One of the noteworthy changes that Riot Games wants to implement in the upcoming League of Legends patch 10.8 is to increase penalties for leaving a match during the ban/pick phase. Currently, if a player engages in this behavior, the penalty is a minimum five-minute matchmaking ban and a deduction of 3 ranked points for the first offense, with the penalties escalating if it happens repeatedly within a short period.
A representative from Riot stated that this penalty is not sufficiently deterrent and does not contribute to improving the situation of players leaving matches. Regarding the reason for increasing the penalty, the creators of League of Legends believe that restricting the behavior of leaving the game during the ban/pick phase will enhance the gaming experience, preventing other players from being affected by someone quitting right before the match starts.
After the update, Riot will specifically apply increased ranked point deductions and extend the matchmaking ban duration. For players with an average elo or higher ranks, leaving during ban/pick may result in a point deduction greater than that of a loss, along with several minutes of matchmaking bans.
However, contrary to the expectations of the game operations team, this decision has not been well received by the gaming community. Many players have voiced their opposition, citing that leaving the match is often done when faced with lane disputes, troll picks, or toxic teammates.
Furthermore, leaving during the ban/pick phase is the best way to “reset,” allowing players to avoid participating in a match they perceive as risky while minimizing the impact on other gamers.
A series of personal opinions from the gaming community shared on forums have shown their dissatisfaction with this situation. Even players who frequently experience matches being canceled due to someone leaving the game admit that this is not a serious issue, as they would rather queue for a new match than enter a game in which they feel uncomfortable or know that there are players intentionally ruining the experience without being able to do anything about it.