Queue dodging refers to the acts of either repeatedly refusing to enter the champion select screen, or prematurely leaving it. Dodging results in the lobby being cancelled and the player incurring a time penalty and additional penalties, varying by queue.
Dodging takes place either intentionally, or unintentionally as a result of technical mishaps such as a computer crash. Lobbies being dodged and delayed is generally considered to degrade matchmaking integrity and quality; nevertheless, Riot provides the freedom of dodging games as a solution to various unexpected disruptions.
Dodging does not affect the player's MMR in the respective queue.
Methods[]
The quickest and most common method of dodging is to close the client before champion select is over, definitively severing the game client's connection to the server. The player can also fail to lock in a pick before the timer runs out, which will also cancel champion select.
Penalties[]
Dodging any queue always imposes a time penalty, which prevents the player from entering all queues temporarily, and may impose additional penalties, both varying by queue type of the last queue dodged.
Penalties present in a tiered system:
- The tier increases by 1 for the first dodge and any subsequent dodges within 24 hours of the last penalty incurred (or none for the first tier).
- The tier decreases by 1 every 12 hours since the last dodge penalty incurred. Dodge penalty tiers stack among queues: for example, if a player dodges a Normal game, then dodges a Ranked game, they will incur the time penalty and any specific penalties as the second dodge tier in a Ranked queue.
If two or more players dodge simultaneously (e.g. when not picking a champion and letting the timer run out), both incur a penalty.
Time penalties[]
| Queue type | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 6 minutes | 30 minutes | 720 minutes |
| Ranked | 6 minutes | 30 minutes | 720 minutes |
| ARAM | 15 minutes | 30 minutes | 720 minutes |
| Co-Op vs. AI | 6 minutes | 30 minutes | 720 minutes |
| Featured Game Mode | 6 minutes | 30 minutes | 720 minutes |
Other penalties[]
Some queues may impose other penalties in addition to a time penalty.
ARAM game penalties[]
- If rerolls were used during champion select, the queue-dodging player loses them.
- If someone else dodges, any spent rerolls are refunded.
Ranked game[]
- A League Points penalty for the current queue:
- -5 LP upon reaching the first tier
- -15 LP upon reaching the second tier and for each subsequent dodge
LP penalties issued via dodging cannot cause a demotion, but they may stack until hard-capped at -100 LP.
Ready Check Failure[]
- For information about the Ready check, see Queuing and Matchmaking#Ready check.
In order to prevent abuse, declining or missing a Ready Check too many times in a row results in dodge penalties as well.
- On the first failure, the player receives a warning that their next miss will result in a penalty.
- The second failure in a row will result in a penalty that is equivalent to tier 1, including the respective LP penalty for Ranked queues.
- The third failure in a row will result in a penalty that is equivalent to tier 2, including the respective LP penalty for Ranked queues.
- Each subsequent failure will result in a time penalty of 720 minutes (equivalent to tier 3) but the LP penalty is modified to -10 LP for Ranked queues.
Reasons[]
Intentional[]
Queue dodging is known to be intentionally employed for a number of reasons where a player may be dissatisfied with the lobby's setup. There are two key aspects to consider: team composition and teammate conduct; these can also be inter-related.
A player may not feel confident playing with or against certain team compositions, because they consider their team's strategically inferior to the enemy team's. This concern is less mitigable in ARAM due to the nature of random champion selection. A player may also desire to play a champion that has been taken away by a different player in a previous turn of champion selection, either due to not having enough experience on other champions, or due to wanting to try out a newly-released champion or skin themselves.
Dissent and aggressiveness among matchmade teammates is a major reason for dodging. A player may not feel comfortable in playing with someone whom they perceive as trolling/griefing the game, unskilled, or confrontational. A part of the community believes that trolls forcing other players to dodge in order to avoid impending defeat should not result in the dodging player(s) being punished, because of how unavoidably detrimental the situation is to matchmaking and the game if allowed to start.
Unintentional[]
A player may desire to play the game, but circumstances may appear that prevent them from committing to a full game.
Technical issues such as computer crashes and server shutdowns are outside of the player's control. The client may also malfunction into a state that prevents the player from continuing champ select—this type of issue in particular has been a long-standing concern.
Other arrangements such as social obligations or time constraints would force the player to abandon the lobby.