Riot Games employee has some suggestions for fixing the ranked ladder
Fans and players making suggestions regarding “fixes” for League of Legends’ ranked system are pretty common, but it’s not every day that a Riot employee brings such a proposal to the table.
Riot Games gameplay data lead Nathan “Blaustoise” Blau took to Twitter to discuss how the current ranked system operates, and presented how he thinks the ranked ladder could potentially be improved.
His four goals include reducing the ladder’s feeling of gatekeeping, centering the distribution of ranks around Gold, making Diamond players feel better about being at the top without being the most elite rank, and providing more transparency to players at the Master tier.
Blaustoise described how he believes the current structure of League of Legends ranked play is gatekeeping players and is far more restrictive compared to other competitive games. Blaustoise suggests shifting some players from Bronze and Silver to Gold and potentially Platinum. The reasoning behind this adjustment is that games like Dota 2 and Overwatch have a much more evenly distributed percentage of players among their lower to middle tier ranking.
League of Legends’ player pool is largely maxed out at silver.
Blaustoise created an analogy for the situation using the Salty Spitoon and Weenie Hut Jr from Spongebob Squarepants episode “No Weenies Allowed”. Blaustoise describes the Spitoon design as being too “gatekeep-y” while Weenie Hut is too generous. His aim to land somewhere in the middle.
“LoL is BY FAR the most salty & Spitoon-y. S9 is CLEARLY an improvement on… whatever was going on in S8. But LoL still looks rough,” Blaustoise said.
Another big change Blaustoise suggests is establishing a clean one percent of the player base at Masters rank. Once an individual reaches Masters they will be given a raw rank which will be openly displayed similar to Hearthstone’s Legend rankings. Challenger rank would remain touched.
These ideas may be coming from an official member of Riot Games, but it is unclear whether any of these changes will actually be put into action any time soon.
Read Also
Esports Betting
Locke preview: LoL’s single new champion of 2026
Wasif Ahmed
League’s newest champion Locke will hit the Rift on June 24 alongside patch 26.13. As a mid lane AP assassin, the Ashen Exorcist is the only champion that Riot will release in 2026. The demon hunter will be unique for an assassin in that he has to set up his burst before delivering it. Read all about it in our Locke preview. The Ashen Exorcist is a demon-hunting melee, AP ...
Esports Betting
Top Esports beats Team WE in the LPL, qualifies for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Against all odds, Top Esports faced Team WE in the LPL upper bracket final. Both teams fought over a spot for the Mid-Season Invitational that everyone expected Anyone’s Legend, Bilibili Gaming, or JD Gaming to claim. In the end, TES paused WE’s Cinderella story as they beat them 3-0. Before this series, World Elite had defeated two LPL powerhouses in BLG and AL. Against TES, though, they suddenly lost all ...
League of Legends
G2 Esports complete comeback against Karmine Corp to win LEC Spring 2026
Hannan Mundia
After a fairly smooth split, G2 Esports emerged victorious in the 2026 LEC Spring split grand final by making a comeback against Karmine Corp. The 2026 LEC Spring split has finally concluded. With spots at MSI and the Esports World Cup on the line, every professional European team gave it their all to get as far as they could. While most teams fell quickly, Karmine Corp and G2 Esports managed ...
Esports Betting
G2 Esports vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring: Best odds, picks
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LEC Spring split is about to conclude, with G2 Esports and Karmine Corp facing off one last time to see which team qualifies for the Esports World Cup. While both teams have done well to make it to this LEC split’s grand final, only one team can be crowned the victor. With a direct ticket to the EWC on the line, there’s a strong chance that G2’s dominating ...
Esports Betting
MKOI vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring betting preview: Best odds and picks
Hannan Mundia
Two LEC spots are open for this year’s Mid-Season Invitational, and MKOI will battle against Karmine Corp to determine which team grabs it. The ongoing LEC Spring split is almost done, and only three teams remain. While G2 Esports has already established itself as the strongest so far with a guaranteed spot in the grand final, Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp will battle it out on the big stage for ...
League of Legends
LCK 2026 Road to MSI: Teams, format, and schedule
Hannan Mundia
With the LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 complete, the qualified teams will battle it out in Road to MSI. With two spots for the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational and one spot for the 2026 Esports World Cup on the line, here’s everything to know about the LCK 2026 Road to MSI. Six teams have qualified for Road to MSI, but only two MSI spots are available for this region. While powerhouse teams ...
Esports Betting
KT Rolster vs T1 2026 LCK Season Rounds 1-2: Best odds and picks
Hannan Mundia
KT Rolster and T1 will face off in the last week of 2026 LCK Rounds 1-2 to potentially improve their starting position at Road to MSI. KT Rolster and T1 have both had their moment to shine in the ongoing 2026 LCK split. With one week remaining, the two teams will battle against each other for a chance at acquiring second place and starting with a significant advantage in the ...
