AD2L Rules, Leagues, & Prize Pool - Season 47

Entry fee per team is $10

Fee is increased to $15 on April 30th, 2026.

REGISTRATION CLOSES May 1st, 2026

1. Leagues

Check eligibility at https://dota.playon.gg/calculator/

Explorer League - Prize Pool $25 (Weighted Avg Crusader 4)
Voyager League - Prize Pool $30 (Weighted Avg Archon 3)
Challenger League - Prize Pool $35 (Weighted Avg Legend 2)
Warrior League - Prize Pool $40 (Weighted Avg Ancient 1)
Conqueror League - Prize Pool $45 (Weighted Avg Ancient 5)
Champion League - Prize Pool $45 (Weighted Avg Divine 5)
Heroic League - Prize Pool $50 (Weighted Avg 6500 mmr)
Aegis League - Prize Pool $50 (Weighted Avg 7500 mmr)

Heroic League is weighted to a 6500 mmr average with a 5500 mmr floor and a 7500 mmr cap. Players below 5500 mmr are considered 5500 mmr for the purposes of weighting.

Aegis League is weighted to a 7500 mmr average with a 6500 mmr floor and a 9000 mmr cap. Players below 6500 mmr are considered 6500 mmr for the purposes of weighting.

2. Team/Rank Eligibility

Rank eligibility is checked one week before the season starts.

Ranking up is allowed after the schedule is released, though admins reserve the right to remove a player or team in extreme cases.

Teams are only allowed to play in the league they register for. Dropping or changing leagues will not be permitted at any point for any reason once the season begins.

Games are scheduled for Thursdays at 9pm ET.

3. Player Account Rules/Requirements:

Calibrated with a medal
Minimum of 500 games on the account being registered
Minimum of 15 ranked games played in the last 3 months

Players must have a minimum of 15 ranked games played on their highest mmr account within 3 months of pre-schedule roster checks.

Public matchmaking data ON

Player accounts must have matchmaking data public for the duration of the entire season (registration, group stage, and playoffs). Evidence of "toggling" match data on/off during the season will result in penalties.

On only one team in one league at a time
All alts must be disclosed

Players with multiple accounts/alt accounts must link all of their alternate accounts on their profile page on the website and keep matchmaking data public at all times on all accounts. An account not logged on the player’s profile page on the website is considered not disclosed.

Not shared

Players are not allowed to share main or alt accounts (two or more players playing on the same account simultaneously/intermittently) while playing in AD2L.

Appropriately named

Admins have the right to monitor and censor obscene or inappropriate player and team names.

Other Notes:

Players must play league games on their main account.

If a smurf/alt/shared account or other similar behavior is discovered, at minimum, a draft penalty may be given, teams or players may be removed, or matches forfeited depending on the severity of the offense.

If suspected of intentional sandbagging (intentionally throwing games or conspiring to lose games to maintain a lower badge), teams or players may be moved to the league immediately above (if detected before start of season) to ensure fairer matchmaking, or may be removed from the league entirely, depending on the severity and nature of the infraction.

After winning any league, players are not eligible to play in a lower league for at least two (2) seasons afterwards. This may be extended based on admin discretion, or shortened on appeal in certain circumstances.

4. Team & Captain Rules

Team rosters are limited to 5 people, and must be kept up to date on the website.

Team captains must have their team name and discord contact information listed on the "AD2L Captain Discord List" found in the information hub within discord.

Captains are expected to be responsible for the following things:

Ensuring that their teams can show up to scheduled league matches, or rescheduling/finding stand-ins in a timely manner.
Creating tickets for any stand-in or player replacement situations.
Rescheduling, if needed, by contacting the opposing captain, and posting in #reschedules once a mutually agreeable reschedule time has been determined.
Verifying that the lobby settings are correct prior to beginning each match, and that the match is correctly named and easily located in-client.
Ensuring that their players are displaying good sportsmanship.
Ensuring that their players are compliant with the rules.
If there are questions regarding any rules, captains are encouraged to open a ticket in #ticket-request.

Any roster issues or questions should be addressed by creating a ticket in #ticket-request.

Captains that show a lack of competency in following rules or that act with substantial lack of sportsmanship or respect towards their own team or their opponents may be disallowed from captaining in future seasons.

