As a long-time League of Legends enthusiast with countless hours under my belt, I must say that the latest changes Riot Games has implemented to combat smurfing have left me feeling rather divided. On one hand, I appreciate the effort to level the playing field for newer players and reduce the impact of smurfs on their experience. However, on the other hand, I can’t help but feel a pang of frustration as an experienced player who has had to grind through countless matches just to play ranked games on a fresh account.
League of Legends has nearly reached its 15th anniversary, and over the years, it has undergone numerous shifts in game mechanics and aesthetics. Notably, some skilled players have resorted to creating fresh accounts to effortlessly conquer less experienced opponents.
Riot Games has consistently tackled the issue of ‘smurfs’ and they’ve recently devised a fresh approach to address it, which can be referred to as a “novel safeguard” for the problem at hand.
How To Counter Smurfing
Previously, for players to participate in ranked matches, they were required to advance their profile to level 30 and possess a minimum of 20 different champions.
Reaching level 30 on your account can be quite a time-consuming task, as it requires playing numerous games, some of which could last between 30 and 45 minutes.
Smurfs have come up with a plan to reach level 30 faster by either participating in ARAMs (short-duration matches) or playing against artificial intelligence (AI), which also take about 15 to 20 minutes because the League of Legends AI is no challenge for experienced players.
Riot’s latest response involves introducing a change in Patch 14.15, requiring new accounts to complete at least 10 matches against other players. This adjustment will extend the path towards Level 30, aiming to evaluate a player’s skill proficiency better.
What These Changes Mean For Non-Smurfs
The approach designed by Riot Games could potentially benefit novice players more. If everything proceeds smoothly, inexperienced players will likely face less severe defeats at the hands of experienced players known as “smurfs,” thereby enhancing their chances of truly enjoying the game.
However, numerous other gamers perceive this adjustment as a setback. It’s essential to note that for every League of Legends player, there’s an unseen statistic known as Matchmaking Rating (MMR). Typically, your MMR deviates from your current rank.
If your Matchmaking Rating (MMR) exceeds your present league position, you will acquire a greater number of League Points (LP) upon victory in ranked matches and lose fewer points when you suffer a defeat.
If your Matchmaking Rank (MMR) is lower than your current standing, the same rule applies in reverse. This means you’ll earn fewer League Points (LP) when you win and lose more LP when you lose.
Since players discovered their account’s MMR might be hindering their progress, making it difficult to advance in the rankings, they’ve started new accounts with an initial MMR instead.
It’s likely to frustrate both regular players and non-smurfs alike, given that they must invest extra effort into playing ranked mode with a fresh account.
Time alone can reveal whether these alterations improve the game or not, a point I myself find less thrilling about it.
What do you think? Are you suffering from smurfs in your games?
Tell us in the comments!
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2024-07-31 13:39