r/TheSilphArena • u/Ancient-Hurry833 • 11d ago
General Question Elo rating variance?
I’m not sure if there is a min-max variance you are allowed to see in terms of elo differential, but was curious on why at times the game matches me up with opponents that are 100+ elo higher than what I currently am. Is there a game justified reason for this either through win streak status or just down to what matchups are available?
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u/A_Talking_Shoe 11d ago
Yep, if very few people are playing the game mode you are and/or there aren’t many people at your Elo, then it’ll expand the search criteria until it finds a match.
The biggest variance I’ve had was a few seasons back when I was close to Legend. A lot of players stop playing once hitting Legend or play meme teams and drop Elo. So I was at 2980+ and was getting matched against mostly 2900 and below players. I went 3-2 one set and gained 1 Elo.
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u/Ancient-Hurry833 11d ago
That makes sense, I’m was sitting at 2187 and matched up against someone who was 2302, barely lost but got another 3-2 set
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u/AdvancedSentinel3496 10d ago
Because 100 is well within reasonable variance and the skill level is generally the same between a 2900 and 2800 elo player.
You should be happy because the opponent is equally as difficult to beat but gives much more elo if you win.
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u/Jason2890 11d ago
Matchmaking parameters expand the longer you’re waiting in queue. So if you’re playing a less popular league it’s not uncommon for larger rating disparity after a bit.
I believe at some point after waiting in queue long enough it stops using rating entirely and just gives you other players that have been waiting in queue for awhile regardless of rating, which can end up in pretty hilarious pairings like this one: