By now, you've probably heard a few horror stories about ELO hell and smurfs dominating people in every single tier. Don't let that discourage you. Competitive mode can definitely be very intimidating, especially if you're diving into it solo. It doesn't even matter if you're a new player or a veteran, anyone can experience ladder anxiety at any point in their Overwatch career (especially after a losing streak), and it isn't a pleasant experience. With that said, these few tips aim to help you overcome that anxiety and, hopefully, improve your play.

1. STAYING POSITIVE

You've probably heard this one before, but it's a tip that people usually take for granted. Maintaining a positive attitude, regardless of how a game is going, can help prepare you mentally for the next game. It'll also usually help keep the team's morale high, and most likely keep you from doing any needlessly risky desperation plays or hero/role switches as a result of tilting.

If people in your team start tilting, try your best to calm them down. If that doesn't work, don't let it frustrate you. Just move on to the next game. Remember, you're always going to be paired with five other random individuals, and there's no way you can predict their behavior before a match. You just have to accept that some games probably aren't gonna go your way, and that's okay. This brings us to the next tip.

2. LEARN TO ADAPT

As I've just mentioned, solo queue can be very unpredictable. Maining a role or a hero (aka one-tricking) can be an effective way to climb alone, but you have to consider that you're not the only person going into solo queue with that mindset. For example, let's say that you're a "support main" and you aren't confident in your skill to play as a tank or DPS in your rank. You're gonna be in a bit of a rough spot when you're put in a team with at least 2 other like-minded individuals, and you (or one of your teammates) will most likely end up being forced to pick a hero that you can't effectively play.

One thing you can do to avoid situations like that is by becoming a flex player, which means that you can fill in for any role and adjust to the team's needs. Try to learn at least two or three heroes from each role. If you do this, you'll almost always have at least one comfortable pick no matter what your team composition is. This also helps you react to counter picks, which could potentially shut you down if you're a one-trick.

I previously wrote an articlefor solo players specifically about branching out, so check that out for a few of my personal recommendations! Of course, even if you know how to flex, there will still be times where several one-tricks or same role mains are matched in your team. In this case, the best advice I can give is to play proactively. By that, I mean picking around the person who's forced to adjust and actively trying your best to help them do their job (e.g. following them around and helping them win or disengage from fights if they're playing DPS), or at the very least keep them alive (e.g. picking Zarya and focusing on protecting them with your barriers). This is generally better than waiting until your team starts to struggle because by then, it might already be too late to make a comeback.

3. WORK ON YOUR GAME SENSE AND DECISION MAKING

In a fast-paced game like Overwatch, it's easy to get tunnel vision. A lot of players focus only on what's directly affecting them or happening in front of them, usually neglecting the bigger picture. Improving your situational awareness, and game sense in general, is one of the keys to successfully climbing the ladder, but for some, this is easier said than done.

Make it a habit to look around, and I don't mean swinging your mouse around every other second. Every now and then, take your eyes off the crosshair and quickly glance at your surroundings. Take note of enemy/ally movement and positions. You should also pay attention to audio cues. Even if you can't see someone, that doesn't mean you can't figure out where they are or what they're doing. Try to learn each hero's very distinct sound effects, including their unique footsteps (except Zenyatta, because he floats).

Once you've gotten used to doing these, you'll eventually be able to instinctively predict your enemy's next move. With enough experience, you can use your intuition to have a general idea of people's cooldowns and ult statuses, which will help you find opportunities to engage or figure out the perfect time to disengage from fights.

CONCLUSION

As cliche as this sounds, climbing the competitive ladder in Overwatch really just boils down to practice. You can have a lot of mechanical skill, but if you still suffer from tunnel vision, you'll probably have trouble ranking up. This goes both ways too, since you can have a deep understanding of the game but still have lackluster mechanical skills. At the end of the day, as a solo player, you should focus on constantly improving yourself and knowing how to play around your teams' weaknesses.

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