Game rules
We make every effort to ensure the rules are complete and up to date but this may not always be the case. You should also check the Info Page and News for additions, exceptions and modifications that may apply. The rules are a guideline and the decisions by admins may differ from them depending on the circumstances. If you have any questions about the rules, please write a support ticket.
1. Global Rainbow Six Siege Tournament Rules
1.1. Players
1.1.1. Eligibility
Any person that has a standing ban by Ubisoft for Rainbow Six Siege is ineligible to participate in any ESL-run Rainbow Six leagues and tournaments that have prize funding by Ubisoft, or are an ESL-run qualification event to a Ubisoft-funded Rainbow Six league or tournament. This ineligibility will last as long as Ubisoft upholds the ban.
1.1.2. Requirements and Gameaccount
A protest for wrong or missing gameaccount needs to be opened before the start of the preparation phase of the 2nd round. This also includes players who joined the team after the tournament has begun. Later objections are considered as an acceptance of the situation and the protest will be rejected so the match can continue.
As soon as all players have joined the lobby of the match, the team is considered as ready to play and no further changes to the roster are allowed, exceptions may be authorized by an admin through a protest.
Platform | Kind of Gameaccount |
---|---|
PC | Uplay |
Xbox One | Xbox Account |
Playstation 4 | PSN Online ID |
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All players need to enter their correct gameaccount associated with their platform on their ESL profile before the start of the tournament.
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Only those who reside in a nation listed in the country restriction section of the rule-set can participate in tournaments with said restrictions.
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To be eligible to receive prices your team needs to meet all tournament requirements and the correct lineup must be entered on all played matches. Each team is responsible for their own lineup and needs to make sure that all 5 players, which competed are correctly entered in the lineups on the match pages. Please note: Teams, which get removed from/left the tournament or competed with ineligible players (e.g. ringers/fakers/minors) get their prices revoked.
1.1.3. Technical Issues
Players are responsible for their own hardware, software and internet connection. Matches will not be rescheduled or paused because of technical issues. If a team cannot play with the number of players that is stated in the requirements then this will be counted as a forfeit.
1.1.3.1 Connection
All players are responsible to have a connection (ping) as good as possible for their team region and technical situation. Also, all downloads and other programs which are unnecessary for the match must be turned off. For abusing this rule, the team can be disqualified.
By default the game will be hosted on the following servers:
- EU: EUW
- NA: CUS
- LATAM: SBR
It is possible to change the data center to a different one instead of the default one, and both teams need to agree on their choice, the tournament administration needs to approve that change.
If any of the teams face connectivity issues with the standard datacenters (based on the lowest ping), the tournament administration can choose a different datacenter which the lobby gets hosted on.
1.1.3.2. VPNs and other Tools
Any software which impacts and influences the connection is prohibited, i.e. active running software during the matches (background service-processes are excluded). If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active connection together with all three timestamps in the logs) for the usage of VPNs or other tools to manipulate the connection, a protest must be opened and the guilty team might be disqualified. The player(s) and team(s) who have been found guilty using the tool will be punished with 2 penalty points.
1.1.3.3. High Ping
The ping limit for an ESL match is 130 ms. If a player is over this value please try to do a re-host first, before a protest is opened and make sure a dedicated server was created. In case the player still has a ping over 130 ms and it's not possible to play the match without there being problems, a protest can be opened. It can only be counted as high ping if the ping is continuously over 130 ms and the necessary evidence was provided. When opening a protest due to high ping the match must not be finished and the team must submit at least three screenshots of the scoreboard which were taken at different times over two rounds with the high ping visible from the same player (in the action phase!).
1.1.4. Unsportsmanlike Behaviour
For an orderly and pleasant game, it is essential that all players have a sportive and fair attitude. Breach of this rule will be punished with one to six penalty points.
Every player should represent their team by participating to the best of their abilities. Anything that falls short of this is considered to be unsportsmanlike and will be penalised depending on the severity of the behaviour as determined by the administration. This includes but is not limited to spamming, insulting, trolling or unsportsmanlike behaviour in general towards other players, teams, casters and the staff.
1.1.4.1. Forbidden on PC
Any modification or changing of the game using external graphics solutions or other 3rd party programs is strictly prohibited and may be punished under the cheating paragraph
The use of the following programs is considered cheating: Multihacks, Wallhack, Aimbot, Colored Models, No- Recoil, No-Flash, Macros, Sound changes and Graphical changes through third-party tools. These are only examples, other programs or methods may be considered cheats as well.
Furthermore, it's forbidden to use any kind of overlays which will show the usage rate of the system in any way in-game (e.g. Nvidia SLI Display, Rivatuner Overlay, Nvidia Profile Inspector). Overlays which show the frames per second (FPS) are permitted.
1.1.4.1.1. Virtual Machines
Players are not allowed to actively run (background service-processes are excluded) Virtual Machines of any kind, including but not limited to Hyper-V, VMWare, or VirtualBox. If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active usage together with all three timestamps in the logs) a protest must be opened and the guilty team will be removed from the tournament, forfeit all prizes and points, in addition, 2 penalty points will be given to the team/player.
