For as long as I can remember, MMR has always been a key mechanic in competitive gaming. Even before the age of online gaming, some sort of ranking system was in place, albeit locally or offline.
It gives you a sense of accomplishment, or a wanting to reach for the top. Besides a system of hierarchy, MMR does have a functional use for us all, especially the budding players just starting out. They actually determine who you are matched up against. Riot tries to match players who are at a similar level.
In League of Legends, it is especially important due to it being somewhat of a strategy game, though it isn’t unheard of for a group of silver-ranked players to go up against gold or even platinum players once in a while. The same applies to Teamfight Tactics. In a way, it’s even more important they get it right, because Teamfight Tactics is more dependent on strategy compared to regular ol’ League of Legends.
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A Quick Disclaimer
MMR is often confused with rank. It isn’t. Rank is just that: the rank in which you place in a specified game. MMR is basically the formula Riot uses to determine who you should play with. Of course, it directly affects your rank, as being pit against people with lower skill level will push you towards wins, while the opposite could leave you frustrated when you are defeated. That being said, there is something you need to keep in mind.
To bust a popular myth here, MMR does not only affect ranked matches. A lot of people think that because of the aforementioned association with ranked matches, but that is not the case. MMR also works on normal matches. This is why Riot encourages you to get the feel of things first before diving into ranked matches.
This is a recurring theme they use in even normal League of Legends, specifically when you get a new champion. Not only does it give you a benchmark of comfortability, but it allows them to gauge you with a couple of games before they pair you up against similarly skilled players. Now that that’s out of the way.
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How to Check MMR
Officially in-game? You can’t. Unlike in-game ranks, Riot keeps this information hidden from us. Perhaps the algorithm is too complicated when they crunch numbers and add in too many factors we simply cannot understand. Perhaps they knew that seeing it would cause some players to riot (see what I did there?) and they didn’t want to face the backlash.
We may never know. Not too long ago, some sites offered it by simply typing in your summoner name. A lot of your stats would show up, with MMR included.
These days, however, it isn’t so straightforward. Whether or not that was a decision internally made by the teams or a cease and desist order from Riot themselves remains to be seen. For now, the best way to do it would be to make rough guesses with how much LP you lose, and even then the math is sketchy.
Conclusion
With no official way to actually check your MMR, the best way to go about it would be to do it by feel. That is, going by your official rank and basing it on the difficulty of each game you tacke, both in ranked and normal matches.
Still, with no apparent direct solution in sight, it might actually be a good thing. The intricacies of MMR and the stress that comes with it may be a bit too much to handle. Ranked placings are there for a reason, anyway, and we all know how stressful that is!
For more TFT tips, here is an article on how to check your TFT match history.