League of Legends is a team game, and naturally, it is incredibly fun to play with your real-life friends. Hopping on Discord, making jokes, and sharing the excitement of a close game is the best way to experience the Summoner’s Rift.
But if your main goal this season is to climb the Ranked ladder and reach Diamond, we have some bad news for you: Duo queueing with your friends is probably the reason you are stuck in Elo Hell.
It sounds harsh, but the math and the matchmaking system do not care about your friendship. In fact, the system actively punishes you for queuing up together. Here is exactly why playing Ranked with your buddies is ruining your MMR, and what you should do instead to actually climb.
1. The “Duo Queue Penalty” in Matchmaking
Riot Games knows that a Duo queue has a massive communication advantage over five solo players. To balance this advantage, the matchmaking algorithm applies a hidden “Duo Queue Penalty” to your lobby.
When you queue up with a friend, the system will do one of two things:
Match you against higher-ranked players: If you and your friend are both Gold II, the system might put you against Platinum IV opponents to compensate for your voice comms.
Match you against another Duo: Often, the enemy Duo is a booster and their client, or two highly coordinated “smurfs.”
If you and your friend are just casually chatting and not executing high-level macro strategies, you are taking the matchmaking penalty without using the communication advantage. You are mathematically putting yourself at a severe disadvantage before the game even starts.
2. The Skill Gap and “Heavy Backpacks”
Let’s be completely honest: You and your friend are likely not at the exact same skill level.
Usually, one friend is slightly better, has better map awareness, or plays a more impactful role. The better player ends up carrying a “heavy backpack,” trying to 1v9 the game while their friend struggles to survive the laning phase.
If your friend goes 0/5 in the top lane against a highly-skilled opponent (because of the Duo penalty mentioned above), no amount of friendship is going to save your LP. You are essentially anchoring your own MMR to someone else’s learning curve.
3. The Threat to Your Friendship (Ranked Toxicity)
League of Legends is a highly competitive, stressful environment. When LP is on the line, people get emotional.
If your friend makes a terrible shot-call that loses you the Baron and the game, you will get frustrated. You might not say it out loud, but the tension builds up. “Tilt” is contagious. If your friend starts complaining about their lane opponent, it ruins your mental focus too. Many real-life friendships have suffered because of toxic League of Legends losing streaks.
The Solution: Play for Fun vs. Play to Win
Does this mean you should never play with your friends? Absolutely not! You should absolutely play ARAMs, Flex Queue, and Normal games with them.
But when it comes to your Solo/Duo Ranked climbs, you need to treat your account like an investment. If you want to rank up efficiently, you should only Duo with someone who guarantees a win.
This is why smart players use Professional Duo Boosting.
Instead of queueing up with a buddy who might feed the enemy Yasuo, you queue up with a Challenger-level professional on a Smurf account.
You bypass the Duo Penalty because your partner is mechanically vastly superior to the enemy team.
You learn the game by listening to a top 1% player make macro calls in real-time.
You guarantee your LP gains, turning a stressful coin-flip into a relaxed, educational win streak.
Conclusion
Your real-life friends are great for sharing memes and playing casual matches, but they are not reliable tools for climbing the ranked ladder. Separate your social gaming from your competitive goals. Protect your friendship, protect your MMR, and outsource your competitive Duo games to the professionals.
Rank Up with a True Carry at GoBoost
Ready to experience what it feels like to play alongside a real Challenger? Stop carrying heavy backpacks and start winning.
GoBoost LoL Elo Boosting – Head to our boosting page and select the “Duo Queue” option. We will pair you with an elite, non-toxic professional who will hard-carry your games, teach you high-level macro, and secure your dream rank effortlessly!
