Valve bans over 65,000 Dota 2 Smurfs!

Christmas is nearly upon us and it looks like Valve is in a giving mood. In the Yuletide spirit, over 65,000 Dota 2 smurfs have received bans. The company acknowledge that they usually do their work behind the scenes, but shared the news publicly as a Winter tradition.

The accounts were hit by the hammer due to win-trading, bug abusers, and griefers.

Valve continues the fight against Dota 2 smurfs

Valve has made their stance crystal clear. (Credit: Valve).

This is not the first time that Valve has released a public statement condemning the action of Dota 2 smurfs. The company's position towards players with multiple accounts is clear. As is as their description of what smurfing entails

"Smurf accounts are alternate accounts used by players to avoid playing at the correct MMR, to abandon games, to cheat, to grief, or to otherwise be toxic without consequence. "

Games with smurfs tend to be one-sided, without the opposing team having a chance to win. Smurfing in Dota 2 has been an issue for a long time and it's nice to see Valve move to address it.

The company also listed several other offenses that resulted in bans. Some of these were particularly prevalent this year.

Win-Trading

Once Medusa gets going, she can be very hard to stop. (Credit: Valve)

Win-trading is when two player on opposing team take turns throwing a game. This became a big problem in 2024 due to Double down tokens.

Two players can make a party and take turns doubling down and winning a game. The winner of a game would then lose the subsequent series while the other doubles-down. This ensures that each player gets 25 MMR every two games.

Win-trading became a big problem in high MMR pubs, resulting in huge ranking inflation. It's good to see Valve stepping on the problem.

Bug Exploits

We like Hand of Midas, just don't abuse it. (Credit: Valve)

The most common Dota 2 bugs in 2024 had to do with Hand of Midas. Dota 2 smurfs were able to exploit the item and remove it's cooldown. Most often this was done with Ogre Magi and Lone Druid.

By removing the cooldown, players could Transmute several creeps in a minute, resulting in an enormous amount of gold and experience. I faced several opponents who used the bug and let me tell you, it was not fun.

High-MMR griefing

Ruining games is unacceptable behavior at any ranking, but Valve singled out high-MMR ruiners as particularly offensive. This is likely due to their influence on professional players and the need to maintain competitive integrity at the highest level.

Personally, we're glad anytime bad actors get their due, regardless of what MMR they are. Dota 2 is hard enough, without the additional stress of people spoiling the experience. We look forward to more such updates from Valve.

For the full announcement, check the Frostivus news page and have a merry Christmas.

READ MORE: Team Falcons is the most successful Dota 2 Organization in 2024

Featured Image Source: Valve