How to double your rank in Valorant

Everyone dreams and craves a swift climb up the ranks, bypassing more than one ranked tier whenever you hit 100RR.

In Valorant, achieving a double rank up is the ultimate testament to a player's exceptional skill and performance in their current ranked tier.

But what exactly triggers this elusive promotion, and how can you position yourself to achieve it? 

What is a double rank up in Valorant?

In Valorant, a double rank up refers to climbing up two ranked tiers instead of one (eg. Gold I to Gold III) when you hit the 100RR threshold required to rank up.

This coveted moment occurs when Riot’s system notices that you’re playing much better than the average player in your elo and that you deserve to be in a higher rank than your current one.

As a result, instead of giving you a single rank up, the system rewards you with an automatic rank up of two tiers at once.

That being said, this system isn’t only in place to reward the player with a double rank up who is overperforming in a certain elo.

It is primarily enforced to create fair and balanced matchmaking by sparing the average players from those who are significantly superior and deserve to be higher up the ladder.

Why did I double rank up in Valorant?

While there are several reasons why the system recognized your performances as superior to those of your ranked peers, the main metric that determines a double rank up is your hidden MMR.

This is because of the concept of MMR range and a double rank up occurs to manage it appropriately.

When your MMR becomes too high for your current ranked tier, the game automatically promotes you further to correct the difference between your in-game rank and your hidden matchmaking rating (MMR).

Mathematically speaking, a double rank up occurs when your account’s MMR becomes four or more ranked tiers higher than your current in-game rank (eg. Platinum I MMR and Silver III rank).

In such a scenario, your MMR needs to stabilize and be within three ranks, which is the reason for your double promotion.

What is MMR?

If you’re unfamiliar with MMR, it’s a point-based system that serves as the backbone of determining your true standing on Valorant’s ranked ladder.

It is fully hidden behind the visible in-game ranks (eg. Gold, Silver), operating behind the curtains as the main engine behind the Valorant’s ranked system.

The main reason why it’s hidden behind visible ranks is because it operates on a complex algorithm, taking multiple factors into account including your KDA, win rate, in-game performance and contribution.

Double rank up vs smurfing

The main reason why the double rank up method exists is to maintain balanced matchmaking across all ranked games with no players who are substantially better than other players in that elo.

In most cases, players who are much more skilled than those in the elo they’re currently playing in already have an account ranked higher in the ladder.

These players are the so-called smurfs and the accounts they’re playing on are called smurf accounts.

There are many reasons why players play on smurf accounts nowadays, main one being the need for relaxation after playing stressful solo queue games.

Playing on smurf accounts gives players the opportunity to play with less pressure and test out new Agents, roles, and strategies.

As the popularity of smurfing rose, the method of double promotion was introduced to protect players as smurfs would reach their real rank much faster and dominate fewer unbalanced matches.

How to double rank up in Valorant?

Since double promotions are tightly tied with having a massive lead in MMR over your ranked peers, in order to trigger a double promotion, you must increase your MMR.

Here are some of the best and most consistent methods to do so.

Win streaks

Going on a massive win streak of winning 5-10 games in a row is one of the best ways to increase your matchmaking rating.

When you start winning consecutively and putting in good performances, the system will recognize that your skill level is above your current rank.

If this disparity between your hidden rank and your visible one becomes too large, you’ll trigger a double promotion.

On top of that, extended win streaks can increase your MMR to a point where the system confuses you for a smurf account, resulting in a double rank up.

Dominante placement games

During the phase of hard ranked resets in Valorant after an Episode finishes, players are required to replay the 5 placement matches.

Since these matches are supposed to determine your in-game rank after the reset, they are worth more MMR than a regular ranked game.

As a result, overperforming in these games in departments such as KDA and win rate will reward you with more MMR than usual and give you a solid foundation to build a win streak.

Play with top fraggers

Winning in the solo queue can be a challenging task, especially when your teammates are massively skill-gapped by your opponents.

To reduce the likelihood of this affecting the game’s outcome, you should play with duos and teams that are skilled at the game and can help you carry.

If you don’t already have an established group of friends who you’re climbing the ranks with, simply start adding top fraggers after games, regardless of the team they’ve played on.

Playing with these players will even out the odds and reduce this random teammate factor affecting your ranked win rate.