[kp1234321]

I am finding it very hard to get out of Silver because when I solo queue i frequently get matched with teammates who treat the competitive match like a casual game. Most people either don't use mics at all or they only use them for racial slurs, and many others just play like they don't really care about getting a win. It's difficult to lead the team when I get matched with three other kids who queue up together and dick around the whole match, and it's very demotivating to realize I'll have to endure at least 16 rounds of obnoxious chatter and getting owned. I really do want to get better, but I'm not yet at the point where I can carry an uncooperative team (especially when there are also smurfs on the other team).

I feel like a good approach would be to find some consistent players and stop solo queueing, but I'd love to hear if you have any other advice. Also, what has been a good strategy for you to in weeding out toxic players? Definitely seems like an applicable skill in all aspects of life.

[s_m_t]

You aren't focusing on the right skills. Until you get good at aiming, know how to move around the map, know how to read the minimap, know how to round a corner, know how to prefire, know how to place your aim ahead of time, know how to buy, etc you shouldn't think for a second about coordinating with your teammates or calling strats.

Your best bet is to stop playing competitive for awhile. Just play aim/duel maps on the community servers and demolition to practice your aiming. Once you go back to competitive with some actual aiming skills and spray control you will easily blow past to MG on technical skill alone.

Again, I highly recommend the aim maps or even a deathmatch server. Spectate whoever is at the top of leaderboard and try and compare to how you play. Silvers are so bad at the game playing with them is a waste of time. You have to play against people who are much better than you to get better.

[obstinate]

I like this advice. I never played CS:GO. But I did get to platinum in StarCraft 2 building nothing but stalkers. All I focused on was my economy and A-moving when it seemed like I had an advantage. Focusing on the right skills is important. Many players who were in gold and below were worried about strats and builds and micro. Totally putting the cart before the horse.

[siddboots]

I'm in my mid thirties, and only play a few games a week. But I manage to stay at around MGE rank, and usually have good experiences.

The best advice I can give you is never solo-queue. Add people to your friends list as soon as you sense that they are a good communicator and are giving a modicum of consideration to the experiences of the other players. Once you've built up 40-50 such people, you should be able to always start a game by joining a lobby, even if it might mean a bit more of a wait.

The thing is that in a group of five people, having even two or three people being on the same page and taking the game seriously will tend to dictate the tone of communication. That alone will give your team a reliable advantage over others, particularly in silver and nova levels, so you should be able to rank up reasonably fast to at least nova 2 or 3 without needing to worry to much about your individual skill.