I Don't Understand The SR System

Competitive Discussion
1

I don’t understand any of the competitive aspect of Overwatch anymore. I have multiple questions that I’d like the answer to.

  1. Do you get punished for playing only one class?
  2. How much do medals count towards your overall score?
  3. What’s the difference between MMR, SR and ELO? If you get judged on medal counts, then how do people who adore one class climb?
2
  1. No
  2. None whatsoever.
  3. MMR is the game’s “hidden” skill rating that it uses to match you with allies and enemies that are (meant to) be at your same level. SR denotes your rank in competitive play, determined by rating you with how others play the same hero and win/loss.
3
  1. No
  2. They don’t
  3. Elo (not an acronym, it’s a guy’s name), is a rating system in chess, that is the grandfather of most modern game rating systems, including the one used in overwatch. Elo rating system - Wikipedia. When people talk about high Elo games, they should be saying high SR/MMR. For SR vs MMR see How Competitive Skill Rating Works (Season 13), especially the summary → “Summarize matchmaking, rating, and progression for me”.
4
  1. No, below diamond you’re rewarded. But it depends on the hero, specializing is always better you will win more games.
  2. They dont mean **** Its just so you can feel good about yourself.
  3. MMR is hidden SR, MMR can affect your SR if MMR is > SR or if MMR < SR. If MMR is = SR then it wont change sr gains and losses. Above diamond this only applies to decay. Elo is just a “street word” for the rank your in. “My elo is better than yours” - Master player talking to silver player.