Player ELO vs Deck ELO: Two Scoreboards, One Game
Every game you record rates two things separately: you, and the deck you brought. They are different numbers with different histories, and one game moves both by different amounts. A deck is required on every seat of the record form, so there is no way to play a game that rates only the player.
Why the two numbers differ
Both ratings start at 1000 and both use the same formula and the same K-factor. What differs is what they are measured against. Your rating is calculated against the other players at the table and their ratings; the deck's rating is calculated against the other decks and theirs. Beat three seasoned players piloting weak decks and your number climbs more than your deck's does.
The two drift apart over time. A player rating well ahead of their decks is winning games their lists do not explain; a deck rated well ahead of its pilot has been carrying.
Four scoreboards, one league game
A league game rates four things at once, all independently:
- Your global rating — every game you have ever recorded, league or not.
- The deck's global rating — every game that deck has played.
- Your rating inside that league — only games in that league.
- The deck's rating inside that league — same, for the deck.
A non-league game moves the first two and nothing else. Each of the four also has a yearly counterpart that resets every January, and a per-season copy in leagues that run seasons.
Where to see them
Your profile page carries both. ELO Rating and the League Performance panel show your own numbers — a Global card plus one card per league, each with the rating, the win-loss record, and the +/- Spread. The Decks gallery below shows every deck you own with its own rating and record on the card.
What this means in practice
- Lending a deck rates the deck. If a friend borrows your list and the game is recorded against them, the win goes to their player rating and to your deck's rating.
- Switching decks costs you nothing. Your rating follows you across every deck you play, so building something new does not put your own number at risk.
- A rebuilt deck keeps its history. Editing the list does not reset its rating. A deck that has been gutted and rebuilt still carries the record of what it used to be, so start a new deck when you want a clean number.
Where to go next
How ELO Works on Nerd Leagues covers the math both ratings share. How Per-League ELO Works goes deeper on the league-scoped copies, and Adding Decks to a League covers getting a deck rated inside a league in the first place.