select, he will also give you some tips on what to do and how to rotate with him. In the end, he will always win his lane and dominate the match. This can be tried out and could be of value depending on your elo.

Coaching

Coaching services are also included in elo boosting services as not everyone prefers (or trusts) handing over their account. Especially considering the vast amount of boosting services now available, players must make sure to choose a reliable and trustworthy boosting service that can provide results.

There are no subtypes in coaching, rather it is based more on the role and number of hours you require. If you think you just need a few pointers and will be good to go, you can select a lower number of hours than those who want to improve in every aspect of the game.

Coaching is also role-specific. Since they will be teaching you the ins and outs of the game, you will need a coach who knows how to dominate their role. But it is definitely a great choice to spend your money on.

For me, coaching is extremely worth it. Not just if you want to gain ranks fast, but also if you just want to get better at the game generally. It is also recommended for veterans who have started learning a new role and need some assistance.

Why Is Coaching Better Than Boosting?

In simple words, coaching teaches you to get better at the game while boosting also temporarily brings your account to a higher standing. The analogy of ‘teaching a man to fish rather than providing him with fish’ can be applied here.

When you are coached, you get better at the game and can carry yourself to even higher elos. Your micro and macro improve drastically, and you get more proficient with a smaller champ pool.

This is not the case in boosting as another player will simply raise your account through some ranked divisions. Your skill level will remain the same and you will inevitably drop the ranked divisions you gained through boosting.

That is why coaching will always take precedence over boosting, even though you need to put in more effort as well as pay for the service.

Another big drawback of choosing the boosting option is that there are chances of your account getting banned. If your account is reported and Riot Games finds out different people are using the same account, they can permanently ban your account. So keep this in mind before you proceed.

Match Making Rating (MMR)

Your matchmaking rating is calculated based on your performance in recent matches. It increases if the game sees you are able to carry the game better than other players using the same champion on the same elo.

If your MMR increases, you are matched with more difficult players to give you a harder time carrying matches single-handedly. This happens when smurfs start a new account or, in this case, play on lower-ranked accounts. Their MMR rises drastically, placing them in the smurf queue against other smurfs.

So if you are thinking of using a boosting service, remember that this is a possible outcome.

Parting Thoughts

Elo boosting is definitely worth it if you are going for their coaching services, but not worth it if you are paying for someone to boost your account themselves. Make sure to think your decision through and consider the consequences before you select a service. Also, research the site you are purchasing the service from as not all of them are as reliable as they seem. If you pick the wrong one, the chances of getting scammed are extremely high.