1.1.4.1.2. Remote Control Software
Players are not allowed to run programs (background service-processes are excluded) that offer remote control like Teamviewer or similar programs. If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active usage together with all three timestamps in the logs) a protest must be opened and the guilty team might get removed from the tournament, forfeit all prizes and points, in addition, 2 penalty points will be given to the team/player. Software primarily used for communication during matches, including but not limited to Discord and Skype which are permitted to be run during tournaments. The usage of software, which is not mentioned here, is permitted, with acknowledgement from the admin-team.
1.1.4.2. Forbidden on Consoles
Any changes to sprites, skins, scoreboards, and crosshairs are strictly disallowed. Only the official models are allowed. If a player plays with custom files (not models) or removed files that have been installed by the game, then this will be penalized with two penalty points per player. If a player plays with custom models, then this will be penalized with 6 penalty points per player and the opponent of the match may request a rematch in a ladder match. In a cup or league match, this will result in a default win for the opposite team.
If a player is suspected of using an illegal device to use Mouse and Keyboard, sufficient evidence needs to be provided. High Sensitivity does not automatically prove the use of Mouse and Keyboard.
1.2. Team rules
1.2.1. Roster
Team rosters must consist of the number of players stated under requirements on the tournament page to participate in a cup. All roster changes must be made prior to the generation of the matches.
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In a single or double elimination tournament, this is the creation of the bracket
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In a Swiss tournament, this is the generation of the first SWISS round
The ESL Play Team must not be modified/changed in any way throughout the entirety of the tournament. Teams are only allowed to play with players on their ESL Play Team which have their correct gameaccount entered before the start of the tournament.Playing with different players and/or illegal ringers will be punished.
All matches have to start with a full roster depending on the tournament requirements.
1.2.2. Substitute Players
It is only allowed to substitute a player before the match has started. As soon as all players have joined the lobby of the match, the team is considered as ready to play and no further changes to the roster are allowed, exceptions may be authorized by an admin through a protest. Teams are allowed to change players in between maps in a Best of 2 and a Best of 3 Series, those players need to be part of the roster prior tournament start.
1.3. Tournament rules
1.3.1. Settings for the tournament
All players are expected to follow the given settings and rules. Different agreements between the teams and its players are not allowed and tolerated unless approved by an admin through a protest.
1.3.2. Mapvote and Hosting rights
Map bans must be done via the map veto system on the matchpage.
The team with the higher seed (lower number in the bracket) gets the lobby hosting right. The game must be hosted on a dedicated server. The dedicated server location must be settled by default (based on ping). Who is the lower and higher seed? Example: Seed Number
The team which picked the last map (banned the final map) in a Best of One cannot choose the starting side, the team can only pick the starting side in overtime which must be set up correctly before the start of the match.
During a Best of Three, each team can pick the starting side of the map picked by the other team. Team A picks the Map and Team B can choose the starting side on that map, while Team A can choose the starting sides in overtime. On the pick of team B, team A can choose the starting side while team B can choose the starting side in overtime. Sides in the last map at a Best of 3 are chosen by the team with the best round difference in the previous maps. In case of a same round difference, a coin flip will determine which team decides the starting side. Should further assistance be needed with the coin flip, a protest must be opened. The team that does not decide the starting side decides the starting side on overtime.
When a team has all their players in the lobby, they are counted as ready and the match, considering both rosters are complete, can be started.
1.3.3. No show
If a contestant is not ready to play the match after 15 minutes has passed (e.g no Maps have been banned and no communication took place), then they should be reported for a no-show to the admin team via a protest ticket. The 15-minute countdown starts from the moment both teams have progressed to the match, and not at the time stated on the matchpage. Additional time will then be given by the admin team depending on the circumstances. Delaying the tournament will result in disqualification.
1.3.4. Forfeit
If a contestant chooses to forfeit a match, they risk forfeiting all prizes and points. In order to forfeit a match, the team needs to open a protest and inform the tournament administration about their decision.
1.3.5. Match postpone
Any match that can start before 11:00 PM (CEST for EU tournaments, EDT for North American Tournaments and BRT for Latin American Tournaments) must be played on the tournament day.
Matches where one (or both) of the teams progress to after this deadline can be moved to the next day. Teams need to open up a protest and find an agreement for it.
If only the final and the 3rd place matches have to be postponed they can, exceptionally, be moved up to three days from the starting day of the tournament with the approval of an admin through a protest.
If both teams agree to play a match on the tournament day after 11:00 PM, they are allowed to do so. Matches which started after this time must be played till the end. However, in case of an issue, the admin team may not be available.
1.3.6. Protests
If a controversial situation occurs, whether or not it is described in this rulebook during a match, the team that has spotted it should immediately stop the match and inform the administration in a protest ticket about it. If the team does not stop the match and continues to play, it will be taken as an acceptance of the situation and therefore the result of the match will not be changed. Furthermore, the team will lose all rights to file a protest concerning that situation after the game has ended. Protests must be made immediately, or they may be ignored depending on the circumstances.
