Can we do something to remove smurfing?

1 Wing··23 votes·3,582 views

I don't smurf. Because of that, I've played a lot of games with one account.

I think, the matchmaking system, sees "this player has played many, many games: therefore, they must be very skilled. . ." the problem is, there's a lot of smurfs, with less total games, but more honest experience, and those smurfs don't get analyzed as being the same level as me, even though they're stronger than me. There's a lot of smurfs out there! Many of my friends, have three to five accounts!

So matchmaking has a really tough time with this: numerically, I look really strong, but many people who have worse statistics, are easily stronger than me, because their numbers are spread over several accounts instead of just one.

Because so many players smurf, I'm the odd man out for not smurfing: The system expects, most players aren't smurfs, and I think, maybe most players, do smurf now a days.

That means the game, loads me into a team that mathematically looks balanced [because I, as a rare non-smurfer, have so many games played], but really: I'm not as good as many accounts that have half as much playtime!

So I feel like, matchmaking is tilted, to always give me the . . suckier team!!

Many good players smurf: so their strength for matchmaking becomes kind of hidden. It's fine when there's only a few smurfs. . but I really think there's starting to be A LOT of smurfs now.

Instead of, 20,000 players with 5000 games each, the systems sees just 100 players with 5000 games, so it assumes those 100 players are terribly OP players, when really it's because 19,900 players are hiding their statistics behind multiple accounts.

I really feel that I, as an honest player, get the worst part of this game. . . Is this true? Is this how matchmaking operates? Because I really feel, like I get the inferior team, way more than 50% of the time. And I know, a tonne of players smurf. Most of my friends do!

33 Comments

flyingbaklava4 votes

Leveling an account from 1-30 is no doubt annoying for a new player since there are A LOT of people smurfing. Once you start ranked, the amount of smurfs drop off dramatically. Because of that, it really really sucks for new players just trying to learn the game. If riot made it easier for people to get level 30 accounts (say, by allowing anyone with a level 30 account to make a level 20 account instantly), it would help new players dramatically by allowing them to play with other new players instead of tons of smurfs.

BananaJannana2 votes

This is the best idea I've ever heard regarding smurfs. Riot should let players with level 30 accounts make 1 or 2 other level 20-25 accounts to use instead of bashing newbies for the exp grind.

One downside: people would abuse the accounts by giving it to their friends to play on, but Rito can find a way around it.

Edit: In the grind to level 30, I get smurfs every single game. It's more rare to see an actual newbie than a smurf. Some are as high as diamond 3, just busting through games with riven and yasuo.

Evewynn1 votes

If an account is connected to an already existing account, then it would flag if both of a single person's accounts are being used at the same time. The owner of the accounts would be handled as if he had let another person use his account, whatever that may entail. The point is that it would be really easy to tell if the account was give away if they're both connected and belong to one person.

BananaJannana1 votes

Nice, so this is doable? Time to start a petition

Twerk a Fish1 votes

This idea is stupid and won't work. Also system already sorts out smurfs and new players in a few normal matches.

Locke Daemonfire3 votes

Matchmaking doesn't care about the number of matches you have had. Only current MMR. Many people feel like they get the inferior team more than 50% of the time, but it's mostly just a cognitive bias (we tend to remember bad things more than the good).

Not to say that smurfing isn't an issue, especially for new players leveling up.

1 Wing1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Locke Daemonfire,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=V9aIo62p,comment-id=0005,timestamp=2016-07-28T07:05:12.452+0000)

Matchmaking doesn't care about the number of matches you have had. Only current MMR. Many people feel like they get the inferior team more than 50% of the time, but it's mostly just a cognitive bias (we tend to remember bad things more than the good).

Not to say that smurfing isn't an issue, especially for new players leveling up.

good point: Having two . . pretty bad carries, stands out in my mind more than games with one good carry and one mediocre one. . . .but it's when the game has the latter, that I feel like the game is the most fun, and also it's when I need to use strategy effectively, too. Having better players--just, reasonable players; not platinum good, just not. . so dumb--is when the game is the most fun.

