Ranked

[past axle]

Overview:
Ranked modes are designed to provide a competitive experience where players of similar skill levels face off to climb the ladder. However, when players who lack basic game knowledge or experience enter ranked too early, it often results in unbalanced matches, frustration for dedicated players, and a less enjoyable ranked environment overall.

Problem:

Currently, ranked is accessible to all players regardless of performance or readiness.

This leads to inexperienced players being matched with skilled players.

It causes skill disparity, poor team coordination, and overall negative gameplay experiences.

Proposed Solution:
Implement a Ranked Entry Requirement System to ensure that only players who meet a minimum skill threshold can participate in ranked matches.

1. Ranked Entry Gate:

Players must win 5–6 normal matches before they can queue for ranked.

This ensures they understand core gameplay, mechanics, and teamwork.

2. Ranked Performance Check:

If a player loses 5–6 ranked games consecutively, they are temporarily placed back into normal mode.

They must re-complete the entry requirement before re-entering ranked.

3. Optional Additions:

A short skill check or tutorial before first ranked access.

Clear feedback after demotion to guide players on what to improve.

Visible progress trackers to motivate players.

Benefits:

Creates a more competitive and balanced ranked environment.

Keeps skilled players matched with others of similar caliber.

Encourages new or struggling players to develop their skills in normal mode before returning to ranked.

Reduces toxicity and frustration caused by large skill gaps in ranked matches.

[wooden ridge]

lmao what

[placid rover]

Wait if you start your ranked journey you emidiatly play with skilled teammates ?

Also isnt there a lvl needed for ranked already?

[kind elk]

im sorry what

[past axle]

Nothing like been respectful, no need laugh or be rude. Open for discussion on the matter.

To answer Adamor all a player needs to to have 20 characters unlocked and have a player account to level 20 that just mean they have to play games to level that up doesn't mean they win all those matches just play them. At least this way they would have to win a few matches before entering each season of ranked.

For the other 2 who said what?

If you don't like the idea then please have a discussion about it and give thoughts not just "what" i can assume you either don't like the idea or just can't read ?

[rustic hornet]

I remember being frustrated that it took so long for me to get into ranked 😅

[hot mica]

Following your proposal I would get blocked from ranked and be forced to play normals to regain access to ranked, while in 4/5 games that I lost I overperformed and in my 5th game I got a troll that simply farmed the jungle until the game ended

I think that with the system you propose people would simply uninstall the game and move to play whatever other thing

[rustic hornet]

I had a 8 game loosing streak in high plat earlier this patch. Id uninstall the game if it kicked me out of ranked in a minute

[past axle]

How about a system like overwatch whereby you have to do 10 placement matches?

[rustic hornet]

Actually alot of people want placement matches and i get it. But if you are over performing in bronze (smurfs for example) you still get full plat lobbies.

You vp gain if you only win is really fast

and if you are in a ~50% winrate its now +22vp -22vp

People always say mmr sucks and stuff but if you don't get your main role or a comfortable hero you underperform no matter what. The game can't "fix" this. Im currently in diamond 1 and if id play every hero id be stuck in gold. Im great at jungle/support, medium mid/offlane and complete dogshit at adc

[hot mica]

We already have "placement matches"

New accounts will have their first games boosted, where they don't lose VP for loosing, and they win massive VP for winning, the more you win at the beginning the more VP you get

[rustic hornet]

not in a traditional way where you play 5-10 games and it puts you in plat for example. But the system works similar

[hot mica]

Are not exactly placement matches, but it does the same task and function, place players in a rank according to their skill level since the beginning, which pushes up smurf accounts

[rustic hornet]

yep

the only difference is that people will rage and say: why tf is this bronze noob in my lobby?!?11
when they underperform 😄

[hot mica]

Oh yeah totally, they should make the official placements matches visible just to avoid that, even if it's just a little icon that says "this player is in placement matches"

I suppose that is why other games have the "unranked rank" while people are in this process

[rustic hornet]

the downside of placement matches in a traditional way in my opinion is if you get lucky with your teammates or a dc on enemy team and you get placed too high, you gonna have a bad time after it. I kind of like it how it is more

i had this experience in another game

[hot mica]

In reality its exactly the same we have right now just that it hides the rank of the player for those first 10 matches

[rustic hornet]

if you get placed too low its the same experience like it is now

[hot mica]

Basically we could have the same as now, but only put a "placement" mark on the players that are in placement

That way if a plat player see a silver in his game but have the placement mark, they will know why that silver player is in his game

Or the same but just mark that players as unranked until they finish their placement games

[rustic hornet]

