Everyone, chillax.



There seems to be some confusion about proper activities and behaviors when it comes to guide writing and critique. I'm going to lay it all out so that we can all come to an understanding about some do's and don'ts. If you want, you can paste this blog whenever things get a bit heated in a guides' comments section.

For the guide writers:
Submitting your thoughts and ideas to a website can be enriching, informative, and fun. Everyone's ideas are welcome in our open forum. With that being said, everyone's ideas are subject to the same scrutiny and examination. We appreciate you taking time out of your life to take time and put your thoughts on this website for no compensation. Everyone wins!

However, be aware that when building a champion, there are very few "right" answers. Some champions build paths are extremely narrow (see Shen top). If you choose to express the validity of a build that doesn't fall within these answers (outside of the meta) then that's ok! There's always room for something strange and unusual. However, when trying to break the mold, you need to provide AMPLE evidence and substantiation for your claims. Me saying sunfire cape is good on Shen does not require the same justification as your claim that rylai's is good on Riven. If you make a bold claim, be prepared to back it up. Evidence could include multiple instances of your build working in ranked, or math, or replays, or your source (if you got it from korea or lcs or something), or preferably, as many of these things as possible.

YOU HAVE TO TRY IT BEFORE YOU DOWNVOTE/****TALK IT
That's the thing. We, as an experienced and informed lot, don't have to necessarily playtest something that's extremely sub-optimal, ESPECIALLY if you don't back up your claims with the previous evidence I mentioned. If I mention that hybrid pen marks are great on shyvana and back it up with korea meta, it's worth a playtest. If you claim that AP quints are great on shen because you win sub level-30 games with them, then you will get criticism.

YOU SHOULD BE HIGH ELO BEFORE YOU POST A GUIDE!
Definitely not true! We encourage all to write guides. However, if you are self-admittedly extremely inexperienced, be prepared to LEARN when you write a guide. We'd love to see your ideas, and more importantly, give feedback. Maybe your guide doesn't get a high rating, but our friendly community will be MORE THAN HAPPY to point you in the right direction in terms of build and strategy in the comments section. Please check your ego at the door when writing a guide. If you are either below gold elo or below level 30, write a guide with the intention not to inform us of the true path, but to LEARN the true path. We'll explain what's what, and we'll all learn in the process.

FOR THE GUIDE COMMENTORS
Never, EVER be the first to flame. If someone puts their ideas out there, they deserve a fair critique backed up by justification and the evidence mentioned above. Explain that armor quints aren't that great on vlad because ... instead of "wtf are you even 30?"

I know I'm guilty of this, but it's time for a change. If you see a sh1tstorm brewing in the comments section and a guide author is getting ganged up on, even if it's justified, STAY OUT OF IT. It's all good fun to poke fun of someone and see them get really angry and then laugh, but I think we can rise above that.

Be polite, but give a fair critique. Back up your criticism with EVIDENCE instead of "well, I know more than you do" or "that just makes no sense". We want people to have a positive experience when writing a guide, whether they're level 5 or challenger or anything inbetween.

Also, encourage correspondence through PM's. Sometimes, it's cumbersome and tedious to go back and forth on the comments section when you're conversing and hashing sh1t out with a guide writer, so if you have expertise you want to share in that area, be brief in the comments and offer the author to PM you to discuss the build unless you think everyone needs to hear it.

TL;DR
Authors, check your ego at the door and be ready to accept the opinions of the community.

Commentors, give praise where it's due, and give suggestions and constructive criticism where it's due. Do not participate in sh1tstorms.

Everyone, If you feel that a particular author or commentor is being a petulant child, don't engage them. Move on.