Hello everybody! Just bringing this topic back since the last one I saw was in 2017. Just seeing if anybody else experiences Ladder Anxiety. I love the game. It’s my one way to escape the usual grind of life. Though, when I want to grind on ladder, I’m too hesitant to play. I end up just playing a brawl or going into arena. I’m currently at Rank 6 one star on a win streak.
I’m so close to Rank 5 where I can take it easy, but then I start to fear of going into another losing streak. Does anyone else have this sort of feeling? If so, how do you guys combat it?
Thanks again guys. Hopefully I’m not the only one haha
The way I've managed to deal with it this season is by convincing myself that things are just very rock-paper-scissors based right now. Makes me very calm during the games, as I don't put to much stress on myself in unfavorable matchups. I do get nervous while I'm queuing into matches, though. It was especially bad when I was one win away from rank 5. But ultimately there's something comforting about feeling like things are slightly out of your control.
Very relatable, my friend. There is but one simple remedy, get extremely high. Seems to help me cope with my anxiety at high level play. Highest rank I've reached was 3 on standard, everyone seems to draw the nuts at high levels. Just keep your composer and watch some kripp, he lightens the mood for me haha
I haven't had it since I was fairly new. Dealing with ladder anxiety is easy, just force yourself to play as little casual as possible. Play your f2p decks, memey decks and daily quest decks on ladder. Once you take ladder less seriously, it'll automatically be less stressful. This sounds counterintuitive if you're trying really hard to rank up but depending on the player, playing more ladder games at a slightly lower winrate can get you higher up on the ladder in the long run
If you find it hard to begin, I suggest you start at the rank nets (L,5,10) to get used to it. Consistently being able to reach rank 4 from 5 with a meme deck can be a huge confidence boost
Tip: Stop after 4 defeats; or it gets worse, like 10 - 15 defeats in the raw. Another tip: Stop especially when you get 65%+ winrate.
The law of probability will reward you a couple of hours later or tomorrow.
What make players anxious are defeats in the row. That makes them angry, nervous... resulting in misplays, a drop in concentration or even total blackout... Which means, things can go wrong much more then they would normally. Mentioned tips protect you from such psychological traps by disguising inexorability and ruthlessness of RNG.
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“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
I haven't had it since I was fairly new. Dealing with ladder anxiety is easy, just force yourself to play as little casual as possible. Play your f2p decks, memey decks and daily quest decks on ladder. Once you take ladder less seriously, it'll automatically be less stressful. This sounds counterintuitive if you're trying really hard to rank up but depending on the player, playing more ladder games at a slightly lower winrate can get you higher up on the ladder in the long run
If you find it hard to begin, I suggest you start at the rank nets (L,5,10) to get used to it. Consistently being able to reach rank 4 from 5 with a meme deck can be a huge confidence boost
I completely agree with this. I play my own decks in ranked. Sometimes I win a bunch and rank up other times I fall back to the ranked floor. Eventually I strike on a good deck for the meta and win streak up to 5. Once there I play whatever I want. I've made it to rank 3, but I've never played enough to grind all the way.
Yeah, listening to a streamer helps a lot. The background noise is nice and gives me something to watch during long opponent turns. Also when they get super salty it takes away from my salt(:
Another thing is the kind of decks you play. If I’m playing something new or fun, it doesn’t feel as... serious I guess.
I've never really experienced ladder anxiety with Hearthstone, but I did from time to time in the first couple years of StarCraft 2. I love that game, but it can get incredibly stressful. With limited information about your opponent's strategy it sometimes could feel like you were on the razor's edge between victory and defeat. The way I beat ladder anxiety in that game was by treating each game as an opportunity to improve an aspect of my play. This doesn't just mean being critical of your mistakes, it also means getting excited about applying what you've learned to your future matches.
In Hearthstone that could translate to improving your mulligan in a particular matchup, knowing when to trade or go face, etc. The point is to have a goal when you ladder, outside of just ranking up.
