User blog comment:N1ghtSt0rm 22/Just Some Questions An Experienced Noob Has.../@comment-24792363-20140812162940

1. this is a smaller part of the larger idea of the "meta", i.e. game outside the game. by comparing the mechanics of individual's abilities, players can assume relative strengths and weaknesses of champion matchups. mostly when people talk about countering they're referring to either dueling or laning, mostly because the laning phase is so important for transitioning into the teamfight phase because a snowballing champ can make a certain team nigh unbeatable. but it is very important to look beyond basic counters and look to the team composition as whole, and how they would complement and work together against other champions

2. meta is decided through winrates in ranked play generally, at low ranks the idea of crafting a perfectly balanced is much less important because the general skill level of the players isn't high enough to base the probable outcome of the match on the general strength of the "meta" i.e. team composition many other posts will expand on this next point bot lane and top lane are longer than mid, so they are more vulnerable to roaming players ganking (2v1 kill) the laner bot lane needs two champs because adc are squishy and very vulnerable to ganks from roaming enemies top lane needs a champ with tankiness or mobility, preferably with sustain, or all 3 of those qualities, for the same reason above mid lane is safer, so it's given to a squishier character who packs lots of damage generally, so they can hug turret in case of ganks jungle is a crucial position because it utilizes gold from jungling to let bot and mid lane solo-lane (to gain more xp/gold to reach "carry" status) and creates a role which a player is your designated roamer/ganker people often refer to breaking the meta, in which a team abandons these traditional roles for a different composition. however this is done less in ranked matches as the current meta is proven to have a higher winrate overall.

3. people playing lol are nerds. nerds are prone to nerdrage, generally due to not getting laid, especially when they(/their team) are performing poorly. some people like to flame back, some people like to play nice, some people like to /ignore. the last two are generally most effective.

4. I would answer yes and no. playing Ranked beyond bronze or silver generally requires working with a team, because this is a team based strategy game, so if they players are equally matched usually the more coordinated TEAM wins the match. also beyond silver you run into the meta issue, because staying gold and improving requires serious win streaks, which brings us again to the meta. however, like you said, people can get carried hard by one very skilled player on their team, and so rank does not necessarily mean skill. also players can play a role&champion that requires less skill to play. when you factor in skillshots and combos and feints, there are many qualities that determines skill and it's hard to strictly define them. the best you could do is play someone 1v1, but that only proves that you would beat them in lane, which any lol player should know is not the defining point of a game, because you have many lanes, and some champions blossom in the late game if they survive that long, and dominate from then on out. RIOT loves a good comeback, which I'm all on board for but, I would say, a bronze player v. a diamond player is usually going to get trashed on in a 1v1, regardless of the champion matchup, because skill (understanding the finer points of not just technical mechanics but in-game playability) goes a long long way in this game.