For those of you who have just started to play League of Legends, chances are you have noticed that after every game, you receive a rank. This rank will range from D up to S+. When the system first emerged, players didn’t pay much attention to their rank, it was just interesting to see how Riot ranked their in-game performance, but that’s about it.
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Move forward, and you have the Hextech Crafting system…long story short, with good performance comes free skins. The Champion Mastery System (CMS) requires S ranks to get level six, so players want to get as many S rankings as they possibly can. This was a fantastic idea from Riot because they ‘forced’ the players to play well to get free skins, making the game less toxic.
Unfortunately, no one is quite sure how they figure out your ranking at the end of each match; this is something Riot never released. We’ve noticed that you can choose Master Yi and go 20/0 and walk away with an A+.
The only information people have received from Riot on how the S Rank system works states that the “grades” are awarded to players based on their overall performance in their chosen role, along with the champion they chose. Still, players would like to know exactly what to do in order to get their S-, S, and S+ ratings.
If Riot isn’t going to tell you how to get an S as support, how to get an S as top lane, or in any other land, then we will.
Today, I will explain some techniques you can use to get an S rank…
Everything Matters
Whether you’re trying to get an S rank in support, top lane, bottom lane, etc., just remember everything matters. LoL is a team-based game where map control and objectives matter just as much as the amount of kills you rack upon.
Here’s a small example:
Let’s say you chose to play Pantheon, you get out farmed, you lose your tower first, and you never place wards – with these actions, you’re never going to reach an S rank. Your ranking has a lot to do with those objectives. If you want that S rank, you need to go out there and slay Dragons, Barons, and Rift Heralds.
A good way to improve yourself here would be to remind yourself to touch the tower when another player is getting one, even if they can do it on their own – the same thing goes for the dragon. As long as you can toss an ability in the dragon pit so you can get that assist, go ahead and do it because it will count towards that S.
Game time means a lot when it comes to getting a rank. The longer the game is, the less your KDA matters. I recall playing a 55-minute game on Thresh support, and I went 0/6/22, which gave me an S rank. That game, I recall placing around 30 wards and had a total of 2.5K more gold than the enemy support, which I believe could have been a factor.
Itemization, kill participation, and the amount of gold you get all factor into that score.
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Your Game is Judged Against Other Players
I noticed this system seems to judge players against other players playing on the same champion and the same role.
Let me explain…
About four months ago, I played Morgana and got my Morgana chest after going 5/2/11, killing two towers and getting 211 CS after a 42-minute match. Then, two weeks ago, I played a Morgana game and got 8/0/9 with 250 CS and destroyed three towers in a 35-minute time and walked away with an A+.
It’s hard to back this up without actual data, but it could be because the other Morgana did better than me during that match, causing me to be knocked from the players’ top percentage. If you’re in desperate need of a chest, then consider playing a champion that has a lower win rate. For example, playing on Urgot of Galio would be easier to get an S than I would be to play on a champion like Fizz.
Wards
Oh yes, those wards are important. Many players choose to place wards here and there as they’re under the impression that warding is only something the supports are supposed to do.
Of course, warding isn’t just for supports. Placing both the control ward and regular vision ward will help bring you closer to the S rank. What people forget is that killing wards is also a major part of it. In every game you play, ward kill is a recorded stat. If you kill a lot of wards, it’ll take you closer to that S.
Even Your Role
The role you choose will have a lot to do with your score. Support with little SC may achieve an S rank over the mid laner with 150 CS because supports usually don’t kill minions.
The Jungler role is the hardest role to get the best rank on. Clear camps when they’re available, secure multiple objectives, and get some kills. A Jungler that has under 100 CS at 30-minutes probably isn’t going to get an S rank.
Time
If you play a League of Legends match that lasts 20 minutes because of a surrender, then you probably didn’t have enough time to get as much CD needed or enough damage to get that S.
You may have had games where you were doing really good, but then the enemy team surrenders, and you get no S. You did great, but there wasn’t enough time to get those things Riot looks for when giving that S.
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Damage
This plays a significant factor in getting that S. Kills and damage go hand in hand. A high output of damage can outshine those kills when it comes to getting an S.
So, if you’re doing a lot of damage, but not getting that last hit in there, don’t get upset over it because, in the end, the damage will speak for you.
Creep Score (SC)
The Creep Score is the amount of creeps and minions kills. If you want to work your way to that S, then those CS’s are important. Of course, getting as much CS as you can isn’t always going to pave the way to success, because your lane determines your CS. For example, let’s say you’re playing mid – the average CS per minute on Mid lane is between 8 and 9.
However, for a support role, the number will be lower. You also have to consider that your CS will be compared to the other players who played the same champion in the same position. Basically, your CD number is determined by the role and the champion.
Kill/Death Ratio
As a gamer, you’re undoubtedly familiar with that K/D ratio – it has a major impact on your final grade. Try to avoid as many deaths as possible (no one likes dying) and work your way to getting as many kills as you can.
For example, you get ten deaths and ten kills; you’re not going to get that S grade. Your K/D is determined in the same manner as CS – champion role and selection.
A support class isn’t expected to get 20 kills per match. Game time has an impact on the K/D ratio a well. The longer the match runs, the less important the K/D ratio becomes in the end.
Conclusion
I’ve witnessed players in the League community complaining that they didn’t get an S rank when they felt they deserved it, and there’s always the same reply…not enough CS, not enough assists, and so on. Hopefully, this article helped you to understand how to earn an S Rank in League of Legends.
