A smurf is a secondary account created by an experienced player in order to play at a lower skill level than their main account. Because the player’s true skill far exceeds the account’s matchmaking rating, matches involving a smurf often show a large performance gap, leading to one sided lanes, distorted Elo readings, and unfair matchups for newer or less experienced players. This imbalance can make games feel unpredictable or frustrating for those on the receiving end.
Smurfing has become relatively common for a variety of reasons. Some players smurf to practice new champions in a lower pressure environment, while others do it to play with friends in lower ranks. Despite these motivations, smurfing is widely considered harmful to overall match quality because it disrupts the competitive integrity of the ladder. When a smurf snowballs early, it can warp the natural progression of the game and negatively affect the experience of players who are still learning fundamental skills such as farming, trading, and positioning.
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