I'm a casual player, but I mostly play ranked. I'm not the greatest; my peak was Diamond promos like 2 seasons ago. This season I've been solidly sitting in Silver, playing maybe a game or two a day when I have time.

And you know what, I like playing against smurfs, or playing against someone who gets fed off of one of my teammates. As someone who will probably never get past platinum in his life, this is the only exposure I ever get to actual high level play. The only time I get to experience high skill level is when someone way better is dunking on me.

The challenge is fun. It's like a puzzle to solve in real time, and it's a good learning experience. I've never played against a smurf and been worse off for it. I've always learned something, whether it's how to play an interaction better mechanically, how to manage waves a little differently if losing, or something else.

I don't mind losing, even badly. The challenge of trying to find a win in even the worst circumstances is still worthwhile, and it's fun. And if you have positive mental, you'll learn from someone way better rhan you.

Smurfing isn't that big of a problem. People only complain about it because they give up after dying once and start typing and flaming instead of trying to find a solution. Most smurfs can be beaten by good teamwork and coordination. If you only have fun when you're winning, the game is going to feel bad most of the time anyway, and you're just going to find something or the other to blame for your experience. When really, it's all about how you react to what happens to you that defines your experience.