Why do new-to-ranked accounts start in Silver MMR?

dunder kill·Sep 15, 2016·7 votes·1,992 views

I mean there's really no reason for it other than pandering to smurfs. I honestly think that accounts that never have played ranked before should have to start at the bottom and work their way up. Sure, smurfing is a problem. But a bigger problem is dropping a new, barely level 30 player into a mid Silver game. It just ruins the game for everyone. The team is angry at the person for feeding. The new player is having a miserable time getting stomped. Lose-lose.

One of my irl friends is new to LoL. Hit level 30 and went into ranked. Went 2W-8L in placements. Got placed Silver 5 lol.

14 Comments

UberAffeSep 15, 20163 votes

The reason is because it is about the average level and they are starting people at the average.

I agree that it is a bad way to do it but I'm pretty sure that is why.

EedatSep 15, 20163 votes

Yeah, but why would Riot assume a new player is average? A new payer is going to be below average 99% of the time

Unstoppable MonkSep 15, 20161 votes

*Average ranked player.

EndlessSorcererSep 15, 20162 votes

Only if they are dumb enough to go into ranked immediately.

I waited about two seasons before bothering with ranked games and climbed to Platinum very quickly.

ErockandrollSep 15, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Only if they are dumb enough to go into ranked immediately.

I waited about two seasons before bothering with ranked games and climbed to Platinum very quickly.

I'm going to play devils advocate here. But does that really matter?

You got into Plat after 2 years, would that have changed if you decided to play rank over norms? Your only selling point is how quickly you ascended to plat after 2 years of norms. Which suggests that your only real goal is climbing the ranked latter.

But to that end, I don't feel that the ability to climb the ranked latter is a good point for abstaining from ranked play. Really, people should be able to Q up into ranked, if they are truly interested in how they compare to other players. With the only play restriction really being 16 champions (might be more with the ban increase coming soon) and level 30. Other than that, it should be up to the individual to decide when they are ready.

Mysticman89Sep 15, 20161 votes

New players aren't the same as first time ranked players.

By the time people are 30, there is much more variance in how good they are. People who played exclusively bots to 30 are probably bronze 5 yes, but people who braved PvP modes early on will occasionally be legitimately a high as (low) gold level skill. Most people are somewhere in the middle of those, hence the (low) silver starting point.

UberAffeSep 15, 20161 votes

They are more likely to be average than any other skill level ...

RIPPED ASSHOLESep 15, 20161 votes

Bronze Silver <---The middle. Gold Platinum Diamond Challenger

UberAffeSep 15, 20161 votes

low silver is the middle by distribution not tier

CalabokSep 15, 20162 votes

I agree

they should start in Bronze 5 default.

Unstoppable MonkSep 15, 20161 votes

That's too cruel man.

Bronze 2 would keep them from trolling Bronze 1-Silver if they're bad and give them an easy way to get to silver anyway.

oSEXYPLATYPUSoSep 15, 20162 votes

they arent placed in silver they are put in promos just like every one based on mmr. since they have no rank mmr the match making defaults them to an average mmr which is s5-s4 ish and they make them do their placement games there.

it sucks for silver players cuz u get the newbs and it can hender you a bit in climbing. but they have to put them in the average player base and see if they sink or swim and based on the outcome they get bronze 5- silver 3 out of placements.

i think there needs to be more requirements to start rank other then lvl 30 , they make you have 20 champs *including free to play * for the draft mode of rank. but i think they also need to reach a win total or # of games played, when i started league back at the end of s2 into s3 i was told by numerous guides and videos i needed 300 wins before i was ready to play rank with any concept and understanding of the team as a whole.

however i at 1st tried some rank got bronze ok ... then got silver last season playing 15 games , wining 60% placed in silver from promos. and zero rank games this season. but its not cuz im scare i just dont take rank seriously enough to care. so i play normals to enjoy the game.

but most new players at lvl 30 have no runes nor know how to set up the basic two rune pages AD and AP or have a grasp on masteries, match ups ,ect.

hence why i think they need to have more then just lvl 30 and 20 champ requirement for rank and it think it would make the entire rank ladder *ideally at the bottom *bronze/silver that much better.

just my two cents

no mechanics apeSep 15, 20161 votes

Honestly, provisionals are such a terrible way of assessing skill. The law of large numbers won't have any chance to come into effect. I disagree, however, with the idea that new players should start in Bronze 5.

I honestly don't believe Bronze 5 is an environment conducive to learning how to play well. I'd rather just see everyone placed in Bronze 3-1 by default, so it'd be a little more sink-or-swim than the current system without the troll fiesta of bronze 5.

In my opinion, it boils down not to where to place new players where they won't disrupt veterans (which seems to be OP's platform), but instead to "how can we help these players best learn the game?"

Everyone is entitled to a fair opportunity to learn how to play in a competitive environment, throwing them into the low bronze trollfest certainly doesn't help.

GixxerdownNov 8, 20171 votes

People in plat + can climb from silver/bronze regardless of getting placed with new lvl 30s. This point is VERY invalid as you get placed according to skill. MMR is WIDELY used in most competitive gameplay formats for a REASON. if they suck they go down if not they go up if MMR got it right they stay there till they get better. Same goes for you if you arent at the skill level .... you stay where you are. Period.