Smurfing is Prohibited by Riot

Tired of seeing smurfs in ranked games. I'm bound by the code of conduct to stay in any game I have joined till the end or till surrender, the last thing I want is ANYONE to have a smurf on their team ruining the next 40 minutes of any game. It is my absolute belief that smurfing is as toxic as hate speech, if not more. On top of that, there is a stunning belief that smurfing is allowed and has some underlying justification(?). It does not, and it is not allowed. It should be reported every time if you can find supporting evidence (Lolking.net, match history, K/D ratio). Accounts found guilty of smurfing should face the standard procedures regarding warnings, suspensions, and bans as other offenses.

So.... with that being that, what evidence do I have that support my argument? Fair question.

First off, here is the source:: https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/legal/termsofuse

That is the Terms of Service, it also contains the Code of Conduct. I know we normally don't read over this but it is very important to note that BOTH parties have to comply by the ToS - even Riot, themselves. Not doing so voids the contract in both directions. For us, that often means punishment of some sort including warnings, suspension, or account bans. It's not so clear what a companies punishment is when not fulfilling their end of the agreement, but more often than not it is only applicable if someone wants to go out of their way to bring them to court. Then it would have great precedence. By the way, they have made this VERY digestible for players to understand so I suggest taking a moment to read it for the shiggles.

Support Argument 1 "The Code of Conduct is not meant to be exhaustive, and we reserve the right to modify it at any time, as well as take appropriate disciplinary measures including account termination and deletion to protect the integrity and spirit of the Riot Services, regardless of whether a specific behavior is listed in the policy as inappropriate."

Right off the bat, we can say that Riot does not want a list containing ALL and EVERY violation. Smurfing is not a specific act which is listed but may be interpreted to be damaging to the League community, as will be explained later. Additional, Riot reserves the right to take disciplinary action on any occurrence they find (again) damaging to the League community.

Support Argument 2 "Participating in any action which, in the sole and exclusive judgment of Riot Games, defrauds any other user of the Game, including by scamming or social engineering;"

A bit more detached than our strong, first argument, but still relevant. Smurfing is an aspect of social engineering that defrauds other users. When a player participates in a ranked game they are doing so under the knowledge that they'll be placed against others of similar rank. Smurfing skews this process by stacking the deck largely in another team's favor. They are, very directly, scamming the opposing team by this means, including bolstering the ranks of the 'fortunate' players on that person's team. In effect, 9 individuals are part of a scam to which all players are still bound by the ToS to endure the entire match or face reports from other players. In my unprofessional opinion - that's a pretty toxic trap set by the negligence of Riot.

Support Argument 3 "Playing on another person’s account to “boost” that account’s status or rank; (...)"

Smurfing, by nature, is a subversive method to face those of less skill than yourself. Being an act of less-than-ethical standards leaves it quite open to the very real possibility of "boosting". To delve into this further, while we would need to inquire further on what Riot's reason is behind implementing such a rule, it is a fairly safe assumption to make that the rule is to protect the integrity of ranked matches. This is important as it sets another precedence that integrity is 1)important and 2)protected by Riot. Smurfing is an act that otherwise, as is a common theme with this post, ruins the integrity and spirit of League of Legends.

SO! To wrap this up.... Smurfing is an act which harms the integrity and spirit of League of Legends games by circumvented the established system in which players are given ranks, in accordance with their skill, in order to face people of like-skill capabilities. The current system is set up so that players can enjoy a fair and leveled playing field. Smurfing not only bypasses the system but makes for a hostile environment, encourages toxicity and degrades players. It needs to be more prominently stated by Riot as a punishable offense, with reporting options to allow players the possibility of taking action against the offender.

Currently, I report players that I have found with the high likeliness of being a smurf. Again, I do this only if there is a strong, established linked through match history and K/D ratios that strongly point to smurfing. Would these actions resolve smurfing entirely? No, as with any other offense monitored by Riot, there will always be some 'x' amount that will get away with it. It's unavoidable. However, it set the motion that 1)Smurfing is not acceptable and 2)that smurfing can be reported and taken action on. It to remind the community that this is not an acceptable behavior and can have punishments behind it.

Please, do not forget, smurfing is a harmful act and can be reported. If you think someone is smurfing and have looked up Strong supporting evidence, report them with the note that they're a potential smurf.