An exception is rules regarding ESL Wire Anti-Cheat and MOnitor System Status (MOSS) as well as cheating accusations according to rule 1.6. Cheating.
Protest should be opened on the matchpage of the respective match or here: PROTEST
1.3.7. Match Results
Both teams are responsible for entering correct results on the ESL website. Therefore, both teams should take a screenshot at the end of the match, where we can see the correct result and they need to upload it after the match to the ESL website. If you have a conflict in the match, please open a protest, so the staff team can check the case and make a decision. The decision can also mean that both teams are disqualified if there is not enough proof for either team to be the clear winner. Overall Results: Bo1: 1:0 or 0:1 Bo3: 2:0 2:1 1:2 and 0:2 Possible Overtime Score to win the map: 2:0 2:1 1:2 and 0:2
A Match score entered to a match which has not been played out is considered as a Fake score and will be punished according to our rules and might lead to disqualification of the Team.
Example of a correct result screenshot:
Examples of incorrect result screenshots:
1.3.7.1. Match media
All match media (screenshots, demos, etc) must be kept for at least 14 days. In general, you should upload the match media from a match to the matchpage as soon as possible. Faking or manipulating match media is forbidden and will result in severe penalties. Match media should be named clearly based on what it is. It is not possible to file a protest or write a support ticket to complain about bad match media naming. However, if an admin is hindered in their work because of bad match media names then it can be punished.
1.3.7.2 Fake Results
It is only allowed to add a score when the match is finished and played. Entering a fake result or entering the result before the match is concluded, can lead to disqualification of the team. Submitting an invalid result can result in punishment.
If a team enters the match as a loss for themselves, it will be instantly automatically closed. If a team submits a win for them to the match, the opponent has 15 minutes to accept the result or to open a protest ticket. If no protest is opened the match will be closed automatically when the time period has expired.
1.3.7.3 Closed matches
Both contestants of the match lose their right to file a protest ticket after the match has been closed. A closed match will stay closed in almost every scenario unless ESL representatives deem it needs to be reopened. In case a wrong score has been submitted and later on accepted by either contestant the administration of ESL reserves the right to not take any action. Filing a protest ticket will not be taken into account and will be closed immediately.
An exception are the rules about MOSS files and accusation of cheating by timetable.
1.3.8. Disqualification
All matches of the tournament must be played as soon as both teams are added to the match. The starting date on the matchpage is not relevant in this case.
To keep the delay during the cup as low as possible we reserve the right to disqualify teams from the tournament. This will only be done in cases where a team shows no real effort to get a match done or is even obviously stalling. In severe cases, this can even affect both teams.
To prevent delaying the SWISS rounds, every match must be played in the period of 90 minutes. If the match takes longer than the period of time the match will be cut and a draw will be given. Any abuse of this rule is considered to be deception and will result in punishment, up to and including disqualification of the Team
1.4. Ingame
1.4.1. Player drops
If a player drops from the server during a match, the round will continue uninterrupted until the end (Round starts with the first second of the preparation phase) if a team leaves the round before it's finished the other team will get the round point. After the round completion, the player who disconnected will be allowed to rejoin the server or a re-host can be requested.
The match is considered 'live' when the operator ban starts. At least half of the players need to remain to play (3 players in a 5v5 match and 2 players in a 3v3 match), the match needs to be played until the match ends and a the winner is decided.
If this isn't possible due to connection issues it will be considered a forfeit in favour of the team who is able to have all players on the server.
Every team can re-host the server once in a map. If problems like this appear again, such as a player dropping out when the match has already been re-hosted, the team needs to play the map with the remaining players to its conclusion. Any abuse of this rule will be considered as deception and will result in penalization and including disqualification of the team.
Each user is responsible for his/her own hardware.
1.4.2. Re-host
Rehosts are possible up to 30 seconds in the action phase if no player was killed.
All members of the rehosting team have to leave the match before the first 30 seconds of the action phase passed. If not all members of the rehosting team left the match within the given time, it will count as a round loss. A rehost doesn't have to be confirmed by the opponent.
If a team leaves the game because of a protest, this will not count as a rehost. Admins may decide that multiple re-hosts are appropriate depending on the circumstances e.g Ubisoft Servers have issues.
If a match is interrupted then it should be continued where it left off, by re-host. If a round is to be replayed due to a rehost, players must choose the same operators, same sixth pick, same bombsites and the same equipment.
The number of authorized re-hosts depend on the match format:
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Bo1: max. 2 re-hosts (1 per team)
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Bo2: max. 4 re-hosts (1 per team on each map)
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Bo3: max. 6 re-hosts (1 per team on each map)
Should a team not resume the match 10 minutes after a re-host, the admin team must be informed via protest. Additional time will then be given by the admin team depending on the circumstances.