I had that too. I made use for the 3 Wins/10 Gold system as way to see progress. For me, I get ladder anxiety due to rising and falling of stars. Hence, looking at the 3 wins needed to get the gold helps me to focus.
For example, "Today, I plan to get 12 wins which equates to 40 gold." and I queue for ladder.
You to see what's the main cause of your ladder anxiety. Mine was the gaining/losing of stars. I hope that helps. :D
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JagBone's Wild Adventures! 3 Videos Per Week. Fun, wacky Wild decks and plays!
I get this from time to time too. Music helps me out a lot. Oddly, this game is the only thing that makes me blow my lid ion a frequent basis, so I'm kinda treating ladder anxiety like a "Resist the Dark side" type of challenge Once I learn to handle that or recognise the signs, I'll be a better and more balanced player generally.
And if you need to relax, I can't recommend Anduin decks more than enough. The amount of fun to be had once you accept the RNG and forget the value of the win / loss column is immense.
i simply tried not to think about my rank or stars, maybe listen to music or something else while playing hearthstone to distract you from that sort of thing.
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Rejoice, for even in death, you have become children of Thanos.
I know what you mean, I'm currently rank 5 and I don't even have anything to lose (I don't aim for Legend, since it gives you basically the same rewards as R5), but when I win a few games in a row and then I start losing, I get upset (and just like I said, I don't understand why, since I have nothing to gain, whether I'm rank 5, 4 or even Legend)
its the complete different to me. the higher i come, the more i want to play ranked. but i am also no stranger to real gambling with money in casino once or twice a year. ever lost 100€ in a black jack losing streak in less than 2 minutes because the dealer just pulls a black jack out of his ass every deal? yes? than you know that losing in ranked where actually NOTHING (except time) is at stake and everything can be won back in this season or another is no big deal.
i recently hit legend and at rank 1 i had to force myself to stop after some games. especially rank 1 5 stars matches (i needed two of them) were full of adrenalin. but no anxiety.
I only get a bit anxiety in skillbased games where luck is absolutely no factor, but as soon as luck is involved i'm more happy to challenge my luck. in those skill based games (for example for honor) i try to avoid mirror matches.... because they show obviously who is better at this class and you have no excuse for losing except you are worse than him/her. thats why i only play little duel 1v1 in this game. in fear of a mirror match mostly.
I had ladder anxiety at the begining of my journey with hs. I thought im too bad to play ladder and the guy/girl on the other side is laughting how bad I am (I still have this while starting to play new multiplayer game, im hesitate to play any ranked, but not as intense as then). What helped was playing simple deck (zoo warlock at the time) and starting winning. Then second anxiety strikes. I was realy caring about my rank. Every longer game when thing weren't under my control my hands were shaking and I was getting nervous. I have found other game and HS became my second casual game. I just did my daily quest and then switch to the other game. After that 'break' when i came back to playing it more, I stopped caring about my rank and just played to have fun. If I drop to rank floor so what? After thinking in that way, anxietty stopped, but Im not winning much and simply don't care, so in summary if you want to win then maybe this advice (taking a break, playing fun (for you) decks) is not for you ;/
PS: Now I grew up, I feel no anxiety at all. I simply play a game, lose to RNG and then quit with rage :D
One thing that has helped mine a lot is a method that I've heard KremePuff talking about: Instead of focusing on stars and ranks, play your ladder like a series of best-of-5's. For me, it helps ladder anxiety because I'm focused on getting 3 wins before I get 3 losses instead of what my rank is.
It helps me play more in a session than I otherwise would--often I might have won 2 in a row or lost 2 in a row and then gone off to play Casual because I was too nervous / frustrated to continue. It also, I find, helps with evaluating how the deck you're playing is working for you. If you're winning most of your sets, then losing 3 in a row in one set is just variance, not a problem with the deck; on the other hand, if you're consistently going 2-3, even if the games are close, then you may want to reevaluate how you're piloting it, or change decks altogether if your local meta looks to have turned against you.