Treeofwar2 votes

a real smurf is not a silver or a bronze they are high gold and above and the population of league that are like that is tiny

Itankyou2 votes

Smurfing is good for league, teaches kids to git gud

But in all seriousness, ban system too harsh and me need 10 accts hehe xd Draven

1 Wing1 votes

{quoted}

Smurfing is good for league, teaches kids to git gud

But in all seriousness, ban system too harsh and me need 10 accts hehe xd Draven

A good point: the current system, encourages players who get banned, to just make a new account while they wait out the ban :/

Erockandroll2 votes

I don't think Riot has a Hard, undeniable problem with smurfing. (Meaning, the potential positives outweigh the negatives)

Some of the people who do smurf, may do so simply because they want to play with their friends, (something that DC kinda didn't support, due to xp digression)

XP discrepancy I don't even think is the main concern with Things like smurfs. Rather, I feel like people using smurfs to dodge bans for toxicity is far worse.

That in mind, the champion grind should be a soft (But strong) barrier to Smurfing. (Myself, with only one account, have only unlocked about half of the champs if that) But if these smurfs do pay actual money, Riot won't stop that.

1 Wing1 votes

{quoted}

I don't think Riot has a Hard, undeniable problem with smurfing. (Meaning, the potential positives outweigh the negatives)

Some of the people who do smurf, may do so simply because they want to play with their friends, (something that DC kinda didn't support, due to xp digression)

XP discrepancy I don't even think is the main concern with Things like smurfs. Rather, I feel like people using smurfs to dodge bans for toxicity is far worse.

That in mind, the champion grind should be a soft (But strong) barrier to Smurfing. (Myself, with only one account, have only unlocked about half of the champs if that) But if these smurfs do pay actual money, Riot won't stop that.

Maybe champions should cost more IP. . . a lot of champs, are less than 1000. . .then all the new champs are 6800. . . Maybe there should only be, like, Annie, for under 1000. Or maybe all champions should cost way more, like minimum 3000 IP, but you can use any champion for free, three times.

New players try out a lot of different champs, and get the IP they need to play whomever they like the most. While smurfs will have a hard time getting the champions they know best; meaning they may at least be playing champions they're not so familiar with when they're fighting new players.

Mirkhail3 votes

I think that is worse for new players that the current system, grinding ip is one of the worst part for a new player.

Vallalan2 votes

there's nothing wrong with smurfing. it allows skilled players an opportunity to learn off roles without playing against people they are outclassed by. same with champions.

I got to smurf in bronze/silver this year to learn Fiora and I learned a lot about top lane and if I had tried that in plat/diamond I would've been dumpstered and just cost my team game after game.

now the people who smurf just to boost or pubstomp are frowned upon, but there's not much you can do. you can't let them ruin it for the rest of everybody else. id honestly say the majority of people who smurf are doing it to try stuff they are not good at to become more well rounded players.

invisiblecat13 votes

Smurfing causes the person who fed the smurf to get raged at, and usually the smurf rages at their team for being bad, so it creates toxicity, so saying "There's nothing wrong with smurfing" is invalid

Vallalan1 votes

{quoted}

Smurfing causes the person who fed the smurf to get raged at, and usually the smurf rages at their team for being bad, so it creates toxicity, so saying "There's nothing wrong with smurfing" is invalid

blaming smurfs because your elo is toxic and focuses on blaming their teammates for poor play rather than focusing on their OWN poor play is not a valid reason to say there's nothing wrong with smurfing. why don't you start by not flaming that guy who's having a rough game. everyone has them. against a smurf or not you should never rage at your teammates.

Twerk a Fish1 votes

There's nothing wrong with creating new account, what problem is the toxic (and usually very unskilled) players. Try to level up a new account as a decent player in EU servers, you will just quit because of all the unranked or silver and lower or boosted players trying to level up again, after being permanently banned for toxicity. They aren't only toxic but also god-awfully bad at league.

Mr Demonic1 votes

that I 100% agree with. they make people look bad in divisions they rightfully climbed to which is wrong,throwing their weight around and down playing their team mates is wring and not encouraging. so I'm 100% with this!

invisiblecat11 votes

I'm glad you agree with something I said 3 years ago

Mr Demonic1 votes

(nothing wrong with smurfing) I'm sorry but I strongly disagree with that. isn't that what normals are for? people who want to try learn a new champion should play it in normals and not on a smurf as people who are in the division of whoever may / most likely be smurfing won't have the game knowledge of the guy smurfing so regardless if they're playing a non main role or champion it is unfair competition and I think it shouldn't be condoned. no disrespect to you as a player "Vallalan" but I disagree with your comment (there's nothing wrong with smurfing) because there's plenty reasons that are.

