Is Emerald a Rank in Rainbow Six Siege in 2024?

Yes, Emerald is a skill rank introduced to Tom Clancy‘s Rainbow Six Siege in 2022. It sits between Platinum and Diamond in the ranking hierarchy. For players aspiring to reach the highest competitive tiers, understanding the Emerald rank is key.

A Deep Dive on Rainbow Six Siege‘s Emerald Rank

As a passionate Rainbow Six gamer with over 1,000 hours played, I want to provide an in-depth look at the Emerald rank – from its purpose to tips for progression.

Why Was Emerald Added?

In the Ranked 2.0 update, Ubisoft aimed to smooth out progression by better segmenting the playerbase. There was a vast skill leap between Platinum and Diamond that made advancing difficult.

As Ubisoft stated in the 2.0 patch notes:

"Additionally, we are introducing a new Rank between Platinum and Diamond called “Emerald” to soften the steep progression between the upper part of the ladder."

By inserting a bridge rank, skilled players can better calibrate to their true level. Top Platinums now have a new goal before the Diamond grind.

This table outlines the updated MMR thresholds:

As a high Platinum, consistently placing Emerald requires further talent development. Let‘s analyze the competitive differences.

Comparing Platinum to Emerald Skill Levels

Based on my matches post-Emerald introduction, here is how I would characterize the skill gaps:

Platinum

• Solid aim, reaction time, and mechanical skill
• Decent grasp of operator abilities and meta picks
• Can contribute meaningful utility/plants within a team
• Still overly aggressive and take risky peeks
• Struggle with adaptable strategies against higher tiers

Emerald

• Excellent gunskill and crosshair placement
• Advanced ability usage and flexibility across many operators
• Understand optimal positions to control the map
• Change approach against tough teams instead of banging heads
• Reliably win clutches and 1v1 aim duels

The core shooting is crisper. But strategy optimization, communication, and mental composure have a larger influence on match outcomes.

Siege analytics site Siege.gg sums up the intense battles around the 3800 MMR mark:

"Once you enter Emerald, it becomes less about clutching and more about two equally skilled teams trying to out-think each other."

Reaching this prestigious rank means playing near flawlessly while coordinating with similarly gifted teammates.

Step-by-Step Tips for Hitting Emerald

Based on my own journey into Emerald during Operation Solar Raid, here are my top tips for progression:

1. Squad Up

Solo queueing is doable up to high Platinum. But in the Emerald bracket, squad integrity makes all the difference. Find players who synergize agent choices, playstyles and availability. Shared instincts built over hours of play can overwhelm mixed-skill solo teams.

2. Expand Operator Pool

With squad flexibility critical, ensure you can excel with 4-5 attackers and defenders. Understand their optimal loadouts, ability timings and map metas across sites. Be the player that fills missing team composition holes.

3. Analyze Losses

Download your Emerald-level matches and analyze forensically. How did their attack crack your defense? What smart flanks/vertical plays gained advantages? Reverse engineer success and integrate new strategies.

4. Prioritize Information

Soundwhoring via spatial audio cues and communication is essential for making informed plans. Droning and holding critical angles also denies intel from enemies, keeping your squad steps ahead.

5. Improve Crosshair Placement

Seemingly small improvements in crosshair head level placement and pre-fire readiness make winning key gunfights more consistent. Analyze your replay aim and positioning to remove errors.

With dedicated practice, the Emerald barrier can be broken! Let‘s look closer at gameplay within the rank itself.

Gameplay Inside the Emerald Tier

Life inside the Emerald bracket is exhilarating but punishing. Rounds flip rapidly if you lose individual duels or waste gadgets. Some key observations:

Attacker Side

On attack, teams play contact heavy to trade deaths and overwhelm anchors on site. Having flex players who entry while also planting is highly advantageous.

Bringing well-timed ability combinations also nets multi-kills, like Fuze charges forcing movement into peeks from a Glaz. Creative vertical attacks are also common – using Buck or Sledge above/below to catch rotations.

Defender Side

defense requires masterful positioning around objectivies to deny plants for long durations. Aggressive deep roamers who waste time are rare – holding nearby hidey holes that attract attack cleared is smarter.

Line of sight blocking operators like Goyo, Azami and even Castle have become staples for their denying plant abilities. Their gadgets stall execute pushes masterfully at high levels.

Here is a snapshot of strong operators currently in the Emerald meta, based on my own match data:

As a passionate Siege gamer, it‘s been eye-opening competing in Emerald showdowns. Perfecting fundamentals while incorporating smarter macro strategy has proven the path to success.

For any players considering the road to Emerald, I welcome you to squad up with me! Now let‘s examine the interplay with Siege‘s newest competitive map.

Is There a Link Between Emerald Rank and Emerald Plains?

Emerald Plains is the vibrant Mexican map added alongside the Emerald rank in 2022. But despite the name overlap, the two Emerald introductions are not directly related.

The vibrant locale was initially planned as a rework of existing map Bartlett University. But during development, Ubisoft decided to build an entirely fresh competitive environment modeled on a corporate complex.

While Emerald rank judges player skill, Emerald Plains tests map knowledge. Learning the intricate callouts, camera spots, and breach points specific to Plains is mandatory before playing ranked.

In my matches so far, the flowing design and interactive elements like the moving railcart have created dynamic gunfights. The mix of open gardens and tight security rooms means diversifying attacker entry points.

So while Plains itself doesn‘t influence the criteria for entering Emerald tier, excelling on the map certainly helps players hone the flexibility needed to triumph in Ranked 2.0. Consider grinding Plains for improvement before the final Emerald push!

Closing Thoughts on Reaching R6‘s Emerald Skill Tier

The introduction of the Emerald rank has made the path to Siege glory more granular. For those with sharp reflexes but developing strategy, it represents a stepping stone between seasoned Platinums and masterful Diamonds.

While an intimidating next frontier, I believe that passionate players willing to scrutinize losses, upgrade fundamentals and build squad synergy can overcome the 3800 MMR hurdle.

Through my own hard-fought ascent to Emerald during Operation Solar Raid, I‘ve compiled key observations to help willing players evaluate and progress.

If you have any other questions on mastering Emerald ranked play, don‘t hesitate to ask me below! I‘m excited to squad up with readers for the competitive grind as we unlock our true Rainbow Six potential.