1.4.3. Prohibited Actions
Any actions that result in an unfair advantage are illegal. This includes bug and glitch using of any kind. If a team is using any bug or glitch in a tournament it will result in a round loss in the round the bug or glitch was used, by the second violation of this rule the team will be disqualified.
1.4.3.1 Unallowed operators
Operators that are banned to play either due to the evaluation period of operators or the tournament format (e.g. Vanilla Open Cups) can be found within the "Info"-tab of each tournament and are prohibited use in the action phase of a match.
In case your opponent team is playing with a banned operator in action phase a protest must be opened with a screenshot of the scoreboard/player in action phase where it is clearly visible the operator was played.
1.4.3.2 Unallowed cosmetics
Cosmetics that are listed here are prohibited to use during matches.
List of currently banned cosmetics:
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Outbreak Collection
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Wind bastion Bundle
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Blood orchid Bundle
Twitch & Valkyrie Elite
Ember Rise bundle
Seared Flats bundle
Satellite bundle
Wanderer Bundle
If any player of a team will select a cosmetic that is currently listed as banned the tournament administration should be notified through a match protest with a clear screenshot with the ineligible cosmetic with the player name visible before the start of the next round in order to be eligible to protest for it.
The team of such a player will receive a penalty based on the list below:
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1st violation - Match warning
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2nd violation - Round loss
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Further violations - Disqualification
1.4.3.3 Bugs/Glitches
Below is a list of known intended and unintended game mechanics. Any situations that arise and are not specified below will be dealt with on a case by case basis. In general, common sense will be applied.
Not allowed:
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using a Mira shield to boost
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standing on a window ledge undetected
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shield boosting on to undetected window ledge
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one-way shots
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shooting through what should be non-destructible walls/floors/ceilings/objects
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glitching through walls, objects, surfaces etc at any moment
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blocking window vaulting with a destructible shield
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placing a Valk cam in a place where it can't be destroyed
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placing a Maestro's Evil Eye on Alibi's decoy.
Using these glitches/bugs will result in a round loss for the team that uses it, further penalties if used again by the same team during the tournament.
Allowed Actions:
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any position that you can get to and out of without glitching through walls/objects/surfaces, and you can be seen and shot at normally
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shield boosting
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standing on a window ledge and being detected
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shield boosting onto a detected window ledge
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Hibana and Thermite charges can be placed anywhere
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using a teammate to boost
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long-arming
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using equipment or defusing through a destructible surface
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destroying the whole floor of a bomb spot so the enemy team can not plant the defuser
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smoke through wall
The tournament directions reserve the right, also retroactively, to add more bugs to the list of explicitly allowed bugs.
1.4.4 Spawnkilling
Spawn killing which results in a kill of an attacker during the first 2 seconds of action phase is not allowed.
Doing so will result in a round loss for the defending team.
Any kills happening after 2 seconds within the action phases are legal.
1.5. Casting
Casting an ESL match is only allowed with an ESL admin agreement. To get an agreement please write a support ticket at least 24 hours before the start of the tournament.
A list of official ESL Community Casters, as well as information to apply yourself, can be found here: https://play.eslgaming.com/rainbowsix/streams
1.5.1. Observers
Observers are only allowed if both teams agree. An exception to this rule is ESL Staff and people that are explicitly allowed to observe (e.g. Community Casters or Content Creators).
Teams should only allow observers they trust. It is not allowed to protest after a match to complain about observers that were allowed in the game.
Admins are allowed to revoke the permissions of Casters and Observers any time when ghosting is suspected.
1.5.2. Personal Streaming
Personal Streaming is always allowed if no ESL broadcast takes place. If ESL or a Community Caster broadcasts a match, personal streaming is not allowed without an admin agreement. Personal Streaming of a match shown by ESL, without permission from an ESL Admin, can lead to disqualification of the team or ban of the streaming player in the tournament. ESL advises using a delay in the streams.
If a player decides to stream his own point of view it is his own responsibility to take action against stream sniping e.g the use of a delay. Stream sniping will not be prosecuted as a rule breach within a protest!
1.6. Cheating
1.6.1. Accusation of cheating by timetable
If you want to accuse your opponent(s) of cheating, you need to hand in a timetable within 72 hours after the match has finished. Timetables must be prepared based on videos in Full HD quality. A timetable should be handed in along with the opening of the protest, so please make sure you have your timetable(s) ready when you open the protest. Nevertheless, the timetable can still be handed in later (if it is within the 72h deadline) in case you did not do that, along with the opening of the protest. An accusation of cheating by timetable will not be executed during a tournament. All timetables which are not in the correct form will be directly declined.
1.6.1.1. Timetable structure
The timetable has to contain the following information:
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name and account link of the accused player
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the in-game nickname of the player you want to be checked
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sort, description and the name of the suspected cheat
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link and name of the video/photo evidence
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specific times of the demo which look suspicious, along with a reason for each (e.g. why it cannot have been a coincidence, luck, hearing or skill)
1.6.1.1.1. Example
I have the suspicion that the player1 cheated against player2 because he was afraid to lose the match.
