The best players of Deadlock have jumped the turnstile and started organizing their own competitive scene, and I think you should join me in my jealousy of their improvised format.
It’s been just over a month since Valve added a ranked mode—and just a few days since ranked became the only mode in Deadlock. The change has encouraged somewhat more serious Deadlock play, and it's great to have a way to track progress and flex competitive muscles. However, there are frustrating hurdles to taking Deadlock more seriously if you, like most players, aren't queuing up with a full stack of friends every night: Deadlock could really use a pre-game phase, and the pros agree.
