Improve Your Solo Queueing Results - A Guide with DignitasVIE H4RR3
Solo queueing doesn’t have to be a nightmare with the help of H4RR3.
Everybody dreads the experience that solo queueing can be, whether that is by finding toxic teammates or players who simply are not up to your own level. First of all, let’s tackle the elephant in the room - you will eventually run into bad or toxic teammates, there’s no other way around it. But you can do some things that might help you make it a more pleasant experience and even lead you to more wins.
I’ve had a talk with one of the most recent additions to the DignitasVIE CS:GO lineup, Haris "H4RR3" Hadžić to understand better how a player can improve his experience in solo queueing and, inevitably, win more games.
To better solve a problem, we first need to understand what’s the problem with solo queueing:
I think the biggest problem it's in the word itself, solo queueing. Yes, you are solo queuing, but you're actually playing with 4 other people, so I think a good start is to, first of all, don't be toxic! I know it's easy to say it, but also try to engage with the other guys, you have something in common, you're playing in the same team. It would make your life easier if you just try to communicate with each other, try to play together, I think that's the most important thing - DON'T play solo, even when solo queueing.
This was the answer H4RR3 gave me when asked exactly that. Most of the time, the biggest issue with solo queueing is the mentality players have when playing like this. First of all, if you’re unsure about playing solo, just don’t do it. It will make you play worse as soon as something goes out of your control or whenever someone just flames you. The same applies to you! Don’t be toxic, try to be as helpful as you can to your teammates and communicate as much as possible.
Being patient is easily the best quality you can have while playing solo, because you know that things are not as much in control as when playing with a premade. But there are situations where you might find yourself being positively surprised if you’re just patient enough during a match. Sometimes a player might actually be talkative and give good information just because he sees that you’re actually trying and being polite. It doesn’t happen often, I’ll give you that, but it actually happened to me more times than you can imagine.
But what if things are just not working out, what can you do to counter that?
Well, you can try to drag them onto something, you can ask if they want to flash for you, if they want to smoke for you, if they want to go with you somewhere, ask for a position where they can trade, whatever... Just try to do something, take some initiative. If they don't listen to you, just try to play around them, go with them, trade them, something like that.
Like I said, there will be times where people just won’t cooperate with you. That’s not a reason for you to also ignore them. Remember, always give all the information you can, even if they seem like they’re not listening. If not for them, do it for yourself - knowing how to deliver fast and precise information is crucial at a high level in CS:GO, and you can use every single game as practice for that.
When H4RR3 refers to going with them, remember to still say exactly what you’re doing, if you’re flashing or smoking anything, everything. Even if they’re not answering, they are almost surely listening. Also, remember that sometimes people are unable to talk because of something outside their control, so, again, avoid being toxic. It will make the situation even worse.
But is it possible to get good results in the long run while solo queueing?
Now this is the 1 million dollar question. How viable is solo queueing to actually get good results and rank up, whether that is on Matchmaking or a PUG service like FACEIT or ESEA? I’ve actually gone and ask H4RR3 about this to know his honest opinion:
Well, I think that if you do some of those things I mentioned like communicating, of course, it is. If you play against other solo queuers and they're not doing them, you have an advantage in my opinion. I know it's difficult, but try to drag your teammates with you! To be honest, I haven't played a lot of solo queue in my life... I did it a few times and I'm mind-boggled by some things that happen, but just try to take some control. Actually, the slightest of control can be enough to win you the round.
Is there an IGL on the match? No? Then become one! You’ll get an amazing insight on how to improve your tactical approach to the game, improve your in-game knowledge, try to have some control over what’s happening in the server, and trust me, you’ll start winning more matches. H4RR3 also touched on the topic that is playing against other solo players - remember that you’re not the only one that might be having a hard time. If you’re able to have a slightly better time by trying to play as much as possible with your team, you already have a big advantage over the other team.
But there’s another topic that needs to be addressed. Being a team-based game where teamwork is so important, wouldn’t playing solo queue actually be bad for the player? Since you’re not really fully working with the team, you might actually develop some bad habits that will hurt your team game. If those bad habits start to develop, it’s entirely up to you to know how to counter them.
The premades I've always played on my time on FACEIT are always people that we have fun together, above all, but we communicate very well and that's something you don't get while solo queueing obviously. But I think it's easier to look at your teammates and since they don't communicate, it makes you more aware of what they might need from you just by watching them on the radar or see where they stand on the map.
H4RR3 actually referred to a positive aspect you can take away from playing solo - you might actually learn better what your teammates need in the different positions of each map. Are they playing alone on a position that might get rushed? Put a Smoke or a Molotov there! But remember to communicate what you’re doing!
To finish up the talk with H4RR3, I’ve asked him about one final tip for solo queuers! This was his answer
The most important thing you could do is give as much info as possible, say everywhere you go, every grenade you throw, all of this. This is the basic stuff of CS, and it's something you should always be doing. There's not a lot of things you can guarantee in life, but this is one of them - say what you do, say what grenades you throw, say where you're going and I'll guarantee you will become a better player.
This answer just goes to show how important communication is on CS:GO, not only in solo queueing but also in premades and team play. Remember to avoid tilting at the first difficulty or bad teammate you cross paths with, try different approaches, and above all, get your communication at the best level possible!
Thank you for reading this article and hopefully, you’ll be able to take something from it! You can reach me for feedback or suggestions through my Twitter! Also, don’t forget to follow H4RR3 on Social Media!
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