50% winrate across the board? really?

minorjack·Jul 4, 2019·17 votes·10,582 views

After one week of playing in ranked (I'm really a beginner), i would expect the matchmaking algorithm to have figured it out: I suck at this game!

So why haven't I been pushed down the ranks until I get to other players of similar low skill? I consistently lose 8/10 games. According to OP.GG, 3% of the player base are even worse than I am, so it should be easy enough to lower my rank until I find equally skilled players to match up with.

This is very frustrating, honestly.

19 Comments

Nea104Jul 5, 20195 votes

Their matchmaking is both flawed and rigged. They say the opposite, and it's false. Just look at promos.

Darkdemon653Jul 4, 20193 votes

{quoted}

i would expect the matchmaking algorithm to have figured it out: I suck at this game!

So does the majority of the playerbase

VreivaiJul 5, 20193 votes

Welcome to the problem I've had for years while Riot keeps denying that it exists.

I lose well over 50% of my games, and yet my MMR still doesn't drop from high silver. At all. Doesn't even budge. And every time I ask support about it, all they say is "we're not allowed to alter your MMR, just keep playing." Holy shit, I never thought of that! Just keep playing! Well maybe if that worked I wouldn't be contacting you fucks in the first place.

preternaturalJul 4, 20192 votes

you placed where?

minorjackJul 4, 20199 votes

For some reason I was placed Bronze 4 after the placement matches, but that is not really relevant here.

I'm complaining that the matchmaking algorithm doesn't match me up with equally skilled players. I don't care whether I'm bronze/iron or what not.

preternaturalJul 4, 20191 votes

{quoted}

For some reason I was placed Bronze 4 after the placement matches, but that is not really relevant here.

I'm complaining that the matchmaking algorithm doesn't match me up with equally skilled players. I don't care whether I'm bronze/iron or what not.

oh that's fine dude, you probably don't want to go lower than that.

Haze97Jul 4, 20191 votes

His MMR is probably already low enough to get afk players in every other match at this point.

preternaturalJul 5, 20191 votes

{quoted}

His MMR is probably already low enough to get afk players in every other match at this point.

yeah so dunno why anyone would want to go lower into such doom.

BeersteinJul 5, 20193 votes

{quoted}

For some reason I was placed Bronze 4 after the placement matches, but that is not really relevant here.

I'm complaining that the matchmaking algorithm doesn't match me up with equally skilled players. I don't care whether I'm bronze/iron or what not.

I don't think you can actually drop to Iron from Bronze, or it's suuuper difficult to, but your MMR itself will drop. So ignoring rank, your rating IS lowe. The problem is maybe .5% of the player base is actually BAD at the game. Most have learned the concept pretty well, so even low ranks have surprisingly good play. Saltyteemo stream on twitch is a perfect example, it picks the worst players in the game and still gets 1-2 irons tops in a game. You're just as low as you can get. It gives you the worst, but the worst just aren't as bad as you think. Yes, a few are, but it's a VERY few.

You can see here: https://www.twitch.tv/saltyteemo

It searches for the worst across all servers. So you can see the bottom end of the bottom.

Also, play Garen, he stomps down there.

Also, apparently Volibear has the highest Iron win rate.

Starcraft243verJul 5, 20191 votes

. The problem is maybe .5% of the player base is actually BAD at the game

I think you meant 0,5% of the player base is good at this game.

MorticianjohnJul 4, 20192 votes

The game consistently ranks new players much higher thn they should be. It takes more than a week to reach the MMR you deserve but you will get there

I Spread CancerJul 5, 20192 votes

They can't find people of your skill because you may the worst player that they just match you with whoever is online from the bottom.

Teh SongJul 5, 20192 votes

The thing about team games like this is that they can't have a valid matchmaking system if it's main criteria is win rate. It needs to evaluate each individual's performance separately.

In the past the complaint to make was that the system was putting too much emphasis on win vs loss, so people were rising and dropping when they shouldn't because it wasn't them that was being evaluated. I just came back to this game after a really long absence, so maybe this thread and what people in it are saying is a sign that matchmaking has improved from the old days. If that's the case than perhaps you aren't as bad as you think you are, and your mmr is staying where it is because that's actually the level you're playing at, but the teammates/enemies aren't.

SirPurrrJul 4, 20191 votes

It's probably because sometimes you can lose 8/10 games without being a newbie. It is a team game after all. It doesn't want to place you in Iron yet because it still thinks you may have had an unlucky streak. I'm not sure really but I agree with you that it must be frustrating to be a new player and playing vs far more experienced players all the time.

LeetriJul 4, 20191 votes

How many games have you played though? You probably have to play a good 20+ games and lose the majority before you start dropping. You get a pretty big safety net honestly. I don't play ranked myself, but from what I've been told by the boards your MMR basically has to be an entire tier lower than your current one to demote. So if you're Bronze 4 right now you have to sink all the way down to Iron 4 MMR before you demote. That might just be bullshit though, as I said I don't really care for ranked.

minorjackJul 5, 20191 votes

Thanks for your input, guys.

Especially the remark regarding beginners to be ranked too high gives me hope. My win rate has climbed to 37% right now, but still I have the impression of mostly being up against (and with) far more experienced players.

To repeat, the whole flattery of being precious metal (bronze, silver etc.) is totally irrelevant for me. If I want to know where I stand relative to other players, I just check my position in the ladder on OP.GG.

It just puzzles me that maintaining a balanced win/loss ratio is so hard in this game, apparently. In other online games I've played this issue simply doesn't exist. Play some placement matches, give a few games to smooth it out, and enjoy a balanced experience from there on.

Thanks again! See you in the rift some day!

Crazy CapybaraJul 5, 20191 votes

It’s stupid because you would naturally hit a 50% win rate once you reach your appropriate skill level, instead they artificially impose a 50% win rate that all that it accomplishes is making ranked play more grindy/tedious.