I know that ranked MMR is separate from normal games, but do normal games also use MMR? I ask because most of the games I've been put into lately have been with high silver / gold / low plat players. I thought the majority of players were supposed to be bronze.
Yes.
Normals have a separate hidden MMR system.
I know that ranked MMR is separate from normal games, but do normal games also use MMR? I ask because most of the games I've been put into lately have been with high silver / gold / low plat players. I thought the majority of players were supposed to be bronze.
Multiple things cause this. For one, ranked players can only queue with friends who are up to one tier apart from them. Platinums and Silvers can't duo in ranked. To play with a friend from a notably different tier (or more than one friend), high MMR players often play normals. The team average MMR is what is used, not the highest MMR of the team.
Players with a high ranked MMR may also lose a lot of normal games due to using it as a testing ground for unproven strategies or unfamiliar champs. There are also a lot of players who spam ranked games and rarely touch normals once they've started climbing the ranks. When they return to normals for a game or two, their normal MMRs are still what they were before they improved their gameplay.
