Why Can’t Two Players with Different Ranks Queue Together in League of Legends?
League of Legends, or LoL for short, has systems in place to prevent players from abusing the ranked ladder. One such system involves hiding your true rank, known as your MMR or Elo, from others. Recently, a Reddit post brought attention to the issue when a player and their teammate were unable to queue up together due to their ranks being too far apart.
This raises the question of how players with significant rank differences can end up in the same game but can’t party together. The answer lies in their MMR, a hidden rank that ensures balanced matches. If your MMR is higher than your displayed rank, you’ll gain more LP and climb faster. The game matched the Emerald player with the Gold player based on their MMR, but they can’t duo together to avoid exploiting their high MMR to dominate lower rank players. So, their initial meeting was simply a chance encounter, and if they want to play together again, they’d have to rely on luck once more.
MMR Restrictions and Controversy
MMR restrictions have long been a part of the game, but some players question whether they should be enforced. Players with lower MMR might find themselves constantly matched against higher-ranked opponents, leading to a frustrating experience. Unfortunately, Riot is unlikely to make any major changes to the MMR system, so players will have to focus on winning games to improve their MMR.
The Road to Higher MMR
To increase your MMR, the best solution is to win games, even when the odds are against you. Riot does not currently have plans to overhaul the MMR system, so players may have to rely on finding a friend with a smurf account or grinding solo queue games to make a significant change to their MMR.
League of Legends, LoL, MMR, rank, matchmaking, duo queue