Road to Zero MMR

“MMR is just a number.” A famous quote by a very respected gamer in the eSports community. For the uninitiated, MMR was merely unheard of. For the knowledgeable, it was Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine. But for Stefan, our average run of the mill, engineering student, MMR, or Matchmaking Ranking was an affliction, an addiction, a cause for both torment and triumph. Stefan, 19 year old, second year Electronics engineering student was an avid gamer like most of his peers. But instead of button-mashing console epics with their GOTY-tier ultra graphics, or the hyper-competitive multiplayer FPS battlegrounds overrun by camp-happy sharpshooters, our boy had the misfortune of falling headfirst into the world of LOTA—League of the Ancients—a multiplayer online battle arena with a community more toxic than the fallout of a nuclear war. Its thriving eSports scene—complete with annual tournaments, leagues, and championships—is ruled by a single, unforgiving metric: the player’s one true yardstick—MMR.

“Basically you win ranked games and get MMR. When you have above 10k, you just get called by different major teams to compete.”, Stefan was talking animatedly on his phone to his new friend at college.

“It's alright. I will show you the ropes bro, the game doesn't require much resources. My laptop runs it smoothly and I do not have a graphics card.”. Stefan was trying his best to convert a youngling to his religion of LOTA but it seems to be quite intelligent so far.

“Ok this Saturday.”, he paused, listening impatiently. “Fine, just text me after installing or better just add me on Discode.”

“Later, bro…” Stefan ended the call with a grin and set his phone down, taking a moment to look around his room. A single bed sat against the wall, half-covered in a tangle of clothes. His desk held the heart of his existence—an aging laptop wired into a gaming monitor he’d snagged on sale last year. His mechanical keyboard, glowing in red LEDs, added a dramatic flair to the otherwise humble setup. One side of the desk was buried under open textbooks, while a cluttered corner shelf above it groaned under the weight of more books, a few comics, and the occasional snack wrapper that had escaped cleanup. The room looked relatively neat—for now—thanks to a recent, no-nonsense cleaning session demanded by his mother. Asian mothers don’t negotiate with dust or disobedience, and Stefan had long since learned the art of survival: stay quiet, stay helpful, and stay out of trouble. He was, by nature, diplomatic. The kind of kid who got by without raising much attention—just enough presence to be liked, never enough to be noticed.

More pressing matters concern Stefan now. He was in dire need of some LOTA friends as his MMR has been declining steadily and the major reason for that was the pubs. Not the drinking kind, but the public ranked LOTA matches where you are grouped with 4 other random team mates. A standard 5v5 ranked match will quickly devolve into a pit of cluttered chaos and muddled mayhem. So to optimise his chances of farming MMR Stefan finally decided to do the impossible - make friends play LOTA as a team.

“Ok… I guess one more try wouldn’t hurt.”, Stefan not learning from his mistakes once again booted up LOTA for another ranked match.

“I should be fine if I pick a Strength hero with survivability this time.” His eyes darted around the roster of around hundred and twenty heroes he could choose for this game.

“I am done playing support all the time.” Just as he scrolled through the hero list, a sharp chime interrupted his thoughts—match found. The game was about to begin.

The game chat burst into action.

Trumpet4eva : mid

ObijuanKenobi: me mid

BlindGunner selected the Sniper

“Wait guys.. Dont instalock heroes, we need a strategy and damn.. Not this again. ”, Stefan or his in-game alias Fishysushi18 could now already feel where this is going.

To understand the tragedy that is about to unfold, one must first grasp what LOTA is all about. At first glance, it seems simple enough: two teams—Red and Blue—each with five players, face off on an asymmetric battlefield. Their mission? To storm the enemy’s base at one end of the map and shatter their Ancient Crystal, while guarding their own at the opposite end... and praying it doesn’t explode first.

Each player selects a hero from a roster of 126 unique characters—each with distinct abilities, strengths, and tragic weaknesses. All heroes start at level 1, and the match begins on a map divided into two halves, one with the blue team and the other for the red team, connected by three main lanes: top, mid, and bot. In these lanes, waves of minions march forward at regular intervals, clashing in a never-ending struggle. Heroes join the fray, aiding their minions, eliminating enemy creeps, and—ideally—slaying enemy heroes to earn gold and experience.

As the heroes level up, they unlock new abilities and purchase powerful items to enhance their stats. Death comes with a cost—lost gold, lost XP, and a brief time out at the fountain of regret before respawning. The game continues until one team finally breaks through and shatters the enemy’s Crystal, claiming victory.

In theory, LOTA is designed to promote teamwork, coordination, and strategy. In theory.

