Tekken 8's Ranked System, Finally Explained. 

Ever since that "Tekken fans, you with me?" video you dropped where you mentioned that you lost your job, you been grindin on the content scene for Tekken and have had insane growth. When you feel down, there's no way to go but up. Keep that shit up, Phi!

I'm GoD in my demotion matches and 1st Dan on my promotion matches

I really don't understand why you lose more by losing to a higher rank

this validates the feeling i've had since launch. it is literally better to lose your demotion match on purpose and then just win the next match than it is to win the demotion match

PhiDX is the sensei of all Tekken 8 newcomers, love you man

What you said about improvement not necessarily (and/or not immediately) being reflected in your rank really resonated with me. I kept such a hard focus on improving my execution, learning matchups and optimizing my stuff with Leroy that I played very incosistently or flaky in most matches. A couple of weeks down the line though, I suddenly start winning like mad (compared to before). Things started working, started clicking and came together much more fluidly. I was surprised because I didn't see it coming (I actually thought I had been doing something wrong :D) but some day it just started happening and the stuff I had been practicing paid off.

"The other reason I think you shouldn't care about rank too much is Tekken is really hard... and it's not the kind of game you can just blind queue and automatically improve" This hits really close to home and I'll share my silly noobie anecdote. My initial goal when I started T8 (I had a bit of T7 experience) was to hit red ranks and see how I liked the game. Shooting up to the top of orange rank in the first week of playing, it felt like the job was done! The mountain was climbed! I was basically there! Eight weeks later and I was struggling more than ever trying to get into red ranks. Somehow despite playing an amazingly strong character, and playing everyday, I just couldn't make it happen. Why oh why couldn't I achieve the goal I was striving so hard for? Meanwhile people on Twitter posted their wonderful photos of their own progression. It dominated my thoughts as I compared my progression to so many other people. It was only once I took a (literal IRL vacation) and stopped playing for a few days that I was able to see the larger picture. The rank truly meant nothing when examining my progression as a player. I had lost many points trying new things, practicing defense, learning matchups, but did those lost points represent me getting worse? Not at all, but it sure felt that way in the moment. The first session back, I didn't dwell on my losses, I fought for my life in several sets, and finally achieved that elusive Garyu. In hindsight, it means so little in terms of my individual skill, and I remember specific punishes I was proud of (e.g: The first time I ducked Victor's gun on reaction) far more than the specific match that promo'd me. It was only once I stopped caring so much that it stopped feeling insurmountable. Much love Phi, your content is so helpful in so many ways, and mentality is something we can all improve on.

Hey buddy, I've been watching your videos for some time now (actually, since T8 launch) and I just want to thank you for your time on doing it. I really like your mindset, and how much care you put in what you do. So, thank you, keep it up. Cheers from Brazil 👍🏻

i was watching you live when you were recording data on stream, solid freaking effort!

Love this channel, no over the top performing for the camera. Just good solid tekken info

It def gives me a better understanding of the rank system. Def appreciate your emphasis on the learning to get good. No matter what your rank is. It will fluctuate depending the player's intent for their sessions. Again- been takin notes and always appreciate your classroom discussions PhiDX. Cant wait to run into you in the future.

PhiDX with another great video. Thanks for all you do for the community! I started watching your videos at the start of Tekken 8 when I literally have never played Tekken or even watched Tekken before, and your videos gave me the itch and drive to buy the game! Now I'm loving it!

Already watched it in the stream so I'm just here for the algorithm .

Insane work man, thanks for all the things you do for the community!

Commenting for the algorithm. Thanks for the content, you're a big reason I've stuck with this game and gotten through the early ranks

Impressive work to analyse all these data! That's so helpful. Huge thank you for your hard work phi, really 🥰

bruv what the hell man this is too much work for a video 😅 im glad tho because someone had to do it. Love your content this is amazing

if someone has problems with metchup, especially with an unpopular character and the lab does not help, I recommend that you start playing this character even for fun and see how your opponents deal with this character, and you start to see the good and bad sides of the character just by playing and having fun, when you return to your main, metchup will be much easier, This is also a more enjoyable learning method and prevents you from getting burned out by playing one character all the time. when you return to your main and encounter this metchup in ranked matches, it will be like playing chess against yourself, you will ask yourself in the middle of the fight what you would do in your opponent's place, a strange but satisfying feeling

Love the detailed work you put in Phi! Thanks a bunch on the rank info 😊

Dude you've been a huge help with all the info you practically just giving away, thank you so much dude your awesome!

Respect. The breakdown and then the end are owed a subscribe for sure!

Good stuff. I had a bad Friday and went down to high shin from mid ten; yesterday, no plan or focus, and surprisingly went shin to mighty. Read the player, speed your read, know your unsafties and use when can.

PhiDX i really appreciate your content and research. This is my first tekken and i learn so much from you. From mindset to combos, from combos to neutral. Your content is amazing for new tekken players, thank you so much for your work!

