In league we've all watched the pros play and marveled at their coordination and team play. This is one of the things that have driven thousands of players to form their own ranked teams to one day become a pro player. While this goal is sometimes lofty and unattainable, here is a guide that can get your team off to the right path.

Part I. Solo Que vs Ranked 5's
The biggest problem new teams have when they enter the ranked queue as a team is that they approach ranked 5's with the same attitude as they would to solo queue. Solo queue is a great place to learn the mechanics of league of legends but the strategies employed in this queue are very limited. Solo que relies on individual players to win their respective lanes and win the game through sheer item advantage. There is really no room for any kind of team based strategy due to the limited communications between teammates. Ranked teams require a little more strategy going in. This is because you an coordinate your team's picks to work with specific compositions and pursue objectives as a team instead of as a group of individuals.

Part II. Should I Play Ranked?
Playing with a group of friends is by far the best way to have fun in league, but ranked 5's aren't for everyone. Ranked 5's are for a group of friends that want to play at a higher level together. It is not for people who all want to carry games solo and show off. In a premade setting it is much easier for enemy teams to coordinate against single targets. A good team will be able to trust almost any of its members with carrying a game.

Part III. Preparing a Team
Once you gather a enough companions to create a ranked team, its time to plan for the matches ahead. Give your team positions that they are comfortable with and start to develop some team comps (See my Team Strategies Article) and make sure everyone is on the same page. You're also going to want to establish a shot caller. This person will be in charge of making necessary decisions in game play to avoid confusion between teammates. This person should have good knowledge of league mechanics and is thinking of how to carry out their team comp effectively. They can be playing nearly any role except ADC, the ADC should never be the shot caller because they have to much to focus on during fights.

Part IV. How to Improve as a Team
Teams play ranked for more than just fun, they play to improve their rank and to get better as a group. Aside from just practice, there are other things a team can do to improve their play. One of the best ways for this would be to record your matches with a third party software (Lolrecorder) and watch them back together. Extra points for recording your communication during the match. Being able to watch a game back and see what calls worked and what didn't is an invaluable tool to accelerate a team's successes. This will work even better if you can get a extra friend to act as your coach/analyzer and give you and outside perspective into what went wrong and what went right.

Part V. The Next Level
Once a team is used to playing with one another, they can move on to more intense leagues and tournaments. While a very low percentage of teams will ever make it to the LCS, community organized events are a good place for a team to showcase their work, even picking up some money, RP, and publicity in the process. The league community is chock full of opportunities for teams to compete at a semi - professional level. If your team evolves to the point of routine tournament like matches, it might be time to expand your team to include a small coaching staff and a manager below are some possible roles you can have filled that will help our team. This is in order of necessity (I.E. The larger the team, the more roles they would have filled)

Manager - signs team up for tournaments, helps with scouting, handles player's needs
Analyst - Reviews team performance and compositions
Publicist - Manages team social media to promote team reputation