**Smurfing**, the practice of playing on a lower-level account than your actual skill, is now officially a punishable offense in **League of Legends**. The historic decision, made by the developer **Riot Games**, arrives in **January 2026**, surprising the community after nearly two decades in which the behavior was tolerated. The announcement happens within the game itself, through a new report category called ‘rank manipulation’. Therefore, players caught creating or using secondary accounts to dominate lower-ranked matches may face penalties, which have not yet been disclosed by the company.
Riot’s move aims to combat one of the biggest sources of frustration in the community. This is because a professional or high-level player in a low Elo match, such as Bronze or Silver, completely distorts the experience. Due to this disparity, legitimate opponents in that skill bracket have almost zero chance of victory, turning the match into something unfair and unpleasant. The change becomes possible, thanks to the recent release of ‘duo queue’ in the higher ranks. This was one of the old justifications for smurfing, as it allowed streamers and friends to play together.
## What will the punishment be and why the confusion?
Despite the new option in the report menu, Riot has not yet officially detailed the punishments or how the rule will be enforced. This lack of clarity is the main reason for the divided opinions. However, the presence of the powerful anti-cheat **Riot Vanguard**, with kernel-level access on the player’s PC, could be a crucial tool for identifying multiple accounts of the same user, making it harder to hide smurfs.
On the other hand, there is a theory within the community that the new report category may be merely symbolic, similar to the old ‘Disabled Player’ option, which served more to vent than to actually punish someone. Meanwhile, many players celebrate the measure, hoping for a fairer online experience. Still, some content creators and casual players are concerned, as they used secondary accounts to train new champions without harming the performance on their main account.
Thus, the real impact of the new policy will only become clear in the coming months. Everything depends on how Riot will balance combating abuse with the legitimate needs of part of its player base. The community eagerly awaits an official announcement explaining the criteria and penalties, hoping the game becomes a more balanced environment for everyone in 2026.
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