Thank you Phi, this video REALLY helped to open my eyes about how I feel towards ranked lately ❤

Awesome video bro, thanks for the great content. In the vein of mastering the hobby as a craft or skill, that is exactly where I get my fulfillment. Ranks can change and reset, and games change and come and go, but the forever project, like learning in life, is honing your own skills, and then you can take those skills with you and apply the fundamentals across whatever context you choose. For fighting games, I think of building out a set of core skills similar to competitive FPS games, and then I can take them to T8, MK1, SF6 and so on, so I worry way less about my individual rank in any one game. I find it helps prevent raging or getting burned out.

Finally some clarity! Thank you so much for spending time on figuring this out for the community. And thank you for your insight on how to deal with ranked mentally. I do hope Bamco puts a streak indicator at some point.

thanks to your coaching and watching others in the Sajam tournament I have gotten Flame Ruler on my very first time playing any fighting game, I really appreciate all your videos explaining the game to newcomers. I think I can get to blue ranks in a couple days, but its good to know that rank doesn't mean everything and I had fun getting where I am now anyways.

the last time I clicked this early I got whiff punished

It's just ridiculous. Losing to technical weaker opponent it should hurt more, not less.

This was very helpful. Thanks for putting in the work

Very well put together video, I appreciate the information so much! Good shit

You're the man PhiDX. As an avid lover of fighting games, but only a viewer, never a player, your guides and knowledge, are second to none. I only got into this Tekken, because I saw your guides, and I was privileged to meet the voice actress of Azucena. So from the bottom of my heart and the strength of my fists, I thank you wholeheartedly and I am forever in debt to you and all the legacy players who actually teach, mentor, and nurture the fire in us newcomer's to be a better fighter. So thank you my guy, I got your back on everything my dude. May your fists be granite, your nerves be like steel , and God bless. I pray that you continue in your success, not only in the game, but in all things you pursue in your life! ✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾

This is insanely valuable work, been scratching my head at those nonsensical points since the game came out !

Amazing video. Super-awesome stuff, dude. Thank you for all your hard work!

I always wondered why sometimes I would gain more points than usual after a match... Thanks for explaining it all to us. As a newcomer I feel spoiled having you around to explain Tekken 8 to us 😂

You can’t beat the unemployed allegations after this one bro.

Thank you so much for your work and dedication to the game and community. Appreciate it man!

Thanks for explaining this. I was wondering about this for awhile because i had been demoted from Tenryu back to Shinryu, but because the points i lost in that match literally put me at the edge of Tenryu rank when, i won my rematch, i got that buffer in points plus the added win points and i was sitting here scratching my head.

The weirdest part of the system imo is you drop very little points by losing to players of lower ranks, which makes those matches super low risk (since you're a higher rank, so likely a lot better already) and incentivizes farming them noobs. At the same time, receiving a beating from higher ranks is incredibly punishing. There's definitely a better balance to be found in numbers which propels you locking in on higher rank matches while also not treating lower ranks as promotion fodder.

This ranking system is very stupid. If you're near a demotion, you're often better off throwing the first match against the next scrub you go against, de-ranking, then beating them and getting the big rank up buffer bonus. Any ranking system where it's often more efficient to _lose_ vs win is broken. I don't know why they don't just use ELO like chess.

I love your content bro I wanna personally let you know that this typa information is what makes the world go round. Very informative and you put your own perspective into the subject as a whole and your take on improvement is very great .

Shoutout to this video and PhiDx as a whole for getting me into trying Tekken ranked

Bro your doing the job of Tekken community managers out here, thanks. I wonder if someone from Tekken would confirm this and give you credit… nahhh they don’t care lol

In all honesty tk7 ranked system was so much better.... it was more of a challenge and also the pt system was consistent. As soon as you reach dark blue you lose the same amount of pts you gain for winning and it felt like a good marker for where real tekken was starting. Also when you got demoted it put you in the middle of the rank bar instead of the end which means you grind back to the rank. Some people hate that but to me it was more of a grind and i liked it because it helped me get better as a player. I dont like how i made Tekken King so easily. I felt way more accomplished making Yaksa in tk7 than i did making it to Tekken King in 8.

I think you're the best teacher of Tekken on RU-vid not because of your (very strong) game specific knowledge, but because of your philosophy. Having the right attitude to learning and the ranked system is just as important as technical skill. Thanks dude, keep it up.

This is an amazing vid, really informative Phi, ty :)

Thank you for making this I was confused 😅 I appreciate all your videos keep it up 💜

Even though i have stopped playing ranked matches for undisclosed amount of time, i always find your videos to be very informative and helpful, with this one not being an exception. So here's a comment, like, and sub to hopefully aid you in spreading knowledge about Tekken to ever wider audiences.

