If you’ve recently heard the term win-trading or seen a streamer accused of it in VALORANT, but aren’t quite sure what it means, this guide will break it down for you.
While Riot Games uses its Vanguard anti-cheat system to constantly fight hacking and third-party software, not every form of competitive abuse can be detected automatically. Win-trading is one such case: It relies on player behavior rather than cheats, which makes it harder for automated systems to catch. That doesn’t mean it goes unpunished. Players involved in win-trading can still be reported, and Riot encourages the community to submit evidence when possible so the behavior can be investigated manually.
Below, we’ll explain what win-trading is in VALORANT, how it affects ranked integrity, and what steps you can take to report players who engage in it.
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Win-trading in VALORANT, explained
When a VALORANT player win-trades, they shake hands with a player on the enemy team, and then one of them intentionally loses to give the other a win—or vice versa. But how does it really work?
Say, player “X” wants to win-trade and purchases a boosting service from a known platform. The platform assigns one or more high-Elo players (boosters) to the task. X and the boosters then queue for ranked matches at the same time but separately, increasing the chances of landing in the same game.
If a booster ends up on X’s team, they play normally—or exceptionally well—to help secure the win. If they land on the opposing team, they intentionally underperform or throw the match to give Player X an advantage. In most cases, multiple boosters queue simultaneously, significantly increasing the likelihood that at least one booster appears either as a teammate or an opponent, ensuring Player X benefits regardless of team placement
Did Mooda win-trade to reach Rank 1 in VALORANT EU servers?
Recently, a series of VALORANT ranked games involving popular streamer Mooda drew attention due to repeated overlaps with known win-traders and unusual match patterns. This also isn’t the first time his name was associated with win-trading.
Accounts of known win-traders in Europe—such as Lewi and Zoe Drake’s group—appeared in Mooda’s lobbies multiple times, performing well when on his team and poorly when on the opposing side. Mooda’s sudden server switch to Paris also raised additional questions about the legitimacy of his rapid climb toward Rank One. These anomalies sparked debate, but no direct messages or recorded coordination from Mooda proving intentional win-trading or boosting were found.
Mooda was also accused of switching to a black screen during his stream, an incident that occurred shortly before he reached his goal. Others highlighted connections between Mooda’s teammate and shared alternate accounts with VALORANT player bdog, suggesting possible manipulation of matchmaking and breaking the TOS. If you’re looking for more details, a reliable voluntary anti-cheat platform, Anti-Cheat Police Department, later posted an extensive investigation into Mooda’s situation on X.
In short, while the accusations against Mooda are worth considering, they have yet to be proven conclusively.
How to report win-trading in VALORANT
If you suspect a player of win-trading, boosting, or intentionally throwing matches, you can use VALORANT’s in-game report system to file a complaint.
If you’re willing to take it a step further, you can record your POV or use the game’s Replay feature to gather evidence, then submit a manual report through the Riot Games Support website. You can also share the evidence on X and tag Anti-Cheat Police Department or ItsGamerDoc.
