Valve adds ranked play in Deadlock and the countdown to the first match begins now

Deadlock has received a lot of great patches in recent months. Heroes are buffed or nerfed so fast that a meta isn't formed yet. The latest update is the biggest yet because it finally introduces ranked play.

In a blog, Valve developer Yoshi said: "We've been testing a different approach to ranking during early development. We expect to iterate upon it in the future." The focus of this mode is to concentrate players into specific time slots where they can opt in to games where the primary emphasis is on game quality.

After the recent update, there's a new UI that lets you choose from a variety of options, including a standard match, against bots or private bots. You can also select a sandbox match, a custom match and, soon, ranked play.

Ranked play will begin on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 pm BST/3 pm ET/12 PT. This gives players plenty of time to prepare for the challenge ahead. Deadlock requires you to play 50 matches before you can enter ranked play. Deadlock matches can last for hours (I've played in games that lasted more than an hour). If you haven’t reached 50 yet, I recommend playing some Deadlock this weekend. If you have "behavioural restrictions," it doesn't really matter how many games that you've played. You're still barred from entering.

Since I first started playing the beta of Deadlock a few month ago, I've been waiting eagerly for an improved matchmaking system. I'm still in games where the teams are alternating between crushing one another and being utterly defeated, so a system that groups people better would be a welcome change. It's important to keep in mind that the system is still under development and ranked play will not be as dynamic as players are used to.

Yoshi says that every Tuesday at 7pm BST we will run an algorythm that calculates everyone's performances at the same time, based on how you've performed in the games you played, and how your opponents have fared in subsequent games. Medals will only be updated one time per week. This allows for an analysis of a large set of match data at once, rather than a fixed addition/subtraction per game.

Yoshi explains that you will also need to play seven games to qualify for a medal in the following week. "In order to ensure there is enough data available to cross-reference other players, it's important to play at least seven to be eligible." If you don't play seven games in the week before, your medal is marked as undefined. You will have to play more and earn a medal the next Tuesday. There will be no rank stagnation, which is good news for players who are used to climbing up the ranks and then waiting for the next year.

There are 11 medals total, and six levels for each. We don't yet know what they will be, but I hope that there is some alchemical reference given Deadlock's magic. You'll only be matched up with other players who have the same rank after you receive a medal. While this is a welcome improvement, it will be interesting how this restriction affects queue times. But that's another problem.

The only problem I've had with ranked play is that it's not possible to group up with your friends. It'll be an experience of climbing alone for the time being, but we hope to be able climb with our friends soon.

Yoshi says that you'll only be able queue up at certain times. "[The queue] is open every day from 1 pm-4pm and 7 pm-10pm in the respective time zone," he says. "Each region has multiple time zones that you can choose from to find the one that best suits your schedule. You can only change it once per week." The server that has the lowest ping will be assigned to the players. I had to choose between East and West EU times.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Deadlock's ranked play is like. I expect some chaotic matches in the first week as everyone is still finding their feet. But hopefully, after that we can all stay in our lanes and just be happy.