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Why is boosting tolerated when streamers do it for views?

Goddamn Heretic··20 votes·10,362 views

On youtube I constantly see diamond or challenger players announcing that they are playing on a smurf in bronze, either for views, or under the guise of "demonstrating" challenger level macro or whatever, while explaining smugly to the audience how easy it is to do what they do.

How is this different from boosting? How do you think a bronze player would feel knowing their ranked game is basically wasted time since a challenger is playing on the enemy team?

This practice is kind of similar to that scene in the wolf of wall street, when Jordan Belfort is standing in front of that audience of average joes, the very people he screwed over to get rich, the very people he exploited, and telling them they, too, can get rich quick. They aren't angry at him for doing it, they are intrigued, they WANT to be exploited because it allows them to continue believing that they can do it too. Jordan Belfort got his money by defrauding investors. In this same fashion, High elo smurfs are taking advantage of low elo players to make themselves look good and make money off it.

Jordan Belfort's scheme wouldn't work if we didn't share his dream of getting rich quickly. We all want to be just like him. Youtube Smurfs and their audience are no different. They don't think about how they would feel if one of these challenger smurfs was in their game on the other team, because they would rather live vicariously through the calm, confident narrative of a challenger in bronze, wishing they could do that themselves.

How is this not even more depraved than regular boosting?

If these types of videos were legitimate attempts at showing how challenger "Macro" works, as many of the videos claim, and were honest in their presentation, they would let an actual bronze player play a game, and coach them as they play. There are so many things a challenger does that bronze players aren't even remotely aware of; Wave management, cool downs, combos, last hitting, etc. Not only is this clearly exploitative, they are obviously lying. Challenger macro alone is not accomplishing this. it's challenger everything.

28 Comments

disregardable17 votes

people don't get banned for playing with high elo players.

boosting bans are when you literally give someone access to your account and have them play your games.

Spikeman711 votes

He means the opposite. High elos playing in bronze. Its unfair on both sides of the game.

Dr Dog11 votes

playing on a smurf and climbing on it =/= paying to get a better rank in ranked, smurfs are perfectly allowed

ValyrianBlade3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Dr Dog,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=oELdwtdY,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2018-11-11T08:00:09.246+0000)

playing on a smurf and climbing on it =/= paying to get a better rank in ranked, smurfs are perfectly allowed

Getting a Challenger Smurf in bronze is definitely NOT allowed.

They're either not trying to win (not allowed) since there's no way a Challenger player does poorly enough to get placed in bronze. Or they bought the account (also not allowed).

In no world will a Challenger level player EVER legitimately end up in a bronze game. They'll also only have about 3-4 games in Silver before they start getting matched with gold players.

Huzzygames (huzzy) is A GOOD example of how smurfing works. He's a mid-high diamond player that levels all of his own accounts, and plays his Smurfs getting a new account from unranked to diamond every season. And he's never been placed in bronze, worst is silver 1 or 2, and that's playing on random Champions that he doesn't regularly play, and as a diamond player. And when he DID get placed in Silver 1 this season, watching his placements you could see all his teammates basically hard feeding every game, and he still went 6-4 to get silver 1 despite that. The past few seasons he'd go 9-1 or 10-0 and get gold 1 or plat 5 out of placements (and have even higher MMR, after the account's first ever 10 ranked games).

Now think of a Challenger player. Even if they're playing on random Champions they can definitely perform as well as this diamond player can (who is also going on random Champions). So the ONLY way they get into bronze is either account sharing or intentionally feeding.

Dr Dog1 votes

actually its VERY allowed because SMURFING ISNT BANNABLE its bullshit but its still allowed and not a giant problem like end of season boosters

ValyrianBlade2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Dr Dog,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=oELdwtdY,comment-id=000300000000,timestamp=2018-11-12T02:57:25.112+0000)

actually its VERY allowed because SMURFING ISNT BANNABLE its bullshit but its still allowed and not a giant problem like end of season boosters

Where did I say smurfing was bannable?

I said that in order for a challenger player to get in bronze, they had to do one of two things:

  1. Intentionally lose games - bannable
  2. Buy the account that's in bronze (or otherwise have someone else make the account and do the ranked games on it) - also bannable

Smurfing is playing on another account that you own. He won't get banned for that, and shouldn't. You're entirely right - smurfing is not at all against the rules. I even gave an example of a player that smurfs, and is doing nothing wrong. He's in the league partner program, clearly Riot are okay with it. However purposely losing games to get that account to bronze so that he can make "challenger in bronze" games IS AGAINST THE RULES. The example I gave has never been in bronze, because the smurf is really his account and even if he makes weird picks he still tries to win once he's in the game. If a challenger player did the same, they would NOT lose in silver to get down to bronze. They simply wouldn't. The level of game knowledge between a silver player and a challenger player is so large that the Challenger player will get so fed every game it's not even a contest.

I don't even get how people don't understand that. Are people really so delusional about elo hell that they actually think it's possible for a challenger player to lose games in silver and get down to bronze? Like, seriously?

