Revamping the Ranked System: A Look at the 2023 Changes
Ranked matches are one of the reasons why LoL players keep coming back to the game after so many years. Currently, we’re on Season 13, and Riot has decided to revamp the ranked system like never before.
Riot has done a big effort to create a fun and engaging ranked system in its games, particularly Valorant and League of Legends. Even though these systems are far from perfect, they’re closer to becoming more stable and appealing to new and existing players.
2023 has given us a huge list of changes for LoL’s Season 13, so let’s dive right into the article to discover what this game has to offer.
Recent Changes to the Ranked System in 2023
The most crucial change announced by Riot Games is that, for 2023, the ranked season would get split in two. Traditionally, each season lasted for the entire year, so this is, by far, the biggest change in the system.
Due to the split, players will get their ranks reset when they reach the end of the first period. The first split is expected to end on July 17, 2023, with the second one starting right after that.
According to Riot, this change came along for many reasons, particularly because the team wanted players to track their progress better and earn more rewards.
Let’s look at other changes that came with Split 1 of the ranked system in 2023:
- Players can get “ranked rewards” as they climb. In essence, you’ll earn “Split Points” each time you win or lose.
- You can earn the “Ranked Skin” for the first split regardless of the rank you’re currently in, although you may have to pay more Split Points depending on where you ended up.
- Players only have to play a “best of three” promotion series, which is better than the existing “best of five” series.
- Career stats for all players were reset for the new season.
- Matchmaking criteria don’t use visible rank as a factor anymore.
That’s about everything you need to know about Split 1 of this new LoL season!
Upcoming Changes for the Season Split 2
Here’s when things get exciting. Split 2 comes with a ton of new changes for players.
In this case, Riot wanted to help players with higher skill levels reach their desired ranks easily, as many of them are stuck in those lower ELOs. In an effort to do that, here’s what the team prepared for the upcoming split:
Emerald Tier
The new tier is, by far, the most surprising change to the ranked system. Emerald ranks were first introduced in Wild Rift, LoL’s mobile version. However, Riot Games has now brought this tier to the PC version too, which will certainly change how people climb the ranks.
LoL’s new Emerald rank will be placed between Platinum and Diamond, making them now middle-tier ELOs. This will help players in lower ranks have a better chance to go up.
Placement Matches
The second big change we have is in placement matches. Traditionally, you would have to play 10 placement matches before getting a rank assigned. Now, players will only have to play five; that’s half of what you had to do before!
This is something that will save a lot of time for players and help them rank up faster, so we expect this change to be received positively.
Promotion Series
Finally, we have changes to the promotion series (and this is a huge one). In Split 1, you would only have a “best of three” promotion series, which was already lower than the traditional “best of five” system.
From Split 2 onwards, there will be no promotion series anymore, as Riot is removing them. This means that, once you reach a certain LP amount, you’ll automatically reach the next rank.
This is something that will take a chunk of time off your hands, as you won’t need to worry about winning or losing your promotion. Promotions have always been a frustrating system for most players, so getting them removed seems to be the most appropriate choice by Riot.
Bottom Line – Make the Most Out of Your LoL Rankeds!
Riot aims to address different issues through these drastic changes in the ranked system, particularly:
- Skill levels not matching the player’s current rank
- The hard transition between Platinum and Diamond
- High grades of frustration among players who lose their promotions
- Taking too long to finish your placement matches
Split 2 of the 2023 season will start soon, and you must prepare for all the changes that will come with it. If you don’t want to deal with your placements, for example, you can use Boost Royal’s boosting services to rank up your account and start the new split in your desired rank!
