Fireside Open 2018 DotA 2 Tournament Rules

1. Eligibility

   • 1.1. Each team must contain a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7 players
   • 1.2. Players must be registered with valid names and steam names.
   • 1.3. Teams must pay the registration fee of $50 before the deadline in order to be considered fully registered.
     • 1.3.1. Once paid, the registration cost can not be refunded.
   • 1.4. If you have questions about eligibility requirements, please message one of the event coordinators (Diego Corea (dec150@scarletmail.rutgers.edu), Jacob Moffat (jacobmcmoffat@gmail.com), and Aaron Landry (lolutah@gmail.com)) and concerns will be addressed. When contacting us, MAKE SURE to include all relevant information!

2. Tournament Format

   • 2.1. Seedings for the tournament will be decided through a Round-Robin style playoff.
   • 2.2. The top 2 teams will proceed to the Grand Finals
   • 2.3. To determine the top performing teams we rank the following criteria:
     • 2.3.1. Match record (defined by total matches won - total matches lost).
     • 2.3.2. Head-to-head matchup, if applicable.
   • 2.4. Prize Pool: 10% of the prize pool will be used to fund Dota Club and its events. The second place team will receive a refund of their entry fee, and the first place team will receive the remainder of the prize pool. There will be additional product prizing for the top 2 teams on-site.
   • 2.5. Player registration is open until the Round-Robin. At the start of the Round-Robin, all team rosters will be locked. In the event that more teams are required, registration will open up again and dates for the Round Robin will be extended. 2.6. Players can only play for one team. Players cannot switch teams during group stages.

3. Match Format

   • 3.1. Teams will compete against each other in November.
   • 3.2. Round-Robin will take place from November 12th to November 30th.
     • 3.2.1. Once registration concludes, a schedule will be released with match times for all teams. If a team is unavailable to play at the scheduled time, it is responsible for contacting the opposing team to reschedule the game.
     • 3.2.2. Matches can be rescheduled to a time different from the default time. A request must be sent to the opposing coordinator, who must agree. A verification must be sent to Diego Corea (dec150@scarletmail.rutgers.edu) or Aaron Landry (lolutah@gmail.com) along with the date and time of the game. This is treated as the new default time and all forfeit rules will apply to it. Once a reschedule is agreed upon, a team cannot change it back unless agreed upon by both teams. Games rescheduled to AFTER the end date of the round robin format (November 30th) will be ignored and results may be treated as invalid.
     • 3.2.3. Forfeits: A team that fails to show up until 15 minutes after the scheduled match time will forfeit the first game of the best of 2. A team that fails to show up until 25 minutes or more after the scheduled match time will forfeit both games of the best of 2. For the forfeit to be recognized, the team present in the lobby at the scheduled time must take a screenshot of the opposing team absent from the lobby at the 15 or 25 minute mark after the scheduled time and email the screenshot to Diego Corea (dec150@scarletmail.rutgers.edu) or Aaron Landry (lolutah@gmail.com) along with the date and time of the game.
   • 3.3. Grand Finals will be held on December 1st. There will be no Quarter/Semi-finals.
   • 3.4. The form of competition is DotA 2. All patches must be current.
   • 3.5. The format of the Round-Robin will be 1 best of 2 against every team in the tournament. The format of the Grand Finals will be a best of 5, with no advantage given to either team.
   • 3.6. At the Grand Finals, a coin toss will be held using the in-client coin flip tool. Whichever team wins the toss can choose to claim a side or take first ban/pick.
   • 3.7. Players MUST be fielded from the current team roster.
   • 3.8. Steam names listed on player profile MUST MATCH the Steam name of each player’s MAIN account; a team can request a substitution be used if the Steam name of an opposing player does not match what is displayed on their roster. The use of any offensive Steam names is forbidden.

4. Schedule

   October 30th: Start of Registration
   November 11th: End of Registration
   November 12th: First day of Round-Robin
   November 30th: Last day of Round-Robin
   December 1st: Grand Finals
   