What people need to understand is that Hearthstone ladder is a game of time and inevitability. The sooner you understand that losses are going to happen, regardless of your deck or ability, the sooner you can accept them as part of climbing. All that matters is your deck right now and a basic understanding of how to play it. If at the end of the day, your deck has 50.0000000005% win rate, you will make it to legend eventually. It's just a matter of time. If your deck has a favorable win rate on hsreplay. You will make it.
Now something I have learned from lots of times spent grinding legend and casual play is that the two are near identical in terms of decks and player skill. People in casual try just as hard as those in ranked and the more often than not play the exact same decks as well. Once I came to understand this, I learned a valuable lesson. If your wins aren't helping you gain a golden hero portrait, you are wasting your time. You will earn gold just as fast as you do in casual. Meme decks are just as viable on ladder as they are in casual. The only difference is that one give you a golden hero eventually and slightly better rewards at the end of the season. I can't speak for brawls or arena. If that is what you enjoy, you do you. All I'm pointing out is that even when you are losing on ladder, you always have more to gain than winning in casual. That alone means you should just play it and forget about what ever rank you are. Think about the golden hero instead.
Oof, this one hit me right in the feels. I hit rank 9 in august for the first time and i was stressed a majority of the time. September I couldnt play much do to life, and this month I have more time and I am back to rank 13 and hoping to hit 5 this month. But the thought of a losing streak sits in my mind right before I hit the play button every stinking time. (start spooky music for halloween theme and laughter)
Thanks for posting.
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I like waffles, and peanut butter.
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Hello everybody! Just bringing this topic back since the last one I saw was in 2017. Just seeing if anybody else experiences Ladder Anxiety. I love the game. It’s my one way to escape the usual grind of life. Though, when I want to grind on ladder, I’m too hesitant to play. I end up just playing a brawl or going into arena. I’m currently at Rank 6 one star on a win streak.
I’m so close to Rank 5 where I can take it easy, but then I start to fear of going into another losing streak. Does anyone else have this sort of feeling? If so, how do you guys combat it?
Thanks again guys. Hopefully I’m not the only one haha
It's real.
The way I've managed to deal with it this season is by convincing myself that things are just very rock-paper-scissors based right now. Makes me very calm during the games, as I don't put to much stress on myself in unfavorable matchups. I do get nervous while I'm queuing into matches, though. It was especially bad when I was one win away from rank 5. But ultimately there's something comforting about feeling like things are slightly out of your control.
Very relatable, my friend. There is but one simple remedy, get extremely high. Seems to help me cope with my anxiety at high level play. Highest rank I've reached was 3 on standard, everyone seems to draw the nuts at high levels. Just keep your composer and watch some kripp, he lightens the mood for me haha
I haven't had it since I was fairly new. Dealing with ladder anxiety is easy, just force yourself to play as little casual as possible. Play your f2p decks, memey decks and daily quest decks on ladder. Once you take ladder less seriously, it'll automatically be less stressful. This sounds counterintuitive if you're trying really hard to rank up but depending on the player, playing more ladder games at a slightly lower winrate can get you higher up on the ladder in the long run
If you find it hard to begin, I suggest you start at the rank nets (L,5,10) to get used to it. Consistently being able to reach rank 4 from 5 with a meme deck can be a huge confidence boost
Legend with : S65 Freeze Mage, S57 Maly Gonk Druid, S57 "Okay" Shaman, S53 Boom-zooka Hunter, S53 Maly Tog Druid, S52 Wild Tog Druid ft.Blingtron, S50 Quest Rogue, S49 Dead Man's Warrior, S41 Wild Clown Fiesta Druid, S41 Hadronox Jade Druid, S40 Wild OTK Dragon Druid, S35 SMOrc Shaman, S33 Jade Druid, S22 Control Priest, S19 Control Priest
Tip: Stop after 4 defeats; or it gets worse, like 10 - 15 defeats in the raw. Another tip: Stop especially when you get 65%+ winrate.
