Have you ever played League of Legends for so long that you had to invent your own rules just to keep it interesting. That’s exactly what challenger streamer Bardinette did, and it ended up sparking one of the biggest debates about griefing, smurfing, and what counts as “fun” in ranked.
What happened
Bardinette is well known for off meta picks like Bard top or Rammus support. After deciding Bard top could not keep up in high MMR, he started a new idea, play ranked while taking zero CS as a laner. He hand leveled a fresh account, tested how to avoid accidental farm, and climbed all the way into platinum without ever last hitting minions. The challenge got attention for its creativity, but it also raised big concerns in the community.
Why Reddit exploded
The issue blew up when Reddit user Itayayay posted about the challenge, noting that Bardinette would push waves without farming and even flash away from support items to avoid getting gold. The concern was simple, teammates never agreed to a handicap that makes games harder from the start. The thread quickly gained traction, with many players calling it blatant griefing and saying it should be bannable. Others took it further, arguing that smurfing itself should be removed from the game since many challenges start on alternate accounts.
Riot’s response
Riot has recently stepped up their focus on rank integrity. They added rank manipulation as a report category, started refunding LP in unfair matches, and cracked down on boosting, hitchhiking, and botted accounts. While off meta picks like Bard top are fine as long as you try to win, Riot drew the line at challenges that ignore core game objectives. By refusing to farm as a laner, Bardinette’s zero CS run counted as disruptive gameplay, leading to his account being banned.
Bardinette’s response
After the ban, Bardinette defended his approach and pushed back on the criticism. He explained that for years he has been harassed for playing Bard top lane despite optimizing it well enough to reach challenger. In his view, the zero CS challenge was just another way of making the game fun for himself.
He argued that letting players hardstuck themselves with silly ideas is not disrespectful to Riot’s terms of service or to allies, since his win rate was comparable to other struggling top laners. Bardinette also said consent in solo queue does not exist, and adaptation is part of what dictates MMR. He claimed the community is full of “bitter control freaks” who reject weird strategies instead of exploring how they might work.
Ultimately, Bardinette said he was thankful to be the type of player who gets excited about goofy picks like Rammus support instead of breaking down under pressure.
Source: Bardinette’s response
Why the line matters
There’s a difference between mechanical challenges and gameplay challenges. Playing with one hand, on a weird controller, or with unusual champions in off roles is fine because you are still aiming to win within the game’s rules. But the zero CS rule created a brand new objective that actively goes against the fundamentals of League, making it unfair for teammates and unhealthy for ranked competition.
The smurfing angle
Because Bardinette ran this challenge on a new account, the conversation quickly turned to smurfing. Riot’s current stance is to punish boosting and botted accounts, but hand leveled smurfs remain in a gray area if they play normally. However, deliberately handicapping a smurf account with self imposed rules like zero CS is exactly the type of case that attracts reports and leads to bans.
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FAQ
What is the zero CS challenge
It is a self imposed challenge where a laner refuses to last hit minions in ranked, even going as far as flashing away to avoid support item procs.
Why was Bardinette banned
Because the zero CS challenge goes against the core objectives of the game, Riot classified it as disruptive gameplay rather than creative strategy.
Are off meta picks like Bard top or Rammus support allowed
Yes, as long as you are genuinely trying to win, picking unusual champions or roles is not a bannable offense.
Is smurfing banned in League of Legends
Riot is cracking down on boosting, account sharing, and botted smurfs. Hand leveled accounts are still allowed, but they cannot be used for disruptive challenges.
Will Riot refund LP lost in games like this
Riot has started refunding LP for games heavily impacted by cheating or rank manipulation, but it depends on internal reviews and whether the case meets their criteria.
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