Perfectly Balanced Matchmaking

Competitive Discussion
1

Yesterday my friend and I (Platinum rank) played a placement match in Competitive.
On the enemy team, there was a player who, just one year ago, was:

  • Top 250 in Damage
  • Top 150 in Support
  • Grandmaster in Tank

After a few months of not playing, the system “reset” his rank and decided to put him against… me, a humble Platinum who was Gold last year. Totally fair and balanced, right?

Of course, he was playing with a friend who he was very obviously boosting. The match ended completely one-sided. I lost a ton of SR, but here’s the best part: the system decided this match had an “unexpected outcome” because we dared to resist, and took away even more SR than a normal loss. Absolute genius.

I reported both players, but as you can probably guess, nothing happened. No “Thank you for reporting a player” message, no punishment.

And yes, I am complaining and whining and crying. This wasn’t even the first time something like this happened, and honestly I just don’t want to touch Competitive anymore. All because of these totally “well-deserved” losses where apparently the only reason we lost was just “well, I guess I’m bad at the game or something.”

He had a score of 45–3 in a 7-minute game.
But yeah, I totally deserved the derank, because apparently it’s my fault for being so bad that, as a Platinum, I couldn’t beat a Top 250 Damage player.

So here you go, Blizzard, your “equal” matchmaking system in action. Platinum/Gold vs a former Top 250. But hey, I’m sure this looks totally fair to you

2

MMR decays when accounts aren’t played in order to stop them from camping t500 and such.

Nothing wrong with the match making there.

3

And that’s why I, a plat player, need to SOMEHOW miraculously beat a player who 3 seasons ago was in the top 250 damage in Europe.
Can you even hear yourself?
What kind of correct and fair matchmaking are we talking about if the system is not even against it?
Why should I play, should I try to do something with a game I’m obviously losing against a player whose level is several times higher than mine.
“You won’t achieve anything if you don’t play against the strong ones.” How can I do anything as a support main?

1 Like
4

If their MMR has decayed. Then yes. If you can’t, then you don’t deserve to win that singular match.

Fair means to treat everyone the same. Which it does. Your MMR would be around 0 (think zero is plat 2 now), their MMR would be about the same so you get matched. As soon as your friend wins games he’ll climb.

That’s all it cares about, picking a number.

When I was gold/plat I used to play in PUGs on a server with mostly GM and some master players. At first it was brutal, but I learnt how to beat them. Those lessons helped me climb.

5

You don’t see anything wrong with people abusing a system that allows them to “lower” their real rank every few seasons in order to boost others?

I’m saying that a player who was in the Top 250 in Europe deliberately goes AFK on their account so they can boost later. Then the system, which completely ignores this fact, decides it’s fine to put them against Platinum players.

It was a Platinum match, score 45–3 in 7 minutes. I’ll repeat: how is a person who just left Gold supposed to win 1v1 against someone who has surpassed Grandmaster level?

And I’m not talking about “suffer and learn” over dozens of matches. I’m talking about right now, in this match, in this moment. If your definition of “fair matchmaking” is forcing a low-Plat support main to somehow shut down a former Top 250 hitscan player, then yeah, we have very different definitions of fair.

Also, what exactly am I supposed to learn from a match like that? That it’s fine for the system to hand me a completely unwinnable game and then treat it like a “normal” loss? A match where the enemy literally had a 45–3 stat line in just seven minutes, while I was trying my hardest on Platinum level, is supposed to teach me what, exactly? That some players can abuse the system, boost their friends, and I just get punished for it? That’s not a learning experience.

1 Like
6

Everyones accounts are deranked twice per year now with the rank resets, theres literally nothing they can do about it.

There is no longer “inactivity decay” - only the forced rank resets do it.

Anyway, that high rank player mmr will shoot back up fast even if they’re duoed with someone lower ranked, and pretty soon they wont be able to group without being considered a ‘wide group’. And you wont run into them if they remain grouped up.

7

but they didn’t do anything wrong ? anyway, this player will not stay in plat if they’re as good as you say, so yeah you lost one game to a miscalibrated player, it happens, it’s not the end of the world, queue up

8

Then why is there even a report about “boosting” in the game?
It’s just two friends playing. It happens.

