Boards›Player Behavior

Smurfs / people Boosting Accounts.

Shiznyte··3 votes·1,007 views

Could we implement a report a smurf feature? It's pretty obvious when a Plat or higher Smurf is just tearing up a silver/gold game and it can get super Toxic fast. When he smashes a lane everyone on the opposing team starts to flame that lane, when chances are they never stood a chance to begin with. This also makes it nearly impossible for new players to learn to play because who wants to play a game that's over within 15 minutes? It's not fair to new players so if we implemented a report feature that if you get too many they just start rising your rank? it would make them climb faster and hopefully get them out of the lower leagues, or just ban them all together. There's no reason not to play on your main account unless you really just want to go out there and dumpster noobs/ or boost someone elses account (but if you boost someone to a rank they didnt earn it so you're just making it worse for that person and their potential teammates who have to rely on that person) Smurfing is just flat out Selfish!

29 Comments

One Ashe On2 votes

It should be added because getting against smurf is really painfull and annoying. People who smurf to stomp lower elo aren't welcome on League. It's sincerely negative behaviour.

Shiznyte1 votes

Right! you dont have to ban them (though i would prefer it) but if they get too many reports just raise their rank so they stop... its super toxic to play in games with smurfs.

Chermorg2 votes

Selfish, maybe (debatable).

Punishable? No. It'd be super hard to verify that someone's smurfing with any reasonable accuracy.

Shiznyte1 votes

have the reports just raise the accounts rank... that way they aren't in the elo anymore! if you get like 10 smurf reports clearly you are smurfing lol

Chermorg2 votes

The system already does a good enough job of that. If someone's in an elo they don't belong in (be it high or low), the system will alter the win/loss ratio of LP down to a minimum of 15-16 or so and a maximum of 29 (if I remember right) so as to climb or drop them faster.

Shiznyte1 votes

smurfing is a huge problem in this game. a lot many people have this same complaint i do ,so idk if the "system" is doing a good enough job or this post prob wouldn't have been made.

Tormentula1 votes

Its not that hard

Maybe for us

But riot has methods (number of clicks, IP/account creation address, summoner spell slots, keybindings,)

When I smurfed, I played mostly all blind pick and every. single. game. had at least another smurf in it, infact we picked up almost 20 people to join a smurf club during the leveling process with their main accounts verified. (usually plat-masters) Its safe to assume when somebody is smurfing just by paying attention to details you know a new player wouldn't do (such as orb walking, names hinting they've played league before like "x main, one trick x, smurf in the name, jungle camps, etc).

I think we had more trouble figuring out which players were actually new in our games rather then who was the smurf in them.

Shiznyte1 votes

thats why i think a report system for smurfing would be cool. people arent just gonna rage report smurf on someone, but if someone is really smurfing and its 21/1/10 in a game its safe to say a smurf report would be welcomed. smurfing is toxic man and it sucks being on the other end of smurfing. imagine trying to learn but just getting rekt by people who know 10 times more than you? its not a good environment for new players to learn in especially in ranked. normals is a shit show and i understand but ranked deserves to be smurf free!

Kei1432 votes

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/news/community/q/lets-talk-smurfs-snow-and-bans-ask-riot

Answer still applies today.

EDIT: http://nexus.leagueoflegends.com/2017/07/poro-king-again/ a more recent answer, scroll down to the second question.

FEAR THE VØID2 votes

Chances are half the people you think are smurfing arent.

Tormentula1 votes

Smurfing isn't a reportable offense assuming they abid by all the rules on the account (no botting, scripting, toxicity.. boosting is a complicated one.)

Its kind of a contradiction to ban them anyway since "lul I'll make another", which doesn't actually solve any problems but more frustrated players who like to smurf and do it for positive reasons (such as not forcing your sub-30 new friends to play in your MMR).

As for boosting the smurf, the MMR system already does that. Its not hard for the smurf to climb back to where they were since their MMR raises really quickly, if you're concerned about smurfs boosting, that only boost the account they may be selling, in return boosting somebody else out there if you ask riot to implement a "here's access to your gold MMR but in 20 less games" feature.

Shiznyte1 votes

i thought boosting was a reportable offense and most smurfs are smurfing to boost someone, some just do it for fun... those are the worst people haha

Tormentula1 votes

Reporting for boosting 100% is a big no no by riot and will get pro players removed from tournaments for a long time.

However I don't know to what degree would be considered boosting by riot. Selling accounts is bannable in general, playing on somebody else's account is also bannable.. but duoing with somebody or playing in flex despite massively different solo ratings I don't believe was ever clarified as boosting by riot.

A lot of smurf do it because: 1: they're bored 2: they challenge themselves to get back to their tier again 3: sub-30s or low elo could suffer playing with them just because of matchmaking on the opposing side 4: youtubers have alternative accounts to keep their mains from being easily reconizable. Also unranked-diamond content.

Other reasons which are bad 1: boosting to sell the account later 2: testing scripts, keybindings, or bots 3: trolling or harassing players because they got nothing to lose, basically their "vent" account while they stay positive on their mains.

Shiznyte1 votes

what about making a new account so you can duo que (not flex) with someone who you normally couldn't. its obvious when a new account is a smurf because they have like an 85% win rate as adc on a silver one brand new account lol. report them and raise their ranks they do not belong in low elo if you are not low elo

archerno11 votes

{quoted}

what about making a new account so you can duo que (not flex) with someone who you normally couldn't. its obvious when a new account is a smurf because they have like an 85% win rate as adc on a silver one brand new account lol. report them and raise their ranks they do not belong in low elo if you are not low elo

Thats allowed.

