Matchmaking algorithm needs to take best/worst/lane into account.

negus··2 votes·840 views

So, obviously MMR is sound in theory but it often creates matches that are heavily skewed in favor of one team. Most notably, lane interactions within MMR are totally messed up. Riot needs to have the matchmaking algorithm attempt to avoid huge gaps between the best player and worst player, especially when those two are in the same lane.

My most recent Silver 1 promo series game unfolded as such:

My Team: Silver 1 - Silver 1 - Gold 3 - Gold 4 - Plat 5 Enemy Team: Gold 5 - Gold 3 - Gold 2 - Plat 4 - Plat 3

MMR is total garbage if two silver 1 players are playing against a plat 3 and plat 4. But aside from that, as one of the silver 1 players I had to lane against their plat 3. Guess who got destroyed? This guy. As it should be though, right? So how is that in any way balanced? The silver 1 is losing that lane 9 out of 10 times. Just because the MMR numbers add up to around the same (which seems impossible), how is it even remotely balanced to have a silver 1 playing against a plat 3 in lane? The disparity that this creates within the game, once the numbers are calculated, creates a completely unbalanced situation. There is also no consistent in game solution to this unbalanced lane, as the information about such severe disparity in skill is not obviously presented to your teammates. Therefore, the disparity only becomes apparent after its too late and the extra help that should have been shifted toward the weaker lane is rarely ever given.

The algorithm should not allow for such drastic swings between the best and worst players in a game. It makes no sense to save 30 seconds on queue times by ruining 30 minute games.

9 Comments

Pika Fox2 votes

Matchmaking uses MMR, not rank. Silver 1 is just what rank you are, not your MMR. It also already adjusts for likelyhood of winning and losing.

rtbf2216514121 votes

[{quoted}](name=Pika Fox,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=88zbpNnm,comment-id=0000,timestamp=2018-07-23T16:03:35.708+0000)

Matchmaking uses MMR, not rank. Silver 1 is just what rank you are, not your MMR. It also already adjusts for likelyhood of winning and losing.

Point >>

Your head >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A person who is challenger with (for sake of example) 4000 MMR with playing mostly mid and support will not: Be the same MMR if they were to play top. In fact, one could argue they would be half. That also puts them in a lesser rank as well for that particular game. However, the game doesn't take into account for these problems. RIot already realizes this and said they were going to fix it either this year or the next. However, they are keeping autofill, which basically does the SAME THING. There might be other problems, but these are proven. Others are speculation until they fix these.

Pika Fox2 votes

Your OP is talking about a plat vs a silver, and trying to use that as an argument. My statement was that thats not how matchmaking works.

rtbf2216514121 votes

[{quoted}](name=Pika Fox,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=88zbpNnm,comment-id=000000000000,timestamp=2018-07-23T16:33:17.063+0000)

Your OP is talking about a plat vs a silver, and trying to use that as an argument. My statement was that thats not how matchmaking works.

I'm not the OP. Might want to get your eyes checked.

negus1 votes

I understand that MMR is used for matchmaking, but pointing to the divisions is just an easy way to point out the disparity. A plat player having a bad day, or a bad string of games, is still most likely much better than a silver player who's playing to a gold 5 MMR.

Pika Fox2 votes

Not really. If your MMR is such that you being plat are playing against a silver, theyre mid-high gold MMR and youre well below plat MMR.

Cocho1 votes

For that to happen, his MMR must be garbage. And yours must be great.

OP.GG says your MMR is 2 above your rank, and the jarven's is 2 below his rank. It's probably closer lol

The skill level difference wasn't that big, that's just what happens when you climb with 60 shaco games then get autofilled. Your opponents get better and you are not on a role you're good at.

That jarven has a 32% winrate in his past 19 games. He has been losing to low gold teams consistantly, and you have low/mid gold MMR.

The LP gain/loss difference must be absolute trash for J4. Jarven probably got like 9 LP for that game lol.

when taking into consideration the best/worst lane in this example, it's not off by much.

negus1 votes

You're 100% right with everything you said, but unfortunately even in the best case scenario where my MMR is closer to gold 5/4 and his is closer to plat 5, that's still an entire division of difference between the two of us. Obviously this is true for everyone, not just me, but it seems like that level of difference between lane opponents should be considered by Riot in the algorithm.

Cocho1 votes

his isnt plat 5, and yours isnt gold 5

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