TFT ranked play set to return after a hard reset with patch 9.23

TFT ranks will undergo a hard reset before competitive play returns with patch 9.23. MMR will only have a soft reset, however.

Teamfight Tactics (TFT) Rise of the Elements has been with us for a few weeks now. Hopefully, you’ve taken the opportunity to familiarize yourself with this new set of champions, classes and elements (formerly origins) because ranked play is set to return this week.

As previously promised, ranked play will be turned on with TFT patch 9.23, which should arrive on Wednesday, November 20. Ahead of ranked play’s return, Riot has briefly outlined what players can expect.

For starters, everyone’s rank will be hard reset down to Iron. The reason for this seems a little flimsy as Riot explained:

"For many of you, we know that progressing through the ladder as you master a game can be an incredibly satisfying period of time. We want to see if we can offer that entirely fresh ranked experience each time we release a new set. Given that we’ve introduced almost entirely new champions, spells, and strategies, we feel now is a good time to go for a big change, and gather feedback from players to see how it feels to inform future set releases."

Really, though, your rank is just a visible representation of your hidden MMR (Matchmaking Rating). Your MMR is really the number that matters when it comes to determining your skill level.

And while everyone’s rank will be hard reset down to Iron, MMR is only being soft reset. This is to ensure a fair and competitive start to the season.

"We don’t want someone totally new to ranked ending up in a game with all of you former challenger players, just like we don’t want a challenger player finding themselves in a lobby with a bunch of players in Iron (and me)."

Since MMR is really what determines how quickly (or slowly) you progress (or fall) through the ranks, those who had a high MMR in Set 1 can expect to progress through the ranks faster than those with a lower MMR.

For example, if you were a former challenger player, you will start the Rise of the Elements ranked play at Iron. However, your high MMR will dictate that you should actually be ranked much higher than that, so a win (placing fourth place or better) will mean you gain ranks much quicker.

"While we want your first games to be competitive, we also didn’t want it to feel like you were punished for doing well during set 1."

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It should also be noted that you will not lose any LP during the first five ranked games you play, regardless of how low you place.

Another major and much-welcomed change made to ranked play is that finishing in fourth place will no longer result in lost LP. This was perhaps one of the more frustrating aspects of ranked in Set 1 — the feeling of placing fourth, only to wind up losing LP.

In the new season, finishing fourth will never result in lost LP; however, a fifth-place finish always will.

Ranked play will commence with patch 9.23, which is scheduled to roll out on Wednesday, November 20.  As a reminder, you should have already received your reward for ranked play during Set 1.