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I've read the following questions regarding what factors influence a player to move between leagues:

However, I've been browsing through StraCraft 2 Rankings and have noticed a few players that have 2,000+ points, a good w/l ratio, and play regularly but are in bronze or silver league. Some of these players are even #1 in their league. Why haven't these players been promoted?

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Bryan Roth
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  • This is a great question. I find myself with a good win/loss ratio in my league, but the number of "points" to get from my current rank to the top of my division is ridiculous. So, a) why haven't these players been promoted to a new league, or b) can I move up to a new division without first passing the #1-#3 players in my division? – kazzamalla Nov 22 '10 at 18:46
  • @Kazzamalla you can easily move up without passing most the players in the division, you just need to win your 'test' matches, see my answer below for more details –  Nov 22 '10 at 18:47
  • The short answer is that 2000 Bronze is not the same as 2000 Diamond. Points are not comparable across leagues. – Brant Nov 22 '10 at 19:03
  • @Aardvark great answer, thanks for the help. Read through all of those, I guess I can just start paying better attention to the opponents I both win and lose too. For me, I was terrible at first, but have gotten a lot better in a short time span by focusing on solid build orders and such, so based on the team liquid articles it sounds like the rating system can be a little slow to adapt to sharp increases in skill. I'll just have to wait it out and keep winning. – kazzamalla Nov 22 '10 at 20:04
  • @kazzamalla Stick with solid strategies on match-ups where your opponent if favored. Good luck out there! –  Nov 22 '10 at 20:54

1 Answers1

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It is possible to reach an unlimited value of points and still remain in bronze league. Blizzard's ranking system will randomly 'test' you when it feels you might be ready to move up to a different league. It will put you against a player from the next league and check to see if your 'ready' to move up. To answer your existing question, these players are winning against players they are expected to win against, but losing against players in the next league.

Blizzard views this as a perfect balance. As long as they continue to win, they will continue to gain more points. But as long as the continue to lose their 'test' matches they will remain in that league. Keep in mind that being 1st in a division doesn't mean you need to be in a different league, someone has to be in first.

Both of these team liquid threads give some great information about SC2 ladder and how to move between leagues

SC2 Ladder Analysis: What YOU Need to Know

SC2 Ladder Analysis: Part 2

Hope these help

Aardvark
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