Don’t worry that you lost your rank, yes, one game where you couldn’t do anything because of a broken system, yes, you spent ten minutes and got negative emotions and rank. There’s nothing to worry about, it’s a game, it’s normal that other players abuse the system.

You didn’t read the post. The problem is that this person played in a party, played in a party with someone who is equal to me in rank.

What difference does it make to me what happens next?
There is a fact: I lost in a deliberately unfair game and lost my rank. The one I was trying to achieve. Simply because the system cannot and does not want to resist abuse.

9

you really shouldn’t be so upset for a game in plat, this rank doesn’t matter and it’s average at best. it’s not healthy to get worked up like that for a thing that probably wont happen again anytime soon.

like, if i have a 1+ year old acc that the game decays back into plat how is it my fault if i can queue up and smash plats for a few games ? that player did nothing wrong period.
if that player intentionally ints games to stay plat and only tries to win when he’s in a duo with a friend then yes ok that’s boosting but let’s be honest, who needs a boost in plat ? the game puts you there BY DEFAULT if you do badly in qp and lose all your placements…

10

Well, these players wont remain in lower ranked games for long - so - your odds to run into such players is far smaller because of that fact.

And, you shouldnt report players for things that they have zero control over.

I’m quite sure if that player had been given the option not to be deranked/decayed, they would have taken it.

Now, the ranking system could try to recognize decayed players in some ways for those modifiers etc. Sure. Nothings perfect and I can understand that match being frustrating. But dont put it on the players who cant do anything about it.

1 Like
11

Where’s he abused it? Not playing on an account so it decays isn’t abusing anything.

One thing you’re forgetting is if you don’t play for while you also get massive boost in adjustments. He wouldn’t be able to play with you for more than a small handful of games. At which point, you’ll have barely moved 1 or 2 divisions

12

Just a note that “inactivity decay” isnt a thing anymore - all the decay in game happens only at rank resets now. And there it doesnt matter how much you have or havent played.

13

A depreciation has begun.
And at what rank exactly should I start getting upset about losses and rejoicing at victories? I almost reached diamond, that’s why every defeat is unpleasant to me. Especially when I had no chance of winning.

Maybe you live in a bright world where there are no boosters, but that’s not true. People have five or six accounts in the game and thus “lower” their rank in a circle to boost friends/for money.

Maybe you should really wipe your eyes?
I’m saying that there was an obvious fact of boosting, that a player with top 250 damage played with Mercy, who was in gold a season ago.
You say it’s normal because “it happens”, you say “don’t get upset”, it’s not even a rank, “it’s almost quick play”.

14

I didnt say anything like that. Maybe you need to re read what i wrote with a calm head.

Players get rank reset by blizzard forced now. Theres literally nothing anyone can do about it.

Once youre reset, you can possibly group with lower ranked players- but - if you were higher rated, your calibration modifier will be very high and your rank will shoot up from wins very rapidly and youll be unable to remain grouped for many matches.

Likely by 4th or 5th game already they would be unable to remain grouped.

If you really wanted to boost someone youd want to do it with a -legit- low ranked account, not a rank reset one.

15

From the particular case I’m talking about, you translate everything to the general case.
I say: it was an unequal match.
You say: it’s okay, it happens.
I say: it’s not normal.
You say: it’s normal.

The fact that a player knows his real high skill and goes to play with a friend with a lower level of play ALREADY INDICATES THAT IT’S NOT FAIR.

16

And as i said, they cant do anything about it. The rank reset is forced to players by blizzard.

Whether they were grouped or not would have put them in the same game against you regardless.

Thus, as i said, dont blame the players who cannot do anything about it. Had the player been given an option not to have their account rank reset, they most likely would have taken it. I would. And everyone high ranked i know would too.

Boosting players with “rank resets” would be super inefficient way of doing it.

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17

From what I’ve read and experienced, it still exists. But what happens you get put in placements. And it quickly adjusts.

And by experience, I mean, I went through this this week and it’s irritating lol