If a captain refuses or is unwilling to make a good-faith effort to participate in AD2L games or series, the other four players may appeal to admins to remove the captain and replace with the designee of their choice, regardless of who paid the initial registration fee.

5. Season Structure

Seasons consist of a group stage and a playoff tournament. The group stage runs for 7 weeks with an additional week for tiebreakers and utilizes a pseudo-swiss style schedule.

Playoffs for each league, by default, consist of 8 teams in a double elimination bracket. 4 teams start in the upper bracket, and 4 teams in the lower bracket. The 1st seed can pick between the 3rd and 4th seed for their first round matchup.

Playoffs are seeded based on the results of the group stage.

Ties for seeding are determined during tiebreaker week.

6. Bye Weeks

In the event that a league has an uneven number of teams registered, a bye week will be added to the league for the duration of the regular season.

The bye week will be removed if the amount of teams returns to an even number.

Bye weeks, by default, count as a 1-0 series for the team receiving the bye.

If a winless team is removed from the league, and creates a bye week scenario, all byes will be worth 2 points.

If a winless team is removed from the league, and removes a bye week scenario, all former byes will be worth 2 points retroactively.

If a team that received a forfeit win against the winless team is assigned the bye, the bye is worth only 1 point.

(See 11. Forfeits for more clarification)

7. Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers will be assigned based on the amount of teams/slots as follows:

(SoS denotes total sum of wins of played opponents)

If there is a tie along the dividing line, tiebreaker matches will be played

Upper Bracket/Lower Bracket
Lower Bracket/Elimination

1 slot, 2 teams – bo3
1 slot, 3 teams – 2 SoS v. 3 (bo1), winner plays 1 (bo1), 4+ SoS out
1 slot, 4 teams – 1 SoS v 4, 2 v 3. winners play, winner gets slot
2 slots, 3 teams – 1 SoS in, 2 v. 3 (bo3)
2 slots, 4+ teams – 1 SoS v. 4 (bo3), 2 v. 3 (bo3), 5+ SoS out
3 slots, 4 teams – 1&2 SoS in, 3 v. 4 (bo3)
3 slots, 5 teams – 1 SoS in, follow 2S 4T
3 slots, 6+ teams – 1 SoS in, 6+ out, follow 2S 4T
4 slots, 5 teams – 1&2&3 SoS in, 4 v. 5 (bo3)
4 slots, 6 teams – 1&2 SoS in, follow 2S 4T

If there is a tie in SoS it is broken by the following

Head to Head result
Record against the highest common opponent
If none of the above criteria break a tie, then one player nominated from each team will play a single 1v1 solo mid game to determine who receives the higher seed.

For other ties that are non-dividing (positional ties):

Strength of Schedule
Head to head result
Record against highest common opponent
Coin flip between teams

8. Stand-In Rules

Teams may not use more than 2 stand-ins in a game.

Stand-ins must meet all the criteria listed in Player Account Rules in addition to the following ones:

Stand-in value must be equal to or below the rank of the player they are replacing at signup, this information can be found in the information hub within discord, or by checking with an admin.
Stand-ins that are 3 stars below the average will be accepted if they are above the badge of the player, so long as this keeps the CURRENT AVG below 0.
Stand-ins at respective league medal floor and below are allowed for any player, provided the stand-in meets all other requirements.
Players from a league above will be allowed to be used as a stand-in, as long as they meet above requirements.
Captains are required to disclose any alt accounts of the player(s) being used as stand-ins.
Admins reserve the right to make the final decision to disapprove or deny stand-ins.

If a stand-in is needed for a game, the following information must be included in a ticket: dotabuff of stand-in, dotabuff of the player being stood in for, and opposing captain/team.

The opposing captain will be brought into the ticket to ensure that all protocols are followed.

If a stand-in is used without admin approval, the offending team may incur draft penalties in a future series or even forfeit the game/series depending on the severity of the offense.

A stand-in is considered to be the rostered player for the purposes of game time, unless extraordinary circumstances are cleared with admins and/or the opposing captain.

Draft penalties for late stand-ins are as follows

90 Minutes to scheduled game time -> 30 second draft penalty.

30 Minutes to scheduled game time -> 70 second draft penalty.

0 Minutes to scheduled game time -> 110 second draft penalty.

15 Minutes past scheduled game time -> Game 1 is forfeited, 110 second draft penalty for additional game(s).

-An optional 15 minute extension is available if a valid late stand-in is accepted in order to scout.

