Ranking System
How ELO works
The LineWar leaderboard uses an ELO rating system to measure relative player skill. All 1v1 matches in the dataset are processed - both ranked and non-ranked. After each match that counts toward the rating, the winner gains points and the loser loses points. The amount exchanged depends on the rating difference between both players: beating a higher-rated opponent yields a larger gain, while losing to a lower-rated opponent costs more.
There are no draws - every processed match produces exactly one winner and one loser.
Want to learn more about the general idea? Read about the Elo rating system on Wikipedia.
How you gain or lose points
Think of your rating like a score on a leaderboard. After each match, points move from the loser to the winner.
- Beat someone with more points than you? You gain a lot.
- Beat someone with fewer points than you? You gain a little.
- Lose to someone with more points than you? You lose a little.
- Lose to someone with fewer points than you? You lose a lot.
That is why beating a strong player feels like a big win, and losing to a weaker player hurts more. Every player starts at 1000 points.
The formula
newRating = playerRating + K × (result - expected)
LineWar calculates your new rating in two steps. You do not need to do this yourself - the system handles it after every valid match.
Step 1: Expected result
Before looking at who won, the system asks: how likely was each player to win? It compares both ratings. If your opponent has many more points, they are the favorite and you are the underdog. The bigger the gap, the stronger that expectation becomes.
| Parameter | What it means | LineWar value |
|---|---|---|
| Your rating | Your current points before the match | Varies per player |
| Opponent rating | The other player's points before the match | Varies per player |
| Rating divisor | Controls how much a rating gap changes expectations | 400 |
| Expected score | Your estimated chance of winning, from 0% (unlikely) to 100% (very likely) | Calculated |
Step 2: Rating update
After the match, the system compares the real result with the expected result. If you beat the odds, you gain extra points. If you fail to meet expectations, you lose more. The size of the change is scaled by the K-factor.
| Parameter | What it means | LineWar value |
|---|---|---|
| Match result | Win counts as 1, loss counts as 0. There are no draws. | 1 or 0 |
| Expected score | Your estimated win chance from Step 1, shown as a percentage | Calculated |
| K-factor | How many points can move in a single match | 40 |
| Starting rating | Every player begins here when a ranking is recalculated | 1000 |
In short: new rating = your old rating + adjustment. The adjustment is the K-factor multiplied by how much you over- or under-performed compared to expectations. The final value is rounded to the nearest whole number.
Example
Player A (1000) vs Player B (1200):
| Player | Expected score | If they win | If they lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player A (1000) | 24% | +30 | -10 |
| Player B (1200) | 76% | +10 | -30 |
Two independent rankings
The leaderboard offers two scopes, selectable from the submenu:
- Current Season - only matches played since the season start date are counted.
- All Time - the full match history is included.
Both rankings are calculated independently. Every player starts at 1000 points when a ranking is recalculated, regardless of their rating in the other scope.
Match rules
A match is counted toward your rating only if it passes every rule below. If a match breaks any rule, it is excluded from the ranking calculation but still appears in match history.
- 1v1 only. Only matches with exactly two players are evaluated.
- Ranked and non-ranked. Both match types are processed. The match type label does not matter.
- Default handicap - this is important! Standard handicap value: 1 Both players must keep the default handicap with value 1 (no starting or gain advantage). If either player uses any value other than 1, the match is always excluded from the ranking.
- Minimum duration - this is important! At least 5 minutes of play Matches that end before 5 minutes are always excluded from the ranking, no matter who wins. Make sure your game lasts long enough to count.
- Anti-farming. Only the first 4 matches between the same two players within 24 hours count. Any additional match in that window is excluded.
You can view excluded matches on the Last and Top pages by toggling the excluded filter.
Player stats
- Points - current ELO rating
- Change - rating change from the player's most recent counted match
- Wins / Loses - count of valid matches won and lost (excludes inactivity decay events)
- Avg Opponent Elo - average rating of opponents faced in valid matches (visible on player profiles)
Inactivity decay (work in progress)
When enabled, the following rules apply to the Current Season ranking only:
- 14-day grace period with no penalty
- After the grace period: -2 points per day of inactivity (PerDay mode)
- Rating cannot drop below 1000
- Excluded matches do not reset the grace period
All Time rankings are never affected by inactivity decay.