All Teamfight Tactics Tiers EXPLAINED

Teamfight Tactics is a competitive grind constantly evolving, and with Horizonbound Set 9.5 comes some important information about the ranked system. Whether you’re a relative newcomer to the scene or an old pro looking to scale new heights, understanding the workings of TFT’s ranking is essential.

We cover everything from placement matches to the coveted Challenger tier in this in-depth look at ranking up in one of the best auto battlers around.

Placement Matches and Starting Ranks

You need to complete five key placement matches in TFT before you can really grind on the ladder. How well you do in these five games will earn you your first ranked spot (your “starter rank”).

All players start with a base rank of Iron II. But fear not, the placement matches do give you a seeding into a higher tier if you play well. The system then uses your gameplay and results to generate a starting MMR (matchmaking rating) based on one of the game’s many divisional ranks.

The Ranked Tiers Explained

From the entry-level Iron division up to the elite Challenger tier, here’s a full breakdown of the ranked ladder in Teamfight Tactics:

• Iron (IV, III, II, I)
• Bronze (IV, III, II, I)
• Silver (IV, III, II, I)
• Gold (IV, III, II, I)
• Platinum (IV, III, II, I)
• Diamond (IV, III, II, I)
• Master
• Grandmaster
• Challenger

The ranks of Iron through Diamond are divided into four divisional levels each. You need 100 League Points (LP) to move up a division. It’s the currency that counts how high you get – or lose – depending on where you finish in each TFT game.

Finishing in the top four grants LP (higher placements give more points). However, putting 5th-8th will leave you LPless regardless of the match result. LP also decays if you do not play a competitive match for 10 days straight.

Hitting the Master Tier

Once you crack the Master tier, the ranked system slows down slightly. Your LP will now grow indefinitely as you battle for a certain numbered rank on the regional leaderboards – instead of divisional progression.

You need to bank some LP to get into the Grandmaster and Challenger tiers. For Grandmaster it is 250 LP, and for Challenger it is 500 LP.

But these are baseline minimums. The actual LP totals required will likely be much higher later in the season. That’s because only a handful of players can hold the Grandmaster (top 500 players in the region) and Challenger (top 250) ranks simultaneously.

Every day the ranked ladder is calculated and refreshed, with the LP cutoffs for Grandmaster and Challenger qualification being adjusted accordingly. It might take 550 LP to get to Grandmaster one day, and the next it might need 560 LP or higher.

How to Climb as a Low-Rank Player

If you’re churning away in the lower ranks (Iron, Bronze, Silver, or Gold) here are some quick tips to get you climbing faster:

• Queue up for matches with a full premade party to better coordinate team comps and strategy
• Strive for the top spot in each game (1st place gives significantly more LP than 2nd or 3rd).
• Learn core concepts such as economy management, scouting and transition timing to gain edge over competitors.

Consistency is the biggest factor for Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger players. As LP totals matter so much at these ranked play high points, avoiding point-wasting “ghost” games is essential if you want to stay at the top of the regional leaderboards.

The Effects of Ranked Resets

Another thing to remember is Teamfight Tactics’ seasonal ranked resets. Two types occur at different locations:

• Soft Reset (mid-set update) – Players are demoted one tier below their final rank from the previous set. So if you finish Set 9 in Diamond I, you’ll be in Platinum I for Set 9.5. Everyone from Master tier to Diamond IV resets to Diamond IV.
• Hard Reset (new expansion) – More effective, as all players are reverted to the base rank of Iron II upon launch of a new set/expansion.

In both soft and hard reset modes, your MMR is saved from the previous ranked season. This allows faster LP gains if you’re playing at your normal level, until you return to the proper rank tier.

Understanding the system is half the battle in the ongoing Teamfight Tactics ranked grind. With this knowledge in your back pocket, you’ll be better positioned to climb and accomplish what you set out to do — escape “ELO hell” — or climb the ultra-limited Challenger ranks.

Just don’t get scared by ranked resets, play smart, and stay hungry on the road to auto battler glory. From there everything else will just happen.