30 Minutes past scheduled game time -> Game 2 is forfeited.

-If the original rostered player shows up for Game 1 or Game 2 after a stand-in has been cleared, they are treated as a late stand-in unless prior arrangements have been made or are waived by the opposing captain.

9. Player Replacement Rules

Roster replacements must meet all the criteria listed in Player Account Rules in addition to the following:

Replacement player rank + rest of CURRENT roster ranks must be below 0.
Maximum of 3 roster replacements in a season.
3/5ths of the team must remain the same from the start of the season.
If a team replaces a player after the 6th series of groups is played, that team loses a stand-in spot. If a team replaces two players after the 6th series of groups is played, that team loses both stand-in spots.
Normal stand-in rules still apply after the 6th series of groups is played.

If no player satisfies the above medal requirements, teams may select a replacement up to the medal floor of their current league.

All player replacements must be approved by admins via ticket, and admin discretion may be used to allow a higher than normal replacement player or to allow an emergency stand-in player in extreme circumstances.

Admins have sole discretion to approve or disapprove any player replacements, especially during playoffs/finals

10. Scheduling

League games are always scheduled for Thursday nights at 9pm EST by default.

Please do not register if Thursday nights represent a scheduling issue for your team.

Reschedules are permitted, but are a courtesy and not mandatory.

Teams can expect to play every Thursday night with no communication required from the opposing captain.

To propose a reschedule, contact the other team via discord or steam. (Captains are listed in the captain’s channel for each respective league). Once a reschedule is agreed upon by both captains, it is considered the new start time. Captains must make a post in #reschedules in order to notify the league of the new game time. If both captains cannot agree on a new time to reschedule, the DEFAULT time IS the scheduled time. If captains agree to a rescheduled time they cannot later decide to change it back to the default time without agreement from both captains to revert.

Maximum time between AD2L games is 15 minutes by default (unless other arrangements are made between captains). If this time limit is exceeded, teams may receive draft or other penalties for current or subsequent weeks, depending on admin discretion.

Weekly schedules are available by Sunday night of each week. Games must be played before then or a forfeit may be issued to the team(s) not able to play at the scheduled time.

Each match on the AD2L site will have a lobby password generated for it on the match page.

The lobby host is listed on the match page as the “Home Team”, although in situations where there is a problem with the league ticket, the “Away” team may also host.

With admin permission, playoff matches may be rescheduled up to the Tuesday before the next round of playoffs is scheduled.

11. Forfeits

If all 5 of a team’s players are not in the lobby 14 minutes and 59 seconds (9:14:59 by default) after the scheduled time, the first game will be forfeit in favor of the team that is present. If all 5 players are not present by 30 minutes after the scheduled time then the second match will also be forfeit in favor of the team that is present. (Please refer to stand-in rules for clarification involving late starts with stand-ins)

If both captains agree to play late, a new acceptable start time should be agreed to, declared, and screenshotted. If a later start time is agreed to by both captains, a forfeit win may no longer be claimed until 14 minutes and 59 seconds past the new start time.

Evidence of a no-show should always be captured (screen shot, etc) and submitted via ticket to the admins.

If a team withdraws from the league before their match is played, the score will result in 2 wins for the opposing team

A team that forfeits three of their matches will be removed from the league for the season.

If a winless team is removed from the league, and creates a bye week scenario, all byes will be worth 2 points.

12. Score Reporting

Captains are able to report scores on the website by signing into the website and editing the score on the match page after the series. Either captain may report the scores.

In the event that a game is not ticketed due to human error or dota coordinator issues, drafts and final scores of the game(s) in question must be screenshotted and submitted in the appropriate captains chat so that the game outcomes can be verified.

13. Contact

Team captains will be listed in the "AD2L Captain Discord List" in the information hub within discord.

If communication with another captain is not possible, contact league admins/mods via #ticket-request and not private message.

14. Behavior and Conduct in AD2L

We are a fun league, but we expect players to treat each other with respect.

Players should refrain from all chatting in-game or during draft, including phrases like GG EZ or anything that would be considered taunting, bad mannered, or unsportsmanlike.

