How Riot Finds and Deals with Smurf Accounts in Valorant

One of the most important things about Valorant's ranked system is that it is fair. One of Riot's biggest problems, though, is dealing with smurfs, or players who make or use alternate accounts (alt accounts) to play at lower ranks than they are really good at. Smurfing messes up matchmaking, makes games less fun for lower-ranked players, and makes it seem unfair to climb. Riot has come up with a number of ways to find and punish smurfing. Knowing how these systems work can help players understand how the process works.

What does it mean to smurf?

When a skilled or high-ranked player uses a new or different account to play at a lower level, that's called smurfing. Some people do it to play with friends who are lower-ranked, some do it to have easier matches, and some do it to test agents without risking their main rank. No matter what the reason, smurfing gives players an unfair edge in games.

How Riot Finds Smurfs

Riot doesn't say exactly how they find smurfs, but community data and Riot's own research show that they use more than one system:

1. Analysis of Matchmaking Performance

Riot's system flags a new account for review if it consistently beats its opponents by a wide margin (high KDA, accuracy, and win rates).

2. MMR growth that isn't normal

If you see new accounts that get a lot of MMR and a lot of RR (Rank Rating) after each match, it's a good sign that they're smurfing. The system checks performance against skill brackets that are expected.

3. Keeping an eye on account behavior

Automated detection may be triggered by patterns like always playing with friends who are much lower ranked or getting the same score over and over again.

4. Reports from players

Riot also pays attention to what players say. If a player gets a lot of reports for being "too good to be true" at a certain rank, the system looks at their data again to see if there are any signs of smurfing.

How Riot Deals with Smurf Accounts

Riot takes different actions depending on how serious the situation is once an account is flagged as a possible smurf:

• Quick MMR Adjustment: Accounts can be quickly moved up to higher MMR brackets, skipping divisions to match their real skill.
• Less Control Over Matchmaking: Sometimes, smurfs are put up against other suspected smurfs to keep real players safe.
• Penalties and Restrictions: People who break the rules more than once may have their accounts limited, be banned from the queue, or face other disciplinary actions.

This system makes sure that the ranked experience is fair for both new and old players.

Why it's important to find smurfs

Smurfing makes competitive play unfair. Riot makes sure that ranks stay important and that new players aren't put off by matches that are always one-sided by aggressively finding and changing smurf accounts. The ranked ladder is more accurate when it comes to showing real skill, which makes progress more rewarding.

Keep an eye on your own MMR progress

Want to know how your own MMR is figured out and how close you are to moving up? You don't have to guess; you can see it in real time. Go to https://mmrvalorant.com/

to get more information about your hidden rating, match history, and how your rank is likely to change over time.