How to Get an S in League of Legends Every Game

Securing an S rank in League of Legends is a testament to exceptional gameplay, offering not just the thrill of victory but also tangible rewards. Achieving this coveted rating enhances your gaming experience by unlocking additional Blue Essence, EXP, and mastery points, paving the way to the prestigious Level 7 mastery badge. Moreover, your first S rank on each champion annually grants you a Hextech chest, filled with the potential for skins and other exciting loot. Thus, an S rank signifies more than just a successful game—it's a gateway to enhanced rewards and bragging rights.
However, even the most dominating performances can sometimes result in a baffling A+ rating, leaving many players questioning what it truly takes to earn that elusive S. Whether it's your unmatched skill in lane, your strategic ganks, or your command over team fights, missing out on the top rating can be a source of frustration.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the essential steps and criteria necessary to consistently achieve an S rating in League of Legends. We'll delve into the strategies for enhancing your gameplay and the common pitfalls to avoid, ensuring that your efforts are accurately reflected in your performance rating.

Things That Determines You Can Get An S In League Of Legends

Earning an S rank in League of Legends can often feel like deciphering a complex code, with various players advocating for different strategies. From prioritizing CS (Creep Score) to emphasizing warding or achieving an impressive KDA (Kills/Deaths/Assists), the pathways to securing this top rating seem numerous and varied. However, the key criteria for achieving an S rank are explicitly outlined by the League of Legends client itself, focusing on three core aspects: vision score, income over time, and combat performance.
Let's delve into each of these components to understand how they contribute to achieving the coveted S rank, offering a clearer roadmap for players aiming to excel in their matches.

Mastering Vision Control for an S Rank

Achieving a high vision score, a pivotal factor in securing an S rank, transcends mere ward proliferation. It demands the provision of impactful and high-quality vision for your team, coupled with the strategic denial of the enemy's vision. Excellence in vision control involves more than just frequent ward placement; it requires thoughtful positioning of wards in areas of high activity and near key objectives to ensure maximum utility and strategic advantage.

For those in roles such as support or jungle, the importance of vision control is even more pronounced. Opting for a Sweeping Lens becomes almost mandatory, allowing for the effective removal of enemy wards and safeguarding your team's movements and strategies. Additionally, investing in Control Wards with any spare gold not only aids in denying vision but also fortifies your team's map control, contributing significantly to a higher vision score.

In essence, both establishing and negating vision play crucial roles in elevating your vision score, thereby enhancing your prospects of attaining an S rank. Strategic ward placement and vigilant denial of enemy vision are key practices that distinguish top-tier players, reflecting their mastery over the game's more nuanced aspects.

Optimizing Your Economic Impact for an S Rank

The quest for an S rank in League of Legends extends into the realm of economic prowess, where the accumulation of gold through various means plays a crucial role. The common misconception that achieving an exceptionally high Creep Score (CS) is the sole path to an S rank overlooks the broader perspective of income generation that the game evaluates. League of Legends assesses performance not merely by CS but by the holistic measure of your income, which includes all sources of gold accumulation.

Earning gold in League encompasses a wide array of activities beyond minion kills. Champion eliminations, turret and plate destruction, securing dragons, and claiming barons are all significant contributors to your gold income. The game's performance rating system places a strong emphasis on both the quantity of gold you amass and the efficiency with which you gather it, making income over time a pivotal factor in achieving an S rank.

To enhance your chances of securing this esteemed rating, focus on maximizing your gold income through diverse means. Efficient farming, strategic participation in objectives, and active involvement in skirmishes and team fights are key strategies. This multifaceted approach not only accelerates your economic growth but also reinforces your contribution to the team's overall success, paving the way for an S rank.

Elevating Your Combat Efficiency for an S Rank

In League of Legends, your prowess in combat is a critical component of securing an S rank. Combat encompasses your engagement in battles, skirmishes, and your ability to inflict damage on both enemies and objectives. Indeed, your Kill/Death/Assist (KDA) ratio holds significant weight in the game's evaluation of your performance. Given that League is fundamentally a MOBA—Massive Online Battle Arena—excelling in combat is not just recommended; it's essential.

