having made the ranked climb on various accounts across multiple sets, this is a generalization of what skills I think a player in a given tier is lacking in order to be able to climb
note: the text under each rank describes the skills you need to master to climb out of that rank
iron
basic checkboxes, do you have ___?
- an enjoyment of strategy / card games
- the ability to study and absorb information
- critical thinking skills: able to think 2+ steps ahead, conditional thinking / reasoning (if X then Y)
bronze
understanding basic tft mechanics
- econ
- basic positioning: understanding range, melee vs ranged carries
silver
learning the set (aka actually starting to read what everything does)
- champion traits
- champion abilities
- items and basic BiS itemization: don’t need to be proficient, just need to understand the idea of BiS
gold
understanding how to play 1-3 lines
- having a plan for your opener –> midgame –> endgame
- understanding the 2/3 rule: aka what makes a 2-1 spot good/bad/ok
plat/diamond
becoming more proficient in fundamentals
- econ
- positioning
- rolldowns / pivoting
- strongest board: what units to click on and what units to not click on
- knowing what augments to click on and what units to not click on
- slamming vs greeding BiS
- 2/3 rule
understanding how to read the lobby
- what comp to play: scouting free lines
- when to roll down
master
understanding tech
- itemizing around the lobby
- choosing a line based on other people in the lobby
- slight comp adjustments based on the lobby
knowing every line
- being infinitely flexible
mastering fundamentals
- never blundering econ / positioning / slamming / etc
gm
(personally never played enough to climb out of gm before but I have an idea based on watching pros)
reading the patch and understanding the spectrums of tft
- forcing vs playing the given line based on early direction
- strongest board playing for hp and high tempo vs playing for guaranteed econ
- slamming early vs greeding for BiS
- when to stop rolling down to stabilize
these spectrums are patch dependent and the mastery of this is what separates high level players
