One of the great things about League is that it offers a large variety of game modes for competitive and casual players alike. Apart from the constant modes like Ranked Solo/Duo, Aram, Draft, and Free Pick, there are a lot of other game modes that are part of the Rotating Game Mode Queue. These game modes are usually available only for a limited time or during an event, are very different from each other, and are meant to act as unique challenges that are different from the usual Summoners Rift experience.
Why do we need to calculate MMR?
Although these time-limited game modes are great for shaking up the atmosphere and offering something new, many players quickly return to the constant modes. Here a new problem appears, and that is that only the Ranked Solo/Duo mode offers any way of tracking your progress. And that usually is enough for the more competitive players, who play regularly, strive for high elo and even a professional career. Ranked Solo/Duo reflects the progress they have made through the ranking system in the form of gaining and losing League Points(LP).
But there is a large population of the player community that usually avoids the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue for various reasons. Some of these reasons are that some players are just not that competitive and take the game more lightly. Some players face anxiety from the possibility of losing LP or being criticized by teammates for various reasons. This and many more factors leave a huge amount of players competing outside of the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue who also want to track their improvement, in one way or another. Here's when MMR and MMR tracking tools come into play.
What Is MMR In League of Legends
MMR, or Matchmaking Rating, is a number used by Riot Games to somewhat accurately represent a player’s skill level in League of Legends.The rating helps to determine a base expectation that a player can justify with his performance. This, later on, helps the system to place you in games with similarly rated players. Since League has different game modes, players have a unique MMR for each permanent mode. So your MMR determines the opponents you play against and is unique for each game mode, but how is it calculated?
MMR calculation, usage, and specifics
Every player's MMR is invisible by design and besides Riot, no one actually knows what are the involved methods in calculating his MMR. Wins and losses are likely the biggest factors, but other important statistics could be the player’s KDA, CS per minute, and average gold per minute. The game changes a player's MMR after each match, and more played games usually mean more accurate results. To avoid misrepresentation of the rating, premade matches are not taken into consideration because of the difference in their MMR's. Another thing about these estimates that this rating represents is the fact that it takes into consideration only games from a certain game mode in the last 30 days.
MMR also affects your LP gains and losses in Ranked Queues and determines your teammates and opponents, so a lot of players have become more curious about it. One thing you should know is that dodging games in any mode doesn't affect your MMR in that mode, even though you are punished with losing 3 LP if you dodge a Ranked match. Because your MMR directly affects your LP gains and losses in Ranked, a lot of players want to improve it in any way possible, but the truth is, the only way to improve your MMR is to just win more games based on your performance.
We already know that MMR is not visible for players in the League Client, only the actual rank they achieved in the Ranked Mode. But what about the MMR in other modes such as ARAM? Luckily, various unofficial sites can calculate a rough estimation for a player’s MMR in different modes, and soon we are going to be a part of them!
Are MMR tools accurate?
One of the main concerns for players is how accurate these tools and sites can be. Our MMR tracker offers a 95% accuracy rate, which means if the result is 1500 MMR, there is a 95% chance the exact and correct MMR number is within the +-100 range of the given number(1400-1600). Because the estimation offers a wide range of possible correct numbers, winning a game might not immediately reflect on your MMR. So to conclude, playing more games increases the accuracy of the calculation.
MMR is a great tool that has been used extensively in gaming, especially in a lot of multiplayer games where it's used to enumerate the progress players have made if no such system is in place.
It also helps you understand every aspect of your gameplay and with that information at your disposal, you can understand how to improve yourself.