SQreen supported Valve's wave of bans on smurf accounts

Khaled "sQreen" El-Habbash believes that the mass banning of smurf accounts among professional players contributes to fairness and transparency.

The well-known caster shared this opinion with subscribers on his Telegram channel.

"In particular for pro players. They say that smurfing is necessary for pros to hide the heroes they are practicing. Are you better than others? Or why do the majority of pro players play on their mains, showcasing all the heroes they practice, while a small 'chosen' few should have the ability to hide them and play under a different account? Of course, everyone can make smurfs for themselves, but then the overall situation will be worse, and frankly, most people won't bother to do that – spend time, transfer cosmetic items with settings, etc.

In short, a total smurf ban is a decision in favor of transparency and fairness in a system that is just starting to take some form."

Manuel "Grubby" Schenkhuizen, a professional Warcraft III player, previously stated that smurfing was a widespread phenomenon among professional players during his career. Grubby believed that such an approach helped deceive competitors. However, the former esports athlete also supported the actions of the developers. The wave of bans on smurf accounts began after Valve faced criticism from the Dota 2 Reddit community for ignoring smurf accounts used by professional players in Eastern Europe.

Recall that earlier, Jean "Gorgc" Stefanovski suggested an alternative to smurfing, stating that the main issue at high ratings is the extended wait time in matchmaking.