Dota 2 MMR - Ranking System Explained

Article updated on July 2023

Welcome to Rivalry! The best bookmaker in Dota 2. If you're looking for how to improve your MMR and raise your Dota 2 medal, you're in the right place! While Dota 2's ranking system look complicated from the outset, it is incredibly similar to any other competitive game out there. Dota 2 does a great job of slowing introducing players to the ranked system, by requiring players to play 100 hours of the game before diving into competitive games.

At Rivalry, we care about you, as a player and as a bettor. In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know about how to raise your MMR (matchmaking rating) and how to raise your rank. On the Rivalry website, you can find additional information, such as news, bets, and live tracking of your favorite Dota 2 games.

WHAT IS MMR IN DOTA 2?

MMR is designed to find and pair equal opponents and teammates for fair play. Unranked games are divided into 10 modes. Ranked games are a more structured mode played by serious players. MMR is based on a single match per player. Ranked matches are played against each other and ranked games.

MMR is a score that is given based on the skill level of the player in their Dota 2 games. In addition, MMR is accompanied by a medal that will be given to you depending on how you have developed as a player after 10 qualifying games.

 How is MMR calculated?

MMR is calculated based on the player's win, losses, and stats. MMR moves up and down as the player progresses through ranked matches. It typically happens in 25-point increments, though not always, depending on the player's MMR.

New pairing system

Dota 2 is one of the most popular Esports currently, due to its constant changes and updates which are called seasons. Currently, we are in season 5, and with that there have been many changes in terms of medal calibration and format. From now on, each role will have several MMRs and this will be associated with a medal corresponding to that user’s skill level. As you win games your medal will increase, while losing may cause it to decrease. Here are the following roles you can play: 

Hard Support

Also known as position 5, its function is to assist the Safe Lane (HC) player and support them with useful items such as wards, healings, and some support items.

Soft Support

Semi support or position 4, is called the hero who is used as a support and unlike hard support, he is focused on rotation on the map, creating spaces for the HC and Midlaner to take advantage of their rivals. It is usually armed with items that help counter the initiators of the other team

Offlaner

Offlaner is the most complicated role because he goes alone in his line and his job is to have to complicate the line to the enemy's hard carry. For the most part, initiation heroes are chosen who have a lot of life and/or regenerate it quickly.

Midlaner

This player must be the best on the team, as he will be facing another midlaner in a duel to see who gets together first. Normally, the support of position 4 is the one that most attends the mid. The role of the midlaner is mainly to assemble as quickly as possible and create spaces so that the HC can complete its items quickly.

Safe Lane

This role is performed by the HC or position 1. It has a higher priority when it comes to obtaining gold resources and experience. For this role, you usually choose heroes who although they are not very strong at the beginning of the game, end up deciding the future of the game by completing all their items and reaching the maximum level. That's why for a hard carry to end up leading the game, his other 4 companions must create enough space for him. This role can be challenging in ranked games due to the coordination and trust in your team that it requires.

DOTA 2: RANKED GAMES AND NON-COMPETITIVE GAMES

 A ranked game is a qualifying game in which, after winning or losing, you will be scored and you will go up or down the rankings according as a direct result of these games. If you're a new player to Dota 2, you'll have to play 100 hours of unranked games to unlock ranked games. When you complete your first 10 ranked games, you will be assigned your MMR number and medal. From there, you will start your career within the wonderful world of Dota 2. If the competitive one is not of interest to you, you will find several game modes that suit your tastes. In this article, we will detail some of the most important ones.

All Pick

All the heroes of the game will be available in this type of game so that you can choose them according to your criteria. In addition, during the first 10 seconds of the game, you can ban some heroes that will be disabled by both your team and the rival team.

All Random

In this type of game, all players will receive a certain number of heroes to choose from, while the rest will be disabled. You will have to coordinate with your team to choose the best combination of heroes available to achieve a synergy that allows you to win the game.

Turbo

This type of game is designed for those who just want to play and that the action arrives quickly, without wasting time on farming, collecting, and buying items, which in a normal game can take at least 20 minutes. Turbo games are a special type of game, in which both teams can freely choose any hero in the game, but unlike All Pick games, the collection of gold and experience is multiplied by 2. That is, if, in an All Pick mode game, the game has an average of 30 minutes, in a turbo game, in less than 15 minutes you can already be breaking the enemy ancient. 

How to get your first MMR number and medal in DOTA 2 

As explained above, for you to get your MMR number and medal in Dota 2 for the first time, you must calibrate your first 10 games. This means that you must play 10 ranked games, and after finishing them, an in-game algorithm will assign you an MMR number and medal according to your performance during those 10 games. This number does not change based on your performance in the game, only by wins and losses.

HOW MUCH MMR YOU EARN PER RANKED GAME  

The amount of MMR you earn per ranked game has varied over time. In the latest update, Valve, the game's creators, decided that the player will receive +30/-30 MMR for each game won/lost if played alone; while if you play as a group, the gain or loss is reduced to 25.

Below we will estimate the medal range that you will be given according to the number of MMRs you get after calibrating your first 10 games. It should be remembered that each medal is divided in turn into 5 stars, that is to say, that for you to go from Herald to Guardian, you must first raise the 5 stars of your medal.

