#instalock

Well, I called mid and I got it. So I’ll just lock my Talon in right away because I don't want to waste time waiting, but my team, just being salty as always, gets mad because I “instalocked”...But it's my lane. They asked me to show them what I can do, so I got a penta after that.

Let's talk about insta-locking. You know, that thing in team-based games where someone instantly grabs a character the second the selection screen pops up, without a word to their teammates? We're seeing a lot of it in the new hot thing in gaming, Marvel Rivals, but it's a problem that plagues many team-oriented games. It's ruining the experience for many, leading players to go online and mock the practice on Reddit.

Most of the time, these insta-lockers aren't even that good. It's often followed by a cascade of other toxic behaviors – trash-talking, blaming others, maybe even outright throwing the game. One selfish action at the start poisons the entire experience, creating a domino effect of negativity. With one user on the Marvel Rivals subreddit putting it as such “It's like people became monkeys and not have respect/manners for other people in a competitive game anymore.”

This isn't just about winning or losing. It's about the environment these actions create. Insta-locking breeds toxicity. It makes games less fun, drives players away, and discourages newcomers. In a game like Marvel Rivals, where teamwork is everything, this kind of behavior is especially damaging.