Bali Major Rulebook

This document outlines the rules and regulations that should be followed while participating in the Bali Major. Failure to adhere to these rules may be penalized as outlined. It should be remembered that it is always the administration of the tournament that has the last word, and that decisions that are not specifically supported or detailed in this rulebook, or even go against this rulebook may be taken in extreme cases to preserve fair play and sportsmanship.

We at IO Esports hope that you as a participant, spectator, or press will have an enjoyable competition to take part in and we will do our utmost to make it a fair, fun, and exciting competition for everyone involved.

Yours sincerely,

The IO Esports Administration

Table of Contents

Section 1 - Definitions

1.1 Range of Validity

1.2 Participants

1.3 DPC Specific Definitions

1.3.1 Major

1.4 Punishments

1.4.1 Definitions and Scope of Punishments

1.4.1.1 Draft Penalties

1.4.1.2 Monetary Fines

1.4.1.3 Bans and Suspensions

1.4.1.4 Disqualification

1.4.1.5 Additional Methods of Punishment

1.4.2 Combinations of Punishments

1.4.3 Punishments for Repeat Offenses

1.4.4 Punishments from Prior Events

1.5 Live Matches

Section 2 - General Rules

2.1 Rule Changes

2.2 Validity of the Rules

2.2.1 Local Laws

2.3 Confidentiality

2.4 Additional Agreements

2.5 Media Rights and Obligations

2.5.1 Media Rights

2.5.2 Media Obligations

2.5.2.1 Media Day

2.5.2.2 Recording of In-game Communication

2.5.3 Player Responsibility

2.6 Conditions of Participation in the Event

2.6.1 Age Restriction

2.6.2 Regional Limitations for Participants

2.6.3 Number of Players in a Team

2.7 Player Details

2.7.1 Nicknames

2.7.2 Game accounts

2.8 Sponsor Restrictions

2.9 Prize Money

2.9.1 Prize Deductions Due to Monetary Fines

2.9.2 Withdrawal of Prize Money

2.9.3 Transfer of Prize Money

2.10 Match Punctuality

2.10.1 Tardiness

2.10.2 Participant No-Show

2.11 Match Protests

2.11.1 Match Protest Rules

2.11.1.1 Deadline for Match Protests

2.11.1.2 Contents of a Match Protest

2.11.1.3 People in a Match Protest

2.11.1.4 Behavior in Match Protests

2.12 Results in Rematch

2.13 Interviews

2.14 Video Presentation

2.15 Voice Communication

2.16 COVID-19 Protocols

2.16.1 Positive Cases

2.16.1.1 Asymptomatic Cases

2.16.1.2 Symptomatic Cases

Section 3 - Replacements

3.1 Replacement Players

3.1.1 Replacement Deadline

3.2 Replacements in DPC Competition

Section 4 - On-site Event Rules

4.1 Equipment

4.2 Config and Drivers

4.3 Uniforms

4.4 Administrators

4.5 Player and Tournament Brief

4.6 Technical Checklist

4.7 Team Communication Tool

4.8 Stage Matches

4.9 Gaming Area

4.9.1 Food, Drinks, and Smoking

4.9.2 Removable Media

4.9.3 Mobile Devices

4.9.4 Unused Items

4.9.5 Internet Access

4.9.6 Allowed Personnel

4.10 Warm-up Period

4.11 Winners Ceremony

Section 5 - Rule Violations and Punishments

5.1 Code of Conduct

5.2 Cheating

5.2.1 Cheat Software

5.2.2 Information Abuse

5.2.3 Punishments for Cheating

5.2.4 Methods to Detect Cheating

        5.2.4.1 Recording of Gameplay and Communications

5.3 Doping

5.3.1 Refusing to be Tested

5.3.2 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods

5.3.3 Prescribed Medication

5.3.4 Punishments for Doping

5.4 Alcohol and Drug Usage

5.5 Betting

5.6 Competition Manipulation and Match Fixing

5.6.1 Punishments for Competition Manipulation and Match Fixing

5.7 Issued Punishment Limitations

5.8 Publisher Bans

5.9 Unsportsmanlike Behavior

5.9.1 Public Behavior

5.9.2 Insults

5.9.3 Spamming

5.9.4 Property Damage

5.9.5 Faking Match Results

5.9.6 Cheating Suspicion

5.9.7 Misleading Admins or Players

Section 6 - Dota 2 Game Specific Rules

6.1 Before the Match

6.1.1 Game Mode

6.1.2 Lobby Settings

6.1.3 Selection Priority

6.1.3.1 In-Game Coin Toss

6.2 During the Match

6.2.1 Number of Players

6.2.2 Disconnects

6.2.3 Scripts and Macros

6.2.4 Game of Record

6.2.5 Game Restart

6.2.6 Surrender

6.2.7 Coach and Player Notes

6.3 Bug Abuse

6.4 Tiebreakers

Appendix A - Tournament Formats and Group Stage Seeding

Appendix B - Prize Pool

Appendix C - Participating Teams

Appendix D - Changelog

Section 1 - Definitions

1.1 Range of Validity

The event is operated by IO Esports. This is the only rulebook which is valid for the event, its participants and all matches played within the scope of the event. By participating in the Bali Major, all participants are covered under the scope of the rulebook.

