DOTA2

Contents

1. General provisions.

2. Goals and objectives of the Competition.
3. Deadlines and procedure for submitting applications for participation.
4. Organization and management of the Competition.
5. Official communication and information.
6. Competition participants.
7. Referees.
8. Competition program.
9. Match system.
10. Technical parameters of the match.
11. Broadcasts.
12. Conditions for determining winners and awards.
13. Conditions for financing and entry fees.
14. Disciplinary rules and penalties.

1. General Provisions

1. These Regulations determine the procedure for holding the DOTA 2 5×5 MIX (hereinafter referred to as the Competition) which is part of the CYBERION eSPORTS LEAGUE (hereinafter referred to as the CESL) and is held in the Summer Offseason format.
2. The Competition in 2026 among participants will be held only in cyberclubs of the CYBERION network.
3. The organizers of the Competition are CESL.
4. In the event of force majeure and/or for security reasons and/or in the presence of any other circumstances that make it impossible to hold the Competition, CESL has the right (and in the event of official orders of state authorities and/or local self-government bodies – is obliged) to cancel the Competition in whole or in part or, if possible, to postpone the Competition to other dates and times. CESL and cyberclubs of the CYBERION network are under no circumstances liable for losses incurred by participants.
5. All current information about the organization and conduct of the Competition, as well as official notifications of changes, are published on the official Cyberion website, as well as in official channels (Discord, social networks). Information posted on these resources is considered to have been communicated to the participants.
6. CESL is not responsible for failure to familiarize itself with the specified information or untimely familiarization with it and strongly recommends that the participants of the Competition independently regularly monitor current information regarding possible changes in the conditions of the Competition.
7. By filling out the registration form, each participant of the Competition confirms that he has familiarized himself with all the information about the Competition provided by CESL, understood and unconditionally agreed with all the rules of the Competition.

2. Goals and objectives of the Competition

1. The main goal of the Competition is the development of e-sports in Ukraine, strengthening the professional community around the CYBERION network of cyberclubs and popularizing CESL as the leading organizer of LAN tournaments.

2. Main goals and objectives of the Competition:

2.1. Popularization of e-sports as an official sport and promotion of its further development in the territory of Ukraine, Poland and Moldova;

2.2. Identification of talented players and teams among visitors to the CYBERION network for their further professional development and support within the league;

2.3. Increasing the level of sportsmanship, individual skills and team interaction of participants;

2.4. Support for LAN competitions, ensuring fair play and equal technical conditions for each player;

2.5. Raising awareness of eSports among various audiences through online broadcasts and coverage of the Competition on social networks and the media;

2.6. Uniting players into a single community, promoting live communication and exchange of experience between participants;

2.7. Forming patriotic feelings and supporting Ukrainian standards for conducting competitions free from any influence of the aggressor country;

2.8. Promoting responsible gaming, discipline and a healthy lifestyle.

3. Deadlines and procedure for submitting applications for participation

1. Applications for participation in the Competition are submitted by filling out the official individual registration form, the link to which is posted on the CESL Discord server and on the official resources of the CYBERION network
2. The following time limits (deadlines) for registration are established:

2.1. Applications will be accepted until 10:00 on the day of the Competition.

2.2. Applications submitted after the specified time will be automatically considered invalid and will not be accepted for consideration.

3. Registration is considered successful only if all mandatory fields of the form are filled in and reliable data is entered. Each participant is required to provide a link to their current FACEIT profile and indicate the current level of game rating (MMR).

4. It is allowed to fill out one form for several people (friends), but this does not guarantee that they will be included in the same game team. Formation of squads is carried out exclusively by an automated mixing program to ensure balance.
5. Responsibility for the reliability of the data displayed in the registration form (including the current MMR) lies with the participant who provides them. In the event of intentional distortion of information or the use of “smurf accounts”, the organizers have the right to disqualify the player.
6. A mandatory condition after sending the form is that the participant (or team captain) saves a screenshot confirming successful registration.

6.1. The screenshot is the only proof of application submission in the event of a technical failure of the system.

6.2. In the absence of such a screenshot and lack of registration in the system, the participant will not be allowed to participate in the Competition.

6.3. To check the status of your application, you must contact the administrator of the cyberclub that you indicated in the registration form as the location of your game.

7. The fact of submitting an application does not constitute an automatic right to participate in the Competition. The final right to admission is granted by the head judge after checking the player’s compliance with the security and ethics criteria (in accordance with Section 6).

8. After the registration time expires and the automatic mixing procedure is launched, any changes in the composition of the formed teams or transfers between them are strictly prohibited.
9. Participants are required to arrive at the selected cyberclub of the CYBERION network, confirm their presence with the administrator and pay the entry fee (playing time) within the following deadlines:

9.1. No later than 11:00 (30 minutes before the start at 11:30).

9.2. In case of late arrival or failure to pay the fee by the specified time, the team or participant may be removed from the tournament before the start of the draw.

