LP Decay and How to Avoid It
LP decay punishes inactivity at high ranks. This guide
explains how decay works at Diamond, Master, Grandmaster,
and Challenger, and how to protect your progress without
burning out.
How LP Decay Works
LP decay is a system that removes LP from accounts that do
not play ranked games for a certain period. Decay is
designed to keep the top of the ladder active and prevent
players from camping a high rank. At Diamond, Master,
Grandmaster, and Challenger, inactivity results in LP
loss. Iron through Platinum do not decay. The higher your
rank, the stricter the decay rules. In Diamond and Master,
you have banked days that accumulate. When your banked
days run out, you start losing LP each day. The banked day
system is forgiving: you gain a banked day each time you
play a game, up to a cap. This means you do not need to
play every single day to avoid decay, but you do need to
play regularly enough to keep your bank above zero.
Diamond and Master Decay
In Diamond and Master, you accrue banked days that protect
you from decay. You can store a maximum number of days,
which gives you the flexibility to take breaks without
losing LP immediately. If you let the bank fall to zero,
you lose LP each day until you play again or drop to a
lower tier. The amount of LP lost per day is fixed and
does not depend on your MMR. Decay stops once you fall to
the lowest tier of Diamond, so you cannot decay below
Diamond IV. This means decay is primarily a problem for
high-elo players and not a concern for players below
Diamond. Master decay is similar to Diamond decay but with
stricter timing. The exact number of banked days and daily
LP loss can change between seasons, so check the current
official patch notes for the exact values.
Grandmaster and Challenger Decay
Grandmaster and Challenger have the strictest decay rules
because these tiers are limited to the top players on the
server. The number of Grandmaster and Challenger slots is
limited, and inactive players are removed to make room for
active players climbing up. In these tiers, you must play
frequently to maintain your position. If you stop playing,
you lose a large amount of LP daily and can drop out of
the tier quickly. The competition is fierce because the
player pool is small and everyone near the top is active.
This is why professional and high-elo streamers often play
many games each day during the season. If you reach
Grandmaster or Challenger, plan your schedule to keep
playing regularly or accept that you will decay. The exact
decay rules for these tiers change frequently, so always
verify the current rules on the official League of Legends
website.
How to Avoid Decay
The easiest way to avoid decay is to play one ranked game
every few days and check your banked days. If you are
going on vacation or taking a break, play a few games
beforehand to fill your bank. Decay does not happen during
preseason or off-season periods in the same way, but the
rules change each season, so do not assume you are safe.
Remember that decay only affects LP, not MMR, which means
even if you decay from Diamond II to Diamond IV, your MMR
stays roughly the same. When you return and win games, you
will climb back quickly because your LP gains will be
large until your rank catches up to your MMR. If you are
worried about decay, the LP Calculator can help you plan a
comeback by estimating how many games you need to recover
lost LP. The key is to stay active and not let your banked
days reach zero.