In League of Legends, the boundary between strategic creativity and unfair advantage is often debated, especially in ranked play where competitive integrity is critical. A recent controversy surrounding challenger-tier streamer Bardinette has sparked widespread discussion on griefing, smurfing, and what truly constitutes acceptable behavior in ranked matchmaking. Bardinette’s now-banned “zero CS challenge” has not only drawn sharp criticism but also triggered deeper conversations about community expectations, Riot’s enforcement policies, and the evolving definition of competitive fairness.
Inside the Zero CS Challenge: A Self-Imposed Experiment in Ranked Play
Bardinette, a well-known streamer and high-elo innovator, built his reputation on unconventional playstyles such as Bard top lane and Rammus support. Seeking to make ranked feel fresh, he developed a new challenge: reach high ranks without last hitting a single minion. To do so, he created a new hand-leveled account and entered ranked games as a laner with a commitment to never farming minions—sometimes even flashing away to avoid unintentional gold gains from support items.
Using this strategy, Bardinette remarkably climbed to Platinum without collecting CS, sparking both admiration for his mechanical execution and scrutiny over the challenge’s competitive impact. The novelty quickly garnered attention online, but not all of it was positive.
Why Reddit Condemned the Zero CS Run
Community outrage grew after Reddit user Itayayay posted a thread on r/leagueoflegends spotlighting Bardinette’s challenge. Many users claimed that teammates were subjected to a competitive disadvantage without their consent. Without a farming top laner, the game dynamics shifted against team expectations—and those affected voiced concern that this kind of challenge constitutes griefing under Riot’s terms of use.
The post quickly went viral, with supporters of fair play denouncing the run and advocating for Riot to take action. Some critics extended the debate to smurfing itself, noting that many such challenge runs begin on alternate accounts, effectively creating additional problems for MMR matchmaking and rank integrity.
Riot Games Steps in with a Ban
In recent months, Riot has increased its effort to preserve ranked integrity. The developer introduced rank manipulation report options, added LP refunds for matches compromised by cheaters or disruptive play, and began penalizing account sharing, boosting, and bots.
Off-meta champions and role swaps are permitted as long as players demonstrate genuine intent to win. However, Bardinette’s deliberate refusal to engage with basic game mechanics—namely farming as a laner—was ruled a violation. Riot labeled the zero CS challenge as disruptive gameplay, leading to an account ban. The action sets a precedent for how far creativity can stretch before disrupting team-based competition.
Bardinette’s Reaction: Defending the Challenge
Following his ban, Bardinette defended the challenge run, citing years of criticism for playing Bard top despite climbing to challenger with it. He dismissed the backlash as resistance to innovation, insisting that willingness to embrace odd strategies can benefit gameplay diversity—provided the player is performing at a comparable level.
He also challenged the concept of consent in solo queue, suggesting that adaptation to teammates’ playstyles is part of ranked strategy, not an exception. In his words, the solo queue environment is full of “bitter control freaks” who reject experimentation without fully considering its merit or results. Bardinette described himself as grateful for being able to enjoy League in atypical ways instead of crumbling under pressure.
See Bardinette’s full response on Twitter.
Why This Debate Matters for Ranked League
The controversy illustrates a vital distinction: mechanical versus gameplay challenges. For example, playing with one hand or a non-standard controller is a personal constraint that does not change the game’s objectives. Using off-meta champs or weird builds often adds variety while still preserving core win conditions.
However, creating new objectives—like intentionally refusing to take gold as a laner—distorts game fundamentals. Ranked League of Legends functions on the assumption that all players enter with the intent to win. Introducing a rule that actively undermines team performance conflicts with competitive fairness, regardless of a player’s skill or intentions.
The Smurfing Dynamic: Where Riot Draws the Line
Because Bardinette ran the challenge on a fresh hand-leveled account, the topic naturally expanded to smurfing. Riot’s current policy forbids account sharing, boosting, and botted levelling. Hand-leveled smurfs remain technically allowed, but if such accounts are used to avoid consequences or perform disruptive challenges, they become a target for enforcement.
In Bardinette’s case, using a smurf to test a handicapped strategy that impacted teammates directly aligned with Riot’s standards for disruptive play.
Watch highlights and full VODs of Bardinette’s challenge runs on Twitch.
See Bardinette’s stats and channel info at Streamscharts.
FAQ
What is the zero CS challenge?
It is a player-imposed challenge where a laner intentionally does not last hit minions in ranked games, actively avoiding gold gain from CS, often by fleeing from support proc items or pushing waves without farming.
Why was Bardinette banned?
Riot determined that refusing to participate in a core objective of the game, such as farming, constitutes disruptive gameplay, which violates rules for ranked integrity.
Are off-meta strategies like Bard top or Rammus support permitted?
Yes. Unconventional picks and roles are allowed as long as the player is sincerely attempting to win using the tools available to them.
Is smurfing banned in League of Legends?
Riot bans boosting, account sharing, and bot-leveled smurfs. Hand-leveled accounts are not against the rules, but using them for harmful challenges or gameplay manipulation is punishable.
Can Riot refund LP lost in these games?
Riot has introduced a system to refund LP from games significantly impacted by disruptive behavior or rank manipulation. LP refunds depend on Riot’s internal evaluation of the situation.
Additional Context and Coverage
- Bardinette’s 0 CS climb reached Platinum 2 without farming a single wave, earning viral traction on TikTok. Watch the clip here.
- The incident sparked in-depth discussions about innovation vs. disruption in League’s ranked ecosystem.
- For a comprehensive breakdown and commentary, see Necrit’s YouTube video from the channel Necrit.
- Stay updated with all League of Legends news at LoLNOW.gg.
