Retired Overwatch pro turned full-time Twitch streamer Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned didn’t hold back his anger after a viewer suggested he should ‘smurf’ in ranked games.
‘Smurfing’ is a term used when someone, normally a skilled player, makes another account that is significantly lower-rated than their main to dominate in that ELO range.
Not all smurfing is “bad” per se, as sometimes players will make a new account to learn a new hero or to play with friends who they otherwise would not be able to due to SR limitations.
Regardless, Seagull absolutely exploded on a viewer when they commented he should “really use a new account to get back into the flow.”
“That’s insulting!” he raged. “Go f**k yourself.”
For Seagull, who is typically a happy-go-lucky streamer, to get so mad, caught his chat a bit off guard.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“You think I should just smurf on a new account and ruin probably dozens of games for people? No thanks,” he slammed.
Given the skill differential between ranks, having someone like Seagull play in Platinum, Diamond, or Masters games could really throw the matchmaking off and lead to undeserved victories and/or losses for the eleven other players involved.
Later on, the streamer continued his outburst when another viewer suggested that he was ruining games for Grand Master players instead.“To all the f**king toxic morons in chat, let’s sit down and let’s talk about this. Guys, do you or do you not think within three games I would be back to like 70% getting used to sh*t?” he went on. “You saying I need dozens of games to get good is less than I had of all of Overwatch League. You ever think about that?”
Smurfing is allowed in Overwatch, but Game Director Jeff Kaplan did state that the dev team “hates” how some players will use it to throw games, boost account, and manipulate matchmaking. To combat this issue, he’s even urged for phone verification on accounts.
Hopefully, we’ll see some changes soon, but until then, it’s clear that both Seagull and Kaplan are opposed to the negative sides of smurfing in ranked games.