Smurfing has become a massive headache for Valorant players, especially those grinding through lower ranks, only to get demolished by experienced players hiding behind fresh accounts. Nothing ruins your competitive experience faster than getting one-tapped by someone playing well below their skill level. Let’s find out about the current smurfing situation in 2025, how Riot is fighting back, and what you can do when encountering these high-skill players in your matches.
Smurfing is Bannable in Valorant
Riot has taken a firm stance against smurfing, making it officially against their competitive policies. Players caught intentionally manipulating the ranking system to stay in lower ranks can face consequences ranging from temporary suspensions to permanent bans. The severity typically depends on how blatant and persistent the smurfing behaviour is, with repeat offenders facing harsher penalties.
Can you Still Smurf in Valorant?
Yes, smurfing is still technically possible in Valorant, but Riot Games has made it increasingly difficult to maintain a Smurf account for long. Thanks to the Systems Health Series and Automated Smurf Detection, players performing way above their rank’s skill level get quickly identified and boosted to higher MMR brackets. While creating an alt account isn’t banned outright, the system now rapidly adjusts your MMR if you’re clearly better than where you’re placed.
Valorant Health System
According to Riot’s data from 2022, their Health system has reduced smurf counts by approximately 17% compared to earlier years. The Systems Health Series actively works to minimize smurfing through automated detection and MMR adjustments. More impressively, newly created Smurf accounts now reach their correct MMR two to three times faster than before, meaning they spend significantly less time stomping lower-ranked lobbies.
Detecting Smurf Players
Valorant uses sophisticated data analysis to identify smurf accounts quickly. While Riot doesn’t reveal their exact detection methods to prevent circumvention, their system looks for telltale signs like:
- Unusually high headshot percentages for new accounts
- Advanced utility usage and game sense that doesn’t match low-rank play
- Consistently dropping 30+ kills in Bronze/Silver lobbies
- Rapid improvement that doesn’t follow normal skill progression
Reporting Smurf Players
Unfortunately, there is no option to report Smurf players in Valorant yet in the report menu. Hence, players can’t report surfers in the matches. Hopefully, in the future Riot Games will implement a system to deal with smurfers through the reporting system apart from having a good health system in Valorant.
How to Deal with Smurfers
When you encounter a smurf, try not to tilt. Instead, adjust your playstyle – avoid taking direct aim duels with them, use utility to disrupt their game, and coordinate with teammates to trade them out. Many experienced players recommend studying the smurf’s gameplay to understand high-level strategies and improve your own skills. Consider it a free masterclass in advanced Valorant techniques.
Conclusion
While smurfing hasn’t been completely eliminated from Valorant, Riot’s systems make it much harder to maintain a low-ranked smurf account. The combination of detection algorithms, faster MMR adjustments, and potential bans has reduced the impact of smurfing. When encountering Smurfs, use the reporting system and try to learn from the experience rather than letting it ruin your gaming session.
Andrew "SuZki" Scola is a dedicated Valorant player who has been in the game since the Valorant beta release. He has a peak rank of Immortal 3 and is also a semi-pro esports player. He's also been associated with a few gaming clans and communities, including Highlander Gaming and SoCal Valorant Community. In his free time, he creates content for the Valorant community and writes guides about Valorant based on his experience.
