I might be clueless. But who are these smurfs I keep hearing about? Like I see my friend playing comp on a regular basis (gold). Maybe it’s 1 in 10 matches where the match is decided by an individual.
So curious to know how others define the term smurf for Overwatch.
Smurf:
Person who deserves to be in a higher rank than Player A, and what my Player A would whine about all match instead of counterpicking/playing smart
A smurf is someone who intentionally loses some of their matches so that they can dominate in other matches.
Intent is key.
A smurf is someone purposefully staying in a lower rank than where they belong for the purpose of playing against those that are objectively less skilled.
Falling by pure happenstance or trying your best on an alternate account that happens to currently be lower than your main do not count as smurfing, as you never intended to be where you are, and you wish to climb out of it regardless.
An experienced player that creates a new account or deranks in order to destroy noobs or lower ranked players. Mostly just to stroke their ego.
Someone playing in a skill bracket they’re considerably above.
Someone who has played at the top levels of a game, being extremely good mechanically and at other aspects of said game.
Then making an alternate account to go back into the low ranks and stomp the lesser-skilled opposition.
Think of it like this:
You play a game, go beat the hardest boss in that game, then boot up a new save file, the first boss will be much, much easier to kill.
For me, a smurf is someone who is in a lower rank than they should and purposefully ruins games for others.
I have no problem with alt accounts used for playing heroes you shouldn’t play at your real rank or for playing with friends that aren’t at your elo.
Pretty much.
It can be a new account, or someone playing on a friends account, or just good old fashion throwing down to stomp the newbies.
They are why we can’t retain new players.
There is a plague of them in Bronze, but mostly it goes away once you are in mid Silver.
When people throw down to stomp the newbies, they don’t throw to JUST silver, they do it properly.
Pretty much this. ^
Alt accounts are fine, and I totally understand that they do have to go through a process of climbing to get to where they belong. But deliberate smurfs can go step on a Lego.
A smurf is a player who intentionally plays at a significantly lower level than what they’re currently ranked at to gain a skill advantage over other players.
A smurf is not exclusively a low level account that might popping off, nor is it exclusively an alternate account that may be used for a variety of purposes not limited to hero/role practice, stream purposes, or game testing/data purposes, nor is it an account that plays with friend who may be a lower level.
Smurf:
A player who deliberately stays in a lower skill bracket than he’s supposed to be in a game with an active matchmaking system, in order to have easier games. In essence it’s having fun at the expense of others.
Some notes:
Any time you make a new account you’re smurfing. Even if you’re not intending to stay at a lower rank, you’re smurfing until the game puts you back where you belong, which is not nearly as quick as Blizzard would like to think it is.
A Smurf is one who intentionally throws matches with the goal of playing with lower ranked players and stomping them.
A second (or third, etc.) account is simply an alt account, unless the player engages in the behavior above. Alt accounts are good for learning new heroes in a competitive context without stepping out of your desired role on your main account.
there is no ‘my’ definition of smurfing. There’s only devs’ definition of smurfing and thats creating an account on which you throw games until you’re at a desired rank in which then you can carry games effortlessly and ‘stomp noobs’. Rinse and repeat.
Someone who makes a new account with the intent to be placed against people significantly worse than them.
2nd accounts aren’t smurfs, provided they’re for practising a separate hero or whatever.
This.
Thousands of people received an alt from humble bundle, including me. I swapped onto the alt just to screw around and use heros ive never used before without hurting my rank. 2 matches was all it took before it realized I was high plat and threw me back into my rank. I gained faith in the system to deal with smurfs after that.