1.2 Participants

Players, coaches, managers, and other relevant personnel of the attending teams are considered as participants of the event.

1.3 DPC Specific Definitions

1.3.1 Major

This physical event concludes each Tour, featuring teams from each region.

1.4 Punishments

1.4.1 Definitions and Scope of Punishments

Punishments are given for rule violations within the event. They may be either draft penalties, monetary fines, default losses, player/team suspension or disqualification, depending on the incident in question and often combinations of two or more of those. Participants will be informed about the punishment by mail and will be given a time until which they can appeal the decision. Only the license-holder or their designated spokesperson are eligible to make appeals.

1.4.1.1 Draft Penalties

        Draft penalties are given for minor infractions such as tardiness, minor breaches of the code of conduct in a prior game and failure to speedily comply with the administration’s instruction. There are three levels of penalty, and they may be assessed in order of severity at the administration’s discretion.

• Level 1 (-30 seconds reserve time)
• Level 2 (-70 seconds reserve time)
• Level 3 (-110 seconds reserve time)

1.4.1.2 Monetary Fines

        Monetary fines are given for failure to fulfill obligations that are not directly related to the tournament, like press/media appointments, or planned sessions for fan interaction. The amount will be directly subtracted from any incurred prize money.

1.4.1.3 Bans and Suspensions

        Bans or suspensions are given for very severe incidents like ringing or use of an unregistered player. They can be awarded either to a player or an organization.

1.4.1.4 Disqualification

A disqualification will happen in the most severe cases of rule violations. The disqualified participant forfeits all prize money accumulated for the competition in question and is banned until the end of that competition. In team competitions, the organization and all its members get banned until the end of that competition.

1.4.1.5 Additional Methods of Punishment

In special cases, the tournament administration can define and come up with other methods of punishment.

1.4.2 Combinations of Punishments

The listed methods of punishment are not mutually exclusive and may be given in combination as seen fit by the tournament administration.

1.4.3 Punishments for Repeat Offenses

All punishments outlined in this rulebook are applicable for first-time offenses. Repeat offenses will usually be punished more severely than listed in the appropriate section of these rules, in proportion to the punishment listed there.

1.4.4 Punishments from Prior Events

Punishments given from prior events normally will not apply to Bali Major. However depending on the severity of the case, tournament administration may review and see if it is fit to apply to the Bali Major.

1.5 Live Matches

The term “Live Matches” refers to matches that take place in a public location, during events, matches in a studio, or matches broadcast by IO Esports or an official partner.

Section 2 - General Rules

2.1 Rule Changes

IO Esports reserves the right to amend, remove, or otherwise change the rules, without further notice. IO Esports also reserves the right to make judgment on cases not specifically covered by the rulebook in order to preserve the spirit of fair competition and sportsmanship.

2.2 Validity of the Rules

If a provision of this rulebook is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that shall not affect the validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other provision of this rulebook or the validity or enforceability in other jurisdictions of that or any other provision of this rulebook.

2.2.1 Local Laws

If any rules or procedures conflict with local laws, they will be adjusted to be aligned with the laws in a way to stay as close as possible to the originally intended effect.

2.3 Confidentiality

The content of email communication, match channels, discussions or any other correspondence with tournament officials and administrators are deemed strictly confidential. The publication of such material is prohibited without written consent from the IO administration.

2.4 Additional Agreements

The IO Esports and the tournament administration is not responsible for any additional agreements, nor do they agree to enforce any such agreements made between individual players or teams. IO Esports and the tournament administration highly discourage such agreements taking place, and such agreements that are contradicting the Bali Major rulebook are under no circumstances allowed.

2.5 Media Rights and Obligations

2.5.1 Media Rights

All broadcasting rights of the Bali Major are owned by IO Esports. This includes but is not limited to: video streams (e.g., full tournament broadcasts, POV-streams), Dota 2 replays, and TV broadcasts.

        IO Esports has the right to award broadcasting rights for one or multiple matches to a third party or the participants themselves. In such cases the broadcasts must have been arranged with IO Esports before the start of the match.

By participating, all players and other team members grant IO Esports the right to use any photographic, audio or video material on their website or for any other promotional purpose.

2.5.2 Media Obligations

        All participants and teams must be prepared to be part of various media obligations that are part of the Bali Major. This includes but is not limited to: interview sessions, press conferences, photo/video sessions, and autograph signings. Failure to participate in such obligations will result in a monetary fine.

