League of Legends’ matchmaking is a puzzle that Riot will never quite be able to solve. Someone somewhere will always be angry. One little tweak can send the entire system into a spiral, and big, sweeping changes come with the risk of destabilizing it entirely. Coming into 2026, the developer actively reworked a large part of the MOBA’s matchmaking in an attempt to make the ranked climb a little smoother. It added the Aegis of Valor for those that autofill, and now attempts to pit autofilled players against one another. It added duos back into every tier of play, and attempted to make your front-facing rank more reflective of your skill. Some of those changes landed well. Others have not.

 After what Riot has described as an “inconsistent” start to League of Legends’ 2026 ranked season, it’s resetting the ladder at apex tier.  PCGamesN