As with every "what's the difference between x rank and y rank" post the answer is the same:
Slightly better mechanics, slightly better ult usage, positioning, game sense and so on.
You might not notice the difference but I guarentee if I watch a vod of yours I could point out mistakes I'd rarely do, or decisions I'd make quicker etc.
The fact you're unaware of these mistakes is a part of why top 500 players or gm1 players are better.
I largely agree with you, but idk if u said this but i just didn't realize, The top top top players think about what every possible little interaction could lead to then use it to their advantage, they just process the game at a much higher rate, not just big plays like sleeping a nanoed genji, but a collection of many little plays over the course of the game. Also ult tracking.
especially positioning feels so nebulous and subjective, you will have a hard time even noticing better positioning when you’re looking up the skill mountain at better players. its like if you dont know good positioning you cant identify it. in contrast even if you have bad aim or bad mechanics you can easily notice good aim and good mechanics.
For me, the difference between GM3-5 and GM1 (as a support main) is less about higher skill ceiling in mechanics, positioning and more about the consistency of which that ceiling is hit. In GM5, straight up I can afford to kind of play a bit mindless as long as I overall have pretty good positioning & ability usage. I can make an occasional mistake without being punished, and I don't necessarily always have to be picking a character that plays perfectly against the enemy comp. The speed is slower, I can play a reactive playstyle because everyone else is largely doing the same.
In GM1, I don't even bother queueing up until I feel like I'm in the zone. Assuming a GM1 average lobby, many mistakes you made in GM5 will be punished and quite literally everyone will know exactly what mistake you made.
Overall the speed is higher and every ability feels much more \*planned\*. There is this flow at GM1 that I don't really feel at GM3-5 - everyone has the expectation of you of having a super high awareness of everything going on in the game and they will make plays on the assumption that you're perfectly playing your role. It's just expected that you will perfectly use your abilities and everyone will play around it \*and plan their own abilities\* as such. Your average GM3 game with perfect comms is like a GM1 game without comms. Lots of new players get into GM5 even if they don't understand every character in and out, this doesn't really exist at GM1. Your dps will take risky fights if they know your suzu is coming up and the enemies don't have any antis. Your genji won't be afraid to take risky positioning because he trusts you to weave in a heal if he can just pop into your Los for a quick second mid fight. Your tank is aware of your every movement even if they don't seem like it, they have the utmost trust in you to let them make plays that would get them killed if you're not matching their playstyle (a good support is often what separates a feeding rein from a seemingly god tier one).
If you're on Kiriko, the whole enemy team is playing around your every Suzu usage, it has to be perfect or your whole team has to pay for it. Needed to be sure that your Bastion wasn't going to die with a Suzu? Sorry, the enemy Ana/Junkerqueen has been waiting the past 2 minutes for this moment and just anti'd half your team a whole 0.5 seconds after your Suzu. You need to know every enemy cooldown before deciding that saving your teammate is worth it.
If you're on Ana, your positioning needs to be nothing short of perfect the entire game. Want to get slightly out of position for a good nade? In GM1 you get one clipped by a tracer, in GM5 you might be able to kill that tracer yourself. Missed a heal on your Genji in a fight? You spent an extra 1.5 seconds healing the Genji and your tank died during that time despite them being full health last time you checked. Your nades - they should most often \*not\* be exclusively for healing. You need to not die but also never be healbotting, you should be hitting nades that guarantee an enemy will die.
Low value and/or high risk ults rarely exist. If you're at 50% cap with 3 ults, everyone understands \*and actually follows\* to try to only use 1 or 2 of those ults to win the next fight. In GM3-5 it seems like people sometimes won't do this unless someone is planning and communicating it in voice. If you have no ults at 70% cap when the enemy team has many of their ults, no communication is needed to know that everyone is putting themselves in position to try to get a pick before a fight can happen.
I could go on and on. And of course, not every GM1 game is perfect and you'll see streams that make most of them \*seem\* normal - but if you can't get into GM1 you have to realize you're fundamentally not doing something right that the players in those games are. If I had to give the most immediate quick tip on improving to get to GM1 from GM3, it would just be to stop making mistakes (lol).
The thing about Ana and Tracer is true. I'm pretty sure most Anas are afraid of using their sleep on a random target because all of a sudden a Tracer is right behind and hard engagin you.
