What is Ranked Flex?

Now that the 2016 Season is over, it’s time to enter preseason. Preseason is the time between one ranked season and the next where we make big changes to the game. It’s a good opportunity to get used to the new changes and practice for the 2017 Season.

Preseason begins with Patch 6.22, and ends on December 6th with the start of the 2017 Season. There is absolutely no inactivity or decay penalties during the preseason, even for Master/Challenger players. Decay penalties will resume at the beginning of the 2017 Season.

GAMEPLAY UPDATES

• Class Update: Assassins
• The Living Jungle
• Replays and Practice

QUEUE UPDATES

• Ranked 3s and ranked 5s will be removed when the 2016 Season ends. If you were part of a team last season, you’ll still get any team rewards you earned, but ranked teams won’t be coming with us to the next season.
• The existing dynamic ranked queue will be disabled with Patch 6.22, and will be replaced with the new “Flex” queue. Flex queue is similar to dynamic queue and allows you to queue with a group of anywhere between 1-5 players.
• Solo/Duo ranked queue for SR will be turned on soon after Flex is enabled.
• Ranked Twisted Treeline will become a Flex queue at the beginning of preseason, with no Solo/Duo queue.

HOW ARE MY RANKINGS DETERMINED FOR THESE NEW QUEUES?

As soon as the preseason begins, you may appear to be unranked. Your dynamic queue rating is the basis for both Solo/Duo queue and Flex queue, but only Flex queue is available at the start of the preseason.

• Ranked Flex Summoner’s Rift: Your preseason rating is loosely based on your 2016 Season dynamic queue Summoner’s Rift ranking. Since Flex is a new queue, you’ll need to play ten placement matches to be placed on the ladder.
• Ranked Flex Twisted Treeline: Your preseason rating is loosely based on your 2016 Season dynamic queue Twisted Treeline ranking. Since Flex is a new queue, you’ll need to play ten placement matches to be placed on the ladder.
• Solo/Duo queue (SR only): Your preseason rating is exactly where you were at the end of the 2016 Season. If you didn’t play ranked at all last season, only the games you play in preseason and your placement matches will determine your ranking. Solo/duo queue completely replaces dynamic queue, so if you were ranked last season, you’ll start off the preseason at that rank. Your solo/duo queue rank isn’t affected by your Flex rank at all.

Even if you place during preseason, you’ll become unranked again in all queues once the 2017 Season begins. In order to earn a ranking for a queue, you’ll need to play ten placement matches in that queue. After your placements, your ranked will be based on the outcome of those matches as well as your performance in the 2016 Season and preseason.

As you place during preseason and the 2017 Season, expect your initial ranking to be lower than the rank you ended the 2016 Season with. Remember that each season is a fresh start with big gameplay changes, so where you begin the season isn’t where you’ll end it.

2016 SEASON RANKED REWARDS

You’ll receive rewards based on your performance during the 2016 Season during the preseason. Rewards are granted in waves, so some players may receive theirs before others. If you’re eligible for rewards, you should have them within two weeks of the season’s end. If it’s been more than two weeks and you still don’t have any rewards, send us a ticket and we’ll check it out.

LOADING SCREEN BORDERS

Part of your season rewards package is a loading screen border. Your new border will be visible once you receive your ranked rewards. There are a few new queues this season, so here’s where your borders will appear:

• Ranked Solo/Duo – 2016 Dynamic Queue
• Ranked Flex 5v5 – Best of 2016 Dynamic Queue or Ranked 5s (not available until Patch 6.23)
• Ranked Flex 3v3 – 2016 Ranked 3s (not available until Patch 6.23)
• Normal Summoner’s Rift – Best of 2016 Dynamic Queue or Ranked 5s
• Normal Twisted Treeline – Best of 2016 Dynamic Queue or Ranked 3s
• Co-op vs. AI Summoner’s Rift – Best of 2016 Dynamic Queue or Ranked 5s
• Co-op vs. AI Twisted Treeline – Best of 2016 Dynamic Queue or Ranked 3s
• Custom – Best of any 2016 queue
• Rotating Game Modes – Best of any 2016 queue
• ARAM 5v5 – Best of any 2016 queue