this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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Depends: if you want to experiment new ideas into established meta without losing rank on a main account.
In the FGC, tournaments are won by new meta findings all the time. Adapting to them is what makes the tourneys fun.
You can do that shit in unranked. There is no need to practice in ranked modes. Even a pick-up-game with other competitive players can be done in an unranked mode.
Again it depends. Some games don't let you do these experiments on unranked modes. Some don't even have unranked modes at all.
I agree with you that smurfing for the sadism & egotistical sakes is not fun at all. But in fighting games even alternative modes than arcade modes are nonexistent. See the scientific&exploration part of this too.
What games with ranked modes don't have any kind of unranked modes? What games have unranked modes of play that actually play differently than ranked while also not being a non-standard mode where whatever you're experimenting with isn't possible outside of ranked play?
Even fighting games generally have an actual practice mode against the AI and you're not limited in what moves you can do there. At least, good modern ones do. But I don't think there's a big competitive scene for old garbage like Pit Fighter.
Arcade cabinet games.
Arcade cabinet games.
Non alternative mode developed games.
A few non sorted lists: Fate Stay Games, all arcade FGs, Gundam games, 3D mobile suit action shooters, DS fighting games, nearly all SNK fighters, DarkStalkers, Street Fighter 1-4, anything on Nexica×Live, etc..
Those don't even have ranked modes. 🤦♂️
You’ve never made it past the score at game overs‽ Those are ranks m8.
And Fate & Gundam games in particular rank you and keep track of your usage and behaviors everytime you use your accounts. Nesica×Live was designed with this entire tracking process in mind.
The letter ranks based on the game score are not the same as competitive matchmaking ranking systems. You are not smurfing at arcade cabinets.
look up Fate/Grand Order Arcade & Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 Infinite Boost.
I am saying we need something else to call experimentation other than being accused of smurfing.
Fate/Grand Order isn't even released yet, and Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs 2 Infinite Boost does have a casual unranked mode.
I guess the demos then.
There’s only so much you can experiment in GEV2IB’s casual mode without your account that you can't do incognito…
Yeah, I agree this is reasonable. But there's a difference between creating an alt account for experimentation vs throwing games to get to or to maintain a lower rank. My feeling is that "smurf" typically implies the latter.
I would hate to be accused of smurfing when I am experimenting with an character I am least familiar with, or better yet, who I have most trouble with.