2.5.2.1 Media Day

Participating teams for the Bali Major will be given a schedule for their media day well ahead of the day itself. The media day is mandatory for all teams, and significant monetary fines will be sanctioned for any delays to the schedule. The fines may be reduced if proof of mitigating circumstances is presented.

2.5.2.2 Recording of In-game Communication

Participating teams for the Bali Major will have their in-game communication recorded for highlight purposes. Recording will be deleted 1 week after the event ends.

2.5.3 Player Responsibility

Players cannot refuse to have their matches broadcast by IO Esports-authorized broadcasts, nor can they choose in what manner the match will be broadcast. The broadcast can only be rejected by tournament administration.

2.6 Conditions of Participation in the Event

The following conditions must be met in order to participate in the event.

2.6.1 Age Restriction

All participants of an event must be over 16 years of age.

2.6.2 Regional Limitations for Participants

No team may try to qualify for the same event from more than one country or region. Single players as part of a team can do that under the restrictions of the DPC Transfer Regulations.

2.6.3 Number of Players in a Team

Teams can only have up to five starting players, and a substitute player.

2.7 Player Details

When requested, players are required to send us all needed information including but not limited to full name, contact details, date of birth, address and photo.

2.7.1 Nicknames

A change in nickname must first be notified to the administration for approval before the change can be undertaken. Said changes will only be accepted if they’re accompanied by a change to the official Dota 2 nickname.

2.7.2 Game accounts

Every playing member must provide their game account to the administration prior to tournament start. This account must match the account registered to the team for DPC purposes.

It is not allowed to play with a different game account than the one submitted to the tournament administration. An incorrect game account may lead to a suspension for the player, or a rematch being given. If there is sufficient evidence that the player in question indeed played the match or if a tournament admin explicitly allowed it beforehand, a protest for a suspension or rematch will not be admitted. Penalties may still be given in either case.

2.8 Sponsor Restrictions

Sponsors or partners that are solely or widely known for pornographic, drug use or other adult/mature themes and products are not allowed in connection to the event.

2.9 Prize Money

All prize money should ideally be paid out 90 business days after the Bali Major in question has been completed, but it may take as long as 180 days for the payment to be completed.

If a participant is missing the proper payment information in their submitted payment data and hasn't provided it by other means to the IO Esports, the prize money will not be paid out until a reasonable time after this has been rectified.

2.9.1 Prize Deductions Due to Monetary Fines

Monetary fines are not redistributed to the other participants but just removed from the winnings of the team in question.

2.9.2 Withdrawal of Prize Money

If the prize money for Bali Major has not been paid out, IO Esports reserves the right to cancel any pending payment if any evidence of fraud or foul play has been discovered.

2.9.3 Transfer of Prize Money

The prize money will be sent as a bank transfer. Failure to provide sufficient information for the payments to be complete will result in payments not being made. If a participant has not collected their winnings or redeemed the cheque within one year of the initial payment date the prizes are forfeited.

2.10 Match Punctuality

We expect every participant to be at the tournament area to set up, prepare and solve any technical problems that might occur. If you notice at any point, you will be late on one of the days, please inform a tournament official as soon as possible. Mitigating circumstances and attempts to inform tournament administration about the lateness to minimize the impact will be benevolently considered.

• Break in between games is 10 minutes. ( failure to follow this will result in punishment mentioned in 2.10.1 )
• Break in between games in a best of 5 match. Additional 5 minutes in between games 3 , 4 and 5 ( total of 15 minutes break time)

2.10.1 Tardiness

If the match gets delayed due to late arrival (e.g., because of technical problems that could have been discovered beforehand without the lateness) or because of general misbehavior:

• For every (partial) 5 minute delay in the match start caused by this (1-5 / 6-10 / 11-15) – one level of draft penalty.
• A match can be forfeited if the wait time goes over 15 minutes. For best-of-1 matches, this means that the team that is complete and ready to play will be granted a default win. For best-of-2, best-of-3 and best-of-5, the team that is complete and ready to play will be granted a default win for the match, and the series will advance to the next game and a new tardiness timer will start, if applicable.

2.10.2 Participant No-Show

In extreme situations, if a participant or team is not ready to play after a significant amount of time past their scheduled match, they are considered a no-show. In that case, they will be penalized, and the match will have to be rescheduled, if the schedule allows it. Otherwise, the tournament administration can decide to award (partial) default losses. As mentioned in 2.10, so long as the tournament administration is notified of any issues, no penalties will be awarded.

2.11 Match Protests

A protest is for problems that affect the match outcome; a protest may even be filed during a match for things like incorrect server settings and other related issues.

2.11.1 Match Protest Rules

2.11.1.1 Deadline for Match Protests

Protests are generally discussed after the end of a game or series.If the protest happens during the middle of a series, then the issue must be brought up immediately to the tournament administration before the start of the next game. Any protests that may alter the result of a series must be brought up immediately.

