For yet another moment, the ranked system in Valorant is hung up on the chopping block. The havoc in matchmaking has drawn players to extreme desperation. The argument exploded after a tweet questioning why in a lobby, players are not all the same rank went viral, with disgusted gamers having cast millions of negative comments.
Now, let’s get one thing straight-the competitive shooter from Riot uses an invisible MMR which tends to pot-luck players that differ greatly in visible rank, and thus, you may be finding yourself as a Silver rank player into match-ups with Diamonds or Immortals which… yeah, doesn’t really make sense! And all of the cries are beginning.
Anyway, there was a good tweet from @Jaay_fps: “Just stop giving me plat teammates as a d3 player going against ascendant 2’s please and thank you.” He’s right. How is that fair? If you are a Diamond, you should only be playing against Diamonds; you shouldn’t get chicks mommed by higher-ranked players whilst your team is struggling to keep up.
But it does get worse; players indicate some even report that they pit Silvers against Immortals. To wit, @loppams tweeted, “that explains why i was matched against immo while being silver 👍” and honestly what is even the point of ranks if the game just disregards them?
The frustration is not about playing against higher-ranked opponents but about the system feeling completely broken. @HeRz____ leaned into it: “Mmr is the worst creation of the 21th century. Put bronzes with bronzes. Silvers with silvers. Golds with golds. Ban smurfs, gj you have a healthy matchmaking system.” Really, is he wrong?
Those that don’t want smurfs in their games more than anything are the ones being upset by the hidden MMR. But as @YazuReviGaming said, “Hidden mmr is such a stupid solution for smurfing that a smurf can just perform bad the next game and be paired with low rank players again.” So instead of fixing the problem, it just makes ranked feel random and unfair.
There is also a problem involving rank stagnation. @samalandra, in all caps, vents: “RIOT COMO EU VOU SUBIR PRO ELO QUE ESTA MEU MMR SE EU JA ESTOU JOGANDO COM MEU ELO DE MMR NAO FAZ SENTIDO” (Translation: “Riot, how am I supposed to rank up to my MMR if I’m already playing at my MMR level? It doesn’t make sense.”) Basically, if you’re stuck in Gold but your MMR is Plat, you’re already playing against Plats—so why are you still Gold?
A large number of angry players are carried away, quitting the game. @angelica0lance tweeted: “And that’s why I stopped playing Val 👍🏼,” and really, who can blame them? The ranked experience either feels like getting a coin flip for a fair match or being dropped for an unwinnable stomp, so why even bother?
Riot has not responded to the recent wave of complaints, and with so much gathering heat, the matchmaking process may have to be re-evaluated. Because completely right now? It’s a mess. Whatever transpired, the players just want transparency: if ranks do matter, then match people by rank; if MMR is the true decider, then show it. However, this middle ground? Neither makes anyone happy.
In conclusion, the VALORANT competitive league prospers when things are perceived as fair and rewarding. At the moment, too many players feel as though they’re fighting against the system rather than the players. And that is an issue that Riot cannot turn a deaf ear to.
