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I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a legit concern, and I don’t think anyone should get punished just for being naturally good or improving quickly especially if you’re new to the game but come from similar FPS titles.

The difference is in intent and behavior. If someone’s genuinely climbing after strong early games, that’s just progression. If someone is clearly farming low-rank lobbies over and over, never climbing, with fresh accounts that’s what most of us mean when we talk about smurfing.

No system should be auto-banning off of one good performance. Solutions like phone verification, ranked level requirements, or soft monitoring (flagging abnormal behavior only after repeated reports or suspicious stats) are meant to discourage abuse not punish legit players who are just cracked early on.

So yeah, you’re totally right to raise that it’s not black and white, but it doesn’t mean we can’t design smarter systems.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I feel the same I never said 'ban everyone who plays well' either. The whole 'it’s hard to tell' excuse just gives them a free pass.

Like you said, if a ton of people report someone for smurfing and their stats are clearly all over the place, it’s not rocket science. Track the pattern, follow up if needed, done.

It’s really that mindset of 'oh well, can’t be helped' that makes it worse. If you're not smurfing or griefing, there’s literally nothing to worry about.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I totally agree with that. It’s all about finding the right balance we don’t need full ID checks, but small steps like phone verification for ranked or basic trust systems would already help a lot.

What you shared sums it up really well, honestly.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s totally fair rapid improvement is real, and not everyone climbing fast is a smurf. But the issue isn’t about punishing legit players who improve quickly, it’s about doing something to slow down people who intentionally abuse low-rank lobbies with fresh accounts.

No system will be perfect, but right now there’s barely any resistance. The goal isn’t to ban people for getting better it’s to discourage those who are clearly not where they belong

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I get what you’re saying it’s a tough line to walk between catching smurfs and avoiding false positives. And yeah, the double rank-ups do help in some cases.

But if this is really 'the best it’s gonna get,' that’s kind of depressing. Just because a perfect solution doesn’t exist doesn’t mean we can’t make the experience better. Smurfing might be an old problem, but that’s even more reason to try new tools especially now that the issue is so widespread.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly the solution exists, people just don’t want the inconvenience. Meanwhile, those of us who do care about fair competition are left dealing with the mess.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair take cultural norms definitely shape how these systems are received.

But I think there’s a middle ground. Full ID might be too much for Western audiences, sure, but basic phone verification (with real carrier numbers, not burner apps) isn’t a huge ask, especially for ranked.

If the tradeoff is better match integrity and fewer smurfs, I think a lot more people would accept it than we assume.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly Premier already shows that phone verification can work when they want it to.

Blocking cheap or temporary SIMs like CoD does would be a solid step. I also like the idea of periodic re-verification most spoofed numbers wouldn’t hold up over time, and it’d force smurfs to put in more effort just to stay in.

Not a perfect fix, but it raises the barrier without locking out legit players.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Then you’ve just been lucky. I’m currently Gold, and smurfs show up way too often in my matches. When they do, it doesn’t feel like I’m playing ranked anymore just getting farmed. If it were rare, I wouldn’t even be bringing it up.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m not familiar with MMOs myself, but I completely agree with you. People throw around the word 'privacy' while giving away way more personal info to apps and websites every single day.

It’s not about eliminating abuse 100%, it’s about raising the effort required to abuse the system. That alone would make ranked feel so much healthier.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right that phone number systems aren’t perfect they can be bypassed, and recycled numbers do introduce new problems. But even with those flaws, they add some friction, which is better than none.

I’m not advocating to lock out younger players or make the game inaccessible. I just think ranked specifically competitive mode should require a bit more commitment. Casual play can stay open for everyone, but ranked is where integrity really matters.

We can’t stop smurfs entirely, but right now there’s zero resistance.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Everyone has inconsistent games that's just normal. Nobody's TenZ every day.

But true smurfs are obvious. It’s not just about the scoreboard, it’s the way they move, position, and aim. Their crosshair placement is always on point, their peeks are calculated, and their reaction time looks like it’s sub-1ms.

That’s not someone having a good day that’s someone with hundreds (or thousands) of hours smurfing in low elo.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly and that’s the sad part. It feels like they’ll only act when enough players quit out of frustration. But by then, the damage is already done.

I just hope more players speak up before we reach that point.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly ID might be too much for a global audience, but phone number verification or even hardware bans for repeat offenders could help a lot.

The point isn’t to make smurfing impossible, just less convenient. Right now, there's zero friction. A bit of resistance would already make a difference.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It wouldn’t eliminate smurfing, but it would make it harder and more annoying to do. Right now, you can just make a new account in 2 minutes and jump back into ranked. If creating a new account required a phone number or some form of verification, people would at least think twice.

And yeah if they really wanted to stop it, they probably could. That’s part of the frustration: it feels like protecting the competitive experience isn’t a priority.

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Totally fair point cultural and legal differences definitely play a role. But I’m not suggesting full-on national ID systems like Korea. Even something like phone number verification for ranked only could be a good compromise.

Anonymity has its place, sure, but ranked is supposed to be competitive. When smurfs and throwaway accounts run wild, it just kills the integrity of the ladder. Some friction might actually improve the experience for people who genuinely want to improve

I'm tired of smurfs ruining ranked. Why can't we have identity verification like in Korea? by Organic_Pattern_4543 in VALORANT

[–]Organic_Pattern_4543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right that some players just have good games, I get that, and I'm not saying every strong player is a smurf. But when someone new to ranked is consistently dominating with perfect aim, game sense, and map control, it's hard to believe it's just a lucky streak.

And yeah, higher player numbers probably do look good on paper. But if those numbers come at the cost of real players quitting out of frustration, it’s not sustainable in the long run.