Matchmaking
How Parley builds balanced teams and keeps lobbies fair.
Parley exists because stacking teams by hand is slow and rarely fair. When your server runs Parley matches, the teams come pre-balanced from everyone's real skill data, so lobbies are decided before the argument starts.
What balanced means here
Even win odds
Parley compares full rosters, not averages, and picks the split where both sides have the closest shot at winning.
Form over reputation
Ratings lean on recent performance. A player climbing fast is matched at their current level, not an old one.
Ranks that move
Every reported match updates your Parley Rank, so the balance keeps improving as your server plays.
What you see as a player
- The match itself, with teams that were built for even odds.
- An MVP, picked from the match when one player clearly carried.
- The record in /history, with winners bolded and relative timestamps.
- Rating movement on your Parley Rank after the result lands.
When you cannot play
Servers can set limits on who joins their matches, and Parley enforces them before teams are built. If you are left out, the eligibility page lists every reason and the fix.