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If you’ve spent any time in the Marvel Rivals ranked queue, chances are you’ve seen the same complaints pop up again and again: “Why am I always getting useless teammates?”, “Why does every rank-up game feel doomed?”, and of course, the big one, “Is Marvel Rivals secretly using EOMM?”

Marvel Rivals EOMM

Image Credit: Sony Entertainment and MARVEL Entertainment

Well, after weeks of speculation, heated threads, and plenty of memes, the devs have finally sat down to explain what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

No, Marvel Rivals Doesn’t Use EOMM

Back on 12 August, the official Rivals account doubled down on their stance, tweeting that the game does not use Engagement-Optimised Matchmaking (EOMM), an algorithm many players fear because it allegedly manipulates match outcomes to keep you hooked.

Still, the denial didn’t exactly put the fire out. Some players weren’t convinced, pointing to suspicious win/loss streaks and frustrating team balances. “So all my crappy teammates just happen to be on losing streaks when I’m one win from ranking up? Lmaooo,” one player posted. Others went even harder, comparing it to “the Avengers vs special needs children”, a brutal but telling summary of how uneven some games feel.

The Devs Finally Explain The System

On 21 August, the team dropped an 18-minute video featuring Lead Combat Designer Zhiyong, breaking down how matchmaking and ranking actually works.

Here’s the gist:

  • The system first looks at competitive score and team composition.
  • If you’ve been waiting too long, the search widens into higher and lower ranks to avoid painful queue times.
  • Once a match is found, the algorithm splits the teams as evenly as possible using those scores.
  • If you’re in a group, you’ll only face teams of similar sizes (though that can still cause lopsided 3-2-1 vs 3-1-1-1 situations).

In short, the algorithm is more of a “filling” system than a strict skill-based one. It tries to keep games moving while avoiding massive stack advantages, but that trade-off means sometimes you’ll end up fighting players who feel way out of your league, or vice versa.

Why Players Still Aren’t Happy

The community reaction to the video has been, let’s say, mixed. Some appreciated the transparency, while others still weren’t buying it.

“Remember when games matched us with people based on rank? What a novel idea,” one player joked. Another argued they’d “rather have longer queue times than be forced into bad games.” Others pushed for role preferences, saying they’d rather pick roles each season than get thrown into lobbies with mismatched comps.

And then, of course, there were the doubters who simply replied: “All I’m hearing is that EOMM is real 😂.”

So Where Does That Leave Ranked?

The devs insist the system is designed to reduce wait times without completely wrecking balance, and they’ve outright denied any form of EOMM manipulation. From their point of view, streaks aren’t the game secretly nudging you, they’re the by-product of how wide the matchmaking net sometimes gets.

Whether players accept that explanation or not is another story. For now, Marvel Rivals has at least put the conspiracy to rest on paper. But if the frustration around ranked keeps bubbling, it won’t matter what algorithm they’re using, the community will want changes, and fast.