But you would need to go the full way and put players in their rank after the placement matches no? i honestly don't know whats the best for the game, i just know that the mmr works better than people say. Before the mmr fix at the start of this ranksplit it was broken but after the fix it felt good again

i had a big loosing streak after the fix and decided to wait few days until players get where they belong. Now im at my ranked peak

[hot mica]

No, it would be exactly the same as it is right now, just that hiding the rank of the payer until he finishes the 10 placement matches, this is so other people don't freak out when they see a bronze in their plat lobby

Everything would work exactly as now in the background

[rustic hornet]

maybe i don't know. Aslong as the matches feel balanced and not one sided im fine with whatever. Which they do 90% for me atm

[wooden ridge]

Placement matches are not real. You are always doing placement matches initially due to how the matchmaker algorithm works. Your internal MMR is very volatile at those times and depending on how many you win or lose in a short time, you will be "placed" at wildly different ranks

[wooden ridge]

1. Ranked Entry Gate:
   Players must win 5–6 normal matches before they can queue for ranked.

This ensures they understand core gameplay, mechanics, and teamwork.

No it does not. When people initially start playing ranked, they are at the baseline MMR. Everyone is entitled to play a ranked gamemode, no matter their skill level. That is precisely why we have lower ranks. You do not need to understand game fundementals to win games. This isnt a difficult MOBA.

I know for sure people in Gold and Diamond play the game like a hero shooter without any MOBA macro.

2. Ranked Performance Check:
   If a player loses 5–6 ranked games consecutively, they are temporarily placed back into normal mode.

They must re-complete the entry requirement before re-entering ranked.

Again, this is a terrible idea. People will go on losing streaks just as much as winning streaks. You can be on a winning streak cos of simple luck, but because of the nature of MMR and how you climb, after a winning streak, you can suddenly start facing players that are far better than you. And thus its inevitble that you go on a small loss streak. Does that person deserve to get a temporary ban? Its not their fault that he got lucky.

Perhaps someone also just got unlucky and rolled bad teammates? Not to say the matchmaker is terrible, these things just happen. Is that his fault? Of course not. Nobody wants to be forced to play another gamemode if they are playing normally. This is a stupid idea.

3. Optional Additions:

A short skill check or tutorial before first ranked access.

People need to complete the tutorial before they even play their first game. But again, refer to my first point. Ranked is for everyone. It has tighter mmr bounds so you won't be matched against new players if you are further along your ranked journey than they are.

Clear feedback after demotion to guide players on what to improve.

This is a community thing. The game cannot determine what you are doing badly and what you are doing good. The game is not a game of statistics, but whether you won the game or not. It doesnt matter if you are 6cs/m as long as you win games with a strong stratergy.

Visible progress trackers to motivate players.

Progress towards what?

[past axle]

I do disagree with you on some of these, yes ranked is for everyone but at same time games are ruined by these same people not knowing how to jungle how to play objectively rather than a team deathmatch and I do see why other players should take the blunt of that. People AFK just because they died once in offlane the list goes on

[wooden ridge]

Respectfully, no lol.

If you know how to play, and you are better than these players, you should be climbing and you will surpass these people.

People who AFK already get punished. The game cannot stop people from being AFK

[past axle]

No its a team game your only as strong as your weakness link but I get what your saying

[wooden ridge]

Eh, idk man. Not all games are winnable and you can absolutely carry some players in certain positions.

No matter what, you will climb if you dont belong in the rank that you are currently.

• Players who troll and/or go AFK will get banned.
• Players who are shit won't climb with you.

But also, I do want to emphasize that you are not perfect yourself. You may have developed bad habits that may not be the "correct" way to play the game. You could be forcing objectives then cry when your team doesnt follow up. Of course they wont follow up, they probably have no prio or need a reset.

I've had numerous times when people play wrong so confidently, I wonder what is going inside of their heads.

I dont think ranked is broken. People will climb regardless of how their individual matches go for as long as they are better than their average team/enemy.

I never had any issues climbing on my alts. Yes, you will lose some games, but it doesnt impact your overall climb. The people who are learning the game wont be climbing with you lol

[past axle]

But if people are learning the game why play ranked? Thats like trying to run before you can walk?

Ranked is definitely broken but in the sense that its a free for all with no rules.

Its not about crying or moaning and its not forcing objectives. Sometimes you can't win each one, but sometime there is just no try in these players they act like its a team deathwatch, you can win game with no kills its about pushing and contesting

[rustic hornet]

Its "free for all" because people like to grind. See it like this: bronze-gold people are still learning, at plat it starts to be punishing if you don't know what to do. diamond and paragon you need to know the inside out of heroes and tactics. So if you want quality games where people know what they do, choose your best hero and carry your games until you are in plat. the best carry roles are adc and jungle, then offlane and mid. As support its hard to carry games.