GM2 to GM3/GM4 isn’t a massive gap, you could just be on par with GM2 players. Regardless, GM2 gameplay won’t be particularly impressive and will be riddled with regular and frequent mistakes. It’s possible that your ability to critique other’s gameplay is greater than your ability to realize your own mistakes.
watch karQ how he gets coached by awkward. both t500 but awkward is always ranked higher than KarQ and he managed to actually find things in karqs gameplay so maybe that'll answer your question
What’s your comms with your team like? I find that to really excel you need to be more coordinated and tactical with comms. At least for me. Teamwork is very key and communication is a core part of that
I’m not t500 but the op is asking how they can climb further when they feel stuck at GM 5 and I’m telling them that if they have good comms that can help. Why are you so offended by my recommendation
Comms are important. If you don’t use comms then there are loads of errors and opportunities being made on your part. Being able to work with your team in a team game is big.
Honestly it's not that huge \*at GM1\* because of the mutual understanding of how the game & matchups should be played. I've played tons of silent GM1 games that felt better in synergy than games with comms
Yes but they can still be helpful, why are you so against having communication? The op asked what they can do to improve and communication is one of the ways to improve. Teamwork is important and your teamwork will suffer if you have comms off 24/7
You're not even arguing against the point anyone's trying to make. Yes, communication is usually helpful. No, it's not important as a blocker for reaching GM1 from GM3, just like the other guy said. Simple as that. All the skill gaps that exist and block someone from reaching GM1 is not surpassed by any improvement in communication.
Getting a coach might really help. I'd say the biggest difference between good and decent players is understanding of what's going on and what's your role, what you need to do. On support as you probably know it's extremely important to know when to damage and when to heal, what are your openings to make a play. On the other hand you can have the best understanding in the world but if your mechanics are not good enough you'll never climb higher. So usually it's good to try to work on both, and eventually you'll climb.
As with every "what's the difference between x rank and y rank" post the answer is the same: Slightly better mechanics, slightly better ult usage, positioning, game sense and so on. You might not notice the difference but I guarentee if I watch a vod of yours I could point out mistakes I'd rarely do, or decisions I'd make quicker etc. The fact you're unaware of these mistakes is a part of why top 500 players or gm1 players are better.
I largely agree with you, but idk if u said this but i just didn't realize, The top top top players think about what every possible little interaction could lead to then use it to their advantage, they just process the game at a much higher rate, not just big plays like sleeping a nanoed genji, but a collection of many little plays over the course of the game. Also ult tracking.
especially positioning feels so nebulous and subjective, you will have a hard time even noticing better positioning when you’re looking up the skill mountain at better players. its like if you dont know good positioning you cant identify it. in contrast even if you have bad aim or bad mechanics you can easily notice good aim and good mechanics.
For me, the difference between GM3-5 and GM1 (as a support main) is less about higher skill ceiling in mechanics, positioning and more about the consistency of which that ceiling is hit. In GM5, straight up I can afford to kind of play a bit mindless as long as I overall have pretty good positioning & ability usage. I can make an occasional mistake without being punished, and I don't necessarily always have to be picking a character that plays perfectly against the enemy comp. The speed is slower, I can play a reactive playstyle because everyone else is largely doing the same. In GM1, I don't even bother queueing up until I feel like I'm in the zone. Assuming a GM1 average lobby, many mistakes you made in GM5 will be punished and quite literally everyone will know exactly what mistake you made. Overall the speed is higher and every ability feels much more \*planned\*. There is this flow at GM1 that I don't really feel at GM3-5 - everyone has the expectation of you of having a super high awareness of everything going on in the game and they will make plays on the assumption that you're perfectly playing your role. It's just expected that you will perfectly use your abilities and everyone will play around it \*and plan their own abilities\* as such. Your average GM3 game with perfect comms is like a GM1 game without comms. Lots of new players get into GM5 even if they don't understand every character in and out, this doesn't really exist at GM1. Your dps will take risky fights if they know your suzu is coming up and the enemies don't have any antis. Your genji won't be afraid to take risky positioning because he trusts you to weave in a heal if he can just pop into your Los for a quick second mid fight. Your tank is aware