If you have played CSGO or any other multiplayer game on any platform, whether you are aware of it or not, you have likely encountered an occasional smurf or two. These smurfs however are not tiny blue people from the popular cartoon series who live inside of mushrooms in secluded forests. No, these people are usually internet trolls who have nothing better to do than go online and try to ruin the fun for new players of any video game. Since an encounter with this species is inevitable, we will dedicate this article to covering what smurfing is in Counter Strike and what players can do to avoid it.
What is Smurfing in CSGO?
Smurfing in CSGO or any other video game is when an experienced player creates a new account for a specific multiplayer game that is below their current rank. That way, the player can get matched up and play against other players who are significantly beneath that player in terms of skill and experience. While it is true that cases where such behavior is necessary such as getting your account hacked, or losing your login information, in the majority of cases, surfing is done on purpose to take advantage of the lower rank players and eliminate the enemy team more easily.
In recent times, CSGO smurfing has become a regular occurrence which is why the CSGO community became very vocal about the issue. The number of high-ranking smurfs has increased and the community has become enraged due to the ranked games being dominated by such players. This can have long-lasting consequences on the CSGO community because new players are constantly getting destroyed and provoked by smurfs. This no doubt causes a negative first impression on new players and they are unlikely to stick around and keep playing the game.
How To Avoid Smurfing in CSGO?
Since there is no way to tell for sure if a player is smurfing or not in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, there are currently no official systems in the game that are able to prevent this kind of behavior. The best way you can try to avoid it is through your own efforts.
Regardless, there are a few things that you can do to minimize the chances of encountering a CSGO smurf, the first one being, not playing any of the popular CSGO maps. While this is definitely not an ideal solution for many players, it all boils down to whether you want to play a popular map or have a smurf-free CSGO experience. The choice is yours.
Another good tip is to not play the game whenever CSGO is on sale. It is likely that smurfs will purchase their new CSGO smurf accounts during a sale so if your main goal is to avoid smurfs, your best bet is to stay clear of the game during such times.
In addition to what is mentioned above, playing within the Prime matchmaking has proven successful when it comes to smurf-free matches, however, to be eligible to purchase a CSGO Prime account, you will need to be at least rank 21.
Lastly, your own Trust Factor has an impact on how often you encounter players with CSGO smurf accounts. Players who get kicked a lot during matches or exhibit toxic behavior have a low Trust Factor and such players have an increased chance of being matched up with smurfs since they also have a tendency to display such behavior.
Can Smurfing In CSGO Get You Banned?
The short answer to this question is no. Smurfing in CSGO is not a bannable offense, and therefore, you can’t get banned for using a CSGO smurf account. Buying CSGO smurf accounts requires players to purchase a legitimate copy of the game, just like everyone else, and they are allowed to create a new account to utilize within the game.
These CSGO smurf accounts also don’t violate any terms and conditions of the game or the platform which is why it is not a bannable offense. These players are using nothing aside from their personal skills when playing the game and winning matches so there is technically nothing that would constitute a ban for these players.
The only way these players could get banned is if they are constantly either kicking players or getting kicked from matches for displaying toxic behavior, hacking, cheating, or abusing the game’s mechanics in any other way to gain an advantage.
How to Tell If A Player Is Smurfing In CSGO?
Telling whether a player is smurfing in CSGO is almost impossible, however, there are a couple of things that can provide you with a solid clue and point you in the direction of the answer if you know what you are looking for.
The first thing you should do, if you believe that a player is using a CSGO smurf account, is check their game statistics and their Steam profile and look for the following characteristics. If CSGO is the only game on their Steam account or they have less than a hundred hours in CSGO, then you are likely dealing with a smurf in your match.
Another thing you should look for is whether that player is carrying the whole team or has disproportionately many headshots in the match. If any and/or all of those things are present, then you are almost certainly dealing with a smurf.
Conclusion
Creating a CSGO smurf account is indeed sometimes necessary and required for the reasons mentioned above and can be used innocently in order to play together with friends and practice new techniques, however, more often than not, it is done by toxic professional CSGO players with the aim of demoralizing and degrading new players and ruining the fun for everyone.
It is clear to everyone that smurfing is not welcome in CSGO or any other competitive game. It drives away new players and negatively impacts the game and the community surrounding it. It also doesn’t benefit the player who is smurfing in any way. Since that player is constantly matched with somebody of a lower rank or skill level, that player is not improving at the game. Please do everyone a favor and don’t use CSGO smurfs accounts.
Summary
This article will focus on providing information on what CSGO smurfing is and how you can avoid it. Additionally, the article will provide you with detailed information on whether CSGO smurfing is a bannable offense and how you can potentially tell if a player in your CSGO match is a smurf or not.
A true gaming enthusiast, especially Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rust. At SkinsMonkey, he is involved in creating game guides based on his own experience.