In practice? It’s a warzone of ego and chaos. Players often ignore their team’s needs in favour of selecting carries—heroes capable of dealing devastating damage and winning games on their own. These glory-hungry souls vie for the mid lane, the sacred ground where XP flows like nectar and kills come fast and brutal. Whoever dominates mid often controls the tempo of the game. And in LOTA, kills aren’t just a path to victory—they’re a lifestyle.

Fishysushi18: I will be the tank and go top, you guys, please pick heroes with appropriate roles. We can win this!!!

Trumpet4eva: Good luck with that. We got a sniper.. gg..

Fishysushi18 selected the Hacks

Stefan went ahead and picked the Strength hero he was eyeing. The hulking red warrior chieftain with a giant axe. In his mind, Stefan wanted to pick a carry but he did not want to further aggravate the situation of the team by picking another carry and end up losing. Now he hoped that someone from his team would pick at least one support hero.

He glanced at the enemy roster—two supports, one tank. Solid picks. Balanced. Coordinated. It was yet another well-optimized team he had to face. A twinge of doubt crept in. Was he really matched with players in his own MMR bracket? Or had he stumbled into a match full of smurfs and semi-pros masquerading as noobs?

BlindGunner: Hi. I am new.

Stefan sighed and facepalmed as he read the message from the player who picked Sniper. Classic newbie behaviour.

Trumpet4eva: Told ya gg.. This sniper.

Fishysushi18: Guys!! Its ok. Sniper! come with me to the top lane. I will help you.

Trumpet4eva picked the Troll Warrior

Another mid-lane carry. Still no support heroes. Stefan hesitated, suddenly second-guessing his decision to lock in Hacks. If no one picked a support and the team stacked too many carries, XP would be spread thin across the lanes. Everyone would level slower, and the enemy—if even slightly coordinated—would snowball them into oblivion. In theory, the optimal lineup was simple: one mid, a carry in bot, a tank up top, and two supports keeping things sane across the map. The standard strategy went through the window after the first pick. Time was ticking down for the hero pick phase to end and there were two slots to be filled.

SupremeLeader98 picked the Shrine Maiden

“Great one healer support, finally!!!!”, Stefan nearly cried out in disbelief

For the first time in this draft, Stefan felt a flicker of hope stir in his chest.

SupremeLeader98: I will do my best to support you guys. I don't play this hero much.

Trumpet4eva: Great.. Why did ya choose the most complex support in the game??

“This Trumpet guy… is getting on my nerves”, Stefan muttered while he irritably clucked away on his keyboard.

Fishysushi18: Dude!! Don’t flame the only support we have even before the game starts.

Trumpet4eva: Whateva… Dude Kenobi.. Pick for heaven’s sake..

Fishysushi18: One more support with stuns and we can win!!! Just don’t pick any more carries.

Stefan looked at the enemy picks so far, "Hmmm. All strength and agility heroes". They did not have any mages or intelligence heroes so far and yet still had a very balanced outlook with a good mix of ranged and melee. It will be fine as long as his team did not make any last pick blunders.

ObijuanKenobi picked the Mage Slayer

Like that…

Trumpet4eva: Hah…. Just what we needed. Another hyper carry..

Fishysushi18: What in the actual hell??? Kenobi, there are 0 MAGES IN THE ENEMY TEAM!!! ARE YOU BLIND????

ObijuanKenobi: me farm bot. Jaja..

Stefan was fuming, fingers hovering over the keyboard as his inner monologue filled with creative obscenities. He didn’t bother typing anything back. What was the point? The chat filter would censor it anyway. At least, by some miracle, Kenobi had given up contesting the mid lane.

The pick phase ended with the Red Team fielding a barely coherent formation:
Hacks and Sniper in the top lane,
Troll Warlord mid,
Mage Slayer and Shrine Maiden bot.

Far from optimal. But Stefan had won with worse.

With a resounding horn, the action finally started. Hacks trudged along with the wiry bearded Sniper in tow to the conflict point in top lane with the team minions.

“Just stay behind me and attack them sniper. I will be in front.”, Hacks confidently starts hacking at the enemy creeps with his axe while his innate armor talent enabled him to brush off the feeble enemy attacks. The sniper took two shots and continued to advance to Hacks’ position.

“Stay ranged.. Don’t come close..”, Stefan typed away in chat in between navigating his hero.

As soon as the sniper came closer, the enemy top lane hero, the Wood Ranger, jumped out from the trees nearby and targeted the sniper with some well placed stunning shots.

“First Blood!!!”, the game announcer bellowed
The Wood Ranger has skewered The Sniper

Troll Warrior: gg sniper and Hacks.. Noobs

Hacks: I told you to stay ranged. Why didn’t you listen?