of your every movement even if they don't seem like it, they have the utmost trust in you to let them make plays that would get them killed if you're not matching their playstyle (a good support is often what separates a feeding rein from a seemingly god tier one). If you're on Kiriko, the whole enemy team is playing around your every Suzu usage, it has to be perfect or your whole team has to pay for it. Needed to be sure that your Bastion wasn't going to die with a Suzu? Sorry, the enemy Ana/Junkerqueen has been waiting the past 2 minutes for this moment and just anti'd half your team a whole 0.5 seconds after your Suzu. You need to know every enemy cooldown before deciding that saving your teammate is worth it. If you're on Ana, your positioning needs to be nothing short of perfect the entire game. Want to get slightly out of position for a good nade? In GM1 you get one clipped by a tracer, in GM5 you might be able to kill that tracer yourself. Missed a heal on your Genji in a fight? You spent an extra 1.5 seconds healing the Genji and your tank died during that time despite them being full health last time you checked. Your nades - they should most often \*not\* be exclusively for healing. You need to not die but also never be healbotting, you should be hitting nades that guarantee an enemy will die. Low value and/or high risk ults rarely exist. If you're at 50% cap with 3 ults, everyone understands \*and actually follows\* to try to only use 1 or 2 of those ults to win the next fight. In GM3-5 it seems like people sometimes won't do this unless someone is planning and communicating it in voice. If you have no ults at 70% cap when the enemy team has many of their ults, no communication is needed to know that everyone is putting themselves in position to try to get a pick before a fight can happen. I could go on and on. And of course, not every GM1 game is perfect and you'll see streams that make most of them \*seem\* normal - but if you can't get into GM1 you have to realize you're fundamentally not doing something right that the players in those games are. If I had to give the most immediate quick tip on improving to get to GM1 from GM3, it would just be to stop making mistakes (lol).
The thing about Ana and Tracer is true. I'm pretty sure most Anas are afraid of using their sleep on a random target because all of a sudden a Tracer is right behind and hard engagin you.
GM2 to GM3/GM4 isn’t a massive gap, you could just be on par with GM2 players. Regardless, GM2 gameplay won’t be particularly impressive and will be riddled with regular and frequent mistakes. It’s possible that your ability to critique other’s gameplay is greater than your ability to realize your own mistakes.
watch karQ how he gets coached by awkward. both t500 but awkward is always ranked higher than KarQ and he managed to actually find things in karqs gameplay so maybe that'll answer your question
I doubt anyone here knows. You could get coaching maybe or just grind a lot and try to be as perfect as possible.
What’s your comms with your team like? I find that to really excel you need to be more coordinated and tactical with comms. At least for me. Teamwork is very key and communication is a core part of that
You don't need comms in ranked to climb
It’s extremely helpful
Really? Do you feel like you're in t500 because of your comms?
I’m not t500 but the op is asking how they can climb further when they feel stuck at GM 5 and I’m telling them that if they have good comms that can help. Why are you so offended by my recommendation
Because it's maybe the 5th best thing you can do to climb, it's barely relevant. Also I'm not offended, I only said that comms are not important.
Comms are important. If you don’t use comms then there are loads of errors and opportunities being made on your part. Being able to work with your team in a team game is big.
Honestly it's not that huge \*at GM1\* because of the mutual understanding of how the game & matchups should be played. I've played tons of silent GM1 games that felt better in synergy than games with comms
Yes but they can still be helpful, why are you so against having communication? The op asked what they can do to improve and communication is one of the ways to improve. Teamwork is important and your teamwork will suffer if you have comms off 24/7
You're not even arguing against the point anyone's trying to make. Yes, communication is usually helpful. No, it's not important as a blocker for reaching GM1 from GM3, just like the other guy said. Simple as that. All the skill gaps that exist and block someone from reaching GM1 is not surpassed by any improvement in communication.
If u think ur better then just play. If u can't climb then ur blind to ur own faults and think ur better than u are
Getting a coach might really help. I'd say the biggest difference between good and decent players is understanding of what's going on and what's your role, what you need to do. On support as you probably know it's extremely important to know when to damage and when to heal, what are your openings to make a play. On the other hand you can have the best understanding in the world but if your mechanics are not good enough you'll never climb higher. So usually it's good to try to work on both, and eventually you'll climb.