Dota 2: How to get Started in Ranked

It’s common in online multiplayer games to have a ranked match system that classifies players into divisions based on their performance. Dota is no different. The game has a large competitive scene, with prizes for the best players in the world. But even the greatest Dota professionals started their careers in the game's ranked matches, like any other. In this article, we’ll talk about this system and share some tips on how to start climbing the ranked ladder in the best possible way.

Medals and MMR System

MMR is an acronym that stands for Matchmaking Rating and is the unit of measurement of the skill that a player demonstrates in their matches. A new account, after playing 100 hours of casual matches, will be able to access the ranked matches menu and will need to calibrate their account by playing 10 matches in this mode. After that, the game will map their victories and defeats and determine the player's approximate MMR, placing them in one of the game's ranked divisions, the medals.

There are eight medals in total, namely Herald, Guardian, Crusader, Archon, Legend, Ancient, Divine and Immortal. Each of the medals up to Divine has subdivisions represented by stars, with five stars in total per medal. Immortal is the only rank that is divided differently from the tops (top 1000, top 100 and top 10).

When a player reaches a certain MMR, they move up in the ranks and any player with skill and experience can go from Herald 1 to Immortal, a feat that is the dream of many Dota players.

Ranked Game Modes

Ranked matches, like any other Dota match, will put you against a team of five random players if you’re looking to play solo, or against another party if you’re in one. You can choose to play in a role-based mode or play in a classic mode where your team must match roles.

There are also Captain and Draft modes. In Captain Mode, the player with the highest MMR will be the captain and will decide the heroes and roles of each other player on their team, selecting them in turns. In Draft, players will receive a random hero or can opt for Dynamic Draft, where each player can choose a hero in an orderly fashion, allowing for unusual combinations.

Now we enter a vital part for success in matches: choosing the hero to play. This also involves choosing the role. As I’ve explained in previous articles, each team has two supports, an offlaner, a midlaner and the Carry. Each of these has its own functions and objectives throughout the game.

The supports will help their duos stay in the lane, farm and will also punish the enemies, in addition to rotating at the beginning of the game to help the neighboring lanes. The offlaner is the one who will initiate the fights, execute ambushes and take the front line, tanking the enemy team initially. The midlaner will command the game from the middle until near the end, helping the other two lanes as needed, and the carry is the guy who will resolve the game at the end, carrying his team to victory.

With this in mind, you should choose your heroes according to the role you want to play in the match. In the lower elos, players are considered “beginners” and continue to learn much of the game’s basic mechanics, something you should master before starting your journey through Ranked. Farming, items, skills, lane and rune control, combat, all of this is essential knowledge to perform any role, but none of it is worth it if you don’t know how the heroes work.

Your first task when starting a ranked match is to choose 3 to 5 heroes that serve the chosen position and play them constantly until you master them completely. If your first choice in the match is banned, there will be four others that are just as good.

For beginners, it’s recommended to choose the carry role at least at the beginning, and you need to understand what each hero does to be able to choose your hero menu. However, some carry heroes are easier for those who are learning the game. Juggernaut, Phantom Assassin and Ursa are great choices to start with. As you progress through the medals, you can consider trying out different roles and adding more heroes to your roster.