In League ranked, reaching 100 LP promotes you automatically, with overflow LP carrying into the next division. Demotion rules depend on whether you drop within a tier, cross into a lower tier, or play in an Apex tier. Players often call cross-tier protection a demotion shield. Riot publishes the protection and LP landing rules, but gives no fixed game count for ordinary cross-tier demotion protection.
Promotions happen automatically at 100 LP
Riot’s current ranked guide says that once you reach 100 LP in a division, you move to the next division and keep leftover LP. Reaching 100 LP in division I moves you into the next tier.
For example, if a match takes you from 95 LP to 115 LP, the extra 15 LP carries into the next division. That is an example of the published carryover rule, not a separate bonus.
What Riot says about demotion protection
| Situation | Published rule | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Win that crosses 100 LP | You move up and keep the overflow LP. | At 95 LP, a +20 LP result leaves you at 15 LP in the next division. |
| Loss within the same tier | You drop a division when the LP loss is greater than your current LP. | Riot’s example: a 20 LP loss from 5 LP sends the player from Silver III to Silver IV at 85 LP. |
| Loss that crosses a tier | Protection applies. If you demote, you land at 25, 50, or 75 LP based on Riot’s estimate of your skill. | The landing value is not tied to a published count of losses at 0 LP. |
| Promotion from Diamond I to Master | Riot grants protection for the first three games. After that, a drop below 0 LP demotes you to Diamond I at 25, 50, or 75 LP based on Riot’s skill estimate. | This is the specific protection count Riot documents for promotion into an Apex tier. |
| Grandmaster or Challenger | Grandmaster requires at least 400 LP and more LP than the region’s lowest Grandmaster. Challenger requires at least 800 LP and more LP than the region’s lowest Challenger. | The live leaderboard cutoff matters alongside the LP threshold. |
Riot’s ranked guide describes protection when demoting across tiers, but does not publish a fixed game count for ordinary cross-tier demotion protection. Treat exact counts repeated in community posts as unconfirmed. A recent player discussion about the demotion-shield warning shows why people ask; its replies are individual experiences, not Riot’s rules.
How to read a demotion warning
Riot’s ranked and Apex support pages do not define the warning text or give a remaining-match counter for ordinary cross-tier demotion protection. Use the rank and LP shown in the client, and keep the two kinds of demotion separate: a same-tier loss follows the LP arithmetic, while a cross-tier drop uses Riot’s 25/50/75 LP landing rule.
If a loss leaves you at 0 LP, the next outcome still depends on the protection rules for your situation. Do not assume every player gets the same number of games there. The linked Reddit discussion records player experiences, while Riot’s support pages define the confirmed rules.
What changes when you reach Master
Riot documents a three-game protection period when you promote from Diamond I to Master. Once those games are over, falling below 0 LP sends you back to Diamond I at 25, 50, or 75 LP according to Riot’s skill estimate. Grandmaster and Challenger also depend on both an LP threshold and your place relative to the lowest player in that tier in your region, so a threshold alone does not establish promotion.
For more on the ladder, see our League of Legends rank guide and LP and MMR explainer. Riot’s current ranked rules and Apex-tier rules have the full official details.
If you want help pursuing a ranked goal, see our League of Legends rank boost options.
Frequently asked questions
Are promotion series still used in League?
No. Riot’s current rules move you to the next division or tier at 100 LP and carry any overflow into the new division.
How many games does cross-tier demotion protection last?
Riot does not publish a fixed game count for ordinary cross-tier demotion protection. It does specify three protected games after a Diamond I promotion to Master.
How much LP do you lose when you demote?
For a drop between tiers, Riot places you at 25, 50, or 75 LP based on its estimate of your skill. For a drop within the same tier, the LP you lose carries into the lower division, as in Riot’s example of a 20 LP loss from 5 LP.
Does reaching 100 LP always promote you?
Yes. Reaching 100 LP in a division promotes you, and reaching 100 LP in division I moves you into the next tier.
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