Is Doing Challenge Runs in Ranked Bannable?
If you’ve been around the League of Legends community lately, you might’ve heard about a peculiar trend: players deliberately doing challenge runs in ranked games. One of the most talked-about ones is the “0 CS challenge,” famously promoted by streamer Bardinette. The question buzzing around the community (and in forums like Reddit) is: Is doing challenge runs in ranked bannable? Let’s dive into that.
What Are Challenge Runs?
Challenge runs are self-imposed restrictions players set on themselves during a game. For instance, Bardinette’s 0 CS challenge means not taking a single minion kill throughout a ranked game. Sounds crazy, right? But it’s meant to test skill and add a twist to the usual gameplay.
Why Do Players Even Attempt These?
At first glance, this feels like a fun way to shake things up. Players want to prove they can still climb ranks without the usual resource-racking minion kills. Sometimes, streamers do it to entertain or to showcase unconventional strategies.
Personally, I remember watching one of Bardinette’s streams where he would flash away from minion kills even when the support was about to hand him CS with an item. It felt frustrating because it went against the natural flow of the game.
The Problem: Impact on Team & Game Integrity
Here’s where things get tricky. Ranked games are competitive, and every player is expected to contribute to the team’s success. When someone purposely avoids CS and even avoids support assistance, it hurts their own team.
Some argue that a challenge run, like 0 CS, could dampen the team’s chances, making the game less enjoyable or even unfair. The bigger worry is when a high-rank player pulls this off—it might affect the competitive ladder’s integrity.
Should Doing Challenge Runs in Ranked Be Bannable?
This boils down to how much the behavior negatively affects the game and the team. Riot Games’ terms of service emphasize fair play and good sportsmanship, but they don’t explicitly ban self-imposed challenges unless it’s clear they’re trolling or griefing.
From discussions in the community, the consensus is mixed:
- Against banning: Some believe players should have the freedom to experiment, even if it’s unconventional, as long as it’s not outright disruptive.
- For banning: Others feel that challenge runs like 0 CS, especially when taken to extremes like flashing away to avoid support help, cross the line and hurt the team experience.
What Do Pros and Riot Say?
While Bardinette currently climbs Plat doing the 0 CS challenge, there’s concern that at higher ranks it could be less viable and more damaging to teammates. Riot has previously punished players for intentional feeding or griefing, but hasn’t specifically targeted challenge runs.
You can read more about Riot’s official stance on disruptive behaviors on their support page.
My Take: Playing Ranked Comes with Responsibility
I get the desire to have fun and try new things, but when you’re in ranked, it’s a different ball game. You’re matched with teammates who want to win. If your challenge run becomes a disadvantage, you’re potentially ruining their experience.
It’s kind of like if you joined a team sport game and decided to play with one arm tied behind your back just for fun—but your team relies on you to contribute fully.
What Can We Do?
If you see a player consistently doing challenge runs that hurt the team, reporting them for griefing might be reasonable. But it’s important to differentiate between creative play and intentional throwing.
At the same time, discussions like these help the community and Riot understand where to draw the line for fair play.
For more insights on fair play and ranked etiquette, check out our deep dive on ranked gameplay strategies.
In short: Doing challenge runs in ranked isn’t currently banned outright, but if it harms team success or deliberately disrupts the game, it could be reportable. Whether it’s bannable depends on the impact and Riot’s judgment.
What do you think? Have you ever tried a challenge run? Would you want to queue with someone doing the 0 CS challenge?
!Screenshot of League of Legends gameplay illustrating a challenge run
