Ranked Games are about trying hard and competing to the best of your ability. Meanwhile, Free-to-Play champions let you try out a new champion and see if you like it. These are really conflicting goals, so we wanted to investigate disabling the Free-to-Play rotation for Ranked Solo/Duo Queue.
We found some interesting statistics:
•If a player on your team is fielding a champion he doesn’t own, you’re 8% more likely to lose the game.
•A teammate fielding a champion he doesn’t own is 62% more likely to leave the game.
•If a player in your game is fielding a champion he doesn’t own, the game is 34% more likely to result in a player being reported.
That’s a big deal in such a competitive environment, so we’re making a change to keep the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue as competitive as possible. We’re removing the option to select champions you haven’t unlocked in the Ranked Solo/Duo Queue as of May 22nd. If you have a champion unlocked and it’s on the Free-to-Play rotation, you can still play that champion.
We’re leaving the Free-to-Play rotation intact for Normal Games because they fit with the spirit of Free-to-Play champions. In Ranked Teams, your teammates should already be aware of your intentions to play a champion you don’t own, so we want to leave you that option.