Boards›Gameplay

LvL 30s ranked smurfing

KaramTNC··6 votes·4,270 views

I think this needs to be addressed.

Smurfs exists, yet there are not hard to spot at all. Ever since ranked 2020 started I've run into 2 smurfs with lvl 32, an akali going 20/x and recently a Yasuo going 24/6.

I have contacted riot to have these smurfs punished but like everything, they refuse to help us and say "We wont disclose information of what happens to the reported player".

What I dont understands, is why its hard for riot to control these smurfs, if they are able to create a system for punishing afkers then a system should exist to detect and ban smurfers. Its quite simple, literally, just by having 30-40 levels and be dominant in ranked with high positive KDA alongside proper cs on multiple champions that they barely have 20 games on is straight up proof that its a smurf.

Now, maybe I posted this in the wrong topic, but to riot devs. Make 2020 a difference, and create this anti smurf detection system that could literally delete hundreds of lvl 30s using high skill champions and dominating with them.

I have been denied 1 win from promos twice due to these smurfs, once in Bronze I and again today in Silver III. You guys can check my op.gg, I have 6-8+ winstreaks and my MMR is high silver-low gold.

Who am I kidding, this post is clearly gonna get flamed on by high elo players cause they wanna keep their smurf accounts.

40 Comments

galdamesh4 votes

punishing smurfing isn't really in anyone's interest.

A) in the grand scheme games ruined by smurfs are a minuscule sample size.

B) smurfs make riot money, the grind from 1-30 is brutal most people buy xp boosters.

C) unranked to X series get decent viewership, which is exposure for riot.

Now the people who make smurf accounts and do things to keep themselves in an elo lower then they should be, FF'ing games, soft inting, etc. should maybe be punished since they effect a greater sample size.

Z3SIeeper1 votes

This is pretty much the case. Smurfing is not only not punished, it is actually encouraged.

Riot even provides level 30 accounts to LPP streamers on request.

Not saying smurfing is bad or anything, i really don’t have a stance on the matter.

RyzeRework1 votes

There also isnt much way of telling if somone is a smurf or not

KaramTNC1 votes

I just said the basic way of identifying a smurf, lvl 30 account with positive KDA/cs on champs with less than 20 games, especially high mechanical champs.

RyzeRework1 votes

So you punish players that are naturally good enough?

KaramTNC1 votes

Are you implying that a lvl 30 player with a multi-role large champion pool of platinum efficiency is naturally good at the game?

RyzeRework1 votes

Seeing people come over from dota I can say it's not impossible plus in pre ranked games there is no meta hell most games dont even offer jungle.

Zarcova1 votes

The difference with the LPP accounts is that they have platinum mmr so no person in really low elo will have to fight them

Inari Fox Orrion3 votes

All those things you list? That's Riot supporting smurfing, not you.

The boards during the day be like: smurfing is unacceptable; play against people your own skill. The boards during the night be like: smurfing is the best thing ever; it's okay if an adult weighing 250 plays in the lightweight league.

There is no legitimate reason for someone to smurf. I'd like to point out that playing Yasuo for your first time in Iron 4 will not teach you how to use him against Diamond 4 players, because the issue in this case is a lack of mechanics instead of a lack of knowledge. Playing Yasuo won't mean that you suddenly don't know when to split, how to CS, when to engage, how to ward. Similarly, playing won't make his weaknesses at all obvious or meaningful to you, because there will be no-one to exploit them.

The only legitimacy is in the idea that watching smurfs is useful; It's educational, at most, and it teaches you how to deal with the unique aspects of any individual rank. Silver is 5v5 ARAM, while Gold is 5v5 ARAM w/ map awareness, for example. It teaches you how to escape & abuse those individual ranks' quirks. That's it.

Next up, I'd like to explain something to anyone who defends smurfing: if it was done in any real-life sport, the person smurfing would be laughed out of the room for how pathetic they are. Due to the culture of the internet and LoL specifically, this won't happen. Mostly. Instead, people will en-masse project onto the streamer which will, of course, have those people queue up on their own and imitate the behavior of the streamer, which just dissuades newbies from playing the game & also contribute to a toxic atmosphere. Notice how toxic most smurfing streamers are? Hmm... I do. So do a lot of others.

Anyone who defends smurfing does so only because they are a selfish prat, and that's it. (Mods, this isn't calling someone a selfish prat unless they admit to defending it even after all of this. And, in that case, it'd be true: they only care for their own self-interest in leu of a narcissist, and if that's the case then why should anyone give a fuck what they think?)

galdamesh1 votes

"smurfing" happens in almost every collegiate level sport. top tier schools have tune up games against bottom tier schools.

tune up fights are also extremely common in boxing.

