If you have just started playing League of Legends, you may have noticed that after every game Riot gives you a rank. These range from D all the way to S+. When the system was first released, players didn’t really care about what rank they got, it was just cool to see how Riot ranked your in-game performance.
Now that the Hextech Crafting system has essentially tied performance to getting free skins and the Champion Mastery System requires S ranks to get level six or seven, players want as many S rankings as they can get their hands on. Unfortunately, the people at Riot never released how they figure out your ranking at the end of the game. You could go 20/0 on Master Yi and still end up with an A+.
The only actual information we’ve received from Riot on how the system works comes from its website detailing how the Mastery system works : “Grades are awarded based on your overall performance in the role along with the champion you’re playing and, crucially, where you’re playing them.”
Still, players want to know how to get their S-, S and S+ ratings, and if Riot isn’t going to tell you how to do it, I will. Here are some surefire techniques to getting an S rank.
Everything Matters
League of Legends is a team game where objectives and map control matter just as much as how many kills you get. If you play Pantheon and lose your tower first, get out farmed and never put down wards, there’s no way you are going to get an S rank. Objectives weigh in on your ranking; if you want that S, then you are going to have to kill Dragons, Rift Heralds and Barons.
Game time weighs in heavily when getting a rank. The longer the game is, the lower your KDA actually matters. I’ve gone 0/6/22 on Thresh support in a 55 minute game and gotten an S rank. I placed 30 wards that game and had 2.5k more gold than the enemy support, which must have factored in.
Kill participation (getting Pentakills help), itemization and amount of gold all factor into your score.
Even Your Role
The role you pick weighs heavily on the score you get. A support with little CS might get an S rank over a mid laner with 150 CS, because the system knows that supports usually don’t kill minions. The hardest role to get the best rank on is jungler. On average, I’ve found that you need to clear your camps whenever they are available, get some kills and also secure multiple objectives. A jungler with under 100 CS at 30 minutes is not getting an S rank.
Your Game Is Judged Against Others
Three months ago, I got my Morgana chest by going 5/2/11, getting 211 CS and killing two towers in a 42 minute game. Last week, I played a Morgana game where I went 8/0/9, got 250 CS and killed three towers in 35 minutes and I got an A+. The system seems to judge you against other players who are playing the same role and champion as you.
Without actual data, it’s impossible to back this up, but other Morganas might have done better than me, knocking me out of the top percentage of players. If you desperately need a chest, then you should play a champion with a lower win rate. It’s easier to get an S on a Galio or Urgot then it is to get one on Fizz.
All of This May Be Bullocks
If you haven’t gotten an S score yet, don’t get discouraged. Riot has a problem with transparency , so we may never know how these scores work. Still, if you ward a lot, get objectives and don’t feed too hard on a low play rate champion, you should definitely get yourself an S rank and a nice chest.
