Matchmaking Rating (MMR) is a hidden value that determines your skill level in League of Legends. Unlike your rank, which is publicly visible and classified into tiers like Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and beyond, MMR is used by Riot Games to match you with players of similar skill. The higher your MMR, the more skilled your teammates and opponents will be. Many players assume that their rank directly reflects their skill level, but that’s not always the case. Since Riot does not publicly display MMR, players often struggle to understand why they are facing high-rank players in some matches while encountering low-rank opponents in others. MMR is constantly adjusted based on your win/loss streaks and factors like playing in a pre-made duo queue. The key takeaway is this: your MMR is more important than your rank when it comes to matchmaking. If your MMR is higher than your rank, you will gain more LP per win and lose less LP per loss, allowing you to climb faster. On the other hand, if your MMR is lower than your rank, you’ll experience low LP gains and high LP losses, making your ranked journey more difficult.
Since Riot Games doesn’t publicly display MMR, the only way to estimate your true matchmaking rating is by using an LOL MMR Checker. Our tool analyzes real game data to give you the most accurate estimation of your hidden MMR. Unlike other estimators, our League of Legends MMR Calculator looks at your actual match history. We check your most recent games and gather data on all the players in those matches. By analyzing their ranks, LP gains, and losses, we can determine the matchmaking trends and calculate the average MMR of your games. This allows us to estimate your own MMR with a high degree of accuracy. With this data-driven approach, our LOL MMR Checker helps you understand whether your rank reflects your true skill level.
Many League of Legends players assume that their rank and MMR are the same, but they are actually two separate systems. Your rank is the tier and division you see in-game—Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and beyond—but your Matchmaking Rating (MMR) is a hidden value that Riot Games uses to determine who you play against. Since MMR is not displayed, players often wonder why they are experiencing low LP gains, high LP losses, or inconsistent matchmaking. The main difference between rank and MMR is that rank is just a visual representation, while MMR determines your actual matchmaking experience or “skill”. Here’s how it works: If your MMR is higher than your rank, you will gain more LP per win (e.g., +25 LP) and lose less LP per loss (e.g., -12 LP). This means your rank will climb faster, and you’ll likely be promoted after fewer games. You will also face higher-ranked opponents because the system considers you a stronger player. If your MMR is lower than your rank, you will gain less LP per win (e.g., +12 LP) and lose more LP per loss (e.g., -25 LP). This makes climbing much harder, even if you have a positive win rate. You may also be placed with lower-ranked teammates to balance out the MMR difference. If your MMR is significantly lower than your rank, you may need to go on a winning streak to correct it. Consistently winning games against stronger opponents will gradually increase your MMR and improve your LP gains. However, if you continue losing, your rank will eventually drop to match your MMR, meaning you’ll face easier opponents but have to grind your way up.
Your MMR might be lower than expected for several reasons, but the most common causes are extended losing streaks and losing games while stuck in the fourth division of a rank—such as Gold 4, Platinum 4, or Emerald 4. This happens because of the "demotion shield" mechanic, which prevents you from immediately dropping to a lower rank but significantly lowers your hidden MMR in the process. For example, if you lose four games in a row at Platinum 4, your visible rank will still show as Platinum 4, but without the demotion shield, your true matchmaking rating (MMR) may have already dropped to low Gold 1. This creates a mismatch where your rank is artificially inflated, but your MMR reflects a lower skill level. Because Riot's matchmaking system prioritizes MMR over rank, it starts adjusting your LP gains and losses—giving you lower LP for wins and higher LP for losses - to push you toward your actual MMR.
One of the most common questions LOL players ask is, “Does my MMR reset when a new season starts?” The short answer is no, your MMR does not fully reset at the beginning of a new season. Instead, Riot Games applies a soft reset, which means that your MMR is adjusted rather than erased completely. However, this can vary from season to season depending on what Riot decides to do. Most often, they implement a soft reset, but in some cases, they may opt for a harder reset. When a new ranked season begins, your visible rank resets, and you must play placement matches to determine your starting division. However, the system still considers your previous season’s MMR when placing you. Players who ended the season with high MMR will generally be placed higher after placements, while those with low MMR will have a tougher time climbing. At the start of a new season, your rank resets, but your MMR is only slightly adjusted. Players with high MMR before the reset will still have high MMR, meaning they will be placed against stronger opponents early in the season. Conversely, players with low MMR will struggle to climb, even if they win their placement matches.
