In a sweeping shakeup, Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends, announced an overhauled ranking system, including the introduction of a fresh tier – Emerald. This step, aimed to even out the player base, may transform the game’s competitive scene drastically.
By Spezzy / Ivan Lovre Marusic
A Glinting New Addition: The Emerald Tier
In an attempt to level out the growing Elo inflation, Riot Games unveiled a new rank, the Emerald, nestled between the Platinum and Diamond tiers. This modification, borrowed from the game’s mobile iteration, Wild Rift, is set to add a fresh challenge to the players vying for the coveted Diamond status.
Riot’s official blog explains, “With the faster LP progression, players end up in places they would’ve reached anyway, but quicker. However, Master+ was not designed to accommodate such a high population.” This new tier aims to flatten this inflated curve and re-establish the balance.
Redefining the Ranking: No More Promotion Matches
In addition to the new tier, Riot Games is axing the long-debated promotional matches, which were seen as a stress-inducing obstacle rather than a fair test of skill due to their dependence on luck. “Promotional games created situations where players stalled their climb, generating frustration,” Riot revealed, confirming that these matches will be phased out from the next split onwards.
A Tweaked Provisional Games Requirement
With the game’s ranked season now divided into two splits, Riot Games has moved to reduce the provisional games from ten to five. This adjustment aims to expedite players’ entry into the actual ranked climb, essentially cutting the ranked grind duration in half.
Maintaining the Competitive Edge: Emerald Rank’s Role
In response to the ranking climb being perceived as too easy, the Emerald rank is an added hurdle to scale. It increases the tiers necessary to climb, redistributes the ranked population, and ensures that higher Elo maintains its prestige for those who reach it.
Conclusion
Riot Games’ efforts to revitalize the League of Legends ranking system present players with both opportunities and challenges. While the road to Diamond rank has become more complicated with the Emerald tier, the removal of promotional games could ease the pressure. Nevertheless, these changes promise to keep the competitive fires burning in this popular online multiplayer game.
