The frustration of gaining +18 and losing -22
Few feelings in LoL are worse than winning a hard game and getting 18 LP, only to lose the next one and drop 22. It feels like the system is working against you. Like no matter how much you win, you're going nowhere. And you're not imagining it: when your LP gains are broken, climbing becomes a nightmare.
But it has a fix. To solve it, you first need to understand what's happening behind the scenes.
What is MMR and why does it matter
Your MMR (Matchmaking Rating) is a hidden number that Riot uses to determine who you play against and how many LP you gain or lose. Your visible rank (Gold 2, Plat 4, etc.) is just the visual representation. MMR is what actually matters.
When your MMR is aligned with your rank, you gain and lose similar amounts of LP. The system believes you're where you should be.
When your MMR is lower than your visible rank, the system thinks you're ranked higher than you should be. So it gives you less LP for wins and takes more for losses, trying to "correct" your rank downward.
Why your MMR gets misaligned
There are several common reasons:
Loss streaks
If you lose many games in a row, your MMR drops faster than your visible rank. Especially if those losses were in games where the system expected you to win.
Inactivity
If you stopped playing for a while, your MMR may have stagnated while your visible rank stayed the same. When you come back, the system needs to recalibrate.
Playing during low-quality hours
Playing late at night or during times when matches tend to be more unbalanced can affect your results. The Best Time to Play tool can help you identify when it's better to queue up.
Excessive dodging without winning
If you dodge a lot, you lose LP but your MMR doesn't change. This can create a situation where your visible rank has dropped artificially while your MMR stayed the same.
How to fix your LP gains
There's no magic trick. The only real way to fix your LP gains is to win more than you lose consistently. But there are strategies that help:
Maintain a 55%+ winrate over 20-30 games
This is the magic number. If you can sustain a 55% or higher winrate over a sustained period, your MMR will rise and your LP gains will normalize. It won't happen overnight, but you'll notice the difference gradually.
Shrink your champion pool
Playing fewer champions means playing them better. Better performance means more wins. More sustained wins mean higher MMR. If you're unsure which champions work best for you, check your stats and stick with the ones that have the highest winrate over 20+ games.
Stop playing on tilt
Every loss on tilt doesn't just cost you LP, it drops your MMR. And when your MMR drops, you need more wins to recover it. It's a destructive cycle. If you've lost 2 in a row, stop. Use the Tilt Detector to know when your performance is slipping.
Don't obsess over numbers game by game
Checking how much LP you gained or lost after every single game is a recipe for tilt. Focus on playing well, on improving, and let the numbers sort themselves out over time.
The "free LP" myth
Some players think making a new account fixes the problem. And technically, a fresh account has high LP gains because the system is calibrating. But if your actual skill level hasn't changed, you'll end up in the same spot with the same broken gains.
The real fix is improving your gameplay. There are no shortcuts.
When to dodge and when not to
Dodging is a valid tool, but use it carefully:
- Dodge when you have a toxic player from champ select, a terrible composition, or someone on a 5+ loss streak
- Don't dodge just because you don't like the comp or someone picks something off-meta
- Remember that the first dodge of the day only costs 3 LP and doesn't affect your MMR
If you're not sure whether you should enter the game, Should I Queue can give you a data-driven perspective.
Patience is key
Fixing broken LP takes time. We're not talking about 5 games, but 30-50 games of sustained good performance. It's frustrating, but that's the reality of the system.
The good news is that if you focus on improving instead of focusing on LP, the wins come naturally. And with wins, the LP fixes itself. Focus on the process, not the outcome.