The Bronze Bastard Qualifies for Summer Split - I

Well my first split in Ranked was brutal.  I qualified at Bronze III, and then fell to Bronze IV.  In two separate promotion games, I got stalled.  I did put in what I felt was still a pretty good series of efforts.  I am not going to shy away as much in summer split.  I've got a lot of work to do to improve.  I'm an old man.  I can't match the mechanics of these teenagers who can just eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff.  I have to use my brain.  I have to have experience and knowledge and use that to overcome my mechanical disadvantage.  I've been studying and watching games. I've been working on specific builds and expanding my god pool.  I'm ready to be a Bronze Bastard once again!

First queue of the first day of the patch is a little intense.  4 minutes to queue. I'm second to pick.  I decide to take Mercury and go Jungle.  I'll have to check, but I don't think I've ever jungled in Ranked.  This could be bad.  But Merc is probably my best jungler, and I have what I think is a pretty potent build for him. and then, of course, someone bails on the lobby and I go back to queue.  sigh.

6.5 minutes in, and I finally catch another game.  I am top ELO.  Oh no. I ban Terra and Thoth.  Opponent bans Cerb and Achiles. Something inside of me tells me to take Ratotaskor, so I do it.  The opponents take Thanatos and He Bo. Oh no. We draft Scylla and Geb.  In the last lobby, the whole team was in coms.  In this one, only Scylla has voice.  Oh no.  Opponent bans Cu Chulain.  I sit Discordia.  Mistake, I should have banned a carry based on their team comp. They ban Ullr and I bench Hachiman. They pick Izanami at 4th spot Our carry takes Skadi.  Our solo goes Tyr.  The enemy rounds out their team with Sobek.

My build starts with Acorn T1 and the Katana, with Assasin's Blessing.  I take two mana pots.  Since I blundered and let an enemy He Bo mid through, I'm going to cut in on Mid after I get Front Harpies.  I ping my path on the map for Scylla to see, she thanks me.

This game was absolutely awful. I got killed early.  The SWK solo owns me, stunning me out of all my moves.  The He Bo is just too powerful.  I don't know what to do, I am starved for mana and down levels.  This is painful.  Our duo lane gets absolutely rolled, dying 7 times in the first 16 minutes.  This one F6s.  Some causes are just lost.