Many League of Legends players assume that MMR only applies to ranked games, but that’s not true. Every game mode in LOL has its own separate MMR system, including Normal Draft, ARAM, and Ranked Flex. This means that your Ranked MMR does not affect your Normal Game MMR, and vice versa. Unlike ranked matchmaking, where you can see your tier and division, Normal Game MMR is completely hidden. Riot Games uses a separate matchmaking system to determine who you play against in normal games. If you win a lot of Normal games, your MMR increases, and you will start facing stronger opponents. On the other hand, if you lose frequently, your MMR will drop, and you’ll be matched against lower-ranked players. Because Normal MMR is independent from Ranked MMR, even a Challenger-ranked player can have low Normal Game MMR if they rarely play non-ranked modes. This is why you may sometimes feel that normal games are either too easy or too difficult - your Normal MMR may be mismatched with your actual skill level.
Playing with a duo partner can influence MMR calculations in subtle but important ways. When two players of different ranks queue together, the matchmaking system adjusts the overall MMR of the lobby to create a balanced game. This means that duo queueing can either work in your favor or make ranked progression more challenging, depending on the skill gap between you and your duo partner. If you queue with a player who has a significantly higher MMR than you, the system will match you against stronger opponents to compensate for the gap. While this can be a great way to improve by playing at a higher level, it also means that wins may reward you with more MMR, but losses could feel more punishing. Conversely, if you duo with a player who has a much lower MMR, the system may lower your LP gains and increase LP losses to prevent an unfair advantage. This is why some players feel that duo queueing can slow ranked progression if not done strategically. In high elo, duo queue is even more restrictive, as Riot places strict limitations to prevent abuse. The system ensures that the average MMR of a duo queue pair does not create an unfair matchmaking scenario, which is why some players notice inconsistent LP gains and losses when playing with a duo. While duo queueing can be a powerful tool for climbing, it’s important to consider how the matchmaking adjustments might impact your ranked experience.
Many players wonder whether dodging a game in champion select affects their MMR. The short answer is no—dodging does not lower or increase your MMR. Riot Games only applies an LP penalty when you dodge, but your hidden matchmaking rating remains unchanged. This means you can dodge a bad matchup, an autofill role, or a toxic teammate without worrying about losing MMR. Dodging occurs when a player leaves champion select before the game starts, and Riot enforces penalties to discourage excessive dodging. The first dodge results in a 3 LP loss, while a second dodge within 24 hours increases the penalty to 10 LP. Although MMR is unaffected, frequent dodging can lead to temporary queue bans, making it harder to play ranked. Many high-elo players use dodging strategically to avoid playing with bad team compositions or unfavorable matchups. Since MMR remains unchanged, dodging can be a useful tool when used wisely, but excessive dodging can slow down ranked progress by sacrificing LP without playing games. If you dodge a promotion match, you will automatically lose that game and take an LP penalty. However, your MMR does not decrease, meaning you will still be matched against players at the same skill level when you re-enter ranked. In contrast, dodging placement matches does have an impact, as the system counts it as a loss, potentially lowering your final placement. Because of this, it's best to avoid dodging placements unless absolutely necessary. Dodging can be a good strategy in specific situations. If you’re autofilled into a role you don’t play well, dodging might save you from a frustrating loss. A bad team draft, such as a composition lacking a frontline, engage, or synergy, can also justify a dodge. If you notice a troll player or a toxic teammate in champion select, stepping away from the game may be the best choice. Additionally, if your lane opponent hard-counters your champion, making the game extremely difficult from the start, dodging could prevent a frustrating and one-sided match.