No one will or should blindly listen to someone who they do not know anything about.

So before I begin, I will tell you a bit about myself:

I have 3300 Tribunal Rating
I have the Ribbon for Great Teammate
I have the Ribbon for Honorable Opponent
And I have great interest in psychological things

Because I always try to do my best to be a good teammate, I think the rest should do so aswell :P
For that reason, I made this guide. Now please, read on :D

Greetings ladies and gentlemen,

Once again I was inspired to make a guide about the community of LoL because I always meet instalockers these days.

So I thought: Let's solve this problem!

Our goal to find out:
How do we deal with instalockers?

Every team which is following the current meta has the following in his/her team:
1 Support bot
1 Attack damage carry bot
1 Ability power carry mid
1 Bruiser/tank solo top
1 Whatsoever in the jungle

There might be some slight changes (like Talon mid or Lux with an AD carry bot), but the idea is always the same.

Why do I tell you this?
Well, let me explain with an example, let's say, in a normal blind pick.
So you click Play, wait a few seconds, game ready, you come in the champion select screen.

The chat goes like this:
BILLYLOLXD: MID (picks Ziggs)
Bob: top (picks Cho'Gath)
Noobboxer 2000: Nope, I am mid (picks Swain)
*Noobboxer 2000 clicks "lock in" instantly*
BILLYLOLXD: HAHAHA JOKES IM MID
*BILLYLOLXD clicks "lock in"*
Charles Bottlewick: OMG IM IN NOOB TEAM AGAIN
Pinguininator: Lol I am mid too Lol (picks Annie)
*Pinguininator clicks "lock in" instantly*
Charles Bottlewick: OMG YOU IDIOTS
Bob: Whatever, I am mid too (changes pick to Evelynn)
*Bob clicks "lock in" instantly*
Charles Bottlewick: WHAAAAAA
Charles Bottlewick: FINE NOOBS I GO MID TOO, I GO FEED NOOBS OMG (picks Cassiopeia)
*Charles Bottlewick clicks "lock in" instantly*

Though, meta describes we have 1 in the mid lane, we now have 5 in the middle lane.
This didn't work out for "team not solo mid" and eventually they lose the game because of all the hate that already started only in the champion select screen.

Of course, instalocking does not only apply in blind pick, and also does not only apply for the mid lane. Though, in blind pick there is the most instalocking, and the mid-lane is the most popular one, so most people will instalock for mid-lane :P

There are a lot of "less smart people" out there that react in a bad way on instalocking.

This is what you should NEVER do:
1. Trolling / Ragequitting in game
This is so stupid. You wait for the game to start while you know this is going to end bad, just so you can troll afterwards in the game. This is even more stupid than instalocking and the Tribunal should punish you for it, making the instalocker get away freely without any accusations.

2. Continious swearing in game
If you keep raging towards the instalocker, and the instalocker reports you for it, the tribunal will likely punish you. Why is that? Because the tribunal doesn't judge about the champion select screen, only about the games itself. You will come over as the criminal and the instalocker gets away "innocent" once again.

3. Instalocking next game
Because someone instalocked last game, you make your next (probably) innocent teammates suffer by instalocking yourself. The funny thing about this is, that there is a chance that one of the teammates that suffers from your instalocking, might instalock next match because of you. This way we play Domino's, and no I am not talking about the pizza's (however they are delicious).

(The more red, the more bad)
These are all things which we shouldn't do, so let us focus on the solutions.

Just like in my other community guide (click here), we speak of a relation problem. What did we learn from relation problems: They are always both sides!

Meaning that both the instalocker as the "afterlocker" are at fault. There are of course situations where there are no after lockers, and it is true that then only the instalocker is at fault.
But it doesn't matter whether the instalocker is the bad guy or not, because I need you to solve this!

Why me? Why not the instalocker?
Well, because this guide is meant to learn how to deal with instalocking. This means that you shouldn't be the one that instalocks. If you are, then I ask of you that you will stop right away, and the instalocker solved the problem :P

But what about the other teammates? Can they do anything?
Yes, they can basically use the same solutions as you can. For BILLYLOLXD isn't the only victim of the instalock, so is Pinguininator, Charles Bottlewick and Bob. Since my tips are meant for the victims of the instalock, everyone of the team could use these tips.

All in all, I made 3 main solutions:
1. The Risk -> For confident people
2. The Adult -> For patient and mature people
3. Plan C -> For impatient people

Pick the one which suits you most, or read them all if you wish :D

The title says it all: this is risky. Do not do this unless you are very confident about yourself and you barely care about what others think of you.

What do you do here?
You afterlock!

HOW DARE YOU MEIYJHE! THATS AGAINST THE RULES!
Wait wait, let me explain what the results could be.

