deranking
/diːˈræŋkɪŋ/
CommonIntentionally losing ranked games to drop to a lower rank, usually to stomp weaker players.
Almost universally considered toxic behavior. Distinct from naturally losing rank, which is unintentional.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | this guy is literally deranking. 0/14 and running it into the enemy base every spawn. | The player's behavior is clearly intentional and designed to lose the game. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | got banned for deranking lmao. worth it for 2 weeks of easy wins. | The player was penalized for intentional losses but considers the experience worth it. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | why would anyone derank. just make a smurf account if you want easy games | Criticizing deranking as unnecessary when a new account achieves the same result. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | my promo games had someone deranking and now im stuck in bronze. genuinely hate this. | A deliberate thrower ruined an important game, costing the speaker their promotion. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone is intentionally losing games to drop their rank.
- Accusing a player of throwing to reach lower lobbies.
- Describing the practice of intentional rank manipulation.
Do not use it when
- Someone just naturally lost games and their rank fell.Use “deranked” instead.
- You mean the seasonal rank reset.Use “rank-reset” instead.
Variations and related forms
Deranking vs smurf account
deranking
Deranking manipulates a main account's rank downward to reach lower lobbies.
VS
smurf-account
A smurf account starts fresh on a new account to naturally land in lower lobbies.
Origin and context
Practice emerged alongside ranked ladder systems in competitive games. The term became widely used in League of Legends and similar titles as the community developed vocabulary for different forms of ranked manipulation.
- First seen
- mid-2010s
- Confidence
- low
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/derankingUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0