User blog comment:Commander Marko/The advantage of Duo Queue/@comment-4888212-20130922014427/@comment-22338397-20130922135940

(Off-Topic) Long-time lurker, finally registered!

(On-Topic) Recently started Ranked (Duo) and my higher-ranked partner ends up last-pick while I am often first; that hidden MMR is quite wonky. But agreed on mentioned point; I can often firstpick her support so other lanes have more room to counter.

Also, about the inflated MMR, it can work to your advantage as well. I started out Bronze 1 after placement, but was getting consistently matched against S3-G5 players. Winning those games gave me HUGE amounts of LP. After my promo to Silver, my next promotion series actually leapfrogged me from S5 to S3. Didn't realize skipping divisions was possible until then. When the odds are against you, the rewards are much better too to compensate.

One last thing about the duo lanes though... We often prefer NOT to, despite the communication advantage. Putting all you bets on your combined botlane can be risky, especially if you have a relatively passive early game. Botlane is generally the LEAST likely to roam early on, so your combined map pressure is quite low and you can't put another lane back in check as easily (especially with level disadvantage). Having one player pick mid or jungle (or even top, preferably with teleport) can apply your influence where needed, while still benefitting from your superior communication advantage (ward positions, gank coordination, objective calls).