Valve is getting closer to perfecting Deadlock’s matchmaking. It will now take into account your strengths and weaknesses when playing with each hero.

Deadlock's matchmaking is a far cry from the MOBA that exploded in popularity with playtesters just a few short months ago. Valve introduced ranked play which sorted players into 11 different ranks based on their skill level. This led to some issues, which have been mostly resolved in the most recent update.

Developer Yoshi announced the update in a post. "There is no longer a split between normal and ranking matchmaking, only one primary mode of matchmaking, and no time limit." This is good news for those who don't wish to play ranked games but still want to compete with their opponents. Now, MMR will be assigned to casual matches. The update to the way ranked matches are played seems to be more important.

Previously, players were only allowed to queue for ranked games for a few hours each day in the late afternoon. This limited time meant that I often missed out on playing ranked matches and, as a result, found it hard to reach the seven games per week required to receive a ranking update. Valve initially required players to play seven games in order to get a better understanding of the skill level of Deadlock's players. It was necessary to collect additional data on each player so that the developers could assign them appropriately in one of 11 ranks.

This requirement has been removed from the latest update. Yoshi says that badges will be updated immediately when you gain or loss enough MMR for a change. You no longer need to wait a full week or play certain games. There may be a reset of the global rank every month to compensate for miscalculations due to cheaters or new players. Yoshi confirms that matches played in the early morning hours will be given less weight, as there are fewer players online.

There are no longer any restrictions on the size of your party for MMR consideration. However, if your party has a wide range of ranks, you may encounter some erratic matchmaking.

The introduction of hero MMR is the last major change in matchmaking. When you queue, we'll match you based upon the hero's MMR. If you are unfamiliar with a hero or have played worse than usual, you will be placed in a match that is easier than your normal.

Deadlock will rank your skills for each hero based on the last 20 games that you played with them. There will be a new UI to show you how you are doing with each hero. Yoshi emphasizes that this feature may change. The developers would like to hear your feedback.

I'm very happy to see MMR added to Deadlock. The difference in my skill between playing Seven or Vindicta - heroes I've spent time and effort improving - and heroes like Kelvin or Grey Talon - heroes I don't often play – is very noticeable. In the past, I would almost always stick to what I knew in order for me to maintain or improve my rank. I would almost always feel punished if I tried to branch out and chose a hero that I wasn't familiar with by the other team. This change will hopefully allow me to improve my skills with new heroes as I'll be placed in matches at my level.

The patch released yesterday was a major one. It overhauled Walkers' attacks, defenses, and added three new items. A new voice actor was also introduced for Patrons. It's always nice to see Deadlock make these kinds of improvements. The game has changed dramatically from a fun MOBA with a few scuffs to surprisingly polished, despite being technically in closed beta. These matchmaking updates have resolved some of my issues with ranked play, and I think they've made Deadlock a better game.