Favored:
1. You get a chance that someone leaves the champion select screen leaving a chat like this:
Charles Bottlewick: Pffft, again these noobs
*Charles Bottlewick has left the champion selection*

Now you get a new team, and a chance that the instalocker is not in your team! :D


2. You think outside the box, leaving a chat like this:
BILLYLOLXD: MID (picks Ziggs)
Noobboxer 2000: Nope, I am mid (picks Swain)
*Noobboxer 2000 clicks "lock in" instantly*
BILLYLOLXD: Nope, you go support, I am mid
*BILLYLOLXD clicks "lock in"*
*Noobboxer 2000 picks Exhaust + Flash*
Noobboxer 2000: Fine

This way, you make the instalocker useful, for he won't troll your lane and will do his best to win.


But risks aren't known because they always turn out in your favor.
Unfavored:
1. Noone will leave the matchmaking after you afterlocked. Well, the downside speaks for itself, you get a trollgame.
The way you could solve it, is by instead playing mid, you could play attack damage carry as Ziggs being BILLYLOLXD. Not saying it is viable, but it is fun to do and this way you make some sort of compromise..

2. Your team will rage against you, making you the "evil" one. It happends that a instalocker is premade with someone and that they will turn against you. Having a chance to get reported, getting a chance that you will be punished at the tribunal.

3. You weren't first, you had internet problems... You were wrong and now YOU are the instalocker instead of the honest locker. You are now guilty and have a chance to get punished.
Though Noobboxer might be first, it is still rude to instalock :P, but you shouldn't afterlock because of that.


Like said before, only take the risk if you can afford the risk. If you will hate yourself for making a mistake, then just don't take the risk and take the safe road, which is the next chapter :D

(If anyone knows any other results of afterlocking, please leave your comment in the discussion :D)

Here is the place for people that do not want to take risks :P
All these options are for people that have patience and are mature.

So what are our options?:
1. You adapt to the instalock
Instead of still going mid, you surrender to the instalocker.
So instead that BILLYLOLXD picks Ziggs, he will pick Tristana and go attack damage carry :P
If you do this, a lot of people will like you and find you a very friendly teammate, giving you a chance of getting honor :D


2. You think outside the box
Exactly the same as within the Solution 1 (Thinking outside the box) chapter, but now you wait for an answer before you lock in :P
If the answer is:
Noobboxer 2000: Screw you, I am mid.

Then just give up and play Tristana attack damage carry anyway :P.
Also here you can earn honor for doing so!


3. Hall of shame
This option is where you communicate with the instalocker.
Ask things like: Why would you do this?
Make sure he hates himself for doing what he did.
But someone must leave the matchmaking queque, so I am afraid, if noone does it, you have to do it. Then you just need to wait 5 minutes untill you meet the next instalocker :P


All of these options require a certain level of maturity. You need to be patient and understanding. Though it can be very hard sometimes (I know it is), it is the best and more honorful way of solving this problem.

Though the instalocker is likely not going to get punished (unless he's a real jerk in game), you still did the right thing, and you can be proud of yourself.
I must warn you though, the safe road can be very frustrating at times, and for that you will need a lot of patience to keep doing this, and most people doing this, might also do a lot of Plan C.

(If you can think of any other options, please leave a comment in the discussion :D)

If you came to this chapter, you do not have the patience to adapt to the instalocker and don't have the confidence to take the risk.
This is normal, and the easiest way of solving it.

So... What is plan C?
Dodge the queue

If you see an instalocker, and you do not want to take the risk but also don't have the patience to be the good guy all the time, just leave the queue.

This way there will be no 45 minutes of hating a person, no 45 minutes of a troll match, just peace in mind.

Then just hope, hope that after those 5 minutes of waiting time after the queue dodge, that you will find no more instalockers in the group.

I must disappoint you though, there is a high chance that there will be one, but I can imagine you just want some rest after all those instalockers denying your chance to go mid or top or jungle or whatever!

Sometimes you can just be sick of it, maybe even play an another game, because there are always those "less fortunate" players that instalock!

Enough with the negativity, let's round up what we know.

So how do we deal with instalockers?

Instalockers can be very very annoying at times, and the best way to deal with it, is either challenging them or surrendering to them.

Instalockers cannot be prevented very easily and have a low chance on getting banned, for that reason, in order to keep the LoL community as a whole is to make the whole community stop instalocking for once and for all.

Since that chance is very small, I will just ask everyone who is reading this.

YES YOU!

I ask that you will NEVER NEVER instalock, so we can all live in peace throughout the matchmaking and the game it self.

Thank you all for reading, I am sorry if this guide contains to much ranting, but I wanted to make sure the message came over ;D

I hope you learned a lot and may I find many communication within the champion selection screen!
-Meiyjhe