Pro Am golf tournaments are literally Proffesional vs Amateur tournaments.

the existence of smurfs is also easy to defend on the grounds of the positional queue. If i'm a plat midlaner but a bronze jungler trying to get better at jungling I shouldn't be punished for not wanting to learn a new role on my main account.

same for one tricks, if I play Kat at a plat+ level but want to practice something else I might not be a plat+ Vlad.

Normal and Flex games get people of highly varying effort and skill levels that make them unreliable places of practice.

again I don't think you've raised a single point against smurfing other then you believe it effects you more often then it does.

CloutVladimzir3 votes

It's hard to detect smurfs... You cant just point fingers, who knows maybe someone just unlocked their full potential and is starting to climb. That shouldnt get them banned.

TrueDamage Ninja2 votes

Excuse me, when you 'unlock your full potential' at level 34, you are definitely a smurf.

Inari Fox Orrion1 votes

Not all the time. I think their point is just that Riot needs better matchmaking, which we can all agree on.

KaramTNC1 votes

{quoted}

It's hard to detect smurfs... You cant just point fingers, who knows maybe someone just unlocked their full potential and is starting to climb. That shouldnt get them banned.

A lvl 30 cant climb ranked at all, I tried ranked when I became lvl 30 and I quit it until I became lvl 70

FOR JUSTICE3 votes

because smurfing is blatantly stated to not be against the rules, which is why those reports you sent are quite literally in the trash.

not all smurfing is as malicious as everyone likes to claim it is. having to crush 5-6 games before the mmr system can place you at our proper rank isnt the fault of the player. people have alternate accounts to practice on, thats a legitimate thing.

plus its not likely it was even a smurf, the beginning of the season people in around gold-plat are being placed in silver.

KaramTNC1 votes

https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001259787?input_string=smurfing

By the looks of this post, smurfing is discouraged by riot and considering the first reason that a smurf exists is to dominate games, which would mean ruining the game of the opposing team, it fills the rule that riot must punish smurfs.

UltimateShield131 votes

{quoted}

https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001259787?input_string=smurfing

By the looks of this post, smurfing is discouraged by riot and considering the first reason that a smurf exists is to dominate games, which would mean ruining the game of the opposing team, it fills the rule that riot must punish smurfs.

LOL Riot has never banned someone for smurfing alone, they only ban those that tank their MMR on purpose, or gloat and belittle other players when they stomp them.

FOR JUSTICE1 votes

discoraged =/= punishable. thats literally why the word discouraged is used.

and not all smurfing is to just dominate lower elos, because again in less then 10 games youre pretty much garunteed to match vs your own elo as soon as you close out provisionals.

besides, you cant actually make that claim, because youre under the assumption that they're made solely to stomp betty bronze. this is flat out untrue.

the only exception is clash.

KaramTNC1 votes

And aparently what reason do they have to make a smurf account?

Learn new champions? They have practice tool to learn the basics and blind/normal to improve it to their level

FOR JUSTICE1 votes

just that, improve at new champions/the game as a whole. because normals is filled with people equally unskilled.

not only this, how many diamond + players have you encountered playing normals?

because its impossible to improve vs opponents who arent actually going to challenge you at your level.

22 Caliber Rifle3 votes

I agree with you and will admit that I for one smurf. Currently I have 0 motivation to play on my 2 accounts but am now working on another Smurf as its more enjoyable.

To note:

  • My main was Gold II with extremely horrible MMR and w/r. Now Silver III and declining

  • My alt is lv 50 and was Plat III. Now Silver II. Used to have a 56% w/r which is now a 45% w/r

The smurf I'm working on is now Silver 1 and climbing because much better MMR. I understand people absolutely hate smurfs but this is one of many reasons why I do it. In most cases just blame Riot for people smurfing.

Kendren13 votes

Lol i like how u just skip over the entire argument about whether smurfs should be banned, and just assume it to be the case without question. Yes identifying smurfs often wouldnt be difficult... but no ones ever said smurfing was bad except weak players more worried about some small amount of lp their bad luck cost them, than actually improving their skill at the game.

KaramTNC1 votes

Not everyone has time to play league, and you dont seem to have read my post properly. I have 6-7 winstreaks and I just got into Silver II, to increase MMR and skip divisions you need to have a constant winstreak, I would probably had skipped a division had I not ran into a smurf because right now my MMR, while it is in low gold, it still is not in the place of my skill.

Its not a skill problem, its a missing anti-smurf detection problem.

Kendren11 votes

Lol that last sentence is what I'm laughing about. Smurfs don't have any special abilities to win games, they're just more skilled at the game. Why would you have a "anti-smurf detection problem" if smurfing is not against the rules? And you're not presenting any argument on why it should be. Also this isn't exactly a "smurf" it was my highest ranked acc last season. Riot banned my previous acc during S9 preseason for flaming people who were trolling because it was preseason so I had to start over. And I literally played less than you, so IDK what you mean about "not everyone has time to play league".