Sniper: Sorry.. Logg

Troll Warrior: Wooden pc also. Gg clowns.

Hacks: It's only early game and one death. Leave it troll. Just concentrate on mid lane.

“Double kill!!!”, the game announcer emphatically

The Defiler has slain The Mage Slayer

The Defiler has killed The Shrine Maiden

Troll Warrior: How the???

Mage Slayer: no heals support. 0/10

Shrine Maiden: Please, I am trying my best. You are so aggressive and blinked out of my range. Slow down sir.

Five minutes into the match, the writing was already painfully scrawled across the wall in blood and salt. But Stefan… he never abandoned a LOTA match. Not out of pride—no, something more foolish. Hope, maybe. Habit. Or sheer stubbornness, like a monk refusing to flee the flames of a burning temple.

Still, not all was lost.

He had just scraped together enough gold to buy his first core item: the Blink Knife. His plan? Classic Hacks maneuver—blink behind enemy lines, taunt everyone in range, and tank the rage while his allies unleashed hell.

One moment of glory, he told himself, just one well-timed initiation to turn the momentum.

With resolve burning in his chest, Stefan activated his teleport scroll, blinking to the bottom lane and tucking himself between the trees—waiting for the enemy to step into his trap.

Stefan quickly typed in team chat: "Ganking bot lane. Come…"

Sniper, Mage Slayer, and Shrine Maiden began hovering near the lane, sensing the setup. The enemy trio appeared, unaware.

Now or never.

Blink.
Taunting Roar.

Three enemy heroes caught in the radius—perfect initiation.

Mage Slayer blinked in, eager to clean up. Sniper began lining up his ultimate: Assassinate—a high-damage, long-range skill capable of turning the tide.

BAM!

The shot fired…
…and triumphantly pierced a nearby creep, dropping it dead with cinematic flair.

Stefan’s heart sank.

Mage Slayer slashed at the enemy carry—but his attacks landed like wet socks. His abilities, optimized for destroying mages, were all but useless here. The taunt wore off. Predictably, the Mage Slayer blinked away nonchalantly to continue his farming XP and gold.

And Hacks?

He was still there. Alone. Surrounded.

“OWNAGE!!!” the announcer roared.

The Defiler has decapitated The Hacks.

Stefan exhaled sharply, leaning back in his chair. The silence in his room was deafening.

Troll Warrior: This hacks… Taunt trees, chop wood and die like trash. Reported.
Hacks: All of you are trash!!!
Hacks: Pick all carries, farm till next game and don't show up for fights. Play farmvilla and not LOTA!!!

Mage Slayer: Hacks.. noob . Uninstall LOTA

That was it. Stefan had enough. With a deep sigh, he muted all in-game chat—team, party, even pings. The cacophony of blame and noise fell away, leaving only the hum of his mechanical keyboard and the echo of the announcer’s voice. From now on, it was solo focus. LOTA may be branded as a team game—five players against five, matched by skill on paper. But in truth? It’s just you against everyone else. And more often than not, the real enemies… are your own teammates.

Thirty minutes later, Stefan blinked at the defeat screen, its red hue casting a quiet shame across his room. Another loss. Another waste of effort. With a grunt, he turned away from the monitor, trying to shake off the cloud of negativity pressing in.

1:00 am

Sleep remained a distant promise, hovering just out of reach. Out of habit more than interest, he picked up his phone and began doomscrolling through social media.

“The President was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize just hours after launching airstrikes on the Middle East. Officials claim the bombings targeted alleged nuclear sites. Tensions rise as experts warn of a possible World War III.”

Stefan snorted. The real world’s just like LOTA—chaotic, hypocritical, and full of bad decisions. He scrolled on, letting his gaze land on the newest trending anime.

“Reincarnated in another world as a Vacuum Cleaner”

“What the???Who approves these things?”, Stefan looked at the comment section

IsekaiEnjoyer: This sucks. 0/10
ManofCulture: What did you expect?? It's a vacuum cleaner. 10/10 for fan service. Mieru best girl.

Maybe I’m in an alternate reality, Stefan mused, staring into the dim ceiling above. Nothing has made sense since the pandemic. The world flipped and never flipped back. Maybe this is all just a dream… and I’ll wake up in the real one soon.

Better yet, he thought, maybe I’ll wake in a different world altogether—a quieter one. A world where adventure means purpose, and not just another grind... where peace isn’t a patch note.

His thoughts wandered like drifting leaves, floating gently between hope and fatigue. Slowly, imagination gave way to weariness, and his tired body yielded to sleep.