Guys… just sit down for a second and think about this.
The company that is making bank off of individuals who purchase extra accounts are the same ones that are telling you that the very thing that is helping them make that bank is “not actually a problem”.
Do you guys honestly think Blizzard is going to succumb to the pressure of needing to do something about smurfs by admitting it is truely a major problem and then stopping them from doing something that provides them with more dough (buy more accounts)?
There’s also a massive number of people that aren’t from Blizzard telling you that it isn’t a problem. If you’re plat or lower, then most low-level players aren’t even smurfs, but new players. Yes, low plat is the average rank.
But “Hurrdurr who else am I supposed to blame for being a literally below average player in gold if smurfs aren’t a problem”
Because most of the pro players and popular streamers are doing Bronze to GM’s for entertainment. They are the role models of the community so the playerbase will follow the same agenda what the pro playerbase set.
There is a huge difference between a smurf and an alt account. One of that being one is actively trying, while the other is purposely throwing rank to get lower.
While I understand low ranks will run into smurfs, smurfs will not be on the enemy team 100% of the time. They have the same chance of being on your team as they do on the enemy team.
It may ruin a game or two here and there, but ultimately I don’t believe they’re as bad as some people say.
I play both on PC and on XB1, but referring to PC here.
Most “smurf”/alt accs I’ve seen on console have been from people who clearly were no higher on their regular accounts though.
That video again?
That video makes two huge, erroneous assumptions.
It assumes that the only people who smurf are from Master & GrandMaster.
It assumes the only way that smurfs can ruin games is by consistently winning against you and never winning with you.
It should more accurately be called ‘Why Smurfing Isn’t Preventing You From Climbing From Diamond To Master’, because that’s the problem it actually discredits.
No. It assumes that you will win/lose an equal amount due to smurfs ending up on both teams. That is undeniably correct. The only people saying otherwise are the ones who want to have an excuse not to improve.
People on “smurfs” from lower ranks than master/GM tend to play at the same ranks. If it’s within 500 SR of your main and you aren’t actively throwing, then it’s not a smurf.
There is however one flaw in the reasonning:
There are 5 “spots” on my team to be filled with a smurf,
There are six in the opposite team, so the chance of the other team having a smurf is higher than mine
That slot is still more likely to be filled with an alt (i.e. same rank player) than a smurf.
Most people don’t take any more joy in going in lower ranks and stomping noobs than you do.
Smurfing isn’t a serious problem. Alt accounts are a problem.
Check out Masters/GM matches. It’s pathetic. 5, 6, 9 alts in a single match, and you win by having more smurfs or fewer apathetic racist alts on your team. Top tier gameplay.
That’s not strictly speaking true, but it’s close enough not to quibble about.
However, even if they win you games as often as they cost you games, they are still RUINING every game they are in simply by making it an UNFAIR and UNFUN match.
You’re using the same logic he did. “It’s not ruining your game because it doesn’t stop you from climbing.”
That’s not the only way to RUIN a game.
On top of which, simply by creating a set matches that we’ll say are 50/50 to win or lose, that actually slows down your climb (if you would climb). If 20% of your matches are out of your hands, then you need to play 20% more matches to climb the same amount. (Also takes longer to fall the same amount, if you would fall)
That’s simply not true. There are plenty of people from Gold, Plat, and Diamond who are smurfing in Bronze. There’s no reason that you have to reach Masters before you decide you want to throw an alt-account down to Bronze for some noob-stomping. Anyone who is smurfing to play with their friend(s) is going to throw their smurf account down to the appropriate Elo to make that possible, regardless of where their main is.
Smurfs come from every rank… well, every rank except Bronze. And Silver smurfs are pretty rare since Bronze isn’t far enough below to make smurfing that attractive an idea.
If 1 player out of 50 is a smurf,
5 slots in my team: I have 5 chances to roll the dice 1/50 to have the smurf on my team
6 slots in the other teams : I habe 6 chances to roll the dice 1/50 to have the smurf on the other team
You only affect about 20% of your own matches (source unknown, you’ll have to find it yourself), it’s still a team-based game. You’ll have to play 50+ matches per season to really climb.
Meaning that according to your math, the risk of the enemy team having a smurf is 12.6% while the risk of you having one is 10.8%. What a difference.
That would mean that you’re likely to have 1 smurf on the enemy team every 7.76 matches or one on your own team every 9.43 matches. That’s not going to affect you much in the long run.