My fade trails aren’t showing up in front of me when I ult, was it always this way or did they change it?

Are there any guides or advice on what to do when the enemy puts down proper smokes? And advice especially for when you're in the trenches and don't have good team coordination.

I am currently Ascendant 1 (peaked Ascendant 2 this act), and I feel like the matchmaking is inconsistent. Yesterday I Match MVP'd in full Ascendant lobbies and next game I'm in full Diamond lobbies. We lost that game and next game I'm back...