League of Legends developer addresses Season 13 Ranked MMR variance concerns

A recent post on the League of Legends subreddit by u/applecat144 addressed an ongoing issue with the game's Season 13 Ranked MMR (Matchmaking Rating) system.

The user pointed out that if a League of Legends player has a 66% winrate while earning +15LP/-15LP (League Points) for every win/loss, it should take roughly 18 games to move up just one division. To add to one's woes, each rank includes four divisions.

Usually, a 66% winrate in Ranked should be enough to get a player through an entire division. And, on top of that, an account with a 60%+ winrate should at least provide the player with more LP per win compared to LP per loss.

Since there are two splits this season, ascending in ranked has become substantially more difficult as players are having to play between 15-20 games and maintain a good winrate only to climb a single tier.

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Riot developer addresses League of Legends Season 13 LP gain problems

u/BarackProbama on Reddit, a developer at Riot Games, responded under this post, stating that they were looking at various Ranked improvements, like enhancing the variance. They added that players who win a few games and play many more in one night should be in consideration for a divisional promotion at the absolute least.

Finally, u/BarackProbama said that there is no set schedule for these plans yet, but fans should know that the game creators are aware of the problems. Thus, Riot Games seems to agree that a player should be able to move up a division if they have a solid set of games ranked throughout the night.

It will be interesting to see how the company handles this issue since it also occurred in prior seasons, making it difficult to balance the League of Legends Ranked system.

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Is the Ranked climb in Season 13 of League of Legends more difficult than before?

The Ranked climb in season 13 is sadly a bit tougher due to the current state of the ranked MMR system, coupled with the recent introduction of two splits in a season. There is a possibility that Riot Games is encouraging players to work hard to achieve the rank of their dreams.

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Why is it critical to resolve the Ranked MMR variance issues?

With Ranked being arguably the most loved mode in League of Legends, its current state and consequential player dissatisfaction do not bode well for the game. The problem must be addressed as soon as possible to keep the fandom happy.

Many content creators and players have previously argued that Riot Games has fragmented their internal staff inappropriately after the inception of Valorant and TFT. With them not prioritizing League of Legends as much anymore, the game has been on a declining track the last few years, losing thousands of players.

Judging by the recent backlash directed at the game's creators because of the lack of information regarding the start of season 13 and its poor cinematics, it may not be easy for Riot to pacify the community.

Resolving the Ranked MMR variation issue is critical for keeping high-elo gamers and content creators satisfied, many of whom would otherwise quit soon. This will guarantee that the top percentile of their player community continues to make content for their game, keeping it alive.