League Of Legends Ranks Explained & Demystified
For the new player, the League of Legends ranks can seem very confusing at first. With so many shiny symbols from Iron to Challenger, it can be hard to understand what they mean and which is the best. With the most recent changes both in 2023 and 2024 it's even more confusing to understand how and what affects your placement games.
The first thing you have to know is that climbing League Ranks is not a linear process. If you take a look at player distribution below you will see that significantly more players are in middle divisions than in the outer edges - Iron and Master+. What this means for your climb is that it's significantly easier to make good progress early and get "stuck" once you start sliding down the bell curve from Gold to Platinum, Emerald and especially Diamond.
All League of Legends Ranks and distribution of players
Here are all LoL ranks from the highest ranks to the lowest division. We have also noted down the Rank distribution for each Rank e.g. Gold 2 (3.9%) and for each tier e.g. entire Gold Division (18%). Keep in mind that League of Legends ranking system progresses from the higher number division to the lower number so once you hit 100 League Points in Gold 2 you will be automatically promoted to Gold 1 without any promotion games required. As you can see all ranks consist of four divisions with the exception of the Master, GrandMaster and Challenger which just show you LP you have gained since you entered Master with no cap on how many league points you can have.
Tier | Rank | Rank % | Tier % |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Challenger | 0.017% | 0.017% |
 | GrandMaster | 0.051% | 0.051% |
 | Master | 0.26% | 0.26% |
 | Diamond I | 0.21% | 2.7% |
Diamond II | 0.39% | ||
Diamond III | 0.64% | ||
Diamond IV | 1.4% | ||
 | Emerald I | 0.89% | 7.9% |
Emerald II | 1.4% | ||
Emerald III | 2.0% | ||
Emerald IV | 3.5% | ||
 | Platinum I | 1.4% | 12% |
Platinum II | 2.3% | ||
Platinum III | 3.0% | ||
Platinum IV | 5.2% | ||
 | Gold I | 2.5% | 18% |
Gold II | 3.9% | ||
Gold III | 4.7% | ||
Gold IV | 7.3% | ||
 | Silver I | 3.5% | 22% |
Silver II | 5.1% | ||
Silver III | 5.8% | ||
Silver IV | 7.9% | ||
 | Bronze I | 4.0% | 21% |
Bronze II | 5.3% | ||
Bronze III | 5.3% | ||
Bronze IV | 6.3% | ||
 | Iron I | 2.8% | 14% |
Iron II | 3.6% | ||
Iron III | 4.0% | ||
Iron IV | 4.1% |
What are League Points - Ranked System explained?
League points in short LP are points you gain for winning games. The amount you get varies based on your MMR (ELO points, read more here). The basic idea is that ELO or MMR of all members of your team is added together and compared to the enemies. If there was large discrepancy between the two you will get or lose more points. Similarly if your visual rank is lower doesn't match your hidden MMR ranking you will gain less points for wins and lose more league points on a loss.
How many league points should you be getting for a WIN?
As we mentioned before the answer is it depends but to give you something to go by here is how you can evaluate your MMR based on the amount of LP you gain per win
- less than 20 you are in ELO hell
- 20-24 LP your MMR is slightly lower than normal.
- 24-27 LP your MMR is normal for your rank.
- 28-30 LP you have higher than average MMR
- 30-33 LP you are at least 3-4 divisions lower than your visual rank.
- 33+ LP means you aure hardcore smurfing and you are at least 4+ divisions too low.
Similar pattern can be observed for losses so we will not lay it out. A base amount you should be losing per loss with normal MMR is about 21-25 LP.
How to gain more league points? It's very simple. Win games, try not to lose and your MMR and LP gains will improve over time.
If you need help with that we highly recommend you check our lol elo boosting services where we can pair you with a high elo player to duo queue with you in the same team. We even offer coaching services in palarell. The experience is similar to having a high elo friend by your side at all times.
What can you expect after Placement Games?
UnrankedSmurfs sells, ranks and levels thousands of accounts each year so we are probably the most qualified people (maybe with the exception of Riot Games) to tell you what you can expect after your placement games.
First of let's start with how you are being placed before your ranked climb even began. You see from patch 14.15 (31st July 2024) there is a requirement of 10 normal Summoners Rift games before you can play ranked games. This is used to predict your future ranking and evaluate your actual skill level. You will then get a provisional MMR that will be used during your placement matches. This MMR will be very volatile and can quickly change as both K/D/A and potentially some other secret factors are taken into account, not just wins or losses. If you want to learn more about the newest normal games requirement and it's effect on our win accounts read more here.
TLDR is that if your account has not played ANY normal games prior to those 10 normals required you can expect these results:
| Amount of Wins | Expected MMR (Assuming you win all placements) |
| 0-4 Wins | Iron 1 / Bronze 1 |
| 5-6 Wins | Silver 4-1 |
| 7-9 Wins | Gold 4/3 |
| 10 Wins | Gold 2/1 |
You can find our level 30 ranked ready accounts here.