Active participation in team fights, successful duels in your lane, and the strategic destruction of towers and objectives all contribute to your combat metrics. These elements are crucial in achieving an S rank, underscoring the importance of a well-rounded approach to gameplay that extends beyond mere farming and vision control.

However, it's vital to recognize the detrimental impact of deaths on your combat score. Dying not only reduces your available time to contribute to fights and push for objectives but also impedes your ability to farm for gold and provide vision support for your team. Consequently, minimizing deaths is paramount in your strategy to attain an S rank. Each death distances you further from this goal, highlighting the importance of cautious, yet assertive, engagement in combat scenarios.

To maximize your combat effectiveness and edge closer to that coveted S rank, focus on maintaining a strong presence in fights, securing objectives, and above all, staying alive. Your ability to navigate the fine line between aggressive play and survivability will greatly influence your performance rating, reinforcing the adage that the best offense is a good defense.

Navigating Match Duration for an S Rank

The duration of a League of Legends match significantly influences your ability to secure an S rank. In shorter games, particularly those concluding around the 20-minute mark due to an early surrender, you might find yourself with insufficient time to accumulate the comprehensive stats needed for that top-tier rating. These truncated matches limit opportunities for extensive creep scoring, damage output, and other key performance metrics.

It's a familiar scenario for many players: you're dominating the game, only for the opposing team to surrender prematurely, leaving you with a performance that, while impressive, falls short of the S rank criteria. Despite showcasing exceptional skill and strategy, the limited match length restricts your ability to meet the comprehensive benchmarks set by Riot for awarding an S.

This aspect underscores the importance of maximizing every moment of gameplay. In shorter matches, it becomes even more crucial to efficiently farm, participate in skirmishes, and contribute to objectives from the onset. Understanding that match duration can be a limiting factor encourages players to adopt a proactive approach, ensuring they make the most of the time available to influence their performance rating positively.

Optimizing Your K/D Ratio for an S Rank

In the competitive landscape of League of Legends, the Kill/Death (K/D) ratio stands out as a critical determinant of your performance rating. Striving for a favorable K/D ratio by minimizing deaths and maximizing kills is a fundamental strategy for any player aiming for that elusive S rank. Remember, in the eyes of the grading system, the quality of your engagements often outweighs the quantity.

Consider this: a game where you have an equal number of kills and deaths (e.g., 10 kills and 10 deaths) is unlikely to secure you an S grade. The game evaluates your K/D ratio with consideration for your champion's role and the context of the match. For instance, a support character is not typically expected to amass a high kill count; their performance is measured against different criteria more suited to their role's objectives.

Furthermore, the significance of the K/D ratio evolves with the match's duration. In longer games, the weight of your K/D ratio in determining your final grade diminishes, allowing more room for recovery and strategic play beyond mere kill counts. This shift emphasizes the game's adaptive evaluation criteria, which account for the dynamic nature of each match and the varied contributions of different roles over time.

To enhance your chances of achieving an S rank, focus on strategic gameplay that prioritizes survival and impactful kills. Understanding and adapting to the expectations for your role, along with leveraging the length of the match to balance out early setbacks, are key tactics in improving your K/D ratio and, by extension, your overall performance rating.

Conclusion

Achieving an S rank in League of Legends is a multifaceted challenge that extends beyond simple metrics. It requires a comprehensive understanding of the game's core aspects, including vision control, income generation, combat engagement, match duration, and maintaining an optimal K/D ratio. Each element plays a crucial role in influencing your performance rating, and mastery over these areas can significantly enhance your chances of securing the coveted S rank.

To consistently achieve top-tier ratings, players must adopt a strategic approach to gameplay, focusing on efficient ward placement, maximizing gold income through various sources, engaging intelligently in combat, and making the most of the available match time. Additionally, maintaining a favorable K/D ratio, tailored to your role and the context of the match, is essential.

Remember, while striving for an S rank, the quality of your contributions often outweighs the quantity. It's not just about racking up kills or spamming wards—it's about making meaningful, impactful plays that advance your team's position in the game. By focusing on these key strategies and continually refining your skills, you'll not only improve your chances of earning an S rank but also become a more versatile and valuable player in the League of Legends community.