Team entity ratings
How PickleFriend tracks Elo for fixed partnerships instead of individuals, what the Team Rating Mode setting controls, and how to manage team records from the dashboard.
Fixed partnerships — two players who always play together — can earn a single Elo number that reflects how they perform together, not a weighted average of their individual histories. Enable Team Rating Mode and the pair becomes the rated entity.
Two parallel systems, one switch
Every game updates both individual player ratings and, if the pair has a team record, team entity ratings stored in a separate table scoped to your group or division.
The Team Rating Mode setting in Group Settings → Ratings controls which one drives standings and mixing:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Individual ratings (weighted average) | Individual player ratings guide the mixer and order the standings. |
| Team entity ratings | The team's shared Elo is the authority for mixing, standings, and expected-score calculations. Individual ratings still update in the background as a secondary stat. |
Both modes keep accumulating ratings — switching modes changes what's used, not what's recorded. If you flip between them you won't lose history in either system.
How a team's Elo works
The math is identical to individual Elo — blowouts move ratings more than close games, beating a stronger pair pays more than beating a weaker one. See How Elo ratings work for the full breakdown.
The rating change is then split between the two partners based on the Highest player responsibility setting. By default the higher-rated partner absorbs 35% of the swing and the lower-rated partner absorbs 65% — a result reveals more about the bigger question mark, so their rating reacts more. You can adjust the split anywhere from 30% to 70% in Group Settings → Ratings.
Team names
Each partnership can have a custom team name stored on its record. If no name is set, the public ratings page and standings display show "Player1 & Player2" as a fallback. You can set or change a team name at any time without affecting the underlying rating or game history.
Team identity
A team is identified by its two player IDs. If a partnership breaks up, their team record goes inactive; if they reunite, the same record reactivates with full rating and game history intact. A player who pairs with someone new gets a brand-new team record starting at the group's default rating — the old team's history stays with the old pair. A team that has never played starts at that same default with no placement advantage from individual histories.
Decay for teams
Inactivity decay works the same for teams as for individuals: only the visible rating shown in standings decreases; the hidden MMR is untouched. When the pair plays again, the hidden MMR is restored before the new game's Elo math runs. Teams with zero games played are never decayed — there's no baseline to decay from.
See Inactivity decay for the full decay schedule and restoration mechanics.
In a ladder league
Team ratings are scoped per division. When a partnership promotes or relegates, a new record is created in the target division (or a prior record there is reactivated if the pair has played in it before). Histories from different divisions are kept separate and never merged.
Teams sparing in a higher division get a separate record there, starting at the default rating. The home-division record stays active — sparing doesn't change a team's official tier.
For how promotions, relegations, and spares interact with team records, see Individual vs team mode.
Managing teams from the dashboard
The Teams page at /dashboard/teams lists the team records your group has
accumulated. It only appears in the sidebar when Team Rating Mode is enabled.
What you see
Each row shows the team's display name, both players' names (when a custom name is set), current rating, games played, and when the pair last played. A "U" prefix means the team is still in its placement window — updates are larger during this period while the rating settles. The Total Teams count reflects how many records are loaded with the current filter.
Searching
The search bar filters by team name, either player's name, or the "Player1 & Player2" default display name. Results update as you type.
Showing inactive teams
Inactive teams are hidden by default. Check Show inactive to include them. Their rating and game history are fully intact — it's a display filter, not an archive.
Creating a team manually
Click + Create Team, pick two players by name, and optionally give the pair a custom team name (up to 100 characters; leave blank and it defaults to "Player1 & Player2"). You can also set a seed rating — a starting number that overrides the auto-calculated value derived from the players' individual ratings. The form includes a Link players as fixed partners checkbox, which connects them in the players list so the mixer treats them as a pair.
A team record is created automatically the first time two players play a game together while Team Rating Mode is on. Manual creation is only needed if you want to pre-set a seed rating or name before any games are recorded.
Editing a team
Click the ⋮ button on any team row to open its options menu:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit Team Name | Set or clear the custom name. Clearing reverts to "Player1 & Player2". |
| Edit Seed Rating | Override the starting rating used if the pair has no game history yet. Accepts values from 0 to 9999. |
| View Game History | Browse the full list of games the team has played, with scores and rating changes. |
| Delete Team | Removes the record permanently. Only available when the team has zero games played — teams with any history cannot be deleted. |
Seed ratings
The seed rating is the starting point used the first time the system calculates an expected score for that team. Leave it blank and the system derives one from the two players' individual ratings. Set it manually when you're migrating from another rating system and already have a known number for the pair.
After the team's first rated game, the seed has no further effect — live Elo takes over from that point.
What's next
- How Elo ratings work — the score-based math behind individual and team Elo.
- Placement games — how early games are weighted while ratings settle.
- Individual vs team mode — choosing the right mode for a ladder league.
- Group Settings — where to enable Team Rating Mode and adjust the rating knobs.