Player link: link to the player's profile. In-game nick: Mister Spock1337 Cheat: aimbot, flashhack and wallhack/ESP Demo link: link to download the demo from the matchsheet Demo name:
12:21 - I creep to the ramp and the player1 stays at the ramp too because he "sees" that I'm coming.
14:34 - I'm throwing a flash grenade to the entry of the hall and the player1 stands there, therefore he has to be blinded but he sees everything and kills me immediately when I come out of the door.
15:01 - I creep in the anteroom of the radio room to the chippy, and the crosshair of the player 1 remains on my head
18:00 - The player1 stands on the ct base and looks up to the hall, I creep from the ramp to the ladder. All at once his crosshair moves to my head and then he shoots. He couldn't hear me!
20:21 - I'm running in the hall and the crosshair of the player1 is locked at my head. Although I jump his crosshair is still on my head.
27:12 - The player1 sits on the hall and he is aiming at the entry of the hall. I'm coming out of the chippy (I creep out) and the crosshair of the player1 immediately is locked at my head. Unbelievable reaction!
30:12 - I throw another flash in front of the player1, but he is aiming unchecked at me.
2. Penalty points and barrages
In general, players and teams can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.
A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of the number of players. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.
2.1. Barrages
Players that receive barrages during a cup related to following violations are not allowed to continue the cup:
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cheating
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fake- & multi-account
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ringing
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unwanted contents & behaviour
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underage barrages
Barrages which are not listed allow players to continue the cup, with acknowledgment from the admin-team.
2.2. Bypassing barrages and penalty points
Bypassing barrages and penalty points due to the creation of new teams is strictly forbidden.
Existing penalty points/barrages will be transferred, barrages which result out of it may remain. Further sanctions for the teams and players in case of recurrence are reserved.
2.3. Cups
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Penalty points are given out for special cases (e.g No Show)
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Due to a match deletion not being possible in a cup this results in disqualification of the team.
2.4. Ladder
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In Ladder matches there will never be given default wins only match deletions
2.4.1. Game-specific penalties
Match media | |
Missing match media |
Player / Team: 1 |
Missing match media with cheat suspicion |
Player / Team: 6 and match deletion |
Unsportsmanlike behaviour | |
Bug use |
Player / Team: 2 per use |
Unsportsmanlike behaviour |
Player / Team: Up to 6 |
Settings | |
Illegal 3rd Party Tools |
Player / Team: 4 up 6 |
Wrong server settings |
Team: 2 - 4 |
3. Penalty Point Catalogue
In general, a player and the team can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of how many players violated the specific rule. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.
Rule Violation | Number of penalty points |
General | |
No show¹ |
Team: 3; Player: 2 |
Abort match |
Player / Team: 2 |
Use of ineligible player | |
Inactive barrage |
Player / Team: 3 |
Barraged |
Player / Team: 6 |
Unregistered player |
Player / Team: 3 |
Ringer/Faker |
Player / Team: 6 |
Playing with wrong gameaccount |
Player / Team: 3 |
Playing without a registered gameaccount |
Player / Team: 3 |
Unsportsmanlike behaviour | |
Multiple/Fake accounts |
Warning / 1-4 penalty points |
Deception |
Player / Team: 1 - 4 |
Fake result |
Player / Team: 4 |
Fake match media |
Player / Team: 6 |
Fake match |
Player / Team: 6 |
Cheating |
Player: 12 / Team: 6 |
¹In cup and league-matches default wins are given instead of a match deletion and penalty points.
Matches only get deleted if the team/player violating the rules won the match.
4. Legal
UBISOFT has provided prizes and the use of their name and trademarks but is not involved in the execution or administration of this tournament, and any questions, comments or complaints regarding this tournament must be directed to ESL.Selling and/or Trading of tournament prizes, as well as the attempt, is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to in-game content (e.g. charms or credits) and ESL premium prizes. Any violation of this rule will lead to a barrage of the selling player.
System rules
1. ESL Cups
1.1. Concept
The ESL cups are intended to resolve the best players during a single tournament bracket. They can be either single or double elimination. This means you might be able to continue even if you have one loss during a previous round. You can read more from our tournament guide.
1.2. No show
If your opponent does not show up after 10 minutes, you must enter the result as your opponent did not appear in time. Do not enter a default win for yourself.
General rules
1. Global Rules
1.1. General
The league administration has the right to decide outside or even against the rulebook in special cases to guarantee fairplay.
1.2. Code of Conduct
Every participant has to behave with respect towards the representatives of the ESL, press, viewers, partners and other players. The participants are requested to represent esports, the ESL, and their Sponsors honorably. This applies to behavior in-game and also in chats, messengers, 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 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.
Please refer to the AnyKey Keystone Code to learn more about good sporting behavior. Refer to the ESIC Code of Conduct for detailed conduct rules and penalties
Violation of this code of conduct will result in possible exclusion of the offending player from current tournaments in which they are participating, and may result in additional penalties thereafter and also lose their right to receive any winnings. In the case of repeated or extreme violations, penalties may include disqualification or banning from future ESL events.
