Ranked Matchup Methodology

[Trias-2243]

@Valix-1985

I keep falling lower in silver because I’m not winning against guys in high plat. It’s good for my improvement and all but it does make me curious how the game is pairing up players for ranked matches.

Do the gaps have something to do with MMR? Is the game just trying to pair me with the closest skilled player as quickly as possible?

If you have less than 25 ladder games played, chances are that you are still in provisional MMR :

• you have a displayed provisional MMR, which is generally lower than your true MMR, and from which your league is base (in your example, silver)
• And you have your real MMR, which is used to select the opponent you’re matched with (here around plat3).

So a freshly restarted ladder account could indeed display a silver league and match you with gold-plat opponents during that provisional state. Once that state finishes (≈ 25 games) the provisional MMR will go away, and only the real one will be use to place and match you.

@Gageris-2398

I am Bronze2 and usually I am paired vs silver1 - gold players

It’s their MMR you should look at. If your silver 1 players have lost a lot recently, chances are their MMR is closer to your bronze 2 than their silver 1.

@RussianEbola-1447

i think matchmaking is very weird. im diamond, and sometimes i play with guys with good build orders, 200~ apm and multitasking, only to play another game with a guy floating 1000 minerals in the first minutes while doing a weird 1 base timing and losing.

i think it is very annoying because i never know if im supposed to assume my opponent is good

There are various elements that could affect an opponents’ performance : getting out of their comfort zone, changing style, further MMR (if you play when there are less people to be matched with), and smurfing. More explanations about those factors here.