Point is, if you wanna be competitive... try your best against smurfs... if they're best is better than learn from it. Im not sayin this from only one side of the spectrum, I've been smurfed on by Yassuo, Hash, Metaphor, Karasmai, some random challenger AP grag mid, and those were some of my most fun games. If you don't like a challenge why play a competitive pvp game?

KaramTNC1 votes

Also, I just checked your op.gg, you're lvl 64 and you were platinum I last season? Now I dont know how long it takes to get the mechanics to plat I since I've only gotten serious in ranked a few months ago, but by the fact that you were plat I last season and you're facing diamond 4/plat 1 in your last few matches already proves to me that you're a smurf.

Smurfs aint gonna teach low elo to play better, infact its the opposite, it only teaches them to blame their loss on you and continue experiencing the same frustation and stress of trying to win an impossible promo game.

You have no reason to smurf, nothing but to ruin other people in ranked who are just trying to get to their designated rank

And you have no right to talk about punishing smurfing when you do it yourself, do us low elo players a favor and quit smurfing so we can enjoy fighting players of our skill.

Its more satisfactory to beat a player of similar skill than to beat a player of less skill.

FastBreakProdigy1 votes

Have you ever consider it not being a smurfed, but a perma banned player? It's not usual to see people who are addicted to league get so caught up in the competitiveness, and flame their accounts away.

KaramTNC1 votes

Then wouldn´t their MMR placement put them immediatly in high gold?

FastBreakProdigy1 votes

I started in season 3 or 4, I'm pretty sure it was a 6W/4L, did placements, got into silver 5.

hRnrBbWoTr1 votes

Idk what you mean smurfing is fucked.

Fresh 30 account hit my placements after 2 games get a provisional rank gold 4. Which is trash, after that all my enemies were high plat and low diamond players yet my team was still gold. It doesn't make any sense but if you play too good riot will make sure you CANT win by giving you the worst teamates.

KaramTNC1 votes

And yet somehow, I ran into 2 smurfs that were clearly high gold low plat but they were put against high silver low gold MMR.

KaramTNC1 votes

UPDATE:

Either this is just a coincidence or RIOT actually decided to do something.

This is the first smurf I encountered in ranked: deleted

This is the 2nd smurf I encountered in rnaked: deleted

deleted (akali) has not had a single game for 3 days, the last game was against me. The same goes with deleted (yasuo), only being hours ago.

So either they just decided to take a break or Riot actually punished them or banned them (that is if banned players shows up in op.gg)

It makes no sense for Riot to not tell me that they did get punished, since telling players that their reports actually did something encourages them to continue reporting people

Will check again tomorrow.

EDIT: just found out naming is against the rules

UltimateShield131 votes

{quoted}

UPDATE:

Either this is just a coincidence or RIOT actually decided to do something.

This is the first smurf I encountered in ranked: deleted

This is the 2nd smurf I encountered in rnaked: deleted

pvpgame (akali) has not had a single game for 3 days, the last game was against me. The same goes with holyffck (yasuo), only being hours ago.

So either they just decided to take a break or Riot actually punished them or banned them (that is if banned players shows up in op.gg)

It makes no sense for Riot to not tell me that they did get punished, since telling players that their reports actually did something encourages them to continue reporting people

Will check again tomorrow.

EDIT: just found out naming is against the rules

INB4 your post gets removed for naming/shaming... BTW, most people create "smurfs" because they get banned by Riot's broken automated report system that bans people for the silliest things.

KaramTNC1 votes

Is naming against the rules?

UltimateShield131 votes

{quoted}

Is naming against the rules?

yeah lol

KaramTNC1 votes

Edited the comment, that should do it. You should edit yours too.

UltimateShield131 votes

{quoted}

Edited the comment, that should do it. You should edit yours too.

why? I didn't name anyone. lmao

KaramTNC1 votes

You cited my comment, it still shows the original comment.

UltimateShield131 votes

{quoted}

You cited my comment, it still shows the original comment.

no? use your eyes

UltimateShield131 votes

Also, before that akali game, they hadn't played for 5 days. So it's most likely someone that just doesn't play every day.

Bijeesny1 votes

So you basically want riot to ban players who're better than you. lmao

More from Gameplay

3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay764 comments
7,167
votes
3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay156 comments
3,510
votes
UPVOTE FOR URF
Gameplay606 comments
2,440
votes
Yes plz.
Gameplay456 comments
1,721
votes
3 Refunds per season, up vote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay114 comments
1,716
votes
When is ANYONE at riot going to address the awful new player experience?
Gameplay634 comments
1,383
votes