1.2.1. Insults and offensive behaviour
All insults that happen during an ESL-Match or on the ESL platform, may be punished. This includes but is not limited to ingame chat of the corresponding game, guestbooks, forums, Match- or News-Comments, ESL Messages, Match-Chat, game IDs. Insults that happen on external messengers are not taken into account.
Penalties are no longer limited to Penalty Points and barrages, but may also contain the following depending on the incident, location and frequency of the insult:
- Penalty Points & barrages are given for incidents within ESL-Matches
- Exclusion of the offending player from the current tournaments in which they are participating*
- Insults or inappropriate behaviour within Comments or other options for contacting a player, will result in a Forum- & Comment ban
Severe incidents including, but not limited to the following points, may be punished in other ways:
- Extremist statements
- Threat of violence
- Sexual harassment
- Stalking
- severe insults
- pornographic linkings
The right to appeal is only with the injured.
* Another player registered on the teamsheet may replace the player if the tournament rules allow it. If more than one player of the same team is excluded, the team is disqualified for the current tournaments in which it participates.
1.2.2. Spamming
The excessive posting of futile, annoying or offensive contributions within the ESL is considered as spamming. Spamming on the website (forums, match comments, player comments, support- and protest pages, etc) is penalized as follows:
- Written warning for the first offence
- 1 penalty point + 1 week comment ban for the second spamming incident.
- 2 penalty points + 2 week comment ban for the third spamming incident.
- 3 penalty points + 3 week comment ban for the fourth and any further spamming incidents.
The decisive factor therefore is the amount of active penalties for spamming.
1.2.3. Public behaviour
All participants shall abstain, at all times, from poor, undesirable, or negative behaviour towards anybody involved with the tournament in any way.
All participants shall abstain, at all times, 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 ESL, its partners or products in interviews, statements and/or social media channels.
1.3. Matches, competitions, meetings
In all competitions there should be a fair playing field for all players.
Every encounter, whether a ladder match or other competition must be played according to the rules until it is complete and the result on the ESL page entered, or at events the result sheet is completed. Any encounter that did not take place, should be deleted. Matches will be opened only by admins to delete exceptions. Matches that did not take place will be considered fake matches and will be punished.
It is not allowed for participants to bet on matches in their own competition. Betting against yourself (in team leagues: against your own team) will get you (in team leagues: your team) disqualified and the betting player(s) banned.
Players and teams that are already qualified for or participating in an event (e.g. Pro League or any offline event) or the later stages of a tournament (e.g. Open/Challenger League, but not Sony Open Series) are not allowed to participate in any of its ongoing or upcoming qualifiers. In the case of a player or team breaching this rule, they will be disqualified from the current qualifier and may face further punishment, up to and including disqualification from the event.
1.4. Game / client
In general, all programs which are not part of the original game, including custom-data and modifications, are not allowed in any ESL game. All external voice programs are allowed (e.g. Teamspeak, Ventrilo etc.). Scripts and changes to the game's configuration are allowed, unless they are partly or completely forbidden by the league specific rules. Programs that provide an advantage during game play (e.g. drivers that allow the removing of walls) are forbidden. Any programs that change the game itself are forbidden.
1.5. Game Coverage
The ESL reserves exclusive right to the coverage of ESL matches. This includes all forms of transmission, including IRC Bots, Shoutcast-streams, HLTV and ESL-TV Broadcasts. The ESL can assign the coverage rights of a match or of several matches to a third party or to the actual players themselves. In this case, terms and conditions would have to be arranged with the ESL management before the match.
In general, the ESL will contact any player or team if they wish to broadcast one of their matches. If no contact is made, individual players are allowed to arrange their own broadcasts. Should the game take place on a server that ESL administrators have no direct access to, it must be made sure that enough slots are available for the according clients.
1.6. Internal Texts
All texts written in either protest or support tickets, or written by the administrators to members of a certain league or tournament, cannot be published without the permission of the ESL.
1.7. Language
The official language of this national section is English. All players should be able to communicate in English and to do so.
2. Fraud/deception
ESL is a member of ESIC, the Esports Integrity Commission. The Esports Integrity Commission is a not for profit members’ association established in 2015 by key esports stakeholders to deal with issues of common interest – in particular the threat that match manipulation and betting fraud and other integrity challenges pose to esports.
Membership of ESIC centres around key Principles that the members have agreed and they have also agreed to be bound by a Code of Ethics to govern their behaviour amongst themselves. ESIC is a historic Commission of businesses that are usually in competition with each other, but recognise that they are all threatened by attacks on the integrity of esports.
2.1. Deception
The attempt to deceive admins or other players with wrong or fake statements, information or data will not be tolerated.
2.2. Other unauthorized offences
Including but not limited to the abusing of bugs in the website.
