Maybe intentional by Blizzard? The change blocking higher tier players from playing with friends has got to be the final nail in the coffin for HOTS. A quick punch list:
- Uneven play in your own tier
- Unable to learn how to win in your own tier (because you aren’t playing your actual tier)
- Inability to WIN any games. Consistently 1 team is smurfed and dominates
- Matches are not fair (and quick one way or another)
- Morale — from consistently losing to 80% smurf accounts (who just want to “Play” with their friends).
- No value to players who stick with their accounts and play quantity
All the reasons a game thrives for its player-base, this game catering to a very small subset. The best bet would be to eliminate RANKED play, and just have everyone quick match.
12 Likes
Im not gonna lie. Ive reached master.
Now im on my smurf acc because I want to play with friends. I dont feel good about it. But what else can I do?
(Btw my smurf outranks them)
5 Likes
I find it strange that now you can’t place higher than gold 5 and people say the game is dead, I’ve never seen so many smurfs! I think not letting masters group contributed to this situation and some people just want a “I don’t care” or drunk account.
1 Like
appreciate the candor and usually the same in-game response from master players. Not their fault either. Just saying for mid level platinum player; its become impossible to play at tier games and determine where I need to improve/work on. In the past 3 weeks I am at 20% win rate, for which normally ranges 47-53…
2 Likes
I have to add, if im not the highest rated player I refuse to play with them
But I agree that its blizzards fault for creating this
1 Like
I don’t even want high win rate, like you said I just want to play against good opponents so I can improve at HotS.
Seems like almost all diamond 3+ players have cut down on playing hots drastically, I am in d4 and all I seem to get for teammates is plat or below. Maybe it gets better in Master?
I’m sick of matches with 2-3 league spreads between teammates.
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Yea, match quality has gone down, it’s rare to have an even match which I find most satisfying. More often you stomp or get stomped. Neither is fun for me.
4 Likes
Makes me wonder about the playerbase.
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https ://www.heroesprofile.com/Global/Hero/?timeframe_type=major&timeframe=2.49®ion=CN&game_type=qm,ud,sl,br
In China Li Ming is the most played Character in the recent patch History with 8,800 played matches taking all gametypes into account.
You can possible imagine how much HotS get played in china.
By comparison the European Server in the same time:
https ://www.heroesprofile.com/Global/Hero/?timeframe_type=major&timeframe=2.49®ion=EU&game_type=qm,ud,sl,br
2-3 leagues… doesn’t really happen often without parties grouping those leagues together. Soloqueuing I see 1-5 division spreads a lot more often.
D4 gets paired with plat all the time though. In D3 and D2 you still see some plats here and there but then it’s mostly Diamond+ and some masters sprinkled in. D4 is just still pretty close to the previous division, at least you’re seeing fewer plats than if you were D5.
ironically the higher you go the more consistent the games are.
My cousin (who is stuck in silver) sends me replays and all I see are smurfs from bronze to gold in these games.
I really pity newer players, from the games I’ve seen.
Smufs a plenty
4 Likes
same. it’s so easy to recognize a smurf from a new player and i’ve seen so many as well that’s why i feel bad for new player’s that play hots they won’t have fair games in fact that was years ago where you could actually play without getting stomped hard by smurfs as a new player to the game. it’s sad but what can we do about that? since there seems to be no way to actually not allow people to smurf. it’s actually annoying to know that someone has +20 smurf accounts just to enjoy stomping low ranked players that’s pretty pathetic
6 Likes
I had aussen with 4 smurfs against me. He told me 4 of them are GM but because if the change he is forced to do it.
I actually thought. Wow this is really dumb 
but I wasnt even mad
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And then there is this pretty famous former HGC player and YouTuber who makes fun out of climbing repeatedly from bronze to GM with ridiculous Builds just to show off.
5 Likes
Go play QM or draft, maybe? 
QM is a gamble to see if you have the right comp.
UR: I hate blackhearts bay and WHJ and I dont want to draft for it
Also when you winning in a draft people tend to dodge and my friends want to play storm league not unranked because there is a progression
Its not only me that has to make that decision but as a group
2 Likes
tbh ive played against so many smurf squads and won, i don’t even care about it anymore. Last week our random dia 2 team won against 3x master and 2x grandmaster smurfs.
Since they don’t play most of their time on their level, they arent any better than you most likely. So just play and don’t give up.
fair point, but i think its more relevant in silver —> platinum. Once you are in diamond games, theoretically either side could be good enough to win any given game. The lower ranks is where the real shame is, new players, players trying to learn, and just getting STOMPED and eventually quitting.
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Well, Harby old boy, it’s not like we’re gonna razz you for having a social life.
That, apparently, is a course of action we leave for Blizzard to take…
What was the point of the change again?
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Its a self destruct button