2.11.1.2 Contents of a Match Protest

The involved parties must be able to state their case with regards to the issue. Any documentation or media they have to prove their side must be presented during the discussion and not after the fact.

2.11.1.3 People in a Match Protest

Each team may have up to two representatives to discuss the match protest. Depending on the severity of the situation, tournament administration may allow more people from each side to provide additional perspective.

2.11.1.4 Behavior in Match Protests

Insults and flaming are strictly prohibited in a protest and may result in sanctions, or the protest being ruled against the insulting party.

2.12 Results in Rematch

If the rules stipulate that a rematch is to be played, the victim of the incident can decide whether this rematch is to be played. If the victim of the offense decides that a rematch is to be played, then the old result is null and void, and only the new result will count in the rankings.

2.13 Interviews

Teams must be ready to be interviewed after their matches are played, and will be informed by tournament administration if this is the case. The team representative may be a coach, player, or team manager.

2.14 Video Presentation

In videos (e.g., interviews, feature videos or similar) that happen in an environment not controlled by IO Esports, the visible surroundings/background should be kept neutral, clean and presentable. If a team plans to showcase any sponsors, logos or advertisements (e.g., in a background banner or placed items), the planned settings need to be revised and approved by the league administration beforehand. In any case, obvious promotion of sponsor products (including consumption) is not allowed. Brand logos may never appear bigger than the players' faces on screen.

Any personnel in areas containing players or a coach must not interact with them in any way during the matches.

2.15 Voice Communication

Communication during matches is limited to the five players and the tournament administration. One coach may be present during the draft.

2.16 COVID-19 Protocols

All participants are required to be vaccinated prior to arriving at the Major. Apart from government-mandated travel requirements, the tournament administration may seek additional information from participants regarding any COVID-19 history. Participants may be asked to take an antigen test at any point during the event if they show any signs of covid symptoms.

It is highly recommended for all participants to bring and wear face masks when in a crowded area.

2.16.1 Positive Cases

If a participant tests positive, the participant must immediately be isolated from the rest of the group. Affected players may be moved to separate venues to play in isolation to ensure the safety of other participants and the tournament staff.

2.16.1.1 Asymptomatic Cases

If an affected player does not exhibit any symptoms and feel that they can play, they may continue to play in isolation.

2.16.1.2 Symptomatic Cases

If an affected player is experiencing any symptoms that hinder them from participating, a team can call up a substitute player, provided that they have one. If no substitute players are available, then the team will have to forfeit their spot in the tournament due to not having enough eligible players.

Section 3 - Replacements

3.1 Replacement Players

If a participant is for any reason unable to compete anymore in the event, a replacement can be called up. If this happens before the replacement deadline, the replacement will inherit any financial benefits like paid flights and hotels from the dropped participant.

Tournament groups or brackets will not be reseeded if they were already publicly announced before the drop-out happened.

3.1.1 Replacement Deadline

A replacement deadline will be set by the tournament administration. Its passing does not mean that there will be no further replacement, but the rules for replacing are different from that point on.

3.2 Replacements in DPC Competition

Teams may only use a substitute who:

• Is not registered for another DPC team competing in the same phase of the season in the same division or higher.
• Does not cause the team to have most players not playing from the designated region of competition. In order to ensure that the chosen substitute is not in breach of these rules, teams are advised to inform the administration 24 hours in advance.

For the case of the Bali Major, use of a sub may incur a penalty to earned DPC Points. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Section 4 - On-site Event Rules

4.1 Equipment

Players are expected to bring their own peripherals, mainly a keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and headset. Only tournament PCs and monitors will be provided.

Tournament administration reserves the right to deny the use of any equipment and/or device providing an unfair competitive advantage. Players might be asked to hand in their equipment for additional checks. Participants who want to use more than one piece of the same equipment need to ask the tournament administration for approval.

4.2 Config and Drivers

All participants will use the config stored on the Steam cloud for the tournament. Practice and play configs will also be stored on SSDs, which will be hot swapped on player PCs. If a player requires a driver for their hardware, they should notify the administration ahead of time, especially if it is not for a widely used brand of peripheral.

4.3 Uniforms

Players and teams need to ensure that they are all in team jerseys, pants and closed shoes. Shorts and flip-flops will not be allowed. Penalties will be awarded for minor violations of this rule, but in major cases (for example but not limited to offensive content, other team clothing etc.), players will not be allowed to start their matches before the problematic piece of clothing has been replaced.

Any delay caused by a change of clothing will be considered the player’s fault and penalized according to the rules of punctuality.

4.4 Administrators

The instructions of administrators should always be obeyed and followed. Failure to do so may result in sanctions being assessed.

4.5 Player and Tournament Brief

The player and tournament briefs are documents that will be sent to the participants by email before the tournament. They are meant as extensions to the rulebook for a specific offline event and equally binding.

4.6 Technical Checklist

After completing their setup process the player will sign off on the tournament admin’s technical checklist. This process exists to ensure the integrity of the system used to compete before the match starts. Technical pauses caused by problems that would have been noticed if the checklist had been properly followed will be punished accordingly. By signing this document, participants confirm that they are ready to start their match as scheduled. Participants may be forced to start the match even if they failed to properly complete this process.

4.7 Team Communication Tool

Tournament administration will provide local TeamSpeak servers for all participants in team games to use as the main voice communication system. The communication on the voice server will be monitored by the tournament referees. Tournament administration reserves the right to record all TeamSpeak communication during the event.

No other communication tools are allowed, unless specifically mentioned or allowed by the tournament administration.

Teamspeak communication may be used for highlight purposes including during the live broadcast.

4.8 Stage Matches

Each participant is required to play their stage matches. This part is an integral component of the tournament and exceptions will not be allowed.

4.9 Gaming Area

4.9.1 Food, Drinks, and Smoking

It is forbidden to bring or eat any food in the tournament areas. Exceptions may be made for unbranded snacks. Smoking or vaping will only be allowed in specific areas within the venue, otherwise it is strictly prohibited. Players are allowed to have beverages, but only in cups or bottles that have been provided by the tournament administration, and only below the table unless told otherwise. Exaggerated loud noise and offensive language are forbidden. On top of all this, all participants are expected to follow the venue and hotel rules.

4.9.2 Removable Media

It is strictly forbidden to connect or use any removable media on the tournament computers without prior examination and approval from the tournament administrators.

4.9.3 Mobile Devices

Participants are allowed to bring their mobile phones with them to the booth prior to the match for the purpose of logging into Steam. The phones will be taken by the assigned referee no less than 10 minutes prior to the game. No other electronic devices will be allowed in the tournament area afterwards.

4.9.4 Unused Items

Items that are not immediately necessary (e.g., clothing that is not being worn, bags etc.) must be stored out of sight.

4.9.5 Internet Access

Internet access on tournament computers is limited for all participants. Once the draft begins, all terminals must have only Steam, Dota 2 and TeamSpeak running.

4.9.6 Allowed Personnel

Before any game starts, the team coach and manager can be with the players to set up their equipment. During the draft, only the coach is allowed to be with the players. After the draft ends, only the players must remain in the gaming area.

4.10 Warm-up period

A warm-up period is normally provided before an offline match, although this period may not be guaranteed.

4.11 Winners Ceremony

Participants must stay in the tournament area for the winner’s ceremony after the Grand Final.

Section 5 - Rule Violations and Punishments

5.1 Code of Conduct

Every participant is expected to be respectful to the tournament administration and staff, press, viewers, partners and other participants. The participants are expected to represent their team, the event and its sponsors honorably. This applies to behavior in-game, chat, comments and other media. We expect players to conduct themselves according to the following values:

• Compassion: treat others as you would be treated.
• Integrity: be honest, be committed, play fair.
• Respect: show respect to all other humans, including teammates, competitors, and event staff.
• Courage: be courageous in competition and in standing up for what is right.

Participants must not engage in harassment or hate speech in any form. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Hate speech, offensive behavior, or verbal abuse related to sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, or religion.
• Stalking or intimidation (physically or online).
• Spamming, raiding, hijacking, or inciting disruption of streams or social media.
• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes unwelcome sexualized comments, jokes, and sexual advances.
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Violation of this Code of Conduct will result in sanctions. In the case of repeat or extreme violations, penalties may include disqualification, or banning from future IO Esports events.

5.2 Cheating

5.2.1 Cheat Software

Any use of software that could be considered cheats is strictly forbidden. The tournament administration reserves the right to specify what is considered a cheat

5.2.2 Information Abuse

Communication during the match with people not involved in the match is strictly forbidden, the same is true for using information about your game from other external sources (e.g., streams).

5.2.3 Punishments for Cheating

When cheating is uncovered in the event, the result(s) of the match(es) in question will be voided. The player will be disqualified, forfeit his prize money and be banned from all competitions for a duration of normally 5 years. This duration can be lower, if significant mitigating factors are in play, but also higher, if there are aggravating circumstances.

5.2.4 Methods to Detect Cheating

IO Esports reserves the right to use different methods to inspect participants and their equipment, with or without prior information. Participants are not allowed to refuse these inspections.

5.2.4.1 Recording of Gameplay and Communications

IO Esports may install recording software on participant computers for the purpose of competitive integrity. Deletion of any of the recordings can be interpreted as an admission of guilt to a fault, and will be punished accordingly.

5.3 Doping

5.3.1 Refusing to be Tested

Refusing to be tested is considered doping. Punishments will be the same as for severe cases of substance abuse.

5.3.2 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods

The following substances are considered prohibited for use during the duration of the Bali Major:

• Amphetamine sulfate (Evekeo)
• Dextroamphetamine (Adderall and Adderall XR),
• Dexedrine, (ProCentra, Zenzedi)
• Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin and Focalin XR)
• Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)
• Methylphenidate (Concerta, Daytrana, Metadate CD and Metadate ER, Methylin and Methylin ER, Ritalin, Ritalin SR, Ritalin LA, Quillivant XR)
• Modafinil and armodafinil.

Any unsanctioned use of these substances is considered doping.

5.3.3 Prescribed Medication

If players have an active prescription for a substance on the list, they must send proof to the tournament administration before the first day of the tournament (deadline in local time). They may still be subject to a doping test, but a positive result for the prescribed substance will be disregarded.

5.3.4 Punishments for Doping

Mild cases of doping will be punished with a warning and possibly other sanctions for the participant.

Severe cases (i.e., use of drugs containing performance enhancing substances, like Adderall) will be punished with nullification of the results achieved under the influence of the substance, a ban of one to two (1-2) years, forfeiture of the prize money won, as well as disqualification of the participant.

If a player is found guilty of a severe case of doping only after the last match of the tournament has already been over for at least 24 hours, the player will still get a ban, but the tournament result will remain in place and there are no consequences for the team. Mild cases will not be punished at all, after that time.

5.4 Alcohol and Drug Usage

To play a match, be it online or offline, under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive drugs, even if not among the punishable substances listed in 5.3.2, is strictly prohibited, and may lead to severe punishment. Moderate consumption of alcohol outside the active tournament hours for a participant is permitted if not in conflict with local/national law.

5.5 Betting

No players, team managers, staff or management of attending organizations may be involved in betting or gambling, associate with betters or gamblers, or provide anyone any information that may assist betting or gambling, either directly or indirectly, for any of the matches or the tournament in general. Any betting or gambling against your own organizations’ matches will lead to an immediate disqualification of the organization and a minimal ban of 1 year from all IO Esports competitions for all persons involved. Any other violation will be penalized at the sole discretion of the tournament’s direction.

5.6 Competition Manipulation and Match Fixing

Offering money/benefits, making threats or exerting pressure towards anyone involved with the tournament administration with the goal of influencing the result of a match is considered competition manipulation. The most common example is offering your opponent money to let you win.

Using any means to manipulate the outcome of a match for purposes that are not sporting success in the tournament in question is considered match fixing. The most common example is intentionally losing a match to manipulate a bet on the match.

5.6.1 Punishments for Competition Manipulation and Match Fixing

When attempted competition manipulation or match fixing is discovered, the result(s) of the match(es) in question will be voided. The team will be disqualified, forfeit any accumulated prize money and may be banned from future events as a result. A monetary fine is also possible.

5.7 Issued Punishment Limitations

Punishments can be issued for a limited amount of time after the incident that is being punished. In case of cheating and match-fixing, this duration is set to 10 years. For infractions like ringing, faking, lying about legally relevant personal information (name, age, nationality, residency, …), the duration is set to 5 years. Smaller infractions may expire earlier.

5.8 Publisher Bans

IO Esports reserves the right to refuse players who have standing bans from the game publisher to take part in IO Esports tournaments.

Bans from Valve will be honored in their entirety for all DPC Competitions.

Otherwise, Dota 2 VAC bans are specifically honored, but only until 2 years after they have been issued.

5.9 Unsportsmanlike Behavior

For an orderly and pleasant game, it is essential that all players have a sportive and fair attitude. Breaches of this rule will be punished with Level 1 to Level 3 Draft Penalties in the subsequent game. The most important and most common offenses are listed below. However, the administration may assign penalties for not explicitly listed types of breach of unsportsmanlike behavior.

5.9.1 Public Behavior

All participants shall abstain, always, from poor, undesirable, or negative behavior towards anybody involved with the tournament in any way.

All participants shall abstain, always, from any action or inaction that brings anybody involved with the tournament in any way into public disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule or reduces the public relations or commercial value of any involved party. This includes derogatory comments aimed at IO Esports, its partners or products in interviews, statements and/or social media channels.

5.9.2 Insults

All insults occurring in connection with the event will be punished. This primarily applies to insults during a match, but insults on any means of communication will be punished if they can be linked to the event and the evidence is clear.

Particularly severe abuse cases with radical statements or the threat of physical violence can result in significantly heavier penalties including the exclusion or to the disqualification of the player.

Depending on the nature and severity of the insult the penalty will be assigned to the player or to the team in team leagues. In team competitions players may also be barred from playing for one or more match weeks.

5.9.3 Spamming

The excessive posting of senseless, harassing or offensive messages is regarded as spamming, and will be punished depending on the nature and severity of the offense.

5.9.4 Property Damage

Participants taking action that could or does result in damage or soiling of rooms, furniture, equipment or similar items will be fined. The fine will be based on the cost to restore the original state, handling efforts to fix the issue and damage reputation with third parties or the public.

