Understanding MMR match ups

Multiplayer Discussion
1

So now that we have matches based on MMR does this mean that it is tracking the MMR overall of your played decks or just the deck you are currently playing.

So if you have a high MMR with (for instance) Mage and then you change to a deck you don’t play often with therefore a much lesser MMR (priest for instance) - are my matches going to match based on my high MMR Mage deck or is it going to match with the lower MMR Priest deck.

Not saying I am playing those decks, not saying that’s what my MMR is on those decks (though as a Mage main forever I do have a pretty high MMR off of it). I am just trying to understand the way the match up mechanics work :wink:

Once again thanks for reading and explaining and hope you have a fantastic day!

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2

Deck is not considered in the match.

You have one hidden MMR per format.

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3

Thank you - just wanted the clarification - I truly appreciate it :grinning:

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4

It does not know what deck you’re playing. It only tracks your wins and losses and who you won and lost against.

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5

It’s a typical Elo-type algorithm, meaning a factor of win rate and also what kind of MMR your opponents had. It gives more points if you beat a better player and vice versa.

Nothing else is being done and no opponents are specialized and no cards are doctored at draw. Celestalon confirmed that a few weeks ago.

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6

Is your rank not your MMR?

7

No. They are not the same.

8

Think of it like this. It’s like everyone starts with “points” that are 0 or their win rate, but if you win against a player with higher points that you you get extra points or fewer points if you beat a worse player.

The exact algorithm isn’t confirmed but it’s sort of confirmed that it is the industry standard for games of this sort. Those algorithms can be tuned on demand; e.g. HS probably gives suddenly more points on a small win streak which might explain why it’s easy to lose next.

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9

Once I reach legend I start playing decks for fun, (and no much for performance), so I play a lot of Imbue Priest and Starship Rogue, sure enough I lose a lot and eventually get matched against some Diamond, Plat, or even gold players…

Personally, I see no difference in the skill level, people usually do the same mistakes, and play the exact same decks, card by card.

10

So, here’s the general breakdown:

You have a hidden MMR for the format, it doesn’t matter what deck you are playing, the same number gets used. That’s why top 100 players don’t start suddenly playing lower legend players if they queue up with say, imbue priest.

This number is what the game uses to determine who you play against, not your current rank bracket. Bronze, gold, silver, etc, are all ignored in favor of this invisible number. The one exception to this is that the game will try to avoid pairing up someone in legend with someone outside of legend. If there are no other players in the right MMR range, it will eventually allow it though.

When you win, your MMR goes up. When you lose, it goes down. If it is at least 3.0 at the end of the month (thanks RHat for confirming), you get the 11x star bonus for the next climb. (Although you have no way to check if you are at that number or not)

When you are in legend, the ranks now show numbers, but these are also not your MMR. It is just a measure of how your MMR value compares to the other people currently in legend. So if you are 2000 legend, there are 1999 people in legend with a higher hidden MMR than you. There may be people with a higher MMR than you that are not yet in legend, but they aren’t counted in that legend rank until they actually get there. This is why early in a month people in legend tend to see their ranks “dropping” quickly, as people with higher MMRs are entering legend and pushing them down the ranks.

At no point does the game tell you your hidden MMR value, but when in legend you can often estimate it. Typically around the top 10% of the players in legend tend to have MMR values where they get the 11x bonus (i.e. at 3.0 or above).

I hope this helps.

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11

No it is not, primarily because rank decays while MMR does not.

At the start of the month everyone is reset to Bronze 10 rank, but your MMR stays the same.

MMR is supposed to be an accurate measure of your skill, and it would be silly to pretend that everyone’s skill resets to zero.

12

Two potential corrections or additions. If the MMR algorithm is typical/Elo-based and it most probably is it adds more points if you win against better players and adds less if their MMR is low. The 10% getting 11X isn’t an estimate but the hardcoded percentage of people that get 11X.

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13

That last part is wrong. The percentage of people in legend that get 11x varies from month to month, sometimes wildly.

It has been confirmed by blizz that you get it when your hidden MMR value is 3.0 or greater, it has nothing to do with your current rank.

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14

I haven’t found any difference in skill level whatsoever from upper mid legend to gold.

15

By “upper” i will assume you mean dumpster legend?

16

Because you are matched by mmr, you are playing the same players all month.

Rank is not considered in the matching. You were never a gold mmr person, so you do not see any skill difference.

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