There is no denying that League of Legends (LoL) is one of the most popular online games since its release in 2009. Popularly known as League, it is a multiplayer online battle arena developed by Riot Games.
Among the reasons behind its popularity, its free-to-play gameplay stands out to players the most. This simply means that you don’t need to pay any amount to play the game. The game is monetized through the purchasable characters.
League of Legends is played by two teams of five members in a player vs player (PvP) combat. All of the players get to control a character known as a ‘champion’ with unique abilities and a wide range of play styles.
The champions can increase their damaging power by earning gold, collecting experience points, and purchasing deadly weapons or items that can be used to defeat the opposing team. A team wins after destroying the Nexus, a tower within each base, of their opponent.
When the game was released in the market, LoL was highly praised for its production value, accessibility, and character designs. With its success, music videos, short stories, animated series, and even several spin-off games were created.
Aside from its exciting gameplay, LoL is often referred to as the world’s largest esports with a total of 12 leagues that are played internationally. Since LoL plays a huge role in the esports industry. It is best to be familiar with the LoL ranking.
How does LoL ranking work?
For new players wanting to hone their skills at playing League of Legends, there are a few terms that need to be talked about. One of which is about its game ranking. LoL’s ranking is called the League system. It is the process of matching players that have a similar skill level to play with or against each other.
LoL’s ranking is made up of nine tiers to easily indicate the skill level of the players. The players of each division are ranked using a point system called League Points (LP). The standings can be monitored through every player’s profile.
There are nine tiers in LoL that are divided into four divisions. Four is the lowest tier while one is the highest. The only way to progress through each division and tier is by earning LP. The amount of points you have collected is determined by the Matchmaking Rating (MMR).
If you win against a team with a higher MMR, you will earn more LP compared to defeating a team with a lower LP. The amount of LP you’ll lose also depends on your MMR and your opponent’s.
Your tier and division will be set as your official rank at the end of each ranked season. What’s great is that you’ll earn in-game rewards like special skills. The amount and quality you’ll win depend on what tier you finished in.
LoL ranking you need to know
Since the nine tiers are divided into four divisions each, it might take a while for you to remember all of the rankings. However, the three final tiers are not divided. As mentioned above, four is the lowest and one is the highest.
Here are the nine tier rankings of LoL and its player base percentage:
- Iron (4.5%)
- Bronze (21%)
- Silver (33%)
- Gold (27%)
- Platinum (10%)
- Diamond (2.3)
- Master (0.034%)
- Grandmaster (0.028%)
- Challenger (0.012%)
Oftentimes, the majority of players find themselves in Silver and Gold. This shows how challenging it is to competitively progress in LoL. To reach Platinum and beyond, you need to take your time to hone your skills. Focusing on a small number of heroes and keeping an eye out for meta-changing nerfs and buffs are one of the best ways to elevate your LoL game.
To move up among tiers, you need to win games in a best-of series. It can be three games for division jumps or five games for tier moves. This ranking system is often called the LoL Ranking Ladder.
On the other hand, here are the different skill levels:
- Average – Iron IV to Gold I (0–90 percentile)
- Skilled – Platinum IV to Diamond III (90–99.5 percentile)
- Elite – Diamond II to Challenger (99.5–100 percentile)
- Pro – Top 5 Pro Regions
Promotion and demotion
The progress in each division is always denoted by a total of 100 LP. You need to maintain this value to advance through divisions. If your LP reaches 0, it will be disregarded. If there is no LP to be subtracted in your next loss, there will be a division regress and the LP will be reset to 75.
Promotion
As mentioned above, you need to play a set of games to move into the next tier. This includes the promotion series that is often described as the best of the next five matches. If you win the series, your player’s division will move up with LP rest to 0. It can result in a setback of LP if you fail to win in the promotion series. You can also forfeit a match by either leaving a match in progress.
Demotion
If you are on the lowest division, the Tier-loss Protection will be activated for you to render LP instead of direct demotion. It is also enabled for a certain number of matches. If you are demoted, your LP will reset to 75 or 25 based on the amount of protection received. Keep in mind that the Tier-loss Protection cannot be activated for decay-induced demotion.
Provisionals
Once you enter the ranked ladder, there is a provisional period that evaluates your rank until the end of the period. This time, there is no promotion series or loss of LP. It is also when your rank is kept private. As of the moment, the current provisional period is 10 matches.
Apex tier
An Apex tier is composed of a single division of the most skilled and competitive LoL players. With this, each tier has a minimum LP requirement. However, the players must overtake each other’s points to gain standing.
Once you reach the Challenger tier in duo or solo, you are most likely to be spotted and invited to join a professional team. The ranking system of League of Legends is one of the reasons why the majority enjoy playing the game. Aside from the excitement, you’ll feel satisfied once you rank up after a match.