League ranked decay affects Diamond and above. Riot gives each ranked queue a bank of days, then removes LP when that bank runs out. A game refills the bank at a rate that depends on your tier. Riot’s current rules, checked in October 2026, give Diamond seven days per game and Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger one day per game.
How ranked decay works
The bank counts down while you are inactive in that queue. Once it reaches zero, the game removes a set amount of LP at each daily decay tick. A match in another queue does not satisfy Riot’s rule to play a match in the queue whose bank you are managing, so track Solo/Duo and Flex separately.
Riot’s Apex guide says players can see their banked days in the Ranked tab of the in-client Player Profile. For Diamond, calculate from the 28-day starting bank, then add the days from each ranked game and subtract inactive days.
Decay rules by rank
| Rank | Initial days before decay | Maximum bank | Days added per ranked game | LP lost per decay day | Inactivity demotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond | 28 | 28 | 7 | 50 | Decay moves you down a division; from division IV, the next tier is Emerald I. |
| Master, Grandmaster, Challenger | 14 | 14 | 1 | 75 | Riot places Apex players who decay from inactivity in Diamond II. |
| Emerald and below | No decay | Not applicable | Not applicable | 0 | Ranked inactivity does not remove LP. |
Riot’s current ranked rules set the Diamond and Apex rates. Its Apex tier guide explains the Diamond II landing and says the client displays banked days in your Ranked tab.
How to read your bank
Think of each game as a refill, not a fresh timer that replaces the old one. At Diamond, one game adds seven banked days, up to 28. A completely empty Diamond bank takes four games to refill. At Master and above, a game adds one day, up to 14, so a completely empty Apex bank takes 14 games to refill.
The long-run pace follows the same arithmetic: a Diamond game restores about a week of bank, while an Apex game restores one day. A full bank can cover a longer gap, but every inactive day uses part of that stored time. If you are working out a specific break, start with the bank currently shown in the relevant queue, then subtract the days away before counting how many games would refill it.
For example, a Diamond player with 14 days banked who plays one ranked game adds seven days and reaches 21. A Master player with six days banked who plays three games reaches nine. Both examples assume the resulting bank stays under the tier’s cap.
Players ask about this when they are close to a decay tick. In a recent Ranked Decay Days discussion, one player asks how many games are needed to cover the remaining days before a season change. The thread is useful context for the calendar math, but its replies are player estimates; Riot’s support pages define the rules.
What happens when decay reaches 0 LP
For Diamond players, inactivity decay moves you into the next lower division when the loss takes you to or below 0 LP. If you are already in division IV, Riot says you fall to the next tier, such as Diamond IV to Emerald I. Apex decay has its own landing rule: Master, Grandmaster, or Challenger players who decay from inactivity descend to Diamond II.
Grandmaster and Challenger also depend on the live regional leaderboard. Riot lists minimum LP thresholds of 400 for Grandmaster and 800 for Challenger, plus the need to sit above the lowest player in the tier. Those standings can change as other players gain LP; that movement is separate from the daily inactivity bank.
The 2026 Apex reset and your bank
At the start of Season 2, Riot’s Patch 26.9 reset the visible rank and MMR of current Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger players in NA, EUW, EUNE, BR, LAN, and TR to Master 0 LP. That was a specific Apex reset. Riot’s announcement does not specify how many decay days those players had after the reset, so do not infer the bank from the new rank. Check the Ranked tab for the current number.
For the wider ladder and LP system, see our League of Legends rank guide and LP and MMR explainer.
If you want help with a League of Legends ranked goal, our ranked service page lists the available options.
For the reset announcement, see Riot’s Apex tier ranked reset note. It describes the 2026 visible-rank and MMR change, while the current support guides cover the decay bank itself.
Frequently asked questions
Which League ranks have inactivity decay?
Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger. Riot’s current ranked guide says Emerald and below do not decay from inactivity.
How many days does a ranked game add?
One Diamond game adds seven days, up to 28. One Master, Grandmaster, or Challenger game adds one day, up to 14.
How much LP does decay remove?
Riot’s current rules list 50 LP per decay day in Diamond and 75 LP per day in Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger, once the bank has run out.
Does a Master player decay to Diamond I?
No. Riot’s Apex guide says Apex players who decay from inactivity descend to Diamond II.
Does playing Flex refill Solo/Duo decay?
Riot describes decay as depending on a match in that queue. Track the queue you want to maintain and play that queue to add days to its bank.
Did the 2026 Apex reset set the bank to 14 days?
Riot’s reset announcement says the affected Apex players’ visible rank and MMR changed to Master 0 LP, but it does not state their starting decay bank. Use the value shown in the client.
For help with a ranked target, see the available League of Legends boost options.
