For millions of players globally, the ranked system in League of Legends stands as the ultimate test of skill, strategy, and teamwork. Designed to create fair matches and provide a clear path for progression, challenge, and recognition, this intricate system is the backbone of competitive play. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of how the system operates in 2025, from your initial placement to the arduous climb through its distinct tiers.
Tiers and Divisions: The Ladder’s Structure
The League of Legends ranked ladder is meticulously organized into ten hierarchical tiers, representing ascending levels of skill. From the foundational Iron at the bottom, players can ascend through Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and finally, the elite Challenger tier.
The first seven tiers, ranging from Iron through Diamond, are further subdivided into four distinct divisions. Division IV represents the lowest within a tier, while Division I signifies the highest. For instance, a player might progress from Gold IV to Gold I before attempting to climb into Platinum IV.
However, once a player achieves Master tier and beyond—these are known as the “Apex” tiers—the division structure is abandoned. In these elite ranks, players compete for positions on a pure leaderboard, based solely on their accumulated League Points (LP). Only the very top echelon of players in each region can attain and hold the prestigious Grandmaster or Challenger status.
The Engine of Progression: LP and MMR
While your visible rank provides a sense of progress, two intertwined metrics truly drive your climb: League Points (LP) and your hidden Matchmaking Rating (MMR).
LP (League Points): Your Visible Progress
- Gaining LP: Winning ranked games is the primary way to earn LP.
- Losing LP: Conversely, losing ranked games will deduct LP from your total.
- Advancement: The immediate goal is to accumulate 100 LP within your current division. Reaching this threshold allows you to advance.
- Demotion Risk: If your LP drops to zero in a division and you continue to experience losses, you face the risk of dropping to a lower division or even a lower tier.
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MMR (Matchmaking Rating): The Hidden Hand of Skill
- True Skill Representation: Behind the scenes, every player possesses a hidden MMR. This numerical value is Riot Games’ internal assessment of your true skill level.
- Matchmaking: Your MMR is the core factor that determines the skill level of your opponents and teammates in any given match, ensuring fair and balanced games.
- LP Gains/Losses: Crucially, your MMR heavily influences how much LP you gain or lose per match. If your hidden MMR is significantly higher than your current visible rank, the system believes you belong in a higher tier. Consequently, you’ll gain more LP for wins and lose less for losses, accelerating your climb. Conversely, if your MMR is lower than your rank, you’ll experience smaller LP gains for wins and larger losses for defeats until your visible rank aligns more closely with your actual skill level.
Placement Matches and Streamlined Progression
At the commencement of each new ranked season (or when a player first ventures into ranked play), a series of placement matches must be completed. Typically, this involves playing around five to ten games. Your performance in these initial matches, coupled with your pre-existing MMR (if applicable from previous seasons), determines your starting rank and MMR for the new season.
Following placements, every subsequent win and loss directly impacts your LP and, by extension, your rank. A significant improvement in recent seasons is the removal of the traditional promotion series (the best-of-three or best-of-five game sets) between divisions and tiers.
Now, reaching 100 LP in your current division or tier will generally result in an automatic promotion to the next. Demotion, as mentioned, occurs if you continue to lose games while at 0 LP in a division or tier.
The Apex Tiers: Master, Grandmaster, Challenger
As players ascend to the Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger tiers, the rules of engagement shift. Divisions disappear, and players are ranked purely by their total LP on a server-wide leaderboard.
These tiers are intensely competitive, with only a limited number of slots available for Grandmaster and Challenger. Players in these elite ranks must consistently compete and maintain high LP to retain their coveted positions, as others are constantly vying to surpass them.
Solo/Duo and Flex Queues: Tailored Competitive Experiences
League of Legends offers two distinct ranked queues to cater to different competitive preferences:
- Solo/Duo Queue: This is the primary competitive mode, featuring strict matchmaking for individual players or pre-made pairs (duos).
- Flex Queue: This queue allows for more flexible team compositions, accommodating groups of up to five players. It’s often favored for coordinated team play or a slightly more casual ranked experience. Importantly, each queue maintains a separate ranking, allowing players to climb independently in both.
In Summary
The League of Legends ranking system is a sophisticated blend of visible tiers and divisions, a hidden MMR, and the tangible progress measured by League Points. This intricate design ensures that players are matched fairly and that skillful play is consistently rewarded. Climbing the ladder demands consistent victories, and the system is engineered to accurately guide players toward.
Written by:
Christian