Which Ranks Can Play Together – LoL Duo Ranking Explained

If you have been queueing on your own while playing League of Legends, we understand that this can get pretty frustrating. If you’re a support or marksman, this is especially true because you won’t be able to predict how your lane partner is going to be. Then there’s the scenario of having a good amount of friends you can play with, but you’re not in the same ranked division, which can be a problem. 

Today, we’re going to take a look at which ranks can play together in LoL. 

Solo/Duo Queue vs. Flex Queue

Before you jump into a League of Legends match, you will need to choose whether you would like to play solo, with one friend, or with more than one friend. When you’re queuing up for solo/duo, up to two premade players will be able to play together (as the name suggests).

Can Gold Play Duo Queue with Bronze?

Unfortunately, gold cannot play the duo queue with Bronze. An individual that is in the bronze tier can only play with other Bronze players as well as those in the Silver tier. Individuals in the Gold tier can only play with those in the Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers.

Can Silver and Iron Play Duo?

Silver and Iron cannot play Duo. Silver-tier players can only queue with Bronze, Silver, and Gold Tier Players. Iron is the first rank that was introduced back in 2018 as a new rank – Iron is below Bronze on the ranked ladder.

Which Ranks Can Play Together

Do you have a partner you would like to play with? Here’s a nice little rundown on the ranks that can play together:

Normal Modes – If you’re playing in normal modes, any rank can play together.

Solo/Duo Queue – in Solo/Duo Queue, you can play with players up to the following ranks:

• Iron – Silver 
• Bronze – Silver
• Silver – Gold
• Gold – Platinum
• Platinum 2 – Diamond 5
• Platinum 1 – Diamond 4
• Diamond 5 – Diamond 4
• Diamond 3 – Diamond 1
• Diamond 2 – Master
• Master – Challenger

Grandmaster and Challenger will only be able to play with those players that are Master rank or higher.

Ranked restrictions are going to apply based on the lower-tier player. 

Ranked Flex Queue will allow you to play with players up to the following ranks:

• Iron-Silver 
• Bronze-Silver
• Silver-Gold
• Gold – Platinum
• Platinum – Diamond
• Diamond-Master, Grandmaster, or Challenger

Players that are in the Master, Grandmaster, or Challenger tier will only be able to play with those that are Diamond Tier players or higher. 

Ranked restrictions are going to apply based on the player that’s at the lowest-tier in the group.

Why Does League of Legends have Rank Restrictions?

There are some League of Legends players out there who feel that it’s not fair that the rank restrictions prevent them from being able to play with their friends if they’re only a couple of tiers from each other. 

However, Riot Games has these rank restrictions for a reason – here are the two main ones:

• Riot tries to make player ranks equal on both of the teams.
• The skill levels between different tiers can vary.

To help you fully understand this, here’s an example: Let’s say you’re a Diamond Tier, and you have a friend that is a Silver Tier. When you play with ranked restrictions off, LoL will try to match you with players that are from Silver to Diamond. In theory, you’re going to get a team that is all chopped up – some will be unskilled, while others will be skilled. 

In reality, the following problems will take place in the game:

• The matchmaking system will fail to put together an equal team skill-wise. 
• Players that are on different lanes will come face to face with enemies at a different skill level.

Sure, the matchmaking system could wait until it puts together the perfect team. However, the waiting period would be long, meaning it would take a long time before a match gets started.

A system like this would be so full of problems and so unbalanced to the point where there would be one-sided fights. 

Sure, your Diamond lane friend could probably take on both the Gold support and Silver marksman. You’d have the Diamond jungler invading the platinum jungler, but they may also be skilled enough to be able to lock down the top and mid lane. In many cases, though, a system like this wouldn’t result in a fair game. 

Is it Possible to Play with Higher Ranked Partners in League of Legends? 

If you really want to play with your friend, and they are more than one tier apart from you, there are still a couple of ways for you to play together. 

The first suggestion would be to play normal game modes as these are not limited. This game mode isn’t going to affect anyone’s rank and will allow you and your friends to play together. 

The more rewarding option would be to have the lower-ranked player to work their way up through the ranks. This way, the player with the lower skills won’t get boosted and will develop the right skills to play at a higher level.

Patch 10.15 Has Removed Rank Restriction from Flex Queue

With Patch 10.15, Riot Games has lifted the rank restrictions for the flex queue. With patch 10.15, players of all ranks are free to play together in flex queue games. 

As players are climbing in ranked games, the system does limit which ranks can play together. Iron, Bronze, and Silver ranks can play together without any limitations. Silver plays can join gold players in the queue, and gold players can have Platinum friends on their team. 

When you reach higher levels, the system will get more complex. Platinum 1 can queue with those that are two tiers above them; this includes the Diamond IV and Diamond III tiers.

The system will keep matches balanced, making sure players of similar skills are on both sides. The system isn’t perfect and flawless as some players find themselves stuck in games with higher-ranked players, which we knew would be a problem. LoL is always looking for ways to improve their matchmaking algorithms. 

While this patch has removed the rank restrictions with flex queue, Challenger players can’t carry their silver friends to high elo, so you don’t have to worry about anything like this. The skill level of every player is taken into consideration, and based on the average, it matches them up with opponents that are equitable. The matchmaking system will always favor those who are the most skilled so that the other team players will be closer to the highest-ranked member level. 

Flex queue allows players to create parties of two, three, and five players. Parties of four players have been disabled, allegedly, to prevent others from picking on that fifth member. 

So there you have it – this wraps up our discussion on League of Legends Duo Queue Rules. We hope that this shed some light on the duo queue rules for you.