So to predict the effect of your placement games you need to know the prior MMR of your account. This can be done based on the normal win/losses ratio or by checking your rank from the previous split or season.
When are ranks resets?
Rank in League of Legends is not permanent. While there is no way of resetting it completely on your wish you will be periodically demoted to unranked tier with your prior MMR / ELO carrying over. How much carries over depends on the type of ranked reset. In 2023 we have had a mid year reset making for a total of 2 splits in a year. In 2024 Riot Games decided that it's not enough and we will have 3 splits instead. Is that too much? If you ask me, yes it's.
The rule of thumb for previously ranked accounts is that during soft reset your MMR will be knocked down to about 4 divisions lower than where you ended up last season. So if you were a Diamond IV player, after soft reset you will be at Emerald 4 or Platinum 1 after your first placement game. If you win all your placement games and about 3-5 more games you will be at about the same rank as you were in the last season.
Soft ranked resets are now done after each split ends.
For hard resets such as at the season start it's hard to predict your placement as it depends on severity of the reset but usually you can expect to be demoted by about 6-8+ divisions.
You can expect hard rank resets after each season ends so usually at early January.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS RANKS EXPLAINED
UNRANKED - UNKNOWN
If you're in this division, then the chances are you've just turned level 30 and have never stepped foot in a ranked match. This is as low as it gets in the LoL ranks. Although it's technically not a rank, all level 30 accounts start off unranked, and you must finish your 10 placement matches before you receive your rank.
Since most tracking websites only track ranked players and not normal matches, it's impossible to accurately determine how many unranked players there are. The only way to find out for sure would be if Riot released the actual figures. But then why would they do that?
It's also important to remember that new accounts are being made every single day for new players and smurfs. With this constant influx of new accounts being created it again makes it almost impossible to get an accurate number. Not to mention that at the end of every season all accounts get reset back to unranked. As you can see, when we say its impossible to tell how many players are unranked, we genuinely mean it.
Depending on if you look at active monthly players, then the percentage is likely to be low. Off the top of your head, how many people do you know who play League of Legends regularly but aren't ranked? Exactly…
Although the number could still be in the tens of millions, most aren't included in any rank distribution statistics, because frankly, the numbers are not important. Instead, it's much more important to know which division you are likely to be put in after playing your 10 placement matches.
IRON Rank
Iron has a remarkably low population. This is where the worst of the worst players end up, and you might have a difficult time climbing out. That being said, Iron players are generally less salty than Bronze ones. In our opinion, this is because people in Bronze are fighting for something, and have something to lose; this isn't true in Iron.
That doesn't mean you won't run into trolls here though, there's still plenty of them! Plus, your teammates and enemies are likely to be bad at the game too, which makes improving harder. If you really want to be good, you've got to play against worthy foes. This is where owning a smurf account could be useful.
Smurfing doesn't always mean that you play on a lower level account. You'll be surprised at just how many tips you can pick up from being beaten by people who are better than you.
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BRONZE Rank
Bronze division is the second lowest possible division in the League of Legends ranks and is reserved for some pretty poor players. Within the 4 Bronze divisions, a massive percentage of all ranked players fall into this category, more than 1 in every 10 players out there is likely to be Bronze. As you can see, if you're in Bronze, then you don't have much going for you.
The reason most people end up in Bronze league is primarily down to the ranking system. If a brand new account wins all 10 of their placement matches, then there's a really high chance they'll still get put in Bronze. The only way to guarantee you don't get placed in it is to have an account that used to be in Gold or above. This is because the ranking system ranks you based on your previous rank. If you don't have a previous rank and have never played ranked before, then it's likely to put you in Bronze just to be safe. The last thing it wants to do is put you in Gold if you're going to get stomped every match.
Due to the number of trolls, AFKs and bad players, Bronze is considered one of the hardest divisions to get out of. In fact, it's so terribly bad, Bronze division is often referred to as “Elo Hell”.
If you happen to be placed in Bronze league after your placement matches then good luck, there's a very high chance that you'll still be in that division by the end of the season. The worst part is when you lose a game the chances are it won't even be your fault. To get out of this never-ending hell it's easier to buy a League of Legends account and try your placement matches again. Hey it could be worse though, you could be in Iron. (Which despite being the stronger of the two metals, is lesser for some reason?)
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SILVER Rank
Silver is generally considered to be somewhere in the middle of skill curve, with your average, relatively new player being able to snugly place into Silver. If you've landed here, congratulations!—you're perfectly average, sitting in the top 50% of players.
If you win 6 or more of your 10 initial placement matches, then there's a good chance that you will be placed in one of the 4 Silver divisions. Unlike Bronze league, if you happen to be placed in this after your placement matches then at least you stand a chance of getting out. Now it's not exactly the end of the world if you end up in Silver division, but you're still going to have to work your socks off to get promoted.
It's also worth noting that over the last couple of years, the population of Bronze used to be almost half of all players instead of Silver. There's a few theories as to why this could be happening, but we like to be optimistic and think people are just getting better at the game.
