Can Dodging in League of Legends help you climb ranks faster?

Have you ever dodged in League of Legends? In League of Legends, when you play ranked games, your account wins a certain amount of LP (League Points) when you win games, and loses a certain amount when you lose games. If you lose more LP than what you gain, and you lose more games than you win, or you have a 50%-win rate or below, then you will not climb to the Elo you desire. If you can’t rank up like this, and you’ve read through our “Tips for Low-Elo Players in League of Legends” guide, then dodging your games might be a better way to rank up. Let’s delve into this article and find out why this is!  

What is “Dodging” in League of Legends? 

Dodging a game in League of Legends is when you leave a ranked game in champion select because you have judged that this game is already lost before it starts. This could be because someone said I will grief, or you team composition is way worse than the enemy team and there is no way of winning unless everyone in your team pops off which, let’s be honest – is unlikely at a low, mid, or even high-elo level. 

When to dodge a League of Legends game? 

You dodge a game when you have enough data and proof that the game that is about to start is hopeless, and winning it will either be too difficult or impossible. When everyone has made their pick you have to be fast and make quick judgment of both team comps and make up your mind before the timer ends. 

If you think it’s winnable, then why not go for it and do your best. However, if you think it’s not; dodge fast you will lose 3 LP for dodging instead of losing 15 or more for losing the game and wasting your time. LP is not what makes your account valuable; it is instead your MMR (Match Making Rating) that dictates which player will be with you and against you. 

MMR is calculated by the average skill of players that are against you and the ratio of your wins and losses. In other words, if you are having a losing streak, your MMR will drop and you will gain less LP when you win; and lose more LP when you lose. You might be thinking why that’s a thing? Well – It’s an attempt by the game system to keep you stagnant in that rank or Elo because they see you as a hindrance even if the losses were not your fault. 

At the end of the day, the game has no feelings and no compassion for you; so, don’t have any for it either and so you might be better off dodging games. If you dodge games, you will lose LP only but you will not lose MMR, instead you will gain MMR because you will be winning more games. 

How to know when to dodge a game in League of Legends? 

Don’t worry if you are not an expert in team comps and counters, there are many websites that gather statistics of every game that’s going on in league. These sites can check your ongoing game while it’s in champion select while having access to every information on your team and the enemy team players; their win percent, their ranks, their main champions and even some notes that the system has made on them like “Roams a lot” or “Vulnerable Laner”. With these websites you can make a quick evaluation of every game you are about to start and make your decision of whether to play or dodge. 

If you wanted to take a look at some of these websites, why not take a look at the following: 

Blitz App – Your personal gaming coach 

U GG: The Best League of Legends Builds LoL Build Champion Probuilds LoL Runes Tier List Counters Guides 

Porofessor.gg – League of Legends live game search and real-time player statistics 

OP.GG – LoL Stats, Record Replay, Database, Guide

Using these websites is super simple, just write your summoner name while you are in a champion select and it will direct you to your ongoing game with all the data you need. Otherwise, you can copy and paste all the summoner names in the lobby and check them individually. 

When shouldn’t you dodge in League of Legends? 

Although dodging might be frowned upon, it has its perks – but there comes a few moments when you really shouldn’t dodge. For example, if you have 3 LP and you dodge there is a risk that you will be demoted. In other words, if your dodge puts you at 0LP then do not dodge unless you think it’s really not winnable, but if you have 0 LP it is fine to dodge because there is no negative LP. 

Conclusion on Dodging

Dodging is a way for you to play less and win more games, but it has its negative points too for example it will not make you a better player you will lose games because you had the better team not because you carried and you have outdone yourself, or like Sett says “Ay, never pick a fight you can’t win”. Let us know in the comments what you think to dodging, and if it’s paid off for you!