4. Organization and management of the Competition

1. The main organizer of the Competition is CESL. The co-organizers and venues are the administrations of the CYBERION cyberclub network in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova.
2. In the conditions of martial law in Ukraine, the stages of the Competition in Ukrainian cyberclubs are held in strict compliance with security requirements, the Laws of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine”, “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” and relevant regulatory legal acts regarding mass events. The Competition in Poland and Moldova is held in accordance with the current legislation of these countries.
3. The organization and holding of the Competition in Ukraine is carried out in compliance with the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”. In cyberclubs in Poland and Moldova, communication and support may be duplicated in the state language of the host country and in English. The chief judge and CESL representatives on the ground are responsible for implementing the language regulations.
4. CESL selects and appoints a panel of judges, which ensures professional refereeing at all stages of the Competition.
5. Direct responsibility for the preparation of the technical base, registration of participants and ensuring security measures (in accordance with the protocols of each country) lies with CESL, the panel of judges and the management of CYBERION cyberclubs.
6. The CESL management approves these Regulations, monitors their compliance at all locations of the CYBERION cyberclub network and has the exclusive right to make changes to them if there are objective reasons.

5. Official communication and information

1. All official communication regarding the Competition (announcement of the schedule, results of the draw, consideration of complaints and technical issues) is carried out exclusively through:

1.1. The official CESL Discord server (the main channel for technical issues and communication with judges);

1.2. The administrator of the CYBERION cyberclub directly at the location of the event (to resolve physical and local technical issues).

2. Each team is required to appoint a captain who is responsible for operational communication with the judges on the Discord server during the tournament day.
3. Any agreements between players in personal messages or on third-party resources have no legal force for CESL and cannot be used as evidence in disputed situations.
4. After registration is completed and confirmation of the presence of all participants (at 11:30 for daytime), the results of automatic mixing are published in the #mix-team-dota-2 channel of the official Discord server.
5. The message about the formation of teams contains: team name, playing composition, link to the corresponding voice channel in Discord and a direct link to the team on the Challengermode platform.
6. After the results are published, each participant is required to immediately find their team in the list and go to the designated team voice channel to coordinate actions. The use of CESL Discord voice channels during matches is mandatory.

6. Competition Participants

1. A Competition Participant is an individual who has passed official registration, meets the requirements of these Regulations and takes direct part in the tournament.
2. Players aged 18 and over at the time of the start of the Competition are allowed to participate in the Competition. Players aged 12 to 18 may participate only with the consent of their parents or guardians.
3. Participants participate in the Competition as part of teams. A team is considered registered if all its players have successfully completed the registration. The composition of a team for this discipline is fixed and consists of 5 main participants.
4. After filling out the registration form, each Participant (or team captain) is obliged to take a screenshot confirming the successful sending of data. The presence of a screenshot is the only proof of application submission in the event of technical failures in the registration system. In the absence of such a screenshot, claims for participation will not be considered.
5. Players are not allowed to participate in the Competition if, within the last 6 months, they have participated in tournaments on the same team with citizens of the Russian Federation/the Russian Federation or played in tournaments organized by aggressor countries or in tournaments where teams from the Russian Federation/the Russian Federation are allowed to participate.
6. An exception to point 5 is the participation of players in international European tournaments where a meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation/the Russian Federation was technically unavoidable due to the tournament grid.
7. In connection with the official opening of the CYBERION cyberclub in the Republic of Moldova on 18.02.2026, from the specified date, the CESL Regulations apply to players from this region. Moldovan participants are provided with official recommendations regarding the inadmissibility of participating in tournaments of the aggressor country from 18.02.2026. Participation in Russian Federation/the Russian Federation events after this date is grounds for disqualification.
8. Participants are required to adhere to the principles of courtesy, respect for opponents and fair play. The use of obscene language, personal insults, toxic behavior and discrimination is strictly prohibited.
9. Any manifestations of physical aggression or threats on the territory of the CYBERION cyberclub will lead to immediate disqualification and lifelong restriction of access to all CESL events.
10. Participants participate in the Competition exclusively in the CYBERION cyberclub network. Players from the same team may be in different cyberclubs of the network provided that they indicate their location during registration.
11. Participants are required to reserve a playing place in the cyberclub in advance. On the day of the tournament, from 11:00, participants are prohibited from launching any rating or third-party game sessions, except for direct matches of the Competition.
12. In the event of the end of the game time (service package), the participant is obliged to notify the cyberclub administrator in advance to ensure the continuity of the gaming process.
13. Participants are obliged to maintain contact with the judging panel and CESL exclusively through the official CESL Discord server.
14. By participating in the Competition, the Participant fully agrees to the taking of photos and videos and the right of CESL to freely use these materials on the official CYBERION resources and for advertising purposes.
15. The Steam game profiles of all participants must be fully open (privacy settings “My Profile” and “Access to game information” – “Open/Public”) continuously from the moment of submitting the registration application until the official end of the Competition. Each participant is also obliged to activate the “Expose Public Match Data” item in the Dota 2 game settings.
16. Requirements for nicknames and team names:

16.1. Player nicknames must be censored, readable, and not contain hieroglyphs, references, or Cyrillic.
16.2. Team names must be censored, not contain hieroglyphs, references, or written exclusively in Latin. The use of abbreviations is permitted.
16.3. The participant’s in-game nickname must fully correspond to his nickname on the FACEIT/Challengermode platform specified during registration.
16.4. If the nickname does not comply with the requirements of the Regulations or is unreadable, the player must change it at the first request of the judge. Refusal to change the nickname or team name is grounds for disqualification.

17. It is strictly forbidden to participate in the Competitions from a game account with less than 100 hours of Dota2 play. If such an account is detected during verification, the player will not be allowed to participate in the matches or will be disqualified without a refund of the entry fee.

7. Refereeing

1. The tournament process is managed by CESL. Any situations not described in the regulations are resolved by the tournament chief referee, whose decision is final.

2. Referee and his powers:

2.1. The referee ensures compliance with the regulations and the fairness of the competition.

2.2. The applicant is a person who addresses the referee regarding a controversial situation or violation of the regulations.

2.3. The referee’s decisions are mandatory.

2.4. Monitoring compliance with the regulations during the tournament is the main duty of the referee.

2.5. All controversial situations between teams are resolved by the referee.

2.6. The referee’s decisions are situational in nature and cannot be appealed.

8. Competition Schedule

1. The competition is held according to a schedule that depends on the chosen tournament format (day or evening).

2. Daily tournament format:
2.1. At 10:00, registration on the website closes. To check the status of the application, the participant must contact the cyberclub administrator specified during registration.
2.2. From 11:00 to 11:30, the participant must arrive at the cyberclub, pay for the game time and confirm his presence with the cyberclub administrator.
2.3. At 11:30, cyberclub administrators complete the confirmation of all participants present.
2.4. At 11:30, the draw and mixing of teams procedure begins.
2.5. At 12:00, the technical check of the participants’ readiness (device settings, profiles) is completed.
2.6. At 12:00 – 12:30, the approximate start of the first matches begins.
In the event of a power outage, the participant must immediately notify the cyberclub administrator and the CESL administrator via the official Discord server.
4. CESL reserves the right to adjust the start time of the Competition and matches in the event of technical malfunctions or delays in previous games.

9. Match system

1. The competition is held according to a combined system, which includes the main Single Elimination bracket and the additional stage “Second Chance Bracket”.
2. All matches of both stages are held in the Best of 1 format (until one victory).
3. The “Second Chance” stage is introduced in order to ensure that each team plays at least two matches within one tournament day:

3.1. All teams that have lost in the first stage of the Competition within the current tournament day automatically fall into the parallel tournament bracket “Second Chance”;”.
3.2. Teams that have lost their match in the second stage or in the subsequent stages of the main bracket (having already moved on to the next stage after the first stage) are permanently eliminated from the Competition;
3.3. The prize fund for the winner (1st place) of the “Second Chance” bracket is formed by transferring the award that was provided for the 4th place of the main bracket. Thus, the 4th place in the main bracket is not a prize;
3.4. In case of refusal to participate in this stage, the team captain is obliged to immediately notify the CESL administrator for the correct update of the tournament bracket.

4. The formation of teams is carried out by an automated system based on the rating (MMR) to ensure the maximum balance of the playing level of all teams at the Competition.
5. The CESL administrator appoints one of the participants of each formed team as the captain, who is responsible for the transition of the team via the platform link and the readiness of the players.
6. Any arbitrary transfers of players between teams or unauthorized substitutions are strictly prohibited. The exception is the situation when the team does not have a full squad (less than 5 players). In this case, at the judge’s decision, a random player from the team that has already been eliminated from the Competition joins the team.
7. All tournament matches are held exclusively on the Challengermode/FACEIT/CESL platform and servers.
8. The choice of side (Radiant/Dire) or the order of hero selection (First/Last Pick) is determined automatically by the platform or by a game coin toss (/roll).
9. The team that won the right to choose chooses either the side or the order of pick. Opponents choose another available option.
10. All matches are held on the current version of the Dota 2 game map.
11. The tournament is held in one stage in the format specified in the “Tournament Parameters”. CESL reserves the right to change the format depending on the number of participants.
12. When the “Air Alert” signal is announced, the administrator of the relevant CYBERION cyberclub immediately informs the participants about the location of the nearest shelter and informs the head referee about the security situation in the region. Based on the information received, the referee makes the final decision on stopping the matches, the duration of the pause or further steps regarding the Competