What Do My Ratings Mean?
Ratings are a measure of your performance in sanctioned play. (Casual
games and league matches don't affect your ratings.) Every Magic
Online player starts with Constructed
and
Limited ratings of 1600. Only
sanctioned Limited matches you play count toward your Limited rating, and
only sanctioned Constructed matches count toward your Constructed rating.
Every player also has a Composite rating, which is the average of that
player's Limited and Constructed ratings.
The DCI players' organization uses the Elo system to calculate ratings.
The exact formula used can be found in Appendix A of the DCI
Universal Tournament Rules, but the basic idea is pretty simple. When
you win a sanctioned match, you gain ratings points. When you lose a sanctioned
match, you lose ratings points. The exact number of points you gain or
lose depends on two things: the K-value of the event and the difference
between your rating and your opponent's. The K-value of an event is the
maximum amount a single match could change your rating. The higher your
opponent's rating is, the more points you'll get when you win, and the
fewer points you'll lose when you lose.
Players with Limited or Constructed ratings of 1700 or higher have avatars
with special enhancements. For example, the Barbarian avatar gets a gold
helmet for a Limited rating of 1700 or higher and a gold breastplate for
a Constructed rating of 1700 or higher.
& © 2002 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
