Just a thought, both as a returning player and as someone who had to play against them when I first started. Find a way to limit people to one account each server, and make smurfing reportable. Your new players are being discouraged by the smurfs and as a result we dont have many new players and its adding to the toxicity of the game. This also affects your bottom line as well if I need to present it in business terms for it to get any kind of notice or traction.
Du Ma Mi2 votesI created a smurf account to play with my friend who was just learning the game. I tried playing on my main in normal games with him, but then he'd go against level 200's in lane while he's still learning what all the champions do. He would end every game 0/15 because he was still learning, and needed to play against players closer to his skill level.
So when I made a smurf, I would try for the first little bit in lane, then once I was ahead I would just mess around and have fun. I wasn't scummy, I'd give my teammates tips, and I wouldn't run around on Yasuo or Draven trying to 1v5 new players, because I'm not an asshole.
Am I now a toxic person, because I have a smurf? Do I deserve a permaban for wanting my friend to learn the game at a slow and easy pace, against similarly skilled players, instead of rushing him into games against high level players? Should I have just let him play solo games, and quit by level 13 because otherwise he's playing 150 solo normal games just to get to level 30, and he specifically joined league so he could play games with his friends?
Smurfing is brutal when you have people who cherish their 90% winrates, and only play sweaty champs to style on new players because it feeds their egos. But if you start banning accounts that are smurfs, solely on the basis that they're smurfs, that's just ruining the games for potential groups of friends who just want to play some normals together.
Solo Q Memes1 votesIdeally in a perfect League of Legends matchmaking system your friend would not be up against level 200+ players.
Why can't we fix both? Smurfing and the bad matchmaking in normals both contribute to the problem with new players. Fix them both and it would make the player base healthier which would also mean that the queue times wouldn't hurt as bad.
Oh and I do think your toxic for smurfing. I find smurfing to be toxic in any context. But it is now the norm in this game. Unfortunately there are really shitty people who smurf and then taunt the enemy team to tilt them. IOW straight garbage.
Du Ma Mi1 votesIn a system where I'm level 202 and I'm playing a normal game with my friend who's level 8, they're going to have to go against seasoned players who are going to stomp them and make them want to quit the game. In blind pick, we don't know the roles either; So having a level 8 and a level 200ish on either team won't necessarily balance - it will more likely end up with me getting fed mid and my friend hard losing top.
To your other point, in my smurfing games, I understood they were normal games. I would listen to other players' shotcalls (give my level 12 ADC a chance to try out macro play, or my new jungler could call objectives, etc...), I would focus on CS and helping the jungler, and I wouldn't faceroll my opponents because that's not fun for anyone. Punish big mistakes, so the opposing laners could learn from them, and otherwise let them get away with some smaller ones - because they're still learning the game. I'd be polite, and I would let my team carry me, or I would lose. I can't think of any possible way I could have been a toxic player, as you're suggesting. But if trying to be a model player, wanting to play a fair game with my friend, and trying to be welcoming to new players is toxic to you, then I can't even imagine what you think of your soloQ teammates.
GFREEMEN1 votesYep but Riot likes the # of Active player boost Smurfs give them for investors.
R3vArgos3 votesYep but Riot likes the # of Active player boost Smurfs give them for investors.
Until it negatively affects the player base. One smurf can easily stop 4 new players from playing the game. The ratio doesnt work out.
Iljos1 votesOne smurf can easily stop 4 new players from playing the game
new players don't face smurfs, good statistic though kekw
PiggySaysWhat2 votesIn my first 20 games of returning I had a bunch of people flat out tell me they were smurfing and inform me they felt bad for me to be stuck in my ELO. Not that they actually were on their account that counted, I'm sure. It was still sweet of them to be simultaneously abusive and understanding. But yeah, they prolly do just outpace quickly enough. Ya know, until they create another smurf to dunk [am I using that verb correctly? ah, the children will tell me I'm sure] on people attempting to match with those of equal skill and not just those that they can take advantage of mechanically.
