If you have ever played Dota 2 you will have seen reference to MMR. If you are new to the game you may find yourself asking, what is MMR and why is my Dota 2 MMR so important?
Before we get into why your Dota 2 MMR is so important, let’s go back to a simpler time. A time before ranked matchmaking was even in the game. Back in 2013 Valve announced the addition of ranked matchmaking to Dota 2. At this time they also introduced Dota 2 MMR. Standing for matchmaking rating, this new figure would be used to understand the relative skill level of players.
The basics of the Dota 2 MMR system
Dota 2 uses standard techniques to quantify and track player skill. Dota assigns each player an MMR, which is a summary metric that quantifies players skill at Dota 2. After each match, Dota will update your MMR based on what happened in that match. In general, when you win, your MMR will go up, and when you lose, your MMR will go down.
Win/loss is the primary criteria used to update MMR, but individual performance also plays a role, especially when the uncertainty about your MMR is high. It is possible for an individual MMR to increase after a loss or decrease after a win, but in general, the winning team’s average MMR will increase and the losing team’s MMR will decrease.
So How do you increase your Dota 2 MMR?
The easiest way to increase your MMR is to play the game. Generally speaking, when you win your MMR goes up and when you lose it goes down. As such if you can maintain a 50%+ win rate your MMR will go up. With more game time, will come better game knowledge.
Rome was not built in a day and neither will your Dota 2 MMR. It takes a lot of time and effort to continually raise your MMR. Which is why the majority of pro players use smurf accounts once they reach a certain rank.
Definitely not a smurf
Another way to get some tips to increase your Dota 2 MMR is to use the different coaching services available. These services will often teach you some of the more in-depth aspects of the game that should help your decision making.
Dota 2 MMR Account Boosting and Why it’s an awful idea.
The increase in MMR boosting sites has been on the up in recent times and this is awful. MMR boosting ruins games when a low skilled player suddenly finds themselves in a high ranked game. There is a reason that the Dota 2 MMR stops this from happening normally.
If someone approaches you and asks if you want to boost your MMR, you should tell them to go away and swiftly report the account. There is no satisfaction in having a bot raise your MMR to a point where you are now out of your skill level.
Why is Dota 2 MMR important?
Your MMR gives a snapshot of what your relative skill level is. Most people are at the correct MMR. Valve’s system is generally pretty accurate during calibration.
It is often easy to improve your MMR just by gaining a better understanding of both macro and micro-interactions in the game. Most low MMR players struggle to accumulate gold in an effective manner and this will often cost them.
Once you get past the basics, the next steps to improve are generally about using your time efficiently. This is probably the most difficult thing to understand for most players.
If you watch any high tier competitive game, you will get a masterclass in how to use your time.
Final Thoughts
Your MMR is a tag that you will have to carry through your interactions in Dota 2. Whether this is with the 10k players in Twitch chat or the 1k plebs on Reddit. Someone will always question your MMR.
Now you have some understanding of what Dota 2 MMR is and a few ways you can attempt to improve your MMR. If however, you are stuck in the sub 2k range. God bless your soul.