This is a great thread and I’d like to add my input. Sorry if it’s a text wall but I feel this post is more descriptive than any other that I’ve seen so far, concerning the problems that exist this season, specifically why Ruby and why it is such a problem for many players. It ultimately explains why matches are so lopsided:
The idea for match making this season actually works as intended if you begin play on day one of a season opening, keep playing about 10 matches a day and don’t skip any days of play. However, the idea for match making this season is broken and completely dysfunctional concerning players who begin play late in the season or who aren’t able to play often.
Let’s say you were Legendary division during season 1 or even Diamond. If you had logged in and played all day during the first day of season 2 and each day after, you would have been able to ride the rofl stomp match making wave while all of the other players of your MMR were still with you in the early divisions “this means the match making would be working as intended and will place you in stronger teams to quickly put you back where you should be”. But if you were unable to log in for the first two weeks of season 2 or only able to run a couple matches day, you will eventually find yourself stuck in the Ruby division with only Ruby level MMRs to que with, while the others of your actual MMR have transcended back to Diamond/Legendary. This means that you will be in contestation vs. these many possible situational problems that Ruby level MMRs make, that Legendary players do not, as you try to climb out of the Ruby hell: “the first division where you can lose tiers due to bad matches”
- Rolling teams of: Warriors, DHs, Thieves, Mesmers vs. a better meta stack.
- Players refusing to swap or plainly not knowing how to play more than one class.
- Players insisting on playing that Warrior because they are working on achievements.
- Players making detrimental errors in rotations that throw a match instantly.
- Players that simply refuse to listen to any common sense what so ever.
These situational problems heavily decide match outcomes. No matter how good of a player you are or how hard you can carry, no one can carry a team of: Warrior, DH, Thief, Mesmer against: Rev, Rev, Tempest, Reaper or a team of players who refuse to listen to common sense /t chat calls.
The above Ruby hell situations are something that high MMR players who began play on day one, rarely had to experience if they experienced at all, as they rode the MMR wave with others of their high MMR. This means that they end up back in late Diamond/early Legendary, where players are much more reasonable and match outcomes end up being much more skill based than “situational factor based” because players who are good, that try hard, are willing to swap and generally play for wins before achievements/dailies.
The point being is: that a good player who began his run a bit late in season 2 is heavily punished with this current match making. He should eventually be able to climb back to his old positioning but it’s going to take a hell of a lot longer than if he would have been able to ride the MMR wave from day 1. A good player who began play on day 1 and kept up in progression with others of his actual MMR will not nearly as often be expected to carry a match of bad players as the good player who began play late, who is now stuck in Ruby hell. The good Ruby player will be expected to carry teams of intermediates almost each and every match, through their bad decisions in builds played and apathy towards communication, something that we all know is exceedingly difficult to do in GW2. Most of the time he won’t be able to do it and his match outcomes will not be decided by his ability to carry a team or the actual skill of his team mates in general, no his match outcomes will be like a gamble, majorly decided upon which team has the better comp. This will ultimately damage his MMR and keep good players in bad places.
Q: What is the problem here?
A: It is division pip progression as a reward grind, that in no way reflects actual MMR but still is used to place your match making. It allows low MMR players who play a lot, to eventually end up in Diamond division but higher MMR players who start late, who don’t play as often, to end up stuck down in Ruby.
This is why match making is so lopsided. We have strong players starting late who are in Sapphire still and bad players who decided to grind hard and make it to Diamond. Hope the devs read this because this is exactly what is happening.
Will also add my last 10 matches. These were all solo:
- 453 – 500 victory
- 631 – 408 victory
- 129 – 500 desertion “internet had randomly gone down”
- 318 – 500 defeat
- 501 – 176 defeat
- 534 – 372 victory
- 500 – 233 defeat
- 501 – 235 victory
- 500 – 347 defeat
- 405 – 501 defeat
)