For League of Legends players in general, the issue of “elo buff” has never lost its heat, especially in regions with a well-developed LoL scene or large community areas. Notable examples include LCK, LPL, and particularly the VCS. In the VCS, the “elo buff” issue is even viewed by many young gamers as a “profession” and they are paid handsomely to do so. Many players, including renowned professionals, have fallen victim to the “elo buff” in ranked games. Alarmingly, these individuals continue to be criticized but show no signs of change, and some even build reputations as “professional elo buffers.”
Recently, in a regular ranked match, Levi unexpectedly teamed up with an “elo buffer” account belonging to a well-known player in the LoL community – “H. Kindred.” This player, of course, employed the same old tricks with a “duo” account to “buff elo” as Morgana (the Support role in Levi’s team). Despite his best efforts, Levi couldn’t carry the game. Notably, according to some opinions, the Gwen player on Levi’s team was Hasmed, who also continuously criticized the “elo buffer.”
Many viewers immediately pointed out that in matches where this player did not resort to “dirty buffing” tactics, his match history was “glowing red.” Notably, this player has been engaging in dishonest behavior for a long time, yet Riot has yet to take appropriate action.
Moreover, some opinions suggest that such issues are hindering the development of Vietnamese LoL. When people look at the VCS server and only see dishonest actions, no one will be eager to “try hard” to improve their skills and achieve high ranks anymore. Given that the APAC server seems to have fewer players at this time as the new update has rolled out across all servers, VCS players are facing problems right within their home region’s server.
The “elo buff” issue is not new, but it is becoming increasingly rampant, especially now that creating accounts is no longer overly difficult. However, Riot should consider implementing suitable and timely measures to avoid creating toxic environments that drive players to become disenchanted with LoL.