Definition

What is Smurfing

Alistar Smyth

27 th  June 2024 Edited at: 20th January 2025
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What is Smurfing?

Some people creates an imbalance in online gaming. Smurfing refers to a person logging on his other account to play against lower-ranked players. You might have encountered it at some point and don’t know just what hit you.

Have you ever experienced playing against a player where you think he’s far better than everyone in that match? Like, how on Earth is he on my Platinum game dodging every spell like they’re Faker or something? Well, you’re not wrong in that assumption. They shouldn’t. Not for the reason that you played badly or your teammates keep feeding but for them having another account that has a lower rank than what they really are. Now that’s smurfing; very skilled high-ranked players that play on so-called “smurf accounts”. So if you ever have a hard time queuing against them, don’t blame yourself or anyone else, they’re just that good.

“Well, how do those smurfs have fun doing it”?

They do, if you think about it, they have a fair amount of reason to do it. Having their ranks especially if it is challenger, grandmaster, or master you must be the at top of the line. Only below 1% of the playerbase managed to get that and you know what people say, “It’s lonely at the top”. Rank isn’t the only thing that matters in the game and there are plenty more ways where smurfs could have their share of fun other than getting smoked by a tryhard Irelia to climb her rank. Here’s why they do it:

Play with Friends


gragas and friends with a beer image

It doesn’t mean because they’re high ranked means that all of their friends are also in the same elo. Some may be stuck on Gold, a casual silver, or just simply starting and they want to spend time with them. How else will they play with them if they’re on that mountain of Pro players? Well, Summoner’s Rift unranked queue exists, but hey maybe their friends want the rank we can’t blame them.

Practice a Champion or Role

Smurfs are human too, they’re not some bots who can freakishly pentakill every game even if they played the champion for the first time. Some of them wouldn’t want to have the risk of losing their rank and winrate on their precious account just by practicing the reworked Skarner. So where else do they place their bets to try it out without having to worry about the risk? You get the point.

It’s More Chill in Low Rank

I know you might be getting the most toxic teammates in that silver lobby but the competition in their challenger games is INSANE. Having to match with pro players you just watched in an e-sport tournament or a YouTube compilation of pro highlight plays is a whole lot of pressure and could be really stressful. Smurfing on the other hand gives them the freedom to relax and enjoy the game.

Help Others Rank Up

garen sword fight lol

Well, this is the best one if you have a friend that does that for you. They have the intent to help you out which to them is fun because you’ll get to play with them more once you’ve improved your rank. They might also provide boosting services to raise some money

“They’re ruining the game and it’s making it hard for me to enjoy the game once I matched up with them”

Riot Games has addressed and implemented multiple solutions to these problems specifically improving the way of detection of these smurf accounts and having them adjusted to their suited player skill levels. So if they ever did try to dominate the game with a 25/0/13 score, the game will look into it. Besides, only a few players have that kind of skills and you’ll only run to them once in a blue moon.

So there you have everything you need to know about these types of players. If you plan to have another account but don’t have the time to level up and collect champions, I have you covered.

For players looking to skip the grind and jump straight into action, consider purchasing a Level 30+ unranked League of Legends account. These accounts provide a fast and easy way to start fresh or experiment with different playstyles without impacting your main account.

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Alistar Smyth

Content Writer
With over two years in Challenger Alistar now spends his queue time writing League of Legends content to help people improve.

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