Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Image via Riot Games

VALORANT player runs into bizarre match that has people questioning the other team’s existence

GG EZ?

From Ascendant down to Iron, it’s no secret that a common concern within the VALORANT community has long been players on alternate accounts seemingly running rampant in Competitive.

Recommended Videos

Especially in a game like VALORANT where things like mechanics, utility usage, and game sense are immediately distinguishable between players, it’s easy to point the finger and question the legitimacy of one’s rank at any given time.

After all, why risk your own account’s Rank Rating (RR) when you or a friend can simply hop on a “smurf” account and stack the deck in your favor? Of course, the main barrier to this—aside from having good morals and Riot Games’ terms of service—is that new accounts must be at least Account Level 20 before they can play ranked, which takes a good chunk of time to accomplish considering Account Points (AP) can only be earned by finishing public matches.

On May 22, one clip went viral on Reddit that seemingly has players convinced that it is footage of new smurf accounts being created for mass distribution.

The one-minute clip appears to show a five-stack match between FitPresent4638’s clan, ISH, and what some Redditors are assuming to be bots being used for the purpose of making alt accounts.

At the start of round four, presumably after breezing through a pistol round, a force round, and a bonus round, FitPresent4638 and their team are seen charging right into the defender spawn. There, the team of suspected bots can be seen devoid of any spatial awareness and with nothing but Classics in their hands before they’re promptly taken out. In the kill feed, it appears their names are all “king1.”

Suddenly, the odd squad then seemingly decides to forfeit the game, which then shows in the clip that it was a “Compétition,” or Competitive match the whole time.

“That’s how iron accounts are born,” one comment reads. “Well this has made me [realize] that I think my friend bought his account to smurf,” another wrote.

This clip left our VALORANT staff confused. None of us have ever seen this kind of player behavior in our matches, not even at beginner levels.

Considering that all of the king1 accounts had the same name and no interest whatsoever in winning the ranked match, it certainly doesn’t seem groundless to suggest that some sort of foul play was at work here.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Ralston Dacanay
Ralston Dacanay
Ralston joined Dot Esports as a freelance writer in February 2023, and covers everything from VALORANT, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends, to NBA 2K and trending releases. His all-time favorite video games include NBA 2K11, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and Halo 3. A class of 2020 alum of California State University, Long Beach, he graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Finance.