5.9.5 Faking Match Results

If a team is caught trying to falsify a match result, the team will be sanctioned up to and including disqualification from the tournament.

5.9.6 Misleading Admins or Players

Any attempts to deceive opposing players, admins, or anyone else related to the event may be sanctioned up to and including disqualification from the tournament.

Section 6 - Dota 2 Game Specific Rules

6.1 Before the Match

All games must be played with the most up to date version of Dota 2.

6.1.1 Game Mode

Matches are to be played in Captain's Mode, unless the tournament explicitly calls for a different mode. Occasionally, remakes after the draft will use All Pick.

6.1.2 Lobby Settings

The general lobby settings are as follows:

• Game Name: Team 1 vs Team 2 (names will be changed according to the team names)
• Lobby Password: to be provided by tournament administration
• Game Mode: Captain’s Mode
• Server Location: Singapore
• Lobby Visibility: Public
• Enable Cheats: Off

The advanced lobby settings are as follows:

• Selection Priority: Automatic
• Penalty - Radiant/Dire: No Penalty (unless any specific draft penalties apply)
• Spectators: Disabled
• Dota TV Delay: 15 minutes
• Series Type: dependent on the stage of the tournament
• Fill empty slots with bots: Off

The default server will be Singapore. The server can only be changed if both teams agree on another one.

6.1.3 Selection Priority

6.1.3.1 In-Game Coin Toss

Wherever possible the administration will use the in-game automatic selection priority feature. This calls for:

• A coin toss before game 1. The winner has a free choice of Radiant/Dire or First Pick/Second Pick. The other team is selected from the remaining choice.
• The order of priority inverts for game 2 in a Bo3 or 2 Game Series, and for games 2, 3 and 4 in a Bo5.
• The final game of an odd numbered series will feature a second coin toss.

6.2 During the Match

6.2.1 Number of Players

Each team must start a game or series with 5 players.

When the captain disconnects from the draft, the draft will be paused in-game and the pause timer will begin to tick. If the game requires a remake to complete the draft, the administration reserves the right to apply a Draft Penalty appropriate to the team that caused the remake, should they have already used bonus time, and the remade draft must exactly mirror the original.

When the draft is over, the game has started, and a player drops from the game and cannot return in the allowed pause time.

• If it happens before GOR, there will be a new game made with the same draft and it will be allowed to bring back the original player or replace him with a substitute.
• If it happens after GOR, the game or series will continue.
• If a team loses more than 1 player the current game will be a forfeit win for the opponent and if there are more games in the match series, the countdown will start for the next game.

There may be exceptions allowed by the lead referees if the game was clearly concluding (for example, when the Ancient is nearly destroyed)

Examples of conditions which establish “Game of Record” (GOR) can be found below.

6.2.2 Pauses and Disconnects

Any player has the option of pausing and unpausing the game via F9.

A pause may be invoked by either a tournament referee or a player when there are technical issues that could put a team at a disadvantage.

Tournament referees can order the pause of a match for any reason. Tournament referees are allowed to execute a pause command on any player station but will usually make it from the admin station.

Players can pause the match at any time but must signal a tournament referee immediately after the pause to identify the reason, ideally by writing in all chat. If the players do not comment with a reason in a reasonable amount of time, the team can receive sanctions including Draft Penalties and Monetary Fines.

A match cannot be resumed without both teams giving their visible agreement, as in: “g”.

If the situation clearly requires the game to be paused and any player is aware of it, they are supposed to invoke it as quickly as possible.

Below are examples of accepted reasons for a player issued pause, but an acceptable reason is at the sole discretion of a tournament referee:

• After any player has disconnected from the game due to any form of network disconnect or computer crash. (e.g., “Player has disconnected” message appears on screen.)
• Hardware malfunctions (e.g., monitor, peripheral, etc.)
• Physical disruption of the player (e.g., fan interference, table or chair breakage)

Using a pause to take a break, or toilet visit, or other non-technical issues is strictly not allowed, and will be punished by the administration by sanctions including Draft Penalties.

If a player pauses or unpause the game without a reason deemed valid by tournament referees, it will be considered unfair play. Penalties can be applied up to and including forfeiting of the series, depending on the perceived severity of the incident.

The maximum pause time is 10 minutes per team per map.

6.2.3 Scripts and Macros

The use of scripts and macros via console commands, config binds, or third-party tools is prohibited. Whenever more than one command is issued with a single bind, it is considered illegitimate.

6.2.4 Game of Record

A game of record (“GOR”) refers to a game where all ten players have loaded, and which has progressed to a point of meaningful interaction between opposing teams. Once a game attains GOR status, the period ends in which incidental restarts may be permitted and a game will be considered as “official” from that point onward. After the establishment of GOR, game restarts will be allowed only under limited conditions and with a new draft.

