Was just playing a game around 3570 range and some guy asks some guy if he’s a smurf when he’s level 300, how do you get to masters without knowing what a smurf means, people seemto think smurf is a synonym for a good player.
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It’s true, most people don’t know what a smurf actually is, like I play in mid silver-low gold for dps, I have a physical disability (nerve damage in my hands), so sometimes my reactions are very slow, other times my hands work how I want them too and get accused of smurfing (I have a silver border) and just shake my head when questioned.
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I was just doing my Tank placements and got called a Smurf on a Silver border account. Not only do I not play Tank, but played it a bit more recently in QP, especially Zarya, so I used the little thing I learned in QP and while watching Yeatle’s unranked to Gm Zarya. We won, and I got flamed for it by the enemy team. I barely did anything of true value.
I honestly do not remember the last time I played Tank in Comp, and it was left untouched for Seasons and last time it was around 1.6k. This game I had like one Silver all Bronze on my team, same as the enemy, and I only did like maybe 5% of actual, true Zarya play and got called a Smurf because of that. At this point I honestly do not care who whines the most, the “you need to improve” type of ppl versus “the System is rigged kind of people”, the true, actual fact is you get those people in your matches. It is one to read their posts on the forum, but it is a completely different thing when you get those “I want to run in a straight line and not get killed and get SR” kind of people in your actual matches. Whether they are on your team or the enemy.
Most incredibly sad. And not only that, what struck me the most on this forum was that people who do not blame the System and actually believe in improving are being called stupid.
“No point responding anymore they’re not fixing stupid.”
Quote from another topic.
It is not that I felt insulted by that by any means, but in fact that this is what one has to deal with in ones matches. Those kind of people. You are stupid for thinking you should improve at the game in order to go forward.
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You can be a high level and still be a smurf. Maybe a bought account, or someone who throws to stay in a particular rank. Also a lot of people refer to their alts as smurfs. I have often seen top 500 streamers say “brb I’m logging on my smurf”. As they log off one top 500 account and onto another.
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The term “smurf,” much like the term “toxic,” is extremely ambiguous. Which is why it is important to identify users, regardless of what account they are on, for deliberately disrupting matches in any game mode (by either throwing or being abusive in chat) and report them appropriately.
Remember as long as a player doing their best they should not be reported for any reason.
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They shouldn’t be reported for doing well below their best, either. Especially in non-comp modes, where having fun, learning, playing especially sub-optimally is completely encouraged. Everyone is entitled to play medicated, tired, distracted, uninterested, etc. It’s a video game not a peak-sweat workout session.
That is correct. I should clarify, everyone should do their best effort to win that match they are playing in regardless of how they choose to approach the game.
Its when a user makes a deliberate effort to lose the match is when it becomes a problem.
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i got called a smuf because i played seasons 1-10 in high elo like dia/master/GM
and seasons 20+ in gold and was better than everyone else
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People really don’t know how to identify smurfs. I got called a smurf once, and i’m TERRIBLE.
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You could be on a level 1,000 account and still be massively below the level you compete at. I have a warmup and/or grouping account that is 500+ where I usually soloQ at. People sometimes assume I’m boosting the account.
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You can thank Jeff K. for I almost think purposely confusing the community on the definition of this term. Its up there with calling every loss a “C9”…
Thank God borders are going away along with medals…
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It’s a 4 year old game. People have silver border “smurf” accounts by now. Think about the hours they need to put in to subtly derank. It adds up bro. I think gold border would be the cutoff from smurfing to someone else playing on the account lol.
The misconception of the term “smurf” is not singular. The fact that it can be applied to anyone who is doing well in a match is what makes it so dangerous. The reason being is a good chunk of the players will always cast blame rather then admit they could be playing better. This makes blaming someone who is doing well in that game a “smurf”.
RL stuff like this can happen. However, there are tons of way to seem like a smurf. I used to play with my very very very bad friends (bronze and silver). There was this one game where my team was getting hooked by this Hog and he was doing that Hook+Turn to drop people off the ledges. My own friends were complaining about him and how he was a smurf this smurf that.
I told them to listen to my call outs and stay away from him and then I just hard focused him with Reaper. The guy def belonged in his rank. Likely he learned some tech, like many do, from watching streamers and pros. It looks impressive but a Hog smurf would dunk on an equally skill matched Reaper player, let alone a bad one like me.
Smurfs exist but for every 1 smurf that actually exist, 10 normal players get accused of it.
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This is pretty much how I picked up Hog, I got hooked on watching Cyx dominating people, and those wild hooks, and wanted to replicate, as you said, Reaper vs Hog is basically a skill match-up based on it Hog hits his hook, if if the Reaper can bait it with wraith, but then, for me anyhow, comes down to my motor skills on any given day, some days Reaper is no issue, other days I’ll get gunned down by Mercy.
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I watched Harbleu but eventually learned of Cyx. Harb is prob the better Hog player due to his extremely good game sense but I learned way more about improving my Hook skills and plays from Cyx who is arguably the better Hooker (giggle*) of the 2.
I’m pretty sure I learned the turn Hook from other players back in the day (seeing people do sheet in game was how I learned half the stuff I know today) but the one thing I did learn from Cyx was maximizing hook range.
Essentially Hog has an invisible sphere that moves with him. Essentially his Hook range. On the ground his danger zone (Kenny Loggins) is cut in half but when you take high ground angles you heavily increase your Hook range.
This can limit your ability to push/defend since you are on high ground though. Missing Hooks can be more punishing too since your giving up frontline presence for a larger area denial potential.
If a Hog misses a Hook while facing the enemy it is still hella dangerous to push into him but if a Hog misses a Hook from high ground you are basically free to shoot him or walk by him.
I beat that Hog silly cuz I understood and know Hogs weaknesses inside and out. I basically kept my distance and watched his CD’s. When he was low on ammo or had no Hook I would bum rush him knowing exactly how much time I had before he could either fully reload or Hook again.
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