Still, yeah is probably all imaginary and everything is working as intended. What a lovely, supportive, non-gaslighting community here.
OP, I feel your pain. Just know that, ultimately, they're playing just as well or poorly as anyone else you may be matched with. Judicious use of the mute button drastically improves the whole LoL experience, whomever may be behind their poorly concealed attempt at a deeply offensive SN.
Iljos1 votesyou're not a new player now are you mate, in normals smurfs get detected within 5 games, in ranked? the fresh level 30 new player will get as fucked by the gold elo players they are matched with as they do by the smurfs and stop facing smurfs after like 3 games anyways.
True Garen1 votesnew players don't face smurfs, good statistic though kekw
Of course they do.
Darkdemon6531 votesJust a thought, both as a returning player and as someone who had to play against them when I first started. Find a way to limit people to one account each server, and make smurfing reportable. Your new players are being discouraged by the smurfs and as a result we dont have many new players and its adding to the toxicity of the game. This also affects your bottom line as well if I need to present it in business terms for it to get any kind of notice or traction.
New players don't play against alts.
R3vArgos1 votesYoure right, up until around level 10 they dont. But after that smurfs show up every three games or so. I've been having my friend track his games for me.
Du Ma Mi1 votesHow would your friend know what a smurf looks like, if he's a new player? New players can't tell whether a player is a Diamond smurf, or just good at MOBA's. They don't understand the core macro of a league game at level 10, and therefore won't understand the difference between a smurfing Olaf who's getting fed because of good macro, and an olaf who got fed because his enemies were basically running it down because they don't know any better.
When I was starting league, I had games on yi and fiddlesticks where I went 25/2 - that doesn't mean I had any idea of what I was doing, it just means I somehow ended up getting fed.
Unless your friend is also smurfing, they're just telling you every time there's a fed player in the game.
True Garen1 votesNew players don't play against alts.
Of course they do. They're often not savvy enough to realize it, though.
Saban1 votesNormal games don't matter I guess, having a smurf, well, at least you don't lose LP? You can still have fun, and I play normal games to relax and don't care about the outcome at all.
About the ranked games, if you are iron - gold, having a smurf in your opponent team will trigger you, and if you think positive, you will say ''i could be this guy''. You'll watch replay or just kills and notice why is he better and what has he done better than you. At least I did that, I was bronze before, last season I ended up plat 2 (not high elo, but I'm fine with it). I never had problems with smurfs, the real smurfs, good players, they will never be toxic, because they know they are not matched up against their elo, and are there to help a friend climb or just made another account, you can ask these guys for tips. There are other smurfs aswell, baby smurfs I like to call them. They aren't high elo, but high enough to carry games in bronze/silver, like plat, I can carry games till gold 4 without a problem. The thing is, they are toxic because they are frustrated for not being able to climb anymore in their elo, so they just want to feel the joy of winning a game, stomping someone and having a high score. You just ignore those, because they don't climb anymore, they reached their max elo. Just focus on realizing your mistakes and turn that ''having a smurf'' into having an opportunity to play vs a good player and realize why is he better than you, at least for now ;) Hope I motivated you because I've experienced it myself, I don't smurf and even when I do play on a lower elo account, I don't feel above anyone when I win because I know I'm not matched up against my elo.
iLearning2play1 votesgood players, they will never be toxic
KEKW
True Garen1 votesSmurfing IS reportable, and I report it wherever I see it. Only rarely is anything done about it, but hopefully, it helps riot improve MMR system. (And sometimes, coincidentally, I notice that the offending player's normal MMR has suddenly seemingly jumped up a few hundred points...)
Riot KNOWS which alt accounts belong to which primary.
Norms DO count. Smurfs generate a lot of toxicity on the enemy team, many don't realize that the feeder is laning vs a smurf. A high percentage of bans occur from offenses instigated by smurfs.
At least, it should be easier to identify a smurf in the match. Most players do understand that a player only a couple divisions up in equivalent MMR can make everybody else in the match look like idiots.