Examples of conditions which establish GOR:

• Any attack or ability is landed on enemy structures or heroes.
• Line-of-sight is established between players on opposing teams.
• Setting foot, establishing vision or targeting a skill shot ability in the opponent’s jungle.
• Creep Waves meet in the middle lane.

6.2.5 Game Restart

A game can be restarted only at the discretion of the Lead Referees. Below are examples of acceptable reasons for a game restart, but an acceptable reason is at the sole discretion of the lead referees.

• If a referee determines that technical difficulties will not allow for the game to resume as normal (including a team’s ability to be in proper position for certain game events such as creep spawn).
• If the game experiences a critical bug at any point during the match that significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics.
• If a referee determines that there are environmental conditions that are not conducive to fairness.
• If one or multiple players crash before “Game of Record” and cannot get back in before the allowed technical pause time has been exceeded.

If the “Game of Record” was not established, there will be a restart “All-Pick” with the same heroes. If the “Game of Record” was established, there would be a restart with a new Captain’s Mode draft.

6.2.6 Surrender

If either team writes “gg '' or “ggwp” after the GOR, the map is immediately lost for them. This includes chat wheel options that begin the end of game countdown. The intention of this rule is to prevent a team from faking a surrender, take advantage of their opponent’s celebration, and then cancel it. In cases where the administration believes this not to be the case, they may waive this rule.

6.2.7 Coach and Player Notes

Coaches may only use physical media (i.e. notebooks, paper, their personal mobile devices, etc) for their coaching notes while they are together with players for the draft. Overlays - including but not limited to the following - such as Overwolf and the Steam notepad overlay are disallowed for use by any of the players.

6.3 Bug Abuse

The intentional use of any bugs, glitches, or errors in the game can be assessed with penalties up to and including default losses. Furthermore, it is up to the referees’ discretion whether the use of said bugs influenced the match, and whether they will force a rematch. In extreme cases, the penalty for abusing bugs may be even higher. Bugs, in this case, are issues with the game that the administration will forewarn participants about. Issues wherein the game behaves unusually or not as expected based on an individual’s interpretation of patch notes, ability text and so on will not be considered a bug unless there is direct comment on the matter from the administration.

6.4 Tiebreakers

If there is a tie across ranks of importance, such as Upper Bracket/Lower bracket placement and, Elimination/Advancement, then the following tiebreaker will be used:

• An unlimited amount of tiebreaker matches will be played until the tie is resolved. If the tie is between two teams, it will be Bo3. If the tie is between more than two teams, it will be a Bo1 round robin. The matches will be repeated until there is no tie across the ranks of importance.

For other ties (in order of importance):

• Head-to-head record between tied participants
• Record vs. the first team below the tied teams, continuing to each subsequent team below the tied teams until the tie is resolved.
• Coinflip/randomization

If a tie is partially broken, the process resets and the remaining teams are evaluated based on the list in order.

Appendix A - Tournament Formats and Group Stage Seeding

The group stage format will be a single round robin. All matches will be best-of-2.

The playoff format will be double elimination. All matches will be best-of-3, except for the grand finals, which will be a best-of-5.

Playoff advancement from group stage is as follows:

• 1st - 4th place teams in each group will advance to the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs.

• The first placers of Group A and B will select their first opponent from the third or fourth seed of the opposite group.
• The second placers of Group A and B will face the team of the opposite group that was not picked.

• 5th and 6th place teams will advance to the Lower Bracket of the Playoffs.
• 7th - 9th place teams will be eliminated from the Major.

Regional pairs are divided with a coin toss between A and B

• 1st pair: WEU/CN (A1/B1)
• 2nd pair: SEA/EEU (A2/B2)
• 3rd pair: NA/SA (A3/C3)

The following regions are shuffled again between C and D

• WEU/CN (C1/D1)
• SEA/EEU (C2/D2)

Seeding Results by DPC Regional League Tournament Placement

Appendix B - Prize Pool

Appendix C - Participating Teams

Western Europe:

• Tundra Esports
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Quest Esports
• Team Liquid

Eastern Europe:

• Team Spirit
• BetBoom Team
• 9Pandas

China:

• PSG.LGD
• Team Aster
• Invictus Gaming
• Azure Ray

Southeast Asia:

• BLEED
• Execration
• Blacklist International

North America:

• Shopify Rebellion
• Nouns Esports

South America:

• Evil Geniuses
• Beastcoast

Appendix D - Changelog

3rd July 2023 - 10:40 AM

Rule 6.4 Tiebreakers

• Head-to-head portion removed as a placement decider. Extra games will be played in tiebreaker situations, just as with prior Majors. Head-to-head moved to other ties

4th July 2023 - 10:49 AM

Rule 5.2.4 Methods to Detect Cheating

• Added subsection 5.2.4.1 - Recording of Gameplay and Communications