Shiznyte1 votes

Does that seem fair though? especially for the opposing team?

archerno11 votes

{quoted}

Does that seem fair though? especially for the opposing team?

Does it matter if its fair or not? Riot allows it and thats the end of it.

Shiznyte1 votes

That's the entire point of this post... is to address something that isn't fair so yes it matters!

Magical Player1 votes

Whats not fair? In the end a game you'll win and lose games because "smurfs" and of those games it'd be about 50% rate so no change. In ranked there are things you need to climb , you need 2 of the three listed Time Knowledge Skill

If you have time and knowledge you will climb simply outsmarting your enemy if you have time and skill you will climb because you're just better than your enemy if you have knowledge and skill you'll climb because you're able to outsmart and outskill your enemy

If you have lots of time and no knowledge or skill you dont climb(causals) If you have lots of knowledge but no skill or time you dont climb(people who read/watch guides on how to play but never really play) If you have lots of skill but no knowledge or time you dont climb(people who practice alot but again never play)

So you lost a game or 2 to a smurf, over the 100's of games you played you've lost maybe 5% of those games because of smurfs the other 90% is due to you 5% is out of your control

Just my 2 cents

Shiznyte1 votes

I never once claimed to be a perfect player... I will readily admit that I'm only a gold/plat player and I have plenty of room to learn and get better. The problem i have is when you play vs a smurf its pretty hard to learn anything. This entire post isn't about me climbing or me saying I'm better than people or worse... its about addressing the fact that this game has an absurd amount of smurfs and they are extremely toxic for the game. Can you agree that playing vs smurfs especially as a new player is toxic/unfair? that's what this post is about and smurfs and trying to do something about it... while you're two cents are a valid point I don't think they have anything to do with this post.

Magical Player1 votes

Sure I agree there are smurfs. I don't agree they make the game more toxic or unfair Granted I've been out of the loop awhile.

So if you play a game vs someone better than yourself and lose then they're smurfing? simply playing against better players does not make the game unfair, its an aspect of the game Toxicity does exists and it was/is a problem but smurfs are not inherently toxic players But toxic players have smurfs

Shiznyte1 votes

I'm talkin about the players who smash lane, never miss a CS, and end games in 13-15 minutes before you can learn anything. just because you lose doesn't mean its a smurf, but if you look on OP.gg after the game notice they have a brand new account and an 80% or higher win rate with something like Nidalee or Azir... safe to say that they are most likely a smurf lol. There is a reason they make the divisions and it is so people can play vs ppl their own skill level and the good players should eventually leave a division they don't belong in. I understand losing will make you better, but there is a difference to losing and learning or getting smashed and the games over before you can even take anything from it asside from oh I think i need to ban Trist or Twitch lol. Streamers will make accounts when they are frustrated with their normal Elo and play in a Lower elo just to smash them on stream... that is the part i see as toxic.

Magical Player1 votes

{quoted}

I'm talkin about the players who smash lane, never miss a CS, and end games in 13-15 minutes before you can learn anything. just because you lose doesn't mean its a smurf, but if you look on OP.gg after the game notice they have a brand new account and an 80% or higher win rate with something like Nidalee or Azir... safe to say that they are most likely a smurf lol. There is a reason they make the divisions and it is so people can play vs ppl their own skill level and the good players should eventually leave a division they don't belong in. I understand losing will make you better, but there is a difference to losing and learning or getting smashed and the games over before you can even take anything from it asside from oh I think i need to ban Trist or Twitch lol. Streamers will make accounts when they are frustrated with their normal Elo and play in a Lower elo just to smash them on stream... that is the part i see as toxic.

But smashing games isnt toxic? Just saying or is it again I've been out of the loop. and you can always take away from getting smashed, you learn to accept that things are not always in your control again my opinion getting smashed or get a thrower either way its a loss, and i'd rather deal with the throwers than the smurfs

Shiznyte1 votes

idk about the 2: they challenge themselves to get back to their tier again because when you smurf you actually make your self worse... by playing with worse players you are likely to develop bad habbits and get away with it because you are playing with players who wont punish you.

zPOOPz1 votes

It's not always selfish nor solely to pubstomp. There has been several new players to league I had play with on my main account. It was not pretty when a sub-30 duo with my main account. It was not a pleasant game for either side because matchmaking had to find someone of equal low level/mmr to my friend(s) to match with us. There was not any other choice but to smurf in order for my friend(s) to have any chance at a fun game.

Shiznyte1 votes

Smurfing in normals is way different than in ranked... normals you play with who ever and do w/e smurfing in ranked is my problem... play with your new friends in normals all you want man

ChuShoe1 votes

In my placements me and my premade went up against a brand smurf. They were twitch streaming the whole thing, and bragging about how they were diamond on main and so on. Needless to say, he stomped on our team, and ruined our placements. It's frustrating to have to deal with it, and I wish it were more punishable/didn't waste as much time as it does.

Shiznyte1 votes

This is the exact situation that i've come across minus the champs picked... smurfs just ruining the game for players trying to climb/ learn in a lower elo than them. It's not a very fun game to play when smurfs are involved

XxPaTruskaffkaxX1 votes

im a booster myself :d

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