DOTA 2 RANK TIER SYSTEMS

Dota 2's ranking system has steadily been streamlined and changed to become further in line with other competitive games like League of Legends or Overwatch 2, with eight ranks and individual divisions for each.

Herald

• 1 Star: 0 - 150 MMR
• 2 Stars: 150 - 300 MMR
• 3 Stars: 300 - 450 MMR
• 4 Stars: 450 - 620 MMR
• 5 Stars: 620 - 770 MMR

Guardian

• 1 Star: 770 - 930 MMR
• 2 Stars: 930 - 1080 MMR
• 3 Stars: 1080 - 1230 MMR
• 4 Stars: 1230 - 1390 MMR
• 5 Stars: 1390 - 1540 MMR

Crusader

• 1 Star: 1540 - 1690 MMR
• 2 Stars: 1690 - 1850 MMR
• 3 Stars: 1850 - 2000 MMR
• 4 Stars: 2000 - 2160 MMR
• 5 Stars: 2160 - 2310 MMR

Archon

• 1 Star: 2310 - 2460 MMR
• 2 Stars: 2460 - 2620 MMR
• 3 Stars: 2620 - 2770 MMR
• 4 Stars: 2770 - 2920 MMR
• 5 Stars: 2920 - 3080 MMR

Legend

• 1 Star: 3080 - 3230 MMR
• 2 Stars: 3230 - 3390 MMR
• 3 Stars: 3390 - 3540 MMR
• 4 Stars: 3540 - 3700 MMR
• 5 Stars: 3700 - 3850 MMR

Ancient

• 1 Star: 3850 - 4000 MMR
• 2 Stars: 4000 - 4160 MMR
• 3 Stars: 4160 - 4310 MMR
• 4 Stars: 4310 - 4470 MMR
• 5 Stars: 4470 - 4620 MMR

Divine

• 1 Star: 4620 - 4820 MMR
• 2 Stars: 4820 - 5020 MMR
• 3 Stars: 5020 - 5220 MMR
• 4 Stars: 5220 - 5420 MMR
• 5 Stars: 5420 - 5650 MMR

Immortal

• 5700+ MMR

Here you will receive a regional ranking based on how high your MMR is compared to other immortal players. This is the highest medal of the game. Those who have this Dota 2 MMR medal are mostly professional players of big Dota 2 teams. The top immortal players are listed on the world leaderboard.

DOTA 2 Leaderboard

 The Dota 2 MMR leaderboard, is an official Valve list, in which you can know the position in which the players with the highest MMR and highest medal rank in individual mode are. They are mostly professional players. MMR classifications are made in four regions of the world which are, America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and China.

Each region includes the following:

Americas

United States West, United States East, South America, Peru, and Chile.

Europe

Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, and South Africa.

Southeast Asia

South Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Dubai, and Japan.

China

Perfect World Telecom and Perfect World Unicom

Dota 2 players who passed the MMR of 10k

The MMR since its inception has served to rate players for their performance. many players have been breaking records surpassing the 7k, 8k, and 9k MMR, but only a few have managed to reach the 10k MMR. Here are some players with the highest MMR in Dota 2:

Abed "ABED" Yusop

Born in the Philippines, Abed Yusop, just 16 years old, was the first player to pass the MMR 10k in history. This happened in a ranked game in June 2017, where she managed to break the record by playing with one of her flagship heroes: The Queen Of Pain.

Artour "Arteezy" Babaev

North America would not be left behind in history and would have its first player to pass the 10k MMR. This is the famous, Arteezy, player of Evil Geniuses since 2016, who entered the podium as the third professional player to achieve this feat.

Elvis "Scofield" De la Cruz

After the remarkable performance of Beastcoast in the TI 2019 and emerging as one of the most powerful teams in South America, it was foreseen that the first South American player to exceed the 10k of MMR was Peruvian. It took 2020 and a quarantine for Elvis De la Cruz, better known as Scofield, to surpass the 10k MMR entering the history of the Dota 2 world. For more information, you can visit the news page on Rivalry.com.

FAQS about Dota 2 ranks

What does the percentage that comes out below the medal mean?

This means that you are very close to your next rank or star and if your percentage disappears it means that you are about to descend from a medal or a star. Remember that each medal has 5 stars that you must complete to move up the rank.  

Who can appear on the leaderboard?

Only immortal medal players who have played at least 300 qualifying games or against other teams can appear. Have played at least 100 qualifying games and also have played 14 qualifying games in the last 21 days.

How to unlock ranked matchmaking in Dota 2?

To unlock ranked matchmaking in Dota 2, all players need to is to have a valid phone number linked to their Steam account and to play 100 hours of Dota 2 games. This includes any game mode. Once they've done this, players will need to play ten calibration games until their rank confidence is over 30 percent to get their first matchmaking rank and MMR.

What is rank is the average player in Dota 2?

The Dota 2 rank distribution in its current season is that the majority of players tend to range from Crusader 1 to Archon 2.

How to check your MMR in Dota 2?

Go to your Dota 2 Profile and click on the tab called stats. There you can see your rating.

What are Matchmaking/Seasonal Rankings?

Seasonal rankings represent the level of skill a player achieves in a single season. Rankings are determined by matchmaking rating (MMR) and other hidden factors. Medals are reset at the end of each season. The previous season's medal is displayed next to the new medal for the next season.