LoL Dodge: Queue Dodging Explained | RiftFeed
This is why you shouldn't dodge games

LoL Dodge: Queue Dodging Explained

More 08-06-2023 11:30
Jungler Master Yi
Dodging games in LoL just ain't it guys. | © Riot Games

Dodging games in League of Legends might seem like a good solution to a bad match-up, but Riot has been fighting against constant queue dodgers with penalties. Dodging in LoL means you're making others wait longer for a game, and also penalizing yourself in the long run. 

When it comes to dodging it might seem like a good idea at times, but some people abuse dodging to help them in their climb in solo queue, while also making the queue environment for players worse. So, what penalties will those who dodge in LoL face? 


LoL Dodge: What is Queue Dodging in League of Legends? 

As the name suggest already, dodging is leaving a game lobby before the match has even started. Riot, on their support page, have explained that every time a player presses the Play button they enter an unspoken agreement with 9 other players. 

Sick of K'Sante? Counter him with these champions instead of dodging games:

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While there can be circumstances that cause someone to dodge, life happens after all, every player dodging a game will face the same penalties. So, if you leave the game while in champion select or while banning Yasuo for the millionth time, you will be penalized, because you, along with nine other players technically queued up to play and by leaving you force those nine other players back into the queue. 

Depending on the elo you're in, that could mean another minute or so of wait time, while higher elo players could wait for ten minutes or even longer. That's why, Riot has implemented penalties for players who consistently dodge games. 

How to Dodge Games in League of Legends

While we do not suggest you go out and dodge all of your ranked games, it is actually very simple how to dodge them. Simply, while in champion select, exit out of the League of Legends client. This way you will be thrown out of the game and all of your former teammates, unless they're pre-mades, get thrown into the queue once more to find a new game. 

Why Do Players Dodge Games in League of Legends

Some players dodge games because this can help them with their MMR. By dodging games, players will lose LP, which in turn widens the gap between a player's LP and MMR, thus the players will be able to gain more LP after dodging a few times. Some players abuse this system to quickly gain ranks after queue dodging games. 

Other payers also dodge when they see an unfavourable match up or a champion they don't like to play against. So, even though players receive one champion ban when playing ranked or draft, they could still end up facing a champion they hate or a champion that heavily counters their pick. 

LoL Dodge Penalties

Depending on the game mode you choose to play, there are different penalties that can be applied. The frequency of dodging behaviour is also taken into account when applying the penalty. 

These are the penalties that players can receive for queue dodging in LoL: 

Queue1 Dodge2+ Dodges3+ Dodges
Solo/Flex Ranked Queue
  • 6 minute queue penalty
  • -3 LP
  • 30 minute queue penalty
  • -10 LP
  • 720 minute (12 hours) queue penalty
  • -10 LP
Classic (Normal) Queue
  • 6 minute queue penalty
  • 15 minute queue penalty
  • 720 minute (12 hours) queue penalty
ARAM Queue
  • 15 minute queue penalty
  • Lose all used rerolls
  • 30 minute queue penalty
  • Lose all used rerolls
  • 720 minute (12 hours) queue penalty
  • Lose all used rerolls

Riot also notes that a player's dodge penalty will automatically decrease by one tier every 12 hours. So if you've already dodged ones in the evening, then you can wait another 12 hours before you're out of the dodge penalty tier again. 

Dodging Promotional Series Games

For players who choose to dodge a promo series game when ranking up from one Rank to the next, the game will be counted as a loss. 

If you dodge the final game of a series, it will count as a loss and the series will end.

Some players also dodge their promotional series on purpose to stay in a lower tier and to make the disparity between their MMR and LP bigger, thus earning more LP later on while they continue to play League of Legends. 

Little devil teemo
Even if you see Teemo... is 10 LP worth the dodge? | © Riot Games

Dodging in Normal and Ranked Games Within 12-Hours

If a player was to dodge a game in a normal game and then in ranked, the dodge from the normal game will carry over. This means that a player will be treated as though they dodged two ranked games and have the penalty for 2+ games in ranked applied. 

Dodging in ARAM

Players who dodge in ARAM will have all of their rerolls taken away as a penalty. If you are in an ARAM and someone else dodges, any spent rerolls will be given back to the player for their next ARAM match since it is not their fault someone left the game. 

Dodging in ARAM is quite common since players are given random champions to play with and sometimes, even after re-rolling twice, no champion someone wants or knows how to play is available, making them dodge. 

Can You Get Dodging Penalties For Ready Check As Well? 

Ready Check is the pop-up most League of Legends players know when they play LoL. When enough players around the same rank are found you'll have to accept the Ready Check to be able to play the game. 

If a player fails to accept the Ready Check too often after one another, a queue ban, as well as LP loss in Ranked games will be forced upon the player. 

  • Declining or missing the Ready Check too many times in a Ranked queue will result in a 6 minute ban from all queues and a loss of 3 LP.
  • The penalty is increased to 10 LP for continuing to miss Ready Checks.
  • Each subsequent miss increases the length of the timed queue ban and imposes a 10 LP penalty.

If a player continues to miss the Ready Check, then even more LP penalties will be applied to the account. Riot also notes that the Ready Check penalties from different queue types will carry over to other ones. So if you keep missing your Ready Queue in Normal games and then miss it in Ranked, the penalties of the previous queue type will carry over to the ranked ones too. 

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Sabrina Ahn

Sabrina Ahn is the League of Legends and Riftfeed Lead. During her time at Concordia University in 2014 she fell in love with League of Legends and esports and has been playing LoL since then – how she hasn't lost...