These penalties are at the discretion of the responsible admin and are penalized according to severity.
2.3. Cheating
All forms of cheating in ESL matches are forbidden and will be penalized by the ESL. Players found cheating outside of the ESL may be barraged on the ESL depending on the evidence available. Note, we do not accept publicly submitted demo or screenshot evidence in these cases. Should it become known to the ESL administrators that any form of cheating was used to the advantage of a player or a team during an ESL match, the ESL reserves the right to punish them to the full extent of the rules available. By breaking any rule a player risks being barred or completely excluded from a specific league or from all leagues. This also includes their team.
The use of programs (or "hacks") or other methods to circumvent, modify or in any way manipulate ESL Anticheat is forbidden. Any use of such programs or methods will be punished as cheating. Even testing of such programs or methods in a match not happening within the ESL will be punished.
2.3.1. Distribution of cheats
Contributing to the distribution of cheats in any way is not allowed on ESL. This includes but is not limited to referring to the name, website or logo of cheats anywhere on ESL, such as player profiles, team profiles, forums, comments, guest book entries, etc.
Violating this rule will be punished from a warning up to exclusion from ESL.
2.3.2. Cheating Sanctions
Disqualification from the tournament, results voided, forfeiture of prize money, ban between 2 years and lifetime depending on age and level of player and nature/size of tournament and how the player cheated. Cheating at a professional level (i.e. where qualification for a professional event is at stake) should normally result in a 5 year ban, but, in aggravating circumstances, can result in a lifetime ban.
2.3.3. Rehabilitation
Nevertheless first offenders willing to intensively deal with their situation can get a second chance. More information about the cheater rehabilitation can be found here.
2.4. Match-Fixing/betting fraud
Engaging in any action that improperly influences the outcome of a game or match by any means.
2.4.1. Match-Fixing Sanctions
Results voided, 5 year ban unless significant mitigating factors in line with the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code or, in the presence of aggravating circumstances, a longer ban, forfeiture of prize money and monetary fine (if discovered before the end of a tournament, disqualification).
2.5. Doping
Any kind of doping is forbidden.
2.5.1. Prescribed medication
If players have an active prescription for a substance on the WADA list, they have to 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.
2.5.2. Doping Sanctions
Mild cases of doping will be punished with a warning and possibly minor penalty points for the participant. Severe cases (i.e. use of drugs containing performance enhancing substances, like Adderall) will be punished as follows: Results voided, ban of between 1 and 2 years, forfeiture of prize money (if discovered before the end of a tournament, disqualification).
2.6. Competition manipulation and bribery
Bribing or attempting to bribe a referee or organizer or trying to manipulate the competition.
2.6.1. Competition manipulation and bribery Sanctions
Results voided, ban of between 1 and 2 years, forfeiture of prize money and monetary fine (if discovered before the end of a tournament, disqualification)
2.7. Second and subsequent offences
For second and subsequent offences, participants should expect far harsher sanctions and in all likelihood a lifetime ban from esports.
3. Accounts
3.1. Player
An ESL Account can only be created if the user is at least six years old. When registering, each player must provide an up-to-date and correct email address and it is the player’s responsibility to keep this up-to-date. To play in a ladder, a method of contact must be available and visible to all users in your player profile.
Also, the permanent residence must be chosen according to the country he/she is currently living in. Should the country differ from his/her nationality, the player can add an additional flag in the settings.
3.1.1. Multiaccounts
Each player in the ESL must only have one account! If a player can not access his account and then creates a new one, then he/she must write a support ticket explaining in detail the reason for not being able to access the account.
3.1.2. Nicknames, Team Names and URL Aliases
We reserve the right to edit Nicknames and/or URL aliases, if they fail to comply with the following requirements.
Nicknames/aliases are forbidden if they:
- are protected by third-party rights and the user has no written permission
- resemble or if they are identical to a brand or trademark, no matter whether it has been
registered or not
- resemble or if they are identical to a real person other than themselves
- use names of ESL Gaming products
- resemble or if they are identical to the names of ESL Gaming employees
- are nonsense
In addition to the above, any nicknames/team names/aliases that are purely commercial (e.g. product names), defamatory, pejorative, offensive, vulgar, obscene, anti-Semitic, inciting hatred, or offending against good manners are forbidden. Using alternative spelling, gibberish or wrong spelling in order to avoid the requirements mentioned above is illegal. We reserve the right to extend, change, exchange or delete these rules if necessary.
3.1.3. Photo
It would be nice if a player's photo clearly shows the face of the player, for adding anything else (graphics, other people, other parts of body, etc.) please use the logo function. For anything else please use the gallery. Photos with weapons are not allowed!
3.1.4. Country
A player's country must be set to their country of residence. Deliberately faking the country of residence is punishable.
If a player's country of residence is changed in order to avoid any country restrictions or if the player is trying to fake or abuse they will be punished with 2 penalty points. If the player does so and plays in a team match, the team will get 3 penalty points and the match is deleted.
