Misconception 1: Gold is a low rank. Technically there are eight ranks in Overwatch. Bronze encompasses 1000sr and therefore can be broken up into two ranks, low bronze (below 1000sr) and high bronze (1000sr to 1499sr). And adding silver through grandmaster makes a total of eight ranks. This makes gold the fourth rank, right in the middle. (On a side note, Overwatch is the only sport where middle ranks are considered “bad.”)
Misconception 2: Gold is “average.”
People began referring to gold as average when Blizzard released the stats showing what percentage of players are in every rank. Gold had the largest percentage of players, so people began incorrectly saying Gold is average. But the largest or most frequent number in a set of numbers is referred to as the “mode,” not the average. An average is instead calculated by adding all the numbers together in a given set and dividing the total by however many numbers there are. The word mode is more accurate and is probably associated with the root word for “most.” There’s nothing wrong with being in the group with the most people. It means you have acquired skill at a perfectly normal pace and probably exactly according to what was anticipated by the developers when designing ranks.
Misconception 3: Gold is trash.
Ironically the same people who say gold is “average” are the same ones who will say gold is trash. But the stereotype that gold players are trash is outdated. In the first couple years of the game no one knew what they were doing so anyone with a lot of FPS experience or who was willing to study things like positioning and ult economy could get to diamond pretty easily. But that’s different now. Pro player Yeatle, in a recent unranked to GM video started in gold and lost his very first game. Another streamer, Forgiving, also did an unranked to GM with DVA and came very close to losing his first gold game also. Why? Gold players know the fundamentals now and aren’t as easy to stomp as they were a few years ago, even for GM players. In a recent Stylosa vod review of a bronze game he said that even Bronze players know the fundamentals of the game.
Misconception 4: Gold is easy to climb out of.
Gold is the hardest rank to climb out of. I know what you’re thinking, “the rank you belong in is the hardest rank to climb out of.” I’ve heard that before, but gold is different, here’s why: Every new account to competitive starts their first placement match at 2250. Gold is the only rank that is constantly being funneled with both new players to the game and smurfs using alt accounts to try their own unranked to GM runs that have become increasingly popular. When people say gold players are trash they usually aren’t referring to an actual gold player, but a new player who initially placed in gold in the flawed placement system, but is slowly falling to bronze as the matchmaker figures out his real mmr. Because of this, gold is the most chaotic, unpredictable rank and has the worst matchmaking out of any other rank, by far.
Misconception 5: High gold and low plat are different ranks.
There is very little difference between 2350-2650, and absolutely no difference between 2400-2600. Most games in this sr range are made up of a mix of gold players and plat players, the ratio depends on if you’re on the higher or lower end of this range. Games in this range have nearly the exact same speed, skill, and team coordination. The reason why it’s so hard for high gold players to break that plat barrier is because they’re already playing in it. You basically have to play like a high plat or even a low diamond player to get over a 50% win percentage just to get to 2500sr and get that shiny trophy.
TLDR: Gold is the fourth rank out of eight so it’s a middle rank—not a low rank, gold is not “average” it is the “mode” of Overwatch ranks, the “gold trash” stereotype is outdated because the player base has gotten much better, gold is the hardest rank to climb out of because new accounts start in gold and make it chaotic and unpredictable, high gold and low plat are the same thing.