DiamondLeonis2 votes

Smurfing has become a problem because of the ban system, a lot of people get banned for stupid reasons and no appeals, means that they have to start all over again with smurfs. Unfortunately, the nanny-state ban system is ruining this game because these players will always come back, on another account so it accomplishes nothing.

CerealBoxOfDoom1 votes

you should be allowed to just say you are smurfing lol

like ingame I mean

faster leveling and all that

Seenan1 votes

Matchmaking is messed up right now thanks to boosteds and premades.

EDIT: So higher elos might have some skewed results, and ergo, smurf.

Buttigieg 20201 votes

Two words, Git Gud.

PROJECT Katarìna1 votes

smurfing isnt a problem because usually after 30 people do ranked plus their mmr even when smurfing is incredibly high and are usually paired against similar smurfs. and I believe the mmr is seperate from ranked also cause I have a smurf account where in norms I had vs a couple plats and diamonds for awhile when the account is only level 7 still.

Twerk a Fish1 votes

you wont go level 7 vs level 30's EVER in normals, unless premade teams are involved.

PROJECT Katarìna1 votes

I vsed diamonds and plats when I was still only lv till like level 20 because I would win almost all my smurf games and usually they are playing something there not good at yet trying a new role

Profitex1 votes

HOW TO SOLVE SMURFING:

To solve smurfing, do what Valve did in cs:go: Prime Matchmaking. In order to enter Prime matchmaking, all players must link a phone number to their account and verify that the number is theirs by entering a code (which would have been sent to their phone) into a verification page on a Riot website. Because the vast majority of people only have one phone number, they can link that to their account and won't have any problems. For smurfs, it becomes highly difficult to have more than one account without having another phone at their disposal. If someone wants to change accounts then Riot can implement a system whereby the player can switch the phone number, essentially so that they may only have one active account at any given time. This strategy is used in Google accounts to prevent people creating several alternate profiles. This won't 100% eradicate smurfing, but it will hugely cut down on the number of people doing it.

TL;DR Ask for players' phone numbers: Most people have one phone number, One phone number = One account; therefore many fewer smurfs.

MunchCrunchLunch1 votes

i gotta love when someone is so new to the game u look up their op.gg account you see that they are level 5 or something. you update it and instantly they have an 80% winrate and 25+ kills and 20 wins in a row in ranked.

also boosting is worse than smurfing. you look up a guy in your elo with sub 50% wiinrate and guess what he just jumped from silver 5 to gold 4 and won 30 matches in a row with something like 15kda each game. this happens frequently. once every a cpl games in gold. riot can easily track this down and ban them because i believe boosting isn't allowed in the game. but they won't. I mean don't tell me that someone that has under 2 kda with all his champs in ranked and 45% winrate can suddenly win 90% of their matches carrying with champions they have never played before.

Twerk a Fish1 votes

Nothing wrong with creating new accounts. System is sorting new players and smurfs already. What i hate is that there's no balance between the smurfs or well over all in normal queue. It allegedly has hidden MMR and should work like ranked, but it doesn't. Moment you hit win spree and get "high MMR" it tries to slow your winning by giving you abnormally bad allies and your level or higher enemies.

Also, game gives 0 f*cks about how many games you've played, all it cares about is win %, which it is trying to keep at 50% ish by force.

Then, you said same thing, just in different ways and what you said is not true and makes very little sense. Not to mention your voting thing has not a single option that would actually be true.

Maximum Morde1 votes

Many have tried to stop smurfing, it can't be done. There will always be smurfs.

BLACK REALM GOD1 votes

You can't remove smurfing. You can only punish players who do extremely well in ranked.

Mr Demonic1 votes

this is my cent worth on the matter. no one has to agree with it as this is freedom of speech. smurfing to me ruins the chances of players climbing. they are what I see as a roadblock to climbing. May sound bold to say this and down vote if you will / the wise won't, that smurfing is a way for an insecure player to redeem themself from being crushed on their main so they smurf to flatten lower ranked players to feel better about themself. that I am not cool with, how could anyone be cool with that?. isn't that what normals/draft is for? and riot are to gutless to act on it why? because they make money of people's purchases on their smurf accounts and that to me makes me feel they're not about the players they're about the money. I think I've said more then enough in my post. up votes are appreciated. time to stand up for the players who are trying to fight their way up.

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