The law of probability will reward you a couple of hours later or tomorrow.
What make players anxious are defeats in the row. That makes them angry, nervous... resulting in misplays, a drop in concentration or even total blackout... Which means, things can go wrong much more then they would normally. Mentioned tips protect you from such psychological traps by disguising inexorability and ruthlessness of RNG.
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
I completely agree with this. I play my own decks in ranked. Sometimes I win a bunch and rank up other times I fall back to the ranked floor. Eventually I strike on a good deck for the meta and win streak up to 5. Once there I play whatever I want. I've made it to rank 3, but I've never played enough to grind all the way.
Yeah, listening to a streamer helps a lot. The background noise is nice and gives me something to watch during long opponent turns. Also when they get super salty it takes away from my salt(:
Another thing is the kind of decks you play. If I’m playing something new or fun, it doesn’t feel as... serious I guess.
I've never really experienced ladder anxiety with Hearthstone, but I did from time to time in the first couple years of StarCraft 2. I love that game, but it can get incredibly stressful. With limited information about your opponent's strategy it sometimes could feel like you were on the razor's edge between victory and defeat. The way I beat ladder anxiety in that game was by treating each game as an opportunity to improve an aspect of my play. This doesn't just mean being critical of your mistakes, it also means getting excited about applying what you've learned to your future matches.
In Hearthstone that could translate to improving your mulligan in a particular matchup, knowing when to trade or go face, etc. The point is to have a goal when you ladder, outside of just ranking up.
Check out my fun and innovative decks here:
Beat your opponent to a pulp with Revenant Warrior or outlast them with Demon Reno Warlock.
I had that too. I made use for the 3 Wins/10 Gold system as way to see progress. For me, I get ladder anxiety due to rising and falling of stars. Hence, looking at the 3 wins needed to get the gold helps me to focus.
For example, "Today, I plan to get 12 wins which equates to 40 gold." and I queue for ladder.
You to see what's the main cause of your ladder anxiety. Mine was the gaining/losing of stars. I hope that helps. :D
JagBone's Wild Adventures! 3 Videos Per Week. Fun, wacky Wild decks and plays!
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Take a break if you have losing streak, Hopefully, the meta will back to your favor in a few hours.
It's ok when you lose 2 ranks, Just keep using the same decks to climb back.
Normally my rank 10 to 8 to 6 then back to 8 again.... then ding! rank 5 :)
I have gamble addict. It's the reason I don't want to play Arena because I feel like I must win 7 or better
Does that count?
I havent really played ranked since I hit legend two months ago - but I feel it all the time.
I get this from time to time too. Music helps me out a lot. Oddly, this game is the only thing that makes me blow my lid ion a frequent basis, so I'm kinda treating ladder anxiety like a "Resist the Dark side" type of challenge Once I learn to handle that or recognise the signs, I'll be a better and more balanced player generally.
And if you need to relax, I can't recommend Anduin decks more than enough. The amount of fun to be had once you accept the RNG and forget the value of the win / loss column is immense.
Golden Hero Collections thus far; -
Europe: Druid, Hunter, Paladin, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior (9/9)
Americas: Druid, Mage, Paladin Shaman (4/9)
Everywhere else: Workin on it.. (0/9)
i simply tried not to think about my rank or stars, maybe listen to music or something else while playing hearthstone to distract you from that sort of thing.
Rejoice, for even in death, you have become children of Thanos.
I know what you mean, I'm currently rank 5 and I don't even have anything to lose (I don't aim for Legend, since it gives you basically the same rewards as R5), but when I win a few games in a row and then I start losing, I get upset (and just like I said, I don't understand why, since I have nothing to gain, whether I'm rank 5, 4 or even Legend)
its the complete different to me. the higher i come, the more i want to play ranked. but i am also no stranger to real gambling with money in casino once or twice a year. ever lost 100€ in a black jack losing streak in less than 2 minutes because the dealer just pulls a black jack out of his ass every deal? yes? than you know that losing in ranked where actually NOTHING (except time) is at stake and everything can be won back in this season or another is no big deal.
i recently hit legend and at rank 1 i had to force myself to stop after some games. especially rank 1 5 stars matches (i needed two of them) were full of adrenalin. but no anxiety.
