League of Legends / Practical guide
LoL Ranked Explained: Tiers, Divisions, LP and MMR in 2026
A League of Legends rank looks simple until you ask which queue, which server and which year it comes from. Learn how tiers, LP, decay and the 2026 changes work, and what a rank on an account really proves.
ALVIRAN Editorial · Reviewed 2026-10-12
In this guide
Looking for a League of Legends account?
Compare rank, server, skins and champions on every listing. This guide explains what a rank really shows.
1. The ladder: ten tiers and four divisions
Ranked League of Legends has ten tiers: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster and Challenger. Iron to Diamond are split into four divisions each, from IV up to I. Master, Grandmaster and Challenger are single divisions called the Apex tiers. Riot's tiers and queues guide describes the structure.
| Tier | Divisions | Moving up | Moving down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron to Emerald | IV to I | 100 LP moves you up a division. At 100 LP in division I you enter the next tier. | You drop a division when you lose more LP than you have. These tiers do not decay. |
| Diamond | IV to I | 100 LP in Diamond I promotes you to Master. | Decay starts here: 50 LP per day once your banked days run out. You earn 7 banked days per match, up to 28. |
| Master | One division | 100 LP in Diamond I. | Three games of demotion protection, then a return to Diamond I at 25, 50 or 75 LP. Decay costs 75 LP per day, and a decayed Master falls to Diamond II. |
| Grandmaster | One division | 400 LP, and more LP than the lowest Grandmaster in your region. | You drop out below 400 LP or below the regional cutoff. |
| Challenger | One division | 800 LP, and more LP than the lowest Challenger in your region. | You drop out below 800 LP or below the regional cutoff. |
Decay and the Apex rules come from Riot's pages on placements, promotions and decay and on the Apex tiers. The numbers can change with a patch, and Riot's April post says the Grandmaster and Challenger minimums were raised in the reset regions, so check your region against the current pages.
2. Placements, promotion and demotion
A player is unranked if they have never played Ranked, or when a new year starts. Unranked players play five placement matches in each queue. The result depends on those matches, on the difficulty of the opponents and on the rank held in the previous year. Two details matter for a buyer. Placements cannot put you above Diamond III, and you cannot lose LP during them.
Riot removed promotion series in 2023, as it said in What's Next for Ranked, so you move up only by earning LP. If a listing or an old guide talks about “promos”, it was written for an earlier version of Ranked.
3. Queues, parties and eligibility
Solo/Duo and Flex are separate ladders. Your rank in one is independent of your rank in the other, and each has its own end-of-season rewards. Flex parties can have 1, 2, 3 or 5 players, never 4. In Solo/Duo, Grandmaster and Challenger players cannot queue as a duo, and the Flex rules for the top tiers differ.
The unlock rules are listed on Riot's game modes page. A level 30 account is therefore not automatically ranked-ready, which our LoL account guide covers in detail.
Filter by the rank you need
Use the rank and server filters in the shop, then check the queue and the date of that rank with the questions in this guide.
4. MMR: hidden by design
MMR, the matchmaking rating, is the number that decides who you play against and how many LP you gain or lose. Riot treats it as secret. For a first-time ranked player Riot also uses Swiftplay and Normal Draft MMR for placements, and the rank you see is the visible result of hidden values. Riot's explanation is on its MMR, rank and LP page.
That has a practical consequence. A screenshot can show a rank, but Riot does not show the MMR behind it. Two accounts with the same Gold II can hold different hidden ratings.
5. What changed in 2026
Ranked changed several times this year, which makes old information risky.
- January: Riot reset the ladder at the start of the year, and players went through placements. Riot describes the volatility that followed in its Apex reset post.
- March: Riot explained in its MMR-to-rank post that it had remapped MMR to ranks earlier in 2026. About 14% of players had been in Iron, many for years, and Riot moved experienced players into Bronze. It also moved the top of Diamond into Master.
- Late April: With patch 26.9 at the start of Season 2, every Master, Grandmaster and Challenger player in NA, EUW, EUNE, BR, LAN and TR was reset to Master 0 LP, with visible rank and MMR reset. Other regions were not affected.
- Late July: Season 3 began with patch 26.15. Master players can duo only with players close to them in rank, and Grandmaster, Challenger and players with that MMR cannot duo.
- 2027: Riot says it will add more breakpoints inside the Apex ladder.
What it means for a buyer. A tier name may not describe the same skill in 2025 and in 2026. Ask when the rank was reached, on which server, and whether it came before or after the 2026 changes.
6. What a rank shows, and what it does not
| Detail | What it shows | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|
| Current rank | The visible result in that queue at the time of the screenshot. | The hidden MMR, or the result in the other queue. |
| Solo/Duo vs Flex | Two independent ladders. | That one rank implies the other. |
| A crest, icon or emote | A rank reached in a past year or season. | The current rank. |
| Server | Where the rank was earned. | That the rank survives a server transfer. Riot says the current placement does not move. |
| Apex tier name | A position on a regional ladder. | How it compares with a rank from before the April reset. |
Rewards are a separate matter. A Victorious skin shows ranked wins in a season and not a final rank, as our skin rarity guide explains.
7. Five questions before you buy
- Which queue is the rank from, Solo/Duo or Flex?
- Which server, and has the account ever been transferred?
- What is the date of the screenshot, and is the rank from this season or an older one?
- Is the account level 30 with 20 champions, and have the 10 qualifying games been played?
- Do you care about the current rank, or about a past peak that a crest or icon shows?
8. Four mistakes that cost money
Treating the tier as skill
A tier is a visible result. The hidden MMR behind it cannot be seen.
Trusting an old rank
The 2026 changes mean a tier from 2025 may not be directly comparable.
Mixing Solo and Flex
They are separate ladders. Ask which queue a number comes from.
Reading a past icon as a current rank
Crests, icons and emotes can show a past peak.
Frequently asked questions
Are there promotion series in League of Legends?
No. You promote by earning LP, and at 100 LP in division I you enter the next tier. Older guides that mention promos describe an earlier version of Ranked.
Do ranks reset every season in 2026?
No. The ladder was reset at the start of the year. Riot ran an additional hard reset for the Apex tiers in six regions in late April. Check the latest patch notes for any further reset.
What is MMR and can I see it?
MMR is the hidden matchmaking rating. Riot keeps it secret, and your visible rank is the result of hidden values.
What is decay and who gets it?
Decay is an LP loss for inactivity. It applies from Diamond upwards. Diamond loses 50 LP per day and Master and above lose 75 LP per day, after banked days run out.
Is a Flex rank the same as a Solo/Duo rank?
No. They are independent ladders with separate rewards. Ask which queue a rank belongs to.
What do I need to play Ranked?
Riot lists level 30, at least 20 champions and 10 Swiftplay or Normal Draft games. A level 30 account alone is not enough.
Ready to choose a ranked-ready account?
Check server, queue and rank date side by side. For region, ranked access and champion pool, start with our LoL account guide.
Sources and editorial scope
Reviewed on 12 October 2026 against Riot's tiers and queues guide, placements and decay page, Apex tiers guide, game modes page, MMR page and the Apex reset and MMR-to-rank developer posts linked above. The buying checklist is ALVIRAN editorial advice.
Riot prohibits selling, sharing or transferring accounts under its Terms of Service. A check of any detail in this guide does not change those rules or remove the risk of account action.