Ahead of the start of Season 9 on FACEIT, one of the most notable platform cleanups in recent times took place. Accounts used for smurfing and multi-account abuse were targeted, while some players received back the Elo they had lost.
Massive ban wave
FACEIT reported the ban of 13,000 accounts for smurfing and multi-account abuse. The key detail is that new detection methods are being used for this, and they now run automatically.
The platform’s statement said:
Today we banned 12,478 accounts for smurfing and multi-account abuse, using new detection methods that now run automatically.
For regular players, this may be one of the most important changes ahead of the new season. Smurfs have long remained one of the main problems in matchmaking: they break match balance, lower the real level of lobbies, and create situations where rating no longer properly reflects a player’s strength.
20 million Elo returned to players
An equally important part of the update is Elo compensation. FACEIT stated that 20 million Elo was restored to 544,098 players, and these changes will count toward the start of Season 9.
The platform explained it this way:
20 million Elo has been restored to 544,098 players, so it counts toward the start of Season 9 on August 05.
This means that players who lost rating in matches against rule violators will receive part of that fairness back even before the new seasonal distribution. It is also important that the restored Elo will affect the start of Season 9 specifically, rather than remaining just a separate compensation after the fact.
Why this matters ahead of Season 9
Season 9 launches on August 5, and a massive cleanup right before the start looks like a logical step. If the rating system enters a new season with a large number of smurfs, then even a new reset does not solve the main problem — matches still remain distorted.
That is why automatic detection may be more important than the number of bans itself. A one-time cleanup wave gives a short-term effect, but a permanent detection system can potentially reduce the number of new offenders in the future. If it truly works consistently, Season 9 may start in a noticeably healthier state.
FACEIT also separately clarified that the ban list is updated in batches, so the total number on the page may change over the next few days. Players whose Elo was restored should receive a notification within 24–48 hours.
A signal to smurfs and multi-accounts
This ban wave looks like a direct signal: ahead of the new season, the platform is not just updating the rating system, but also trying to remove some of the accounts that were ruining matchmaking. It is especially important that smurfing and multi-accounts specifically were checked, not only obvious cheaters.
For FACEIT, this is a question of trust. Players can accept losing to a stronger opponent, but matches where the opponent is clearly not playing at the real level of their account are perceived much worse. That is why returning Elo to more than half a million users is not just a statistic, but an attempt to correct part of the ranking losses.
The new season starts with a cleanup
The massive ban of 13,000 accounts and the return of 20 million Elo show that FACEIT wants to make Season 9 fairer from the very first day. Completely removing smurfing is difficult, but automatic detection methods can significantly change the dynamic if they work not as a one-time measure, but continuously.
The main conclusion is simple: ahead of the start of Season 9, the platform made a strong move against one of matchmaking’s most painful problems. Now everything depends on whether this system can not only ban old accounts, but also quickly catch new attempts to bypass the rules.