Silver division will still be full of trolls, AFKs and bad players, but here will be nowhere near as many compared to Bronze division. By focusing on your game and taking every opportunity that arises you'll quickly be on your way to Gold or above.
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GOLD Rank
For many players in League of Legends this is the division they want to be in by the end of the ranked season. Gold division is the lowest division in which you will receive all of the end of season rewards. Any player who finishes the Season in Gold division or above receives a fancy summoner icon, banner trim, loading screen border and the sought after Victorious skin.
There's a good chance that most competent players playing casually will end up somewhere in here.
If you win 7 or more of your placement matches, then there's a good chance you'll be placed in Gold division depending on your previous seasons. If you have a brand-new account then even winning all 10 matches won't guarantee you a place.
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PLATINUM Rank
Platinum division is a relatively respectable division in the League of Legends ranks and if you're currently in it then you should be proud. Being in Platinum represents being in the top 35% of all players.
Platinum division is the highest division which you can be placed in after your initial 10 placement matches. If you have been in Silver or Gold in previous seasons then you can actually get placed in up to Platinum I after your 10 placement matches.
If you've already made it to Platinum then there's a good chance that you can actually make it to Diamond. With some hard work, practice, and good luck, you can quickly climb the ranks.
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EMERALD Rank
The newest addition to the ranked ladder, introduced in 2023. Emerald is where the curve starts to close out once again, inhabited by semi-decent players who play religiously, or very good players that haven't played enough ranked games to break into the higher tiers.
Emerald represents the top 20% of players, and the percentage of players in each higher tier of Emerald gets tighter and tighter. If you sit somewhere in the higher tiers of this bracket, you start to be what most people would consider a great player.
Toxicity spikes in this rank, since people are so close to the cutoff point of Diamond. Keep your wits about you, and the mute button at the ready.
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DIAMOND Rank
With a distribution of 4.2%, we're starting to get into the high tiers. If you're in this division then good job, you must have some serious pwnage skills and should consider streaming.
For many players, Diamond division is their ultimate goal as everything after this is just way too hard to reach unless you're a dedicated player. For the casual player who likes to play for a few hours every day then Diamond division is definitely reachable. If you want to take it to the next level then you better consider quitting your job or dropping out of school as it gets considerably harder after this division.
In order to fund their journey, many players turn to streaming at this point. Streaming allows players to show off their skills, while attracting viewers that help them generate income. This is primarily done through adverts and subscriptions. If you really want to reach the high tiers of master and above, then you'll have to play several hours a day.
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MASTER Tier
If you thought the other divisions were hard to get into, then think again. With a distribution of only 0.05% this means that only 1 in every 2,000 players make it to Master division.
Master division was recently introduced a few seasons ago as there were way too many people in Diamond. Back in the day hundreds of players would be patiently waiting to be promoted to Challenger but there weren't enough spaces. This meant Diamond became highly overcrowded and if you were inactive for a week your ranking would dramatically drop. To fix the problem Riot introduced a new tier in between which is now Master.
This ultimately solved the problem as it allowed players to progress to a higher tier without a cap before trying to get into the final division. This new tier makes reaching Challenger even more impressive as it's another hurdle to jump before getting on the home straight. If you've made it to Master then you should consider yourself as one of the best.
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GRANDMASTER Tier
This is where you get to start playing with the big boys.
If you've managed to make it this far, then you've got a pretty decent chance of being scouted out by a pro eSports team! This means that you could - potentially - be playing alongside some of your favorite famous players! Of course, you've still got one hell of a climb before you reach the summit of Challenge.
It's essential to play regularly in this tier. If you fail to do so, you'll quickly find yourself slipping back down the ranked ladder. Only the most determined of players manage to keep this position, since the stress often becomes too much for them.
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CHALLENGER Tier
With spaces limited to 200 people per server region, Challenger is by far the hardest division to get into. Considering only 2 in every 10,000 players are currently in it, if you've made it to Challenger then you could possibly try out for a professional eSports team.
Many Challenger players are actually scouted by professional teams when they need to find some new talent. With only 200 people per server, if you've made it into the top 200 then you're the best of the best. Considering how hard it is to get into this division many players rely on streaming for income as it can take many hours a day to maintain their rank. Not playing for just a few days can see your drop a number of places. And since those Challenger places are limited, nobody wants that to happen.
If you really want to show off to your friends, then getting to Challenger is the best way. Even if you're number 200 for only 1 day, at least you can say you made it to Challenger!
Reaching Challenger is an awesome achievement and you should certainly let everyone know about it. If you don't already have a Challenger t-shirt or hoodie then you should definitely get one. Not only will people look up to you, but when the ranks reset at least you'll have something to cherish forever. The might be able to take away your rank but they'll never take your limited edition Challenger hoodie!
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DESTROY THE LOL RANKS
So there you have it, all the ranks in League of Legends from Bronze to Challenger. Hopefully, now you understand how hard certain divisions are to reach and what the ranks in League of Legends mean. The next time someone brags to you about being in Silver, tell them how little it means! If they really want to impress someone then they need to be at least Platinum or higher.