3.1.5. Nationality
A player's nationality must be set to their nationality that is proven by a current passport. Deliberately faking nationality is punishable.
3.1.6. Account sharing
Each ESL account is strictly personal and cannot be shared with other ESL users and / or other players that don't have an ESL account. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a ban of up to 6 months.
The original registrant must always be the final user of the account, which cannot be lent or transferred in any case. This will be considered as account sharing or multi account and pursued according to the ESL rules.
3.2. Teams
A team's name does not have to be unique, but the ESL reserves the right to refuse clans with the same or similar names as a well-known clan (e.g. If you named your team “Schroet Kommando" or “Schroet Commando” etc, that would not be allowed).
Names which are restricted by law will not be accepted and will be deleted and punished with penalty points if found. Also, names which go against all forms of etiquette and good manners will not be accepted.
If a team deletes its account because of a certain amount of active penalty points and registers a new account, the penalty points will be transferred to the new account if the team rejoins the same ladder. Furthermore 1 additional penalty will be added for the attempted deception.
The logo must represent the team and have some reference to the team's name or to the team's short handle. Copyrighted logos, or logos which go against etiquette and good manors will not be accepted.
3.2.1. Changing team names
A team can change its name at any time. This also applies when a team is restructured.
Changing a team's name in order to fool other teams is forbidden. Extremely long names, or consistent changing of team names is prohibited and can be punished with penalty points.
3.2.2. Team nationality
In general, during matches of ESL national sections, at all times in-game a team must have more than 50% of its players that are residing in or have the nationality of the country or countries that the national section represents.
3.2.3. Players in team
A player may only play for one team in a tournament or league. Participants in an EPS may not also play in the EAS underneath it.
In tournaments or leagues that require Premium or Trusted then only players with this status are eligible to play. In general players that are marked inactive or honorary on a team page are not eligible to play.
If a homepage is required for a tournament or league then a every player that is on the team account must also be on the homepage.
3.2.4. Sponsors/partnerships
The ESL administration reserves the right to prohibit or remove teams with sponsors or partners that are solely or widely known for pornographic, drug use or other adult/mature themes and products from partaking in ESL Play events at any time.
4. Penalty points
If a player or team disregards or violates one or more of the rules of the league, this can have various consequences depending on the severity of the offence.
As a rule, the penalty points are deleted after a certain period of time. There are different clearance periods depending on the amount of points:
- 1-2 penalty points: 2 months
- 3-6 penalty points: 3 months
- 7 penalty points: 6 months
- 12 penalty points: 2 years
In addition to penalty points, players and teams may be barred (also known as frozen, locked and barraged) if they have accumulated a certain amount of penalty points:
- After obtaining 4 penalty points: 1 week barrage
- After obtaining 8 penalty points: 2 weeks barrage
- After obtaining 10 penalty points: 1 month barrage
Barred players and teams must finish playing their open matches. They cannot challenge nor be challenged. Barred players may not take part in team matches with exception of 2on2 teams.
Penalties (penalty points/barrages/bans) given on ESL subplatforms (e.g. ESL Europe, ESL America) are valid on all ESL subplatforms.
5. Participation in prize tournaments & pro qualifiers
Unless otherwise explicitly permitted, it is not allowed for employees of ESL Gaming GmbH, its subsidiaries or partners, volunteer or contractor staff or employees that are in some way connected to a respective tournament including sponsors, publishers or game developers, to participate in prize winning tournaments, qualification for prize winning tournaments or pro qualifiers.
Prize winning means any tournaments with physical (e.g. hardware) or money prizes. Those prizes will be offered under the raffle conditions, which regulates claiming and receiving prizes. Tournaments with only virtual ESL awards, such as ESL Premium or awards are exempt.
In case you win prize money, depending on the payment method you choose, there might be fees. ESL will cover the fees on the sender end and recipient will cover the fees on the recipient's end.
If in doubt, please contact support.
6. Penalty Point Catalogue
In general, a player and the team can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of how many players. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.
Rule violation | Number of penalty points |
---|---|
General | |
No show | Team: 3; Player: 2 |
Reject compulsory challenge | Normal: 1 Intense (top 10): 2 |
Abort match | Player / Team: 2 |
Use of ineligible player | |
Inactive barrage | Player / Team: 3 |
Barraged | Player / Team: 6 |
Unregistered player | Player / Team: 3 |
Missing Premium (where required) | Player / Team: 3 |
Missing Trusted (where required) | Player / Team: 3 |
Ringer/Faker | Player / Team: 6 |
Playing with wrong gameaccount | Player / Team: 3 |
Playing without a registered gameaccount | Player / Team: 3 |
Unsportsmanlike behaviour | |
Multiple/Fake accounts | Warning / 1-4 penalty points |
Deception | Player / Team: 1 - 4 |
Fake result | Player / Team: 4 |
Fake match media | Player / Team: 6 |
Fake match | Player / Team: 6 |
Cheating | Player: 12 / Team: 6 |
Matches get only deleted if the team/player violating the rules won the match.