Hey everyone! Just caught some HUGE news from the VALORANT devs that's set to shake up our competitive grind. As someone who's been on the receiving end of one too many suspiciously good 'new' players, this feels like a major win for the community. The recent rank restriction changes were a step, but it seems they might have accidentally fueled the smurfing problem even more. Well, Riot's lead producer, the awesome npcSara, just stepped in on Reddit to announce a direct counter-punch is on the way in the very next patch! This isn't just a vague promise; she confirmed a specific, game-changing tweak to how you unlock ranked mode.

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So, what's the big change? Currently, to unlock ranked play, you just need to grind through 10 unrated games. That's it. Play them, win or lose, and you're in. This has been a smurf's paradise. They can just breeze through those games, maybe even throw a few to keep their hidden MMR low, and then stomp their way up the ladder from Iron or Bronze. A brilliant Reddit user, Nochange36, proposed the ultimate fix: change the requirement from 10 games played to 10 games WON.

And guess what? npcSara replied directly, saying, 'we'll be doing this in the next patch.' I mean, how cool is that? The devs are actually listening and implementing community ideas! This single change is a genius move. It means smurfs can't just speed-run their placement. They'll have to actually try and win from the get-go, which should naturally place their new account much closer to their actual skill level right from the start. No more easy cruising in low elo.

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Let's break down why this is such a game-changer:

  • Forces Real Effort: Smurfing becomes a chore, not a fun power trip. You want a new account? Be prepared to genuinely carry 10 wins.

  • Better Initial Placement: The system will have a much clearer picture of your skill if you're trying your hardest for ten victories, leading to fairer initial rankings.

  • Protects New Players: Our actual newbies get to learn in a (hopefully) more balanced environment without being demolished by Diamond players on alt accounts.

This update is confirmed for Patch 1.13. We don't have an exact date yet, but knowing Riot's pace, it shouldn't be too long. This, combined with the recent change that only allows you to queue with friends within three ranks (down from six!), shows Riot is seriously committed to fixing the competitive integrity of VALORANT.

It's not a magic bullet that will erase all smurfs overnight—some dedicated players will still do it—but it's a massive barrier that will stop a huge portion of them. The cost (in time and effort) of creating a new smurf account just went way, way up. I'm genuinely excited to see how this affects my ranked games. Fewer one-tapping 'Bronze 3' players, please and thank you! 😅

What do you all think? Will this 10-win rule be the smurf killer we've been waiting for? Drop your thoughts below! 👇

TL;DR for the squad: Riot is changing ranked access from 10 games played to 10 games WON next patch to combat smurfing. Confirmed by producer npcSara on Reddit. Huge W for fair matchmaking! 🎉