Solo Queue MMR vs Flex MMR in League of Legends Explained
Solo/Duo, Ranked Flex, and Normal games each track their own separate MMR. Your rating in one queue doesn’t carry over to the others, which is why your Flex rank and Solo rank can look completely different.
If you’ve ever wondered why you’re Gold in Solo/Duo but Silver or Platinum in Flex, nothing is broken. You’re looking at two different ratings built from two different sets of games. This guide explains how they relate, why they drift apart, and what Riot changed in 2026 to narrow the gap.
Want to estimate your hidden rating? Use our free MMR checker and enter the rank of the queue you want to check.
Solo Queue vs Flex vs Normal at a Glance
| Solo/Duo | Ranked Flex | Normal games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has its own MMR? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Has a visible rank? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Who you can queue with | Alone or with one friend | Alone, or in groups of 2, 3 or 5 | Groups of various sizes |
| Main focus | Individual skill | Coordinated team play | Casual play and practice |
| Affects other queues’ MMR? | No | No | Only as a starting point for placements |
Is Flex MMR Different From Solo MMR?
Yes. Each ranked queue has an independent MMR. Winning in Flex doesn’t raise your Solo/Duo rating, and losing in Solo/Duo doesn’t hurt your Flex rating. They’re treated as separate ladders.
The reason is simple: the two queues produce very different games. Solo/Duo is mostly strangers playing individually. Flex lets coordinated groups play together, which changes how strong a team can be compared to its individual ranks. Riot keeps the ratings apart so that one queue doesn’t distort the other.
Why Your Flex Rank Doesn’t Match Your Solo Rank
Several things push the two ratings apart:
- You play them differently. Many players grind Solo/Duo seriously and treat Flex as a casual way to play with friends, so they invest less effort in Flex.
- Different opponents. Flex lobbies include premade groups with voice communication, which changes how strong a lobby is compared to the displayed ranks.
- Different game counts. Fewer Flex games means the rating takes longer to settle on your true level.
- Placements. Your Flex placements may have started from a different baseline than your Solo/Duo rating did.
For a refresher on how rank and MMR relate, read MMR vs LP: What’s the Difference?.
What Changed in 2026?
Riot’s 2026 ranked updates addressed a long-standing complaint: Flex lobbies where a player who is Gold in Flex but far higher in Solo/Duo could stomp a lobby of true Gold players.
According to coverage of Riot’s announcement, the studio is bringing Flex ranks more in line with Solo/Duo ranks, shifting Flex MMR so the two ratings overlap more closely. Riot also confirmed that Flex will never push your Solo/Duo MMR upward, so playing Flex can’t inflate your Solo rating.
What this means for you:
- Your Flex rating should now sit closer to your Solo/Duo level than it did before.
- The two are still separate ratings. Closer doesn’t mean identical.
- Big gaps between your queues are less likely than they used to be, though they can still happen, especially if you’ve played one queue much more than the other.
Duo queue also returned in Solo/Duo at every rank, including Challenger, in most regions, which is worth knowing when you plan to queue with a friend.
What Is Normal MMR in League of Legends?
Normal games (Draft Pick and Blind Pick) have their own hidden MMR too. It decides who you’re matched with in normals, but it has no visible rank.
Normal MMR matters in one specific situation: it can serve as a starting reference when you play your first ranked placement games, before the system has any ranked data on you. After that, ranked MMR takes over and your normal games no longer affect it.
So there’s no reason to treat normals as “practice that raises your rank.” Winning normals won’t lift your ranked rating, though they’re a fine place to try new champions without risking LP.
Which Queue Reflects Your Real Skill Best?
For most players, Solo/Duo is the best indicator of individual skill. It has the most games, the widest player pool, and the least variation from party composition.
Flex is a better reflection of how well you play in a coordinated team. A player who is stronger with a regular group, or who prefers communication-heavy play, may do better in Flex than their Solo rank suggests.
If you want your visible rank to represent your personal skill, play Solo/Duo.
How to Estimate Your MMR for Each Queue
Our calculator works from the rank, LP, and recent win rate you enter. To get a useful estimate for each queue:
- Open the MMR checker.
- Enter your Solo/Duo rank, division, LP, and recent win rate, and note the result.
- Run it again with your Flex details.
- Compare the two estimates. A big difference tells you which queue your rating has drifted away from.
Remember that these are unofficial estimates, not Riot’s real numbers.
Common Mistakes About Queue MMR
- “Flex wins will help my Solo rank.” They won’t. Flex never pushes Solo/Duo MMR up.
- “My Flex rank is my real rank.” It reflects your Flex games only.
- “Normal MMR is hidden ranked MMR.” They are separate, apart from the placement starting point.
- “A big gap means something is broken.” It usually means you’ve played one queue far more than the other.
- “I’ll reset my Flex rating by dodging.” Dodging doesn’t change MMR.
If you’re wondering what happens at the start of a new season, see does MMR reset every season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Solo/Duo MMR the same as Flex MMR?
No. Each queue has its own independent MMR. Riot has also adjusted Flex in 2026 so it sits closer to Solo/Duo, but they remain separate ratings.
Why is my Flex rank lower than my Solo rank?
Usually because you’ve played fewer Flex games, played them less seriously, or faced different lobbies. The system rates each queue from the games played in that queue only.
Does Flex affect my Solo/Duo MMR?
No. Riot has confirmed that Flex won’t push your Solo/Duo MMR upward.
Does normal MMR affect ranked?
Only as a starting reference for your first ranked placement games. After that, ranked MMR is calculated from your ranked results.
Is there a visible rank for normal games?
No. Normal games have a hidden MMR but no displayed rank.
Which queue should I play to climb?
Solo/Duo, if you want your rank to reflect your individual skill. Flex is better when you want to play with a regular group.
Can I check my Flex MMR?
Riot doesn’t show it. You can estimate it by entering your Flex rank, LP, and win rate into our MMR checker, keeping in mind it’s an unofficial estimate.