Firstly this guide wont focus much on why Elo Hell is real; i assume the comments with devolve into that and the last section will address it.

Secondly, Im no pro. I have two accounts, both of which are in the 1300s range. Like many people I started playing ranked as soon as i hit lvl 30 and it took me a while to emerge from Elo Hell. Im hoping my advice can help others do it more quickly than I did.

Third, this guide is for people in the 150-400 wins range, who are just starting ranked or have had difficulty getting above 1200.

The single most important thing to getting out of Elo Hell is being able and willing to play at least two champions well in any role (i.e. ap mid, solo top, ad ranged bot, JUNGLER, and SUPPORT). Able is pretty self explanatory, for instance, practice in normal with both Soraka support and Alistar support in so you're ready in case one gets picked or banned. So on and so forth with all of the roles Being willing to play any role is equally important.

Unfortunately, you're going to run into people who can or are only willing to play AP mid etc. You need be able to be the more mature person and play what the team needs in order to increase the probability of a win.

Lastly, I emphasized jungler and support because these are the roles that people are most likely to be unable or unwilling to do. Its up to you pick up that slack if you want out of Elo Hell.

This is much more important than many players realize.
1.Communication is key here. Since you are able and willing to play any role at least decently you should tell your teammates: "I can play w/e the team needs but i prefer ap mid." Let them know what you're best at or would like to do but also try to determine what they might need you to do. Say "What position/role does everyone want?"
Especially if you are in the first three picks you need to know if the last pick can or is willing to only play one role.

2.Additionally, try to keep the team positive and resolve conflicts. If two people are insisting on both playing the same role do your best to keep the team from all out trolling before the game even begins. "Relax guys, im sure one of you is good enough to be able to not AP mid." "Please just let [player X} play mid because he is first and you are fourth pick, you can have ranged ad or solo top if you want instead."

2.Try to note what the other team is playing and suggest counter picks for those champions. "With teemo and ashe picked Teemo is prolly top and wukong or jax would be really good counters to them"
"They have 3 ap champs, veigar might be great for mid"

3.Also try to note the spells people are planning on taking. "Do we really want 4 ignites and no exhausts?" "With blitzcrank support maybe bot should take a heal?" Phrasing suggestions as questions will help prevent your team from being defensive about their choices or respond with offensive comments.

4. Keep it positive. Just before the game starts let your team know how hard all of you are gonna crush them and remind people to call mias etc. Ask your team if they want to invade the enemy blue/red buff at beginning,

Keep the communication and optimism you have already established going. CV their base early if u have it or ask for it so u can see their items and how quickly they are leaving base.

If you didnt already, ask your team if they want to invade the enemy blue / red buff at the begin. If they dont, ask if the jungler wants a leash or protection from invasion at the begin. Regardless, you should play on doing one of these things at the begin since theres nothing else to do before the minions come.

Tell your team that if the enemy invades then people should back and regroup. If you are protecting one of the entrances to blue /red and u see an enemy, ctrl-ping and back off till everyone is together and has a planned response.

I'll skip over the general strategy stuff that you probably already know like keep your lane warded to protect from ganks, ward dragon / baron, group up after the laning phasing phase, etc.

What you might have noticed, but not thought much about before, is that the team that criticizes / trolls and complains the most almost always loses. This is multi-faceted, yes if your team is not doing well, it is more likely to criticize / troll, but being negative also it makes it much harder to turn a game around.

When people are typing about how ****py someone is playing they aren't focusing on what they are doing and they are only putting the other player in a reactive (i.e. they are then also typing a whole bunch in response) and negative mode.

Conversely, when a teammate gets a kill or escapes a tough situation, type "GJ". It will keep them positive and less likely to troll the others and help with the team morale overall.

Ping often, especially when ganking, but avoid mass pings unless it has been communicated ahead of time that mass pinging is a signal for a soraka / shen / karthus ult.

Even if you are an above average player who can and will play all positions, AND you remain positive, its going to take a while to get out of Elo Hell. Think about it this way. You are only 1 out of 10 players in the game.

From one perspective this means that only 10% of the games will be won or lost based on your actions. Granted, if you're feeding and / or being childish, you're a lot more likely to lose and part of the reason why Elo Hell exists. However, having a bad game now and then isnt feeding. Additionally, having a game where you go 15-3-10 and your team still loses is out of your control; crying about it wont change anything. Sometimes you have bad teammates. Sometimes you have a bad game. GET OVER IT.

If you're playing above your Elo rating, and you can only be the deciding player in 10% of the games, and you're increasing by 13 points each win, it will take you about 75-100 games to increase about 100 Elo.

But dont fret over this fact, enjoy playing the game, stay positive, and remain patient!

The counter argument is "There is no Elo Hell, you just arent good at the game and dont realize it."

Sometimes this is true. However, often, even decent-great players get stuck below their "correct Elo" for several reasons. The main one is what I talked about just above - you can only be the deciding factor in about 10% of the games. If two of the lanes lose really badly in the laning phase, there is practically nothing you can do, no matter how good you are.

The other main reason why Elo Hell is real is negativity. You're not happy that you've lost enough ranked games to put you in this spot. You're also not happy that your teammates arent good or arent playing well. So you snap on them, they react negatively, then you get caught up taking your emotions out on a stranger and typing all day rather than staying focused, positive, and having fun.

Lastly, players who dont have the right computer set up (internet disconnects / crashes) or who don't take the game seriously are much more likely to be present in the lower Elo's. I understand you're extremely awesome at this game, but good luck winning a 4v5 - it simply doesnt happen very often, regardless of skill.