ESEA’s Ranking System Gets Revamped
ESEA has announced some significant changes to its ranking system, aimed at improving the matchmaking experience for its users. In a recent blog post, ESEA product manager “Few” detailed the alterations that will be made to the popular online league and pick-up game (pug) system.
The most notable change is the removal of the hidden elo system, which was used to sort games and place players in matches. This system often led to players being placed in matches that were significantly above or below their actual skill level. Now, players will be sorted into games based on their actual rank, such as A, A-, B+, B, etc. This adjustment will result in changes to players’ ranks and the ranks of those they play with, as the system adapts to its new parameters.
Other noteworthy changes include the implementation of rank decay for inactive players and the sorting of group queues based on the highest-ranked player. Additionally, new players will now have to play placement matches to earn their initial rank.
For professional players competing in Rank S, there have been significant changes to the pathway leading to Rank S. ESEA has introduced a new rank called Rank G, also known as the Challenger Rank, which serves as an intermediary step between A+ and S.
Rank G features a limited player pool, where players earn six points for a win and lose four points for a loss. The top two players from Rank G will be promoted to Rank S on a monthly basis, while demoted Rank S players will be moved down to either A+ or G, depending on circumstances.
Every month, the top 50 players from A+ will be moved to Rank G, while the bottom 50 players in Rank G will be demoted to Rank A+. Rank A+ players will then be sorted based on their win/loss record. In Rank G, teams and maps are selected randomly, and if there are not enough players in the Rank G queue, they will be placed in the normal queue.
All premiere teams not in Rank S have been invited to Rank G, along with the top 150 players from Rank A+ for November/December.
While there are still concerns about players ranking up purely by grinding their win percentage, these changes by ESEA are a step in the right direction.
Written by Max Melit, you can find him on Twitter @max_melit.
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