To unlock ranked you need 60 wins in Standard on your account and at least 3 heroes with 15 wins each. Then you play 8 calibration matches on your own, and you get your first rank.
The requirements
- 60 Standard wins. Only wins count, and only in Standard. Losses and Street Brawl games don't move the counter.
- 3 heroes with 15 wins each, also in Standard. A hero can only be picked in ranked once it has 15 wins, so this also decides which heroes you can play there.
- Solo or duo. You can queue solo or as a duo. A duo partner has to be within one rank of you, up or down. At Eternus, duo partners have to be within three subranks of each other.
The ranked screen in the game shows how far along you are with each requirement.
Calibration
Your first 8 ranked matches are calibration matches, and you have to play them solo. They decide where you start. There's a limit on how high you can start, so even a perfect run of calibration matches won't put you straight into the top ranks.
How rank points work
Each win gives you about 300 rank points, and each loss takes about the same away. The exact number moves a little depending on how the matchmaker expected the match to go, and win streaks add a bonus on top.
- 1,000 points moves you up one subrank, for example from Ritualist II to Ritualist III.
- 2,000 points takes you from the last subrank of a rank to the first of the next, for example from Mystic VI to Ritualist I.
There are 11 ranks, each with six subranks (I to VI): Initiate, Seeker, Acolyte, Sentinel, Mystic, Ritualist, Emissary, Oracle, Phantom, Ascendant and Eternus.
Demotion protection
Going up a subrank gives you 2 demotion protection tokens, and going up a full rank gives you 5. If you lose a match that would drop you down a rank while you have tokens, you keep your rank and use up a token instead.
The top rank
Eternus works a little differently. You still win and lose points in the same way, but subranks aren't fixed point amounts there. Once a day, every Eternus player gets a subrank based on where they sit among all Eternus players.
Is your rank good?
The rank distribution shows how many players are in each rank, and every rank has its own page with the share of players at it or above. The current part ends soon: see when the ranked season ends.
Quick answers
How many wins do you need for ranked in Deadlock?
60 wins in Standard, plus 3 heroes with at least 15 wins each.
Can you play ranked with friends in Deadlock?
Only as a duo, with one friend who is within one rank of you. Bigger parties can't queue for ranked.
How many placement matches are there in Deadlock ranked?
8 calibration matches, and you have to play them solo.
How many rank points do you get for a win?
About 300. It changes a little from match to match, and win streaks add extra.