5. Gameplay Rules

   • 5.1. Punctuality of Players
     • 5.1.1. All players will be expected to be ready to join the game lobby and start play within a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes following the start of the round. Readiness includes, but is not limited to, completed client patching, configuration of in-game settings.
     • 5.1.2. Teams that are not ready within fifteen (15) minutes following the start of the round will automatically lose the first game of the best of 2 (2). Teams that are more than twenty five (25) minutes late forfeit the match.
   • 5.2. Choice of Side
     • 5.2.1 Choice of side will be determined randomly by the game. Subsequent games alternate teams with first ban, first pick, and side. For the first match of the series bans, picks, and side will be determined randomly.
   • 5.3. Game of Record
     • 5.3.1. 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 has attained 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 (see Section 4.5) Examples of conditions which establish GOR:
       • 5.3.1.1. A player has obtained a creep score greater than zero (0).
       • 5.3.1.2. A player has died to a player, tower, creep, or Roshan.
       • 5.3.1.3. Game timer reaches thirty (30) seconds.
     • 5.3.2: Entering into hero select indicates an intention to begin a match. If a last-minute reschedule is required once hero select begins, both teams MUST come to an agreement to reschedule according to the official rescheduling policy; otherwise, the match must continue. Once hero select begins, the match is considered officially started. Rosters for the game lock once a game of record is established (see “Game of Record”)
   • 5.4. Stoppage of Play
     • 5.4.1. Player Pause. Players may only pause a match immediately following any of the events described below.*
       • 5.4.1.1. Unintentional disconnection
       • 5.4.1.2. Hardware or software malfunction
       • 5.4.1.3. Player illness
     • 5.4.2. Pause Allowance. Teams may pause the game for a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes over the course of a single game. Pausing beyond allowance time will be considered unfair play and penalties will be applied at the discretion of tournament officials.
   • 5.5. Game Restart
     • 5.5.1. Restarts After GOR
       • 5.5.1.1. If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the match which significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics, then a game may be restarted.
     • 5.5.2. In the event of a restart, players are required to keep the same picks and bans.
   • 5.6. Player Equipment Responsibility. All players are responsible for ensuring the performance of their chosen setup, including computer hardware and peripherals, internet connection, and power. A problem with player equipment is not an acceptable reason for lateness or pausing beyond a team’s allowance, regardless of the root cause of the problem.
   • 5.7. Restrictions on Gameplay Elements
     • 5.7.1. Restrictions may be added at any time before or during a match if there are known bugs with any items, heroes, or for any other reason as determined at the discretion of tournament officials.
     • 5.7.2. Heroes who have not been available on the client for more than 3 weeks will be automatically restricted.
   • 5.8. Games must be made as a Captain's Mode and the version set to Tournament. Teams may agree to allow their own observers/casters/streamers, but by doing so they will also waive their right to contest the match results due to observer ghosting or stream cheating. N.B: the agreement is necessary--teams can request to not have observers, unless official RU casters or administrator's request to observe!
   • 5.9. Any player obtaining information about a game they are currently playing is forbidden. Players should take every precaution to prevent even speculation of such actions (i.e. having twitch open during the game, making sure friends know not to message you). Any violation of this rule will be reviewed by the Tournament Organizers, with potential punishment including disqualification.

6. Unfair Play and Penalties

   • 6.1. Unfair Play. The following actions will be considered unfair play and will be subject to penalties at organizer’s discretion.
     • 6.1.1. The use of any cheat program and/or map hack program
     • 6.1.2. An intentional disconnection without a proper and explicitly stated reason
     • 6.1.3. Unsportsmanlike conduct or disruptive behavior such as inappropriate and/or unprofessional actions directed towards another player or tournament official**
     • 6.1.4. The intentional use of a game bug or error to obtain an unfair advantage
     • 6.1.5. The use of an ineligible player (e.g. "ringing")
     • 6.1.6. Sharing accounts between team members or nonmembers.
     • 6.1.7. Unauthorized obstructions to match scheduling (e.g. lateness)
   • 6.2. Penalties for Unfair Play. Upon discovery of any player committing any violations regarded as unfair play, the tournament director may issue any or all penalties, at his/her sole discretion.
     • 6.2.1. Verbal Warning
     • 6.2.2. Loss of Side Selection
     • 6.2.3. Game Forfeiture
     • 6.2.4. Tournament Disqualification
   • 6.3 “The Exfocus Exception”: In the event of unforeseen DDoS or other disruption of Internet access, the Grand Finals will be moved offline. Scheduled play times may be delayed due to Internet disruption.

7. Spirit of the Rules

   • 7.1. Finality of Decisions. All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the tournament, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with assigned tournament officials, the decisions of which are final.
   • 7.2. Rule Changes. These rules may be amended, modified, or supplemented in order to ensure fair play and the integrity of the competition
   • 7.3. 1 BM (Bad Manner) pause allowed per player per game.
   • 7.4 ?’s in all chat are allowed. [these are also subject to 6 above.]