The competitive ecosystem of VALORANT has long been plagued by the scourge of smurfing—experienced players utilizing low-ranked accounts to bypass skill-based matchmaking, often leading to severely unbalanced and frustrating matches. In a bid to restore the integrity of the highest tiers of play, Riot Games has implemented a significant new barrier in Patch 11.11: mandatory phone number verification for all players seeking to compete in the Ascendant rank and above.

This bold, restrictive step marks a clear declaration of war against the ease of creating throwaway accounts, aiming to make high-ELO a cleaner, more reliable experience.

The Impact: A Freeze on New High-ELO Accounts

The most immediate and positive effect of the verification requirement has been a sudden, marked reduction in the influx of “fresh” accounts dominating the Ascendant and Immortal ranks.

  • Smurf Deterrent: The ability to link only one VALORANT account per verified phone number drastically increases the cost and difficulty for experienced players to maintain multiple high-ranking accounts. This instantly diminishes the pool of players actively contributing to rank inflation and boosting.
  • Cleaner Leaderboards: For the first time in many seasons, the leaderboards reflect a slightly more accurate representation of the competitive scene, with fewer “ladder climbers” whose ascent was aided by exploiting the matchmaking system.

However, the change has not come without trade-offs, particularly for legitimate players:

  • Increased Queue Times: With the high-ELO population slightly reduced and filtered, players in the Immortal and Radiant tiers are reporting a noticeable increase in queue times. The system is working harder to find matches with appropriate skill and party size, extending the wait.
  • The Privacy Concern: A minority of players have expressed concerns regarding privacy and the mandatory linking of personal data (phone numbers) to their accounts, although this measure is becoming an industry standard for combating high-level cheating and exploitation.

Community Verdict: A Necessary Evil

The community’s response has been one of acceptance, bordering on relief. While longer queue times are frustrating, the prevailing sentiment is that the increased quality of matches justifies the inconvenience.

“I’d rather wait ten minutes for a fair game than two minutes for a match ruined by an obvious smurf,” commented a high-Immortal player on Reddit. “Riot finally prioritized competitive health over queue speed at the top end.”

The new verification wall sends a clear message: competitive integrity at the highest level requires commitment, and those who aim to play in the top tiers must abide by a stricter set of rules. The burden on legitimate players is minimal, but the roadblock for exploiters is significant.