How to Calculate MMR In League of Legends:

League of Legends, like various other online multiplayer games, is a game where players strive to climb the ranked ladder and improve their matchmaking rating or MMR. However, ever since the MMR system first launched, players have been struggling to find a reliable way of calculating their MMR. This is because it's a hidden numerical value that determines a player's skill level and influences the opponents they face in matchmaking.

Because of the complexity and invisible nature of MMR, there's no official way of reliably calculating it. With that being said, there are several third party apps that allow you to get an estimation of the MMR you have.

We'll be going through the importance of MMR in League of Legends as well as telling you how you can calculate it.

What is MMR

As mentioned above, MMR is a complex algorithm that takes various factors into account to estimate a player's skill level. After a player's MMR has been determined, that MMR then, in turn, influences the opponents that player faces in matchmaking.

MMR ensures balanced matchmaking by pairing players with opponents and teammates of similar skill levels. The matchmaking system relies on MMR to create fair and competitive matches, where each participant has an equal chance of success. This balance fosters an environment that promotes growth, improvement, and healthy competition.

MMR also serves as a personal indicator of progress and skill assessment. By tracking MMR and its fluctuations over time, players can gauge their growth and development. It provides a quantifiable measure of a player's abilities relative to others in the game. Observing improvements in MMR allows players to gain insights into their gameplay, identify strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for further advancement. It serves as a valuable tool for self-assessment and motivation.

In League of Legends, players can see their LP within their ranked divisions, but the actual matchmaking process is based on the hidden MMR. LP gains and losses are influenced by the difference between a player's MMR and the average MMR of their current division. If a player's MMR is higher than the division's average, they will gain more LP for a win and lose less for a defeat. With that being said, if a player's MMR is lower than the division's average, they will experience reduced LP gains and more substantial LP losses.

What Influences MMR

Ranked games are the primary factor influencing MMR. When players participate in ranked matches, the outcome of each game directly impacts their MMR. Winning a game results in MMR gains, while losing leads to MMR losses. 

However, the magnitude of these adjustments depends on several factors, including the skill levels of opponents and teammates. If you win against opponents with higher MMR, your MMR will increase more significantly compared to winning against lower-rated opponents. With that being said, losing to lower rated opponents may result in a more substantial MMR decrease.

While wins and losses form the foundation of MMR adjustments, individual performance also plays a role, particularly during placement matches and early games. The specific impact of performance on MMR is not publicly disclosed, but it can influence the rate at which MMR is adjusted. 

Factors such as kills, deaths, assists, farms, and objective control are considered. Outperforming expectations may result in higher MMR gains, while underperforming could lead to lower gains or even MMR loss.

How Do You Calculate MMR

As we mentioned above, there is no reliable way of calculating MMR in League of Legends because it's an unseen ranking given to you. While there are some ways of checking your MMR, more often than not, the numbers are off and nowhere near your actual MMR, making those said ways unreliable.

The first way is by looking at how your matches go. For example, if you find yourself being paired up against high ranked players and with good teammates, then your MMR might be of a high ranking. Similarly, your estimated MMR can also be determined by looking at how much LP you gain or lose after every ranked match.

The other (and easier) way of calculating your estimated MMR would be to use a service that pulls data from the API. Examples of these third party services are OP.GG (which used to have a way of calculating your MMR but was replaced with a rank or OP score) and WhatismyMMR. However, these sites are just trying to work it out from the stats available, so, you should take the results with a grain of salt.

Are MMR and ELO the Same in League of Legends

While Elo and MMR are related, they are not the same thing. Elo refers specifically to the numerical rating system, while MMR encompasses a broader concept that considers various factors beyond just rating. The matchmaking system in League of Legends relies on MMR to determine the quality and fairness of matches. The MMR value influences a player's LP gains and losses, division placement, and overall ranking progression.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is the fact that MMR is unseeable, while ELO can be seen at any time in games that support it, MMR can not. In the past, players could directly see their Elo rating, providing them with a clear and specific measure of their skill level. However, Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, transitioned away from displaying Elo and opted to keep MMR hidden from players.

The decision was made to reduce anxiety and ladder anxiety associated with specific rating values, allowing players to focus more on the overall competitive experience rather than fixating on a particular number. Of course, one other similarity between the two is that, regardless of whether it's ELO or MMR, Eloking booster can help you increase it easily.