Thanks for this vid I was wondering about this! 🔥 Also you were in my pool a couple weeks ago LETS GO!!! 🎉

That makes things far clearer, I had so many goofy theories like in game performance impacted points (like perfect rounds) 6-0ing people. All sorts of things like that. So this helps a lot, thank you for the clarity with this all!

Thank you for the video! Helped me a lot in understanding the ranking system.

I love this video. It shows a lot of numbers and time you've put into the notes to show players how the ranking system works. But yet again the main focus is to just enjoy the game as it is and don't be bothered by the rank itself.

Hi Phi, I love your content, keep it up! Improving is such a fun thing and you teaching people how to improve is very valuable!

DUDE!!!! thank you for explaining this to me because I was going crazy on trying to understand this system 😅

nice food for thought! Main goal on any videogame should be just to have fun with it. Celebrate the learning process and you getting good at a game one step at a time. I really appreciate your videos, keep it up! 😀

Good shit bro. You've helped me immensely with your indebt analysis. You've really been a god send in understanding these buttons bro. Respect 👍👍

Glad you made this video, very enlightening!

I noticed some of these concepts as well. Appreciate the breakdown.

Thanks again for your daily hard work and very high value content!

Thanks for making this! The community appreciates it

Takes a lot of effort to make these kind of videos, thank you so much for all this work

Fantastic video sir! You hit a lot of points that I agree with. Keep up the good work!

This is awesome 😎, thank you for the work put into this video.

Thanks for the info I definitely had questions about points

Thank You 🤩🙏🏼 It explains alot what is happening in Rank 😅

omg you are the best ! what an hard working player

Thank you for once again informative content. This is dope

Loving your dedication to making high quality information for T8, keep cooking king!

long time viewer first time subber not for any reason outside of laziness. You are my favorite tekken content creator in general at the moment and i share all your helpful videos to my friends who need some assistance so sorry for being lazy.

Awesome breakdown, thank you!

I wish you all the success in the world Phi. You are a great content creator and you seem like a great person as well.

Thank you bro I really appreciate yo vids!

The amount of data is crazy. Good job Phi o7

We appreciate your hard works, man.

Very informative thanks dawg

been watching your videos since tekken 8 launch and theyre helping me out a lot 🥶

Great video as always!

This required a lot of work. Thanks for the breakdown.

Keep being you brother! You bring great lessons and entertainment

Great video I love these tekken deep dives.

Finally some serious data explanation ive been looking for this since day 1

Massive research project! I agree that no one should get hung up on points enough that this should matter, but having the information for archival or comparison purposes post-patch or in future games can still be a great frame of reference. Lotta hard work, but ultimately important stuff; thanks again for the community service Phi!

i always leave a comment just bc phi politely asks in the start of his video rather than randomly interrupting the video to ask later on like so many creators do. Great video phi :)

great work thanks for dedicating time into that

I was so lost with the ranked system, thank you Phi for the great explanation!

Glad you elaborated on streak benefits

Thanks for all the effort!

PhiDX, you are such a saint for the casual/noob crowd. I wish your videos/content existed back when i played in 5&6. Playing 5 & 6 in the arcades was way less forgiving compared to now. Never made it past 4th Dan (the people in arcades were also a lot better than the average player online these days). Yet i’m a purple rank in 8. I realised the rank system is super complicated but the buffer is so generous - there was no generous buffers in the old skool days. It’s as you say, rank doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters about rank is that the higher you are, the better the opponents you get to play, which is the main thing i care about rank, love to play against good opponents.

You’re the man… was definitely on the verge of giving up but the relatability just saved the day 👌🏽

Thank you! This is incredibly helpful.

This video came at the perfect time. After some time off tekken just because of work commitments I finally jumped back in today. Being hard stuck at vanquisher I was getting a little tilted (or shall we say a lot). It's hard not fo care at times but after a while I met a player around the same skill level we jumped into player match and I was reminded of the fun the game brings. That moment and this video solidifies that fact that rank doesn't matter

Thank you for taking the time to compile this data and make this video 😎

You literally are the best! This was so helpful! Thanks because I definitely was feeling down about not being able to get out of Rajin! 🙄🤣

Thank you for going through the trouble for this. Online ranked queues are always so stressful if one starts to worry about rank and the score given to them. I'm glad they went with a bit of a looser system like this that's easy to disregard but still gives a fun badge for the progress.

Thank you for this breakdown

so amazing how much work went into this video

i have been having trouble in orange ranks with bryan but i start getting demoted from eliminator back down to vanquisher some days and that gets in my head, i start getting tilted and mad and playing off. understanding the system can help realize that everyone has these problems, yellow, blue, gold, whatever rank you are and to just keep playing being the thing to prioritize. thank you phidx

appreciate all your hard work

Your channel is so informative and your streams are so funny

The dedication to tracking this down is wild, mad props Phi! Especially considering it really boiled down to “stop worrying about it so much” 😅