When a player first plays ranked, theyll be put into one of 10 placement games to determine their initial rank, just like at the beginning of every new ranked season. The more games you win during your placements, the better chances you have of starting in a rank like Silver or Gold.
Does normal MMR affect Ranked placement?
MMR in normal games, up until season 11, did not affect your ranked MMR and didnt play a part in ranked matchmaking. Ranked Seeding is a process through which the game determines your skill level by analyzing your normal games before matching you with other players in ranked.
How much LP do you need to skip a division?
Upon reaching 100 total LP in a given division, players enter a promotion series to try and get to the next available division. Players must win a majority of their games to advance to the next division. Promotion series within certain ranks, like Bronze III to II, are a best-of-three series.
1 it is possible, however rare, to skip promotional series. This happens with players whose MMR is one tier higher than their current placement. For example, a Gold IV player whose MMR is Platinum IV or higher is instantly promoted upon reaching 100 LP.
Why am I losing more LP then gaining?
How much LP (League Points) you gain or lose is tied to your MMR (Match Making Rating). So generally speaking, if the match you just won was at a higher MMR than your current rank/average you are given MORE LP. Likewise, if you lose a game at higher MMR than your current rank/average you lose less LP.
For example if you are silver 5 but you have the hidden Elo of a Gold 4 Player you will be instantly promoted to the next division once you reach 100 LP. You can also skip divisions and promotions at the same time but this is very rare (skipping promotions is really rare already).
You cant, you can jump division but never tier. You will have to do the tier promotion series. After that if you mmr is still high enough you will continue to jump division.
Starting in Season 11, the promo series between divisions are removed from the game. Players now will advance from one division to the next once they earn 100 LP. The promotions between tiers will remain in place for the foreseeable future. This change is taking away one of the most frustrating experiences in the game.