So you finally made it to ranked....

After months of hard work, and many a Sunday evening parked in front of your computer, you have finally acended from the noob dregs and are ready to start ranked play.

Congratulations! Are you ready to have all of your hopes and aspiration crushed in an instant? Good, perhaps you are ready after all. Many players who have recently reached level 30 have found that ranked play is on a whole different level than what they are accustomed to. So how can you hang with the big boys? Here are ten things you can do to get started with bringing your game up to gold or possibly even platinum.

1) Increase your CS (creep score)

Without a competitive creep score, many new players get overwhelmed by their opponents ability to put together a strong opening build off of minion farmed gold. Most pros say the same thing: if you aren't getting last hits, make a game with bots and practice until you are getting every last hit possible. The best players aim to have a CS of 100 by the ten minute mark. It is a difficult feat to pull off, but with as much gold as 100 creeps give, the likelyhood of you snowballing your way to victory will skyrocket.

Don't get left out in the cold

2) Proper Skill Progression

Most casual players simply go with their gut when it comes to leveling up skills. This is fine for the lower levels of play, but it is far from ideal if you are climbing the ranks among highly skilled players. Make sure to consult detailed guides on Mobafire, and give a little thought and consideration to where you place those valuable skill points.

skillshots are key