ExpStealer5 votes

Even though you make a great point, this concerns smurfing, not boosting.

Nea1042 votes

Indeed, and that means that the problem is far bigger. SoloQ and Riot's matchmaking are very... debatable, to say the least. Fairness should be always guaranteed.

Lil Unforgiven1 votes

lol fuk no

Lil Unforgiven1 votes

thats what makes league fun

ı Sona ı4 votes

Playing on a new account isn't boosting unless you are playing on the new account for someone else.

Zombie Gerbil3 votes

Think you misunderstand the banning of Elo Boosters. Players don't get banned for playing with high Elo players and getting boosted by duo'n. Players get banned by elo boosting when players give out their information for them to play on their account to boost them. Sharing information is against the Policy.

NichtHurz1 votes

Yeah, I got to Dia in Flex Queue, since I've been playing with a 5man-premade which was Dia5-Master in Solo Queue. I wasn't being boosted, they just had no top, so I played top with them. We stopped playing when I was about Plat1 with a Dia3-Dia2 MMR. There I've played a few games solo, not doing too badly. Then I played my promo with a friend, only playing vs Dia5-Master 70LP, while my friend was Dia1-Master himself...so at that point I wouldn't even say he could really boost me that much, since I had to hold my own vs a Master Fiora on top, or play adc (jgl top main) vs Dia3.

MorgManBasher2 votes

You don't know what boosting is. You are talking about smurfing, not boosting.

Most smurfs you won't even know are in your games because they are usually jerking off trying to make bad builds work for some dumb video or just having fun. I personally smurf for fun and just play stuff I don't main and/or do off meta builds. Do I still play to win? Yes, but I am not try harding so you probably won't know most games that I am smurfing.

Just look at SoloRenektonOnly, he smurfs all the time doing dumb builds and constantly loses on stream. Like, yeah he still has a decent win rate but he sure as fuck isn't try harding. I see him lose lane to gold/plat players and rage.

Tegash2 votes

The simple explanation is that you can't boost your own account.

Boosting happens in two forms: you're given access to another person's account and play for them to increase their ranking artificially. Or you duo queue with a lowbie friend (sometimes on a smurf) to artificially increase their rank that way.

Simply playing on a smurf is not a violation of the ToS.

Baka Red1 votes

Also, only the first type of boosting mentioned here is against the rules. Second type isn't.

AirKingNeo2 votes

that isn't even under the definition of boosting

just another 'streams bad' thread.

Kyaza1 votes

is probably because playing in a low elo game lets them demonstrate multiple things at a time. for instance wave management, then roaming for picks, then teamfighting and objective control. its much easier to do in a low elo game where you can roflstomp whenever you want. so you have time to actully show what you are trying to demonstrate

dnsup1 votes

cuz game, riot makes it

PurpleYukari1 votes

I don't think riot tolerates bronze to challenger, if someone is doing something else illegitimate to demonstrate tihs, such as trolling games or account sharing. Here are some rioters speaking on the topic, and I would be surprised if the stance changed:

http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4391004&page=1#post46071270 http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4391004&page=22#post46073826

In regards to smurf accounts, I think the system is designed to quickly find the "challenger" players and have them play with others that are high mmr. Riot doesn't ban alternate accounts, and the problem occurs if people try to circumvent the system.

Donstheman1 votes

{quoted}

I don't think riot tolerates bronze to challenger, if someone is doing something else illegitimate to demonstrate tihs, such as trolling games or account sharing. Here are some rioters speaking on the topic, and I would be surprised if the stance changed:

http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4391004&page=1#post46071270 http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4391004&page=22#post46073826

In regards to smurf accounts, I think the system is designed to quickly find the "challenger" players and have them play with others that are high mmr. Riot doesn't ban alternate accounts, and the problem occurs if people try to circumvent the system.

Riot are litterally partnering with Bronze to Chall players now days.

PurpleYukari1 votes

{quoted}

Riot are litterally partnering with Bronze to Chall players now days.

But did these players break the rules? Bronze to challenger doesn't necessarily mean breaking rules, if someone is using a smurf account and then goes into ranked...

CharDeeMcDenniz1 votes

i take it you didn't see the masses of people complaining about being banned for that exact thing like a week ago

Phieldworker1 votes

A lot of times they are demonstrating that it’s possible to climb and it’s not so much your team that is holding you back but more so yourself (macro play, objective control, match up knowledge, etc). Yes it sucks to go up against someone who’s game knowledge is way better but it’s not impossible to beat them. They just might out play you in lane but if you learn those things (freezing, denying cs etc) you can win it all too.

Fini of Legend1 votes

True, especially since streamers can avoid impacting low elo ranked matches by organizing custom games.

Danksley1 votes

Anything is tolerated when content creators do it. Consider for a second how a Challenger player gains a bronze Smurf when you consider fresh accounts place in silver. Either they bought it, account shared, or inted.

Lil Unforgiven1 votes

STFU yo just jealous that u dont have a yt channel and u cant stream. And you are literally saying all this to get views here too. fkin smarty dumbass

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