Is the Valorant loser’s queue curse real, or is it all in your head?

As somebody who’s been fragging in FPS games for a decade, it didn’t take me lengthy to regulate to Valorant‘s taking pictures. However, some days have been like a stroll within the park – I’d drop a clean 30 bomb with out even breaking a sweat. On different days I’d spend the complete recreation inspecting teammates, fuming on the backside of the scoreboard. Seems, I’m not alone. Many gamers assume Valorant matchmaking feels awfully inconsistent. The horrors of purple carpet don’t elude even one of the best within the recreation, however why is that?

Valorant is pretty well-optimized, so I can’t actually put my dangerous days all the way down to pesky hackers, software program bugs, or different technical glitches. However this fascinating little factor known as the loser’s queue making the rounds in Valorant’s hearsay mill would clarify rather a lot. Apparently, it’s an previous gaming patent that causes that notorious purple carpet to unfurl out of nowhere. At this level, the loser’s queue appears like the only clarification for my 13-game dropping streak.

What’s inflicting the purple carpet blues in Valorant?

Jonathan ‘EvrMoar’ Walker is a former Valorant aggressive designer who has elaborated on the infamous loser’s queue many occasions up to now. However, some loopholes level on the loser’s queue being actual. 

Firstly, purposefully placing gamers in a sure pool isn’t a wild idea. It has been occurring in gaming for some time now, for instance EA’s FIFA allegedly counting on DDA. Formally referred to as Dynamic Problem Adjustment, this method manipulates matches in a method that gamers hold returning for extra. Now, the dropping streak in Valorant positive convinces gamers to play “only one extra recreation,” however it additionally drives them away. 

EvrMoar argued that if Valorant had such a system, the devs wouldn’t cover it because it’s nothing notably new. However, a patent much like DDA is simply not good for “enterprise” and recreation well being. That is why Valorant gamers dropping in enormous, seemingly by no means ending streaks is both a coincidence or a reminder to hit Aimlabs. 

“Knowledge, throughout a number of video games and genres within the recreation business, all level towards truthful matches being an enormous cause gamers have a enjoyable and fulfilling PvP expertise. Why would we create a system that forcibly units up gamers to lose if we all know that may pressure them to depart the sport early?” EvrMoar said. 

Whereas all of this sounds cheap, dropping 13-15 video games in a row makes you surprise if the sport system is flawed or if Riot is conserving one thing from the gamers. One attainable clarification may very well be MMR stagnancy, which the devs have defined a number of occasions. 

It’s fairly attainable that the matchmaking system in Valorant isn’t pairing up losers particularly, however relatively matching you with these exhausting caught in your MMR pool for a similar interval. Which is why it might occur to good gamers too, since being overly constant can even trigger issues. 

As an illustration, in case your MMR is caught at 1500, gamers caught at the same ranking for a very long time could be lower than those that are actively rating up. Due to this fact, the system may match you with these closest to your MMR on the ladder as an alternative of matching you with different gamers experiencing the same dropping streak. 

However, the query of why these gamers caught within the MMR pool are additionally experiencing a dropping streak stays. It’s kind of a paradox; these with a robust encounter MMR would enhance their variation and escape the ELO hell, abandoning the losers who can’t appear to get out of the identical MMR. Now, these losers are naturally matching up with one another as a result of low variance. 

This stagnancy can occur at excessive ranks as properly. You retain getting 20 kills each recreation, and now Valorant’s system is bored. Nothing new is going on, and it’s satisfied you’re a licensed Ascendant. Now, you’re getting matched up with different exhausting caught Ascendants who aren’t enhancing day by day, leading to a string of losses. 

Mix hard-stuck ELO with dangerous psychological and frustration, and also you get the proper recipe for a dropping streak. Should you place belief in EvrMoar’s clarification, then it appears there may be no different logical conclusion to elucidate the frequent and notorious ‘purple carpet’ occurrences that plague Valorant. 

Whereas the difficulty of the loser’s queue in Valorant stays considerably of a thriller, it’s finest to err on the facet of warning when deciding who or what to belief. As an alternative of blaming Riot, gamers might change issues they’ve management over based mostly on factual info. 

That stated, my humble recommendation could be to stay to the tried and true methodology of outsmarting the system: don’t get too cozy in the identical rank. As an alternative, attempt to shock the matchmaking algorithm by upping your recreation, shattering private information, and injecting some variance into your play fashion. The possibilities of matching up with gamers inside the identical pool would drastically lower, leading to extra inexperienced in your ranked historical past palette. 

In case you are additionally on a dropping streak, think about mixing issues up. Attempt operating one of the best brokers on the Valorant tier list based mostly on the present meta, swap up your weapons, load up among the best Valorant crosshairs, and most significantly, observe extra!