DPC 2021 Season 1 league play has come to an end and we've created the DPC rulebook for players getting ready to participate in Season 2.
After the DPC 2019-2020 season had been interrupted and Valve made the dramatic decision to postpone The International 2020 indefinitely, fans and players alike were hyped (albeit slightly disappointed in some aspects) for the DPC 2021 Season 1 to begin.
Six different tournament organizers were contracted to host the leagues for the six different regions. Many believed this would disrupt the integrity of the competition with six different potential rulesets or management. Mostly, it was smooth sailing with the format and overall structure already set and in place by Valve.
However, there definitely needs to be some rules spelled out for players and teams that were apparently not explicit enough. So we created a short and (not-so) sweet rulebook for players looking to participate in DPC 2021 Season 2.
1. Don't form teams with those accused of misconduct
It doesn't matter how good a player might be, if they have been accused of misconduct, have been shunned from some of the inner-circle and communities, then chances are that they are not the type of people you want to build a team around. And let's face it, Valve doesn't think so either.
They will ban them from competitive play. And you will be searching in the witching hours for a suitable replacement which probably won't yield the results that you are aiming for. Sorry A-Team that we didn't have this rule out in time.
That leads us to Rule 2.
2. Don't form teams with banned players
Image courtesy of R5on11c
See Rule 1. You WILL be forced to change rosters, disrupting your entire synergy, flow, and strategies. It just SPELLS trouble. And just like with A-Team, that means less than desired results for such teams as Team MagMa.
Ignorance is not an excuse or option. You can find a full list of banned players HERE.
3. Stay together as a team
Image courtesy of WePlay
Look, we know that many have commitment problems. But it's six weeks. SIX WEEKS. We are pretty sure that you can keep it together for that long. We know it isn't all love and friendship, but it isn't a marriage.
Forfeiting too many games because you can not field a full roster as NA team Jiang Hu did is embarrassing. It is also frustrating to all the teams that wanted to compete, missed out on your spot, or had to play against you for nothing.
And let's not even get started with the likes of burjui in Europe who went to such extremes as to fake coronavirus tests in order to play with multiple stand-ins and request emergency transfers.
4. Don't bet on games
If you are playing in an event you should NOT be betting on games. Not yours, not others, no ones.
It affects the integrity of the tournament and it is prohibited.
We know that it can be tempting when you are competing in lower-division matches with little chance for the prize money in a struggling economy as the case with 0-900 in South America, but just don't do it.
It also looks sus regarding...... Rule 5.
5. Don't match-fix
Just don't. We've covered match-fixing enough. It is not worth it. NO ONE wins. You will be banned. Maybe not today, maybe it will take a year, but it WILL happen.
If big names like Newbee, Zeng "Faith" Hongda and Xu "Moogy" Han received lifetime bans for match-fixing in the last Minor qualifiers of DPC 2020 season, what do you think will happen to you?
In fact, your own teammates will turn you in to avoid the association. Just ask Meta4Pro about this and how confident the other players on the team are in their reputation and futures heading into next season.
Now that we've covered all the bases for players and teams leading into next season, don't forget that open qualifiers are already getting started in most regions and the DPC 2021 Season 2 league play starts on April 13th. Good luck.
