My brother, new to League, made an account. I watched his games to see the new player experience.

TheThundersRoar·1/5/2018, 5:13:31 AM·159 votes·7,909 views

Turns out that Riot's system is actually really good at telling if you're a smurf or a new player.

See, if you make a new account, you will only find smurfs. But that's because you ARE a smurf. You get matched up against other smurfs.

The real newbies? They apparently get their own games with each other. I saw very, very few smurfs in my brother's games. Everyone else was clearly a beginner, and he was even able to carry a bunch of games (he likes Warwick).

So yeah, I always see these threads complaining about the "new player experience", but that's more like the "smurf experience". So give Riot some credit and don't worry too much about it.

86 Comments

Final Spark Lux1/5/2018, 8:37:55 AM40 votes

Hearing that really makes me happy. I always enjoy hearing about new players having good experiences because I had wonderful ones myself. I'm genuinely glad they get a chance to experience the same kind of joy that feeling provides.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/e/e7/Nice_Try_Emote.png/revision/latest?cb=20171120232226

Jo0o1/5/2018, 6:23:53 AM39 votes

I didn't know that, that's pretty cool.

I played virtually all of my leveling games with higher level friends, so I was matched with toxic level 20-somethings constantly. I guess that's not universal.

Terozu1/5/2018, 5:45:22 AM19 votes

Yeah ive been saying this... and people flat out reject it.

PePsiLemoNN1/5/2018, 11:11:07 AM17 votes

I think that's why you have to play Co-op vs AI till like lvl 3 or something , a noob won't get 30 kills and 200cs on bots lol.

Stars Shaper1/5/2018, 4:27:22 PM10 votes

Good to know. I always hated the idea that ppl with knowledge of the game would make new account just to bully new entries.

rtbf2256182411/5/2018, 11:24:47 AM5 votes

See, if you make a new account, you will only find smurfs. But that's because you ARE a smurf. You get matched up against other smurfs.

Okay? So how does it differentiate? Does it scan your face through the monitor or something?

I m Batmän1/5/2018, 8:03:18 AM5 votes

It isn't like that. The matchmaking is the factor here. In start every new account is of newbie level but once an account amass some Wins, it will matched with other opponents of that MMR. And suppose if your brother is really good at games(learns very quickly) and wins alot, he will get matched with better opponents, first he will matched with/against bronze MMR then silvers and so on(I know normal games has it's own MMR but since there are no ranks in normals, I am stating the rank just for the sake of understanding). The issue with that is if he is good(and that doesn't mean godlike good, it only means if he is at-least bronze good) then he will get matched with/against smurfs and that is what WE some times see people complaining about.

I have seen a dota 2 player 'singsing' playing league and it was exactly like that. He had no idea initially what any champions did, but as dota 2 is similar to league he had a good grasp of csing, kills, understood champion abilities(read them and new how much was the cost and how much damage etc), and he got matched with/against the smurfs as he leveled up(gathered a number of wins), not good smurfs but still bronze/silver smurfs are also the issue if you are just a plain newbie.

Remlap12231/5/2018, 8:28:05 AM5 votes

Even though I've had this account for 5 years now (holy shit can't believe it's been this long), I still remember my new player experience. Terrible. Because I didn't know how to play the game.

As for being matched with toxic shitbirds, that didn't happen. Because I was fairly matched with new players. That's what sucked me into this game in the first place. Now I'm sad because of the state of the game has gone to complete ass since preseason 4.

Teslyn1/5/2018, 4:33:27 PM5 votes

Seasoned players and low skilled people that think if they make another account that they will carry. Those people tend to keep doing the same thing and getting the same elo level. there is actually a decent effect, but people tend to make alt accounts thinking things will be different. They just need to learn how to play a different way to climb.

Raiyza1/5/2018, 5:06:07 PM5 votes

Smurfs ruin ranked though.

JoeMG1/5/2018, 4:21:07 PM4 votes

That's good to hear. I barely remember my experience when I first started, I just know it took months before I learned about last hitting creeps and how to build items efficiently.

ModKnightsKemplar1/5/2018, 8:48:24 PM4 votes

This corroborates what I have heard from others who smurf. Thanks for sharing!

Wolfeur1/5/2018, 3:58:24 PM4 votes

I mean, even when leveling, Riot has ways to measure your skill. So, if you're good, you'll be with better players, that being smurfs (smurves?). If you're a really new player, you're bad, therefore you're placed with other newbies. I think it's more of a skill detection than of an actual smurf detection.

Catastrophic1/5/2018, 10:27:22 AM2 votes

When I made a smurf I played with gold players at around level 18 (Actually gold, not gold smurfs.)

MachstDuBierHase1/5/2018, 10:42:39 AM2 votes

{quoted}

Turns out that Riot's system is actually really good at telling if you're a smurf or a new player.

See, if you make a new account, you will only find smurfs. But that's because you ARE a smurf. You get matched up against other smurfs.

The real newbies? They apparently get their own games with each other. I saw very, very few smurfs in my brother's games. Everyone else was clearly a beginner, and he was even able to carry a bunch of games (he likes Warwick).

So yeah, I always see these threads complaining about the "new player experience", but that's more like the "smurf experience". So give Riot some credit and don't worry too much about it.

This is not how the system works.

It goes by an average gold,creep, kill, death and assist count.

If you played MOBA before and are new to league, or you watched LCS for a year before playing urself, you know the basics pretty well. If you above the average you are thrown into the ~smurf pool as well.

Also there is a lot of filling ~MMR-available

Bob the Toastr1/6/2018, 3:07:49 AM1 votes

So there's nothing wrong with the new player experience huh? Okay tell me about the tutorial then? Okay now tell me where it tells you about the roles (i.e. top, mid, jg, adc, supp) and which types of champions are typically played in each role? I don't know about new players, but I know I would have been lost if I didn't have someone who helped me know what to do. So did your brother, which may be why he's doing well.