Captains may submit cases of all-chatting, including bullying, harassment, taunting, or other unsportsmanlike conduct to the admins to review.

The only thing that should be discussed in all chat is why a team is pausing. If you have to question if something is appropriate to all-chat, it’s probably not.

In-game tipping and chat-wheel voice lines are allowed.

Also, please observe the usual common etiquette:

•No politics/religion chat.

•No telling people to kill or harm themselves.

•No spam.

•No bullying.

•No content which may be pornographic or otherwise unsuitable (nothing NSFW)

•No doxxing anyone.

•No racist, homophobic, sexist or otherwise hateful speech or material.

If there is a case where a player is breaking communication rules in-game OR in the AD2L discord, take screenshots of the offense and submit them to admins using a ticket.

If both captains agree to mutual all-chat, tickets may not be made retroactively for what would be considered competitive banter.

Admins always reserve the discretion to enforce or waive penalties related to all chat based on context and severity.

If admins identify unacceptable behavior in the AD2L community, even if that behavior is not specifically mentioned in these rules, admins may issue draft penalties, suspensions, forfeits, and remove players/teams from the league/discord depending on the severity of the violation(s).

14.b Glitches or Exploits

The intentional use of any bugs, glitches, or errors in the game may be assessed with penalties up to and including forfeits or re-plays. It is up to the discretion of the admin team whether or not the use of said bugs had a significant effect on a match, and whether or not penalties will or will not be assessed to teams or players.

15. Game Settings

All games must be played on the current season’s ticket. If one captain doesn’t have a ticket, the captain with the ticket must host the lobby. If both team’s captains are missing and no players have the season ticket, contact an admin to host the lobby.

2 Game Series for the Group Stage

Best of 3 for the Playoffs

Best of 3/5 (team choice) for the Playoffs Grand Final Match.

Game Mode: Captains Mode

Side/Pick: Automatic (Coin Toss)

Game 1:Flip the coin, winner may choose Pick/Side or to have priority in game 2.

Game 2:Flip the coin, whoever had priority in game 1 no longer has priority.

Game 3:See Game 1.

Server: US East

Spectators: Allowed

Cheats: Disabled

DotaTV Delay: 5 Minutes

DO NOT FORGET TO SET THE AD2L LEAGUE TICKET

Consistent failure to ticket and/or ensure match settings are correct will result in a penalty.

16. Pausing

Each game, each team is allowed to pause 5 times, or for 8 minutes, whichever runs out first. Once that time is up, teams are free to unpause whenever they wish.

Once a team has paused they begin to use their allotted time. If the original team that paused is ready to go while the other team is not, the other team begins to use up their own pause time after 30 seconds.

A confirmation must be given by the opposing team before unpausing. (e.g. waiting for the other team to say "g" before unpausing.)

Unpausing without the opposing team being ready may lead to penalties based on the severity of the situation.

If a team is suspected of intentionally pausing for a tactical advantage, a ticket must be made in #admin-request so that the replays can be reviewed upon the conclusion of the game.

Penalties and final findings are at the discretion of the league admins.

17. Casting and Streaming

Captains have the right to refuse casters they are not comfortable with. If a captain refuses a caster they must cast the match from the watch tab and not in the lobby.

Any streams of matches must be 5 minutes behind the actual game (live game with 5 minute stream delay, or 5 min dota tv delay with no stream delay).

If a team suspects that a caster is not casting with a delay, or is bypassing any other rules, they must address it with the admins in #ticket-request.

Casters must be professional and respectful with casting and avoid flaming/bullying/all-chatting. A balanced cast that isn’t one sided to one team is the most enjoyable.

If a caster is found to be bad mannered or intentionally crossing lines of good behavior towards teams or players, penalties may be handed out, including but not limited to the loss of the caster role in discord or the loss of casting privileges in-lobby.

17b. Coaches

Teams are allowed coaches during the season and during the draft phase, but similarly to professional settings, coaches should not be active during official matches. This expectation extends to live chatting or communicating with players during active game time.

Coaches are not allowed in the lobbies of official matches.

Teams that do not follow these guidelines with their coaches may incur penalties at the discretion of the admin team.

18. Administrators

Admins reserve the right to rule at their own discretion to protect the integrity of the league. This includes but is not limited to any situations not directly or specifically addressed in the rules.