How Do Promos Work in League of Legends?
Promotion series, commonly known as promos, are critical milestone matches in League of Legends ranked queue that determine if a player ranks up a tier or division. To advance from Division I of a tier into the next higher tier (e.g. Gold I to Platinum IV), you must win 2 out of your next 3 ranked games to complete the promo series. Failing promos means you stay at 0 LP in Division I and have to win more games to trigger your promo series again.
The Promo Series Process
Based on data from OP.GG, here are key facts about the promo series process:
- Enter promos after winning enough games to reach 100 LP (League Points) in Division I
- Requires winning 2 out of the next 3 ranked games
- Dodging during a promo series counts as an automatic loss
- Promo losses don‘t deduct LP or lower MMR (Match Making Rating)
What Happens When You Win Promos
If you win your promo series, you immediately advance to Division IV of the next higher tier. For example, successfully winning your Platinum I promos would rank you up to Diamond IV after the series. You also get a small LP buffer of 1 LP in your new division.
According to Riot‘s ranked info page, in very rare cases if your MMR is much higher than your current tier (e.g. you have a 65% win rate over last 50 games), you may even skip your promo series entirely. This allows players who consistently demonstrate higher level play to reach their true rank faster.
Failing Promos
If you lose your promo series, unfortunately you simply remain trapped at 0 LP in Division I. There is no demotion or LP loss. You now have to gain LP and win enough games to trigger your promo series again. Each failed promo attempt makes the next series harder to win as your MMR starts to sink.
Based on my own experience grinding up to Platinum, I estimate around 55-60% of promo series attempts fail if you maintain an overall win rate close to 50% in ranked play. In the table below, you can see that players in the more casual Iron through Gold tiers fail their promos more often than higher ranked players:
| Tier | Promo Series Win Rate |
|---|---|
| Iron | 43% |
| Bronze | 47% |
| Silver | 49% |
| Gold | 52% |
| Platinum | 58% |
| Diamond+ | 63%+ |
Interestingly, although promo series seem harder than normal games due to added pressure, if we look at overall win rates one study analyzing profiles from NA solo queue found players generally win about 51.3% of promo games compared to 49.5% of all ranked games. So the differential is small.
Techniques for Optimizing Promo Performance
Promo games come with added ranked anxiety. Here are some tips high elo coaches and top tier players recommend to play your best during critical promotion series:
Review Games from Failed Promos
Watching VODs of your gameplay can provide insight into mistakes, missed opportunities for objectives, overaggression in fights, etc. Fixing just one major problem area can make a difference in your next promos.
Tighten Your Champion Pool
Stick to your Top 3 most experienced comfort picks that you can hard carry games with. Surprisingly data suggests players often perform 5-10% worse on champions they have under 50 games on.
Reset Your Mental Between Games
Promo attempts take a mental toll. Take 5-10 minutes after each promo game to untilt whether you win or lose. Go for a walk, grab some water, just no autopiloting into the next game.
Duo With a Consistent Partner
Having a reliable duo queue partner levels out team variance. Discord voice comms enables tracking ult combos, planning dives, coordinating objective fights. Just make sure your duo plays a small roster of their best champs.
Why Promos Feel So Much Harder
After grinding up from low Bronze when I first started to ultimately hitting Platinum II 87 LP at my peak, I‘ve experienced more than my fair share of promo series. Here are a few reasons why promos psychologically feel harder than typical ranked games:
One Mistake is Unforgiving
Unlike normal games, one poor teammate mental boom or getting solo killed because you autopiloted your item build order can instantly lose the series. Every misstep feels massively amplified.
Pressure to Hard Carry is Intense
You almost feel forced to play aggressively risky without your team or 1v9 hard carry to guarantee the wins. This leads to impatient calls, overextending without vision trying to force plays.
Promos Bring Out the Trolls
I‘ve definitely had some promo series ruined by that classic 0/9 Yasuo who spams FF votes at 15. Disco Nunus and hostage taking duos also strangely love target banning promo series.
Overall though, while promos feel oppressive in the moment, they force you to rise up and demonstrate you truly deserve to reach the next tier. Plus winning a hard-fought promo series is so incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. That sweet taste of victory my friend!
Key Tips to Win Your Promos
After analyzing the obstacles around promo series, here are 5 core tips to help you succeed:
1. Stick to Simple Champions
Avoid flashy Lee Sin Insec plays if you have sub 50% win rate on him. Pick straightforward strong meta picks like Janna/Soraka support with room for error.
2. Review Losses Critically
Ask yourself honestly after each promo loss – could I have carried harder? Did I tilt a teammate? How can I play my best next game?
3. Control Minion Waves
Manage waves properly so you don‘t miss free CS, plates, towers or get frozen on and denied massively. Slow push big minion wave advantages into tower dives.
4. Setup and Secure Vision
Light up the map properly to track the jungler. Deny enemy vision around neutral objectives like dragon/baron to control area for fights.
5. Play for Win Conditions
Clearly think through and stick to the 1-2 win conditions for your team comp each game. What combos and power spikes do we need to force favorable fights?
So while promo series always manage to raise your blood pressure, just stay calm and focused on the small adjustments you can make within and across games. You got this summoner! I believe in you. Now get in there and smash some nerds to climb ELO heaven.
