A recent account ban issued to a high-Elo player has reignited conversation surrounding smurfing in League of Legends. Pentius, a well-known challenger-level Nunu main, publicly shared a 40-0 win streak on a low platinum smurf account—prompting Riot Games to respond with a 30-day ID ban. The incident marks a significant step in Riot’s reinforced crackdown on smurfing, part of a broader effort to protect matchmaking integrity and improve player experience. But as Riot sharpens its enforcement tools, questions remain about the scope, fairness, and feasibility of policing smurfs in a game with over a decade-long history of alternative accounts.

Riot’s New Anti-Smurfing Framework: A Closer Look

Earlier in 2025, Riot Games launched one of its most decisive initiatives yet against rank manipulation in League of Legends. In a developer blog, the company defined its target areas:

  • Boosting: Professional or high-skill players artificially raising another player’s rank.
  • Hitchhiking: Duo queueing with a stronger partner to attain a rank not truly earned.
  • Pre-Leveled Accounts: Using accounts that are botted or leveled by someone else for competitive advantage.

As a key part of the effort, Riot introduced a new “rank manipulation” report category, allowing players to actively flag suspicious matchmaking behavior. To remedy unjust competitive experiences, Riot has also started refunding LP (League Points) in matches deemed to be significantly influenced by smurfs or cheaters.

Looking ahead, Patch 25.18—scheduled for release on September 10, 2025—will include the largest ban wave in League’s history. Thousands of smurf, boosted, and botted accounts are set to be removed from the ecosystem as Riot deploys updates across its machine learning models, Vanguard anti-cheat system, and account behavior review tools retroactive to 2017.

For further insights on this development, visit gamer.org and esports.gg.

The Pentius Case: 40-0 and Its Consequences

The centerpiece of this recent crackdown is the case of Pentius, a challenger-level player known for excelling with the champion Nunu. After boasting on social media about achieving a flawless 40-game win streak in low platinum on a new account, he drew criticism from the community for allegedly using a purchased or manipulated account originally ranked much lower. The post, which mocked the performance of lower-tier players, quickly gained traction and raised red flags.

Riot’s Player Behavior Policy Lead, Drew Levin, later confirmed public suspicions: Pentius’s actions breached competitive integrity standards. Although the player claimed the account was leveled manually via bot matches, Riot’s investigation concluded it qualified as rank manipulation. Consequently, all of Pentius’s associated accounts were hit with a temporary 30-day ID-level ban.

Full coverage of the incident is available from theScore Esports.

Drawing the Line: What Counts as Harmful Smurfing?

Riot acknowledges that not all alternate accounts are inherently problematic. League of Legends has a long tradition of secondary accounts used for benign purposes, including:

  • Role Practice: High-Elo players testing new roles or champions without risking main account LP.
  • Educational Play: Streamers and content creators producing skill-building material tailored for lower-ranked audiences.

The core issue lies in impact and intent. When top-tier players repeatedly dominate low-Elo games, they create lopsided matches that harm the learning experience of newer or casual players. Riot’s enforcement is meant to filter malicious activity—like account selling or smurfing without intent to improve—but nuances remain. The boundaries between a normal secondary account and deliberate rank manipulation are sometimes murky, leading to heated debates like the one sparked by Pentius’s case.

More details can be found in Riot’s official smurfing guidelines.

Why Smurfing Still Impacts New and Casual Players

Even with advanced matchmaking systems, smurfing continues to influence competitive balance. Riot’s behavior detection now accelerates skilled players through lower ranks, often correcting their MMR placement within dozens of games. However, early matches often pit newcomers against opponents with years of experience—as Pentius’s 40-0 record suggests, this can completely demoralize teams unfamiliar with optimal strategies or champion mechanics.

This disproportionate power undermines the onboarding experience, increasing the gap between accessibility and competitiveness. Riot’s current approach will undoubtedly reduce the impact of smurfing, but not eliminate it. The ability to create new accounts easily—and the broad definition of “smurfing”—makes total eradication difficult.

Riot’s Future Enforcement: Transparency and LP Refunds

Riot’s decision to refund LP for affected games has been widely praised, especially by players who feel wronged by unbalanced matchmaking. Additionally, the upcoming September 2025 enforcement wave signals a continued, proactive stance toward preserving matchmaking fairness.

That said, unanswered questions persist:

  • Should content creators doing tutorials in silver or gold be punished under the same criteria as ranked abusers?
  • At what point does experimentation with alt accounts become manipulation?
  • Can Riot maintain competitive integrity without alienating longtime players accustomed to open smurfing culture?

Until these distinctions are clarified, Riot’s evolving enforcement strategy will continue to face scrutiny. As the game’s player base diversifies, understanding the intent behind alternative accounts—and separating harmful actions from helpful ones—will be more critical than ever.

For more League of Legends news, updates, and esports coverage, visit LoLNOW.gg.

Source: theScore Esports (YouTube) (theScore Esports channel)

FAQ

Why was Pentius banned?

Pentius was issued a 30-day ID ban for rank manipulation after sharing a 40-0 victory streak on a smurf account in low platinum. Riot found the behavior to be disruptive to competitive balance.

What is rank manipulation?

Rank manipulation involves artificially altering matchmaking results through activities like boosting, using bot-leveled accounts, duo hitchhiking, or consistently using smurf accounts to overpower less skilled players.

Are all smurfs being banned now?

No. Riot differentiates between harmful smurfing and legitimate alt usage. Their focus is on deterring activity that undermines match integrity, not banning all secondary accounts.

Can affected players get LP refunds for games with smurfs?

Yes. Riot is actively refunding LP in matches where confirmed violations such as smurfing or illicit duo boosting impacted outcomes.

Is Riot aiming to eliminate smurfing entirely?

Not completely. Riot aims to reduce the most damaging forms of smurfing but recognizes that alternative accounts will always exist to some extent within the game ecosystem.