Dear DrmDestryr
Kharazim is here. What do you have to say?
-Mogus
Dear Mogus,
I’ve got two words for why the Kharazim’s I’ve played with have been right d*ckholes: Blame. Game.
This Hero is not even a week old and yet it seems many that play him are quick to judge the rest of their teammates.
In Quick Match.
The one arena against others where you’re not ranked.
Making it perfect for practice.
It boggles the mind when the computer puts together squishies against tanks and then Kharazim immediately shouts, “my team sucks”.
When not taken as a personal insult, it’s rather hilarious and really displays the lack of confidence many of these players have, all other Heroes included. Instead of approaching the situation rationally with an open mind that half the game is determined by matchmaking and the other half is determined by individual skill level, these players wrongfully believe that screaming loudly and angrily before anyone else automatically washes away their sin of being a right jack*ss. Make a big enough stink about someone else and no one notices you.
To some extent, we all suffer from this. Pride is both a healthy and frustrating emotion at times. So what can we do instead of flying off the handle trying to deflect blame?
Feel the Emotions, Keep Your Mouth Shut
Once you start insulting someone in game, you’ve completely destroyed a team dynamic. Chances are they know they suck and are there to improve. Don’t be a jerk.
If you’re called out, don’t shoot back immediately. Maybe they’re wrong and just misunderstand what you’re going for. But maybe, there’s a grain of truth in what they say. Like it or not, a lot of players speak words of wisdom interspersed with insulting language. Come back to it once your ego has calmed a bit. Nothing is worse than a knee-jerk reaction against someone that was right all along.
Admit you are Where You Should Be
Fat people complain about never being skinny because of external factors. The truth? It’s their own fault. If they would eat less and exercise more, they could get their weight under control.
Many people complain about never having enough money. The truth? Unless they are one of the few that were literally dealt a horrible hand in life, they only need self-control to completely cut out every unnecessary thing in their life, and they could conquer it.
Heroes players complain about their rank and MMR hell. While there are crappy games where players throw the match, the games go the way they do because of how you play. Until you can admit you really aren’t rank 1 material, you’ll never improve enough to become a rank 1. Period. It’s self-delusion more than lack of knowledge that keeps you where you are. Drop the act and better yourself.
-DrmDestryr
Dear DrmDestryr,
How are your Hero League matches going after the reset?
-Piotr
Dear Piotr,
Truth be told, I’m waiting until this Monk craze has died down and people have re-learned how to play the recently overhauled Heroes. I know it’s tempting, and on days off, I’m itching to get back in, but for now, I’m okay refining my game in QM. There, I can practice taking heat from poor players and otherwise try to survive as long as I can against a proper team comp, holding off our inevitable defeat until at least the 20 minute mark.
Let’s also not forget the endless tweets bemoaning the toxicity of the HL queue at the moment. However, this should come at absolutely no surprise. After all, it’s a ladder reset and a new Hero release. Did everyone honestly think nothing could go wrong? It’s safe to assume that HL is currently filled with people that either think they’re too good for placement matches and just want to get back to their special rank or people playing Kharazim (poorly). Neither of which are healthy team members.
In short, this is one pony show I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for until the fervor has died down. I can take some regular flames, but I prefer charbroiled over charred.
-DrmDestryr
Ask DrmDestryr is your weekly Q&A/advice column for Heroes of the Storm. Have a question for DrmDestryr? E-mail her your mental musings at drmdestryr@gmail.com or send happy twoughts her way @DrmDestryr. Want to hang out? Check out the ITN PreShow with DrmDestryr! streamed weekly starting at 3 PM Pacific on Thursdays. If that's still not enough, come hang out for Monday Morning Murder where she tackles all forms of video game horror starting at 11 AM Pacific each Monday.