I only get a bit anxiety in skillbased games where luck is absolutely no factor, but as soon as luck is involved i'm more happy to challenge my luck. in those skill based games (for example for honor) i try to avoid mirror matches.... because they show obviously who is better at this class and you have no excuse for losing except you are worse than him/her. thats why i only play little duel 1v1 in this game. in fear of a mirror match mostly.
I had ladder anxiety at the begining of my journey with hs. I thought im too bad to play ladder and the guy/girl on the other side is laughting how bad I am (I still have this while starting to play new multiplayer game, im hesitate to play any ranked, but not as intense as then). What helped was playing simple deck (zoo warlock at the time) and starting winning. Then second anxiety strikes. I was realy caring about my rank. Every longer game when thing weren't under my control my hands were shaking and I was getting nervous. I have found other game and HS became my second casual game. I just did my daily quest and then switch to the other game. After that 'break' when i came back to playing it more, I stopped caring about my rank and just played to have fun. If I drop to rank floor so what? After thinking in that way, anxietty stopped, but Im not winning much and simply don't care, so in summary if you want to win then maybe this advice (taking a break, playing fun (for you) decks) is not for you ;/
PS: Now I grew up, I feel no anxiety at all. I simply play a game, lose to RNG and then quit with rage :D
One thing that has helped mine a lot is a method that I've heard KremePuff talking about: Instead of focusing on stars and ranks, play your ladder like a series of best-of-5's. For me, it helps ladder anxiety because I'm focused on getting 3 wins before I get 3 losses instead of what my rank is.
It helps me play more in a session than I otherwise would--often I might have won 2 in a row or lost 2 in a row and then gone off to play Casual because I was too nervous / frustrated to continue. It also, I find, helps with evaluating how the deck you're playing is working for you. If you're winning most of your sets, then losing 3 in a row in one set is just variance, not a problem with the deck; on the other hand, if you're consistently going 2-3, even if the games are close, then you may want to reevaluate how you're piloting it, or change decks altogether if your local meta looks to have turned against you.
What people need to understand is that Hearthstone ladder is a game of time and inevitability. The sooner you understand that losses are going to happen, regardless of your deck or ability, the sooner you can accept them as part of climbing. All that matters is your deck right now and a basic understanding of how to play it. If at the end of the day, your deck has 50.0000000005% win rate, you will make it to legend eventually. It's just a matter of time. If your deck has a favorable win rate on hsreplay. You will make it.
Now something I have learned from lots of times spent grinding legend and casual play is that the two are near identical in terms of decks and player skill. People in casual try just as hard as those in ranked and the more often than not play the exact same decks as well. Once I came to understand this, I learned a valuable lesson. If your wins aren't helping you gain a golden hero portrait, you are wasting your time. You will earn gold just as fast as you do in casual. Meme decks are just as viable on ladder as they are in casual. The only difference is that one give you a golden hero eventually and slightly better rewards at the end of the season. I can't speak for brawls or arena. If that is what you enjoy, you do you. All I'm pointing out is that even when you are losing on ladder, you always have more to gain than winning in casual. That alone means you should just play it and forget about what ever rank you are. Think about the golden hero instead.
Oof, this one hit me right in the feels. I hit rank 9 in august for the first time and i was stressed a majority of the time. September I couldnt play much do to life, and this month I have more time and I am back to rank 13 and hoping to hit 5 this month. But the thought of a losing streak sits in my mind right before I hit the play button every stinking time. (start spooky music for halloween theme and laughter)
Thanks for posting.
I like waffles, and peanut butter.