Here’s how League of Legends Season 9 ranked split system works
Season 9 of LoL’s ranked play officially kicked off on Wednesday, January 23, but the introduction of the new split system has left some players confused.
Unlike past years, Season 9 is separated into splits, much like competitive tournaments such as the LCS and the LEC.
Because of this change, many LoL fans are concerned that they will lose their rank at the end of each split, meaning they would have to start grinding through placement matches multiple times per year and possibly find themselves at a lower rank because of it.
Thankfully, that’s not the case, as whatever rank you have reached at the end of the split is where you will begin the next one, with no need to complete any placement matches.
This means that if you finish the first split as a Platinum ranked player, you will still be that rank at the start of the second split, which means the only way your rank will change is by winning or losing matches on Summoner’s Rift.
There will also be no breaks between splits, something that many fans may be the case, meaning as soon as one split ends, the new one will begin. Players will earn rewards like ranked armor at the end of every split, so LoL players will likely earn more rewards in Season 9 than they did during any other season.
Players will be attempting to earn one of the nine ranks available, from Iron up to Challenger.Season 9 also saw the introduction of ranks based on player’s ability in different roles. A player who mainly plays Support could be Diamond, but may only be able to play at a Gold standard in midlane, meaning they could struggle if forced to play in a different position than they are used.
This new system has had its flaws though, with players figuring out ways to play their preferred roles at lower ranks, although Riot Games believe they have been able to fix this bug.