Do you lose RR if you dodge?

Yes, dodging a game in Valorant competitive queue will result in losing 8-12 Rank Rating (RR) points, potentially pushing you below the dreaded -30 RR loss barrier. You also won‘t be able to queue for a period based on how many times you‘ve dodged recently. So while a strategic dodge can help avoid painful defeats, be careful not to overdo it!

Let me provide some deeper insights on exactly what happens when you ditch games during agent select.

RR Penalty for Dodging

Based on crowd-sourced player reports, the RR lost per dodge is:

As you can see in the table, the RR lost ramps up fast. And while a single dodge may let you bank just 3-4 RR, repeated throws put you severely in the hole at 8-12 a pop.

"I once dodged 3 games in a day while warming up. Cost me nearly 30 RR just from dodging before I even played a real match!" remarks Valorant streamer RedFlatline. It can definitely snowball if you aren‘t careful.

Dodging and Demotion Dangers

Demotion happens when your RR passes below the threshold seen on your career page, usually around -30. Will dodging push you below that demotion danger zone?

"I was sitting at 80 RR Gold 3. Two unlucky game losses later I was at 50. I decided to dodge a sketchy matchup which lost me 12 RR…so I got demoted off that 38 RR mark," says Reddit user Ekayos.

So while dodging alone won‘t demote you, stacked with some losses it can certainly trigger that tier downrank if below the cutoff.

Placements and Promos Impacted?

Dodging during placement matches won‘t count as a loss, so feel free to ditch unfavorable pre-rank lobbies strategically.

But beware that dodging during promo series to rank up will count as a lost game for that series! So you generally want to play those out unless you have a clear thrower sabotaging promotion.

MMR vs RR – What Gets Impacted?

MMR is your hidden skill rating used for matchmaking and rank adjustments. RR is the visible rank ladder. Dodging only reduces current RR values, but leaves the underlying MMR untouched:

"When you dodge, your MMR does not change, but RR value drops. So MMR value stays to reflect actual skill, but visible rank decreases as a penalty," explains Valorant dev Morello.

Think of it as your "true skill" being preserved, while taking a surface level RR hit as punishment.

When to Strategically Dodge

Given that dodging avoids MMR impact, there are definitely strategic cases where dodging can be worth the 8-12 RR loss to fight another day:

• Obvious griefers or rage-quitters during agent select
• Very high MMR opponents predicted huge RR loss
• Team refuses to play smoke agent on key map
• Your unreliable internet acting up
• Real life issue pops up needing to walk away briefly

I‘ll never forget this gem of a match where our Jett instalock immediately said "throwing, don‘t care" after hovering over another Duelist getting banned. With the threat of a wasted 30+ minute lose-fest looming, I happily took the RR punch to dodge rather than suffer through that inevitable nightmare.

So weigh whether dodging is the lesser pain versus buckling up for an almost guaranteed slog of a loss game.

Just don‘t go dodging willy nilly without purpose as those penalties ramp up fast. If used judiciously, a strategic ditch can really pay dividends in the long run.

Final Thoughts on Dodging Impact

While eating an 8-12 RR loss stings a bit, viewed through the lens of preserving precious MMR, strategic dodging can help sidestep catastrophe and keep your true skill rating intact.

So make sure to carefully evaluate whether biting that RR bullet to fight another fair fight makes sense or not. But never dodge repeatedly as those penalties will crater your rank rapidly! In moderation, ditching unfavorable games can pay off by protecting your account‘s competitive integrity.