What Are Placement Matches in League of Legends?
Ten games decide where your season starts. Win most of them and you open somewhere comfortable. Lose most of them and you spend the next two months climbing back to where you were last split.
Placement matches are the set of ranked games you play at the start of a season or on a new account before the client shows you a rank.
What actually decides your placement
The common belief is that going 10-0 puts you in Diamond. It does not, and it never has.
Your starting rank is built mostly from your existing MMR, not from the placement record itself. Riot compresses ratings toward the middle between seasons rather than deleting them, so a Platinum player from last split enters placements with a Platinum-shaped rating already attached.
The ten games adjust that starting point. They do not create it from nothing.
Placement record | Typical outcome |
|---|---|
9-1 or 10-0 | Placed at or slightly above last season's rank |
6-4 or 7-3 | Placed close to last season's rank |
3-7 or worse | Placed one tier or so below, with room to climb back |
New accounts are the exception. With no history to draw on, the ten games carry far more weight, which is why placement results on a fresh account matter much more than on a main.
Why placements feel harder than normal games
Because the lobbies are messier. The system is uncertain about several players at once, so match quality is noticeably worse than mid-split. Smurfs are also disproportionately common in this window, since fresh accounts are all placing at the same time.
Losing early games also drags the whole set down. Placements are not scored per game in isolation, so a rough start affects everything after it.
Starting the season where you belong
A bad placement run is expensive because it costs weeks of climbing to undo. Our placement match boosting handles all ten games, and the new season package covers placements plus a target rank if you want the whole season opener sorted in one go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many placement matches are there in League of Legends?
Ranked Solo/Duo uses ten games. Other queues and modes vary.
Does going 10-0 in placements get you Diamond?
No. Your prior MMR sets the range and placements adjust within it.
Do you keep your old rank if you skip placements?
No. You have to complete the set before a rank is displayed for the new season.
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