Hiko and Shroud Bash Valorant’s Ranked Mode and Matchmaking

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Hiko and Shroud Bash Valorant’s Ranked Mode and Matchmaking

Abhimannu Das
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  • The Valorant community is upset with the state of Valorant's ranked system as it leads to lopsided matches almost always.
  • Shroud and Hiko have voiced their opinions on the current ranked system recently and Riot Games has acted on the feedback.
  • The developers have tightened matchmaking skill but it remains to be seen if the recent changes are effective and solving ranked mode's problems.

Riot Games announced significant changes to how Valorant’s ranked queue system works after the community shared its concerns over the current state of the game. Popular streamer ‘Shroud’ and 100 Thieves’ ‘Hiko’ have bashed the game’s ranked mode and called for matchmaking changes. Shroud hates how the game only allows you to play in solo or duo queue, which prevents players from fielding a full team at higher ranks. He feels that the recent change to the game’s ranked system has turned the mode into “hot garbage.” Hiko is also upset at the game’s lopsided matchmaking which leads to unfun matches. Riot Games released an update to matchmaking following the recent complaints and it remains to be seen if the changes are well-received in the community. 

Why Players Are Upset With Valorant’s Ranked Mode

100 Thieves star Spencer ‘Hiko’ Martin recently talked about how every match is a coinflip. The player posted a video on May 14 where he revealed that he is quitting Ranked for good and will be focusing on competitive play only. He revealed that there is never a close game in ranked and almost all matches are lopsided. He said, “Every game it’s a coin flip if your team is good or your team is bad. There’s almost never games where it’s close.”

Riot has forced solo and duo queues in higher ranks in order to prevent five-stacking. The change was meant to improve the overall experience for the wider audience. But there has been a lot of pushback because of the change from both streamers and pro players. 

Twitch streamer Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek said “Literally, ranked is hot garbage because of this duo queue bulls**t. It’s such a bad dynamic. It’s not fun when you’re playing with randoms, it’s also awkward that it’s duo queue because you have a duo pair, another duo pair, and then you have a solo.” The introduction of five-stack limitations prevents professional players from practicing in ranked with their teammates which has left many players upset with Riot Games. 

Following the recent pushback from the Valorant community, Riot Games introduced some changes to the game’s ranked mode which is meant to “tighten matchmaking skill” when searching for games. The community is yet to respond to the recent changes and comment if the overall ranked experience is better or not.  Riot Games has not detailed what the recent matchmaking system changes are but it promises better matchmaking at the cost of longer queue times at higher ranks.

RELATED:  Shroud Valorant Settings 2021: Crosshair, Keybinds and Video Settings


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Abhimannu is a PC esports writer at AFK Gaming. With over seven years of experience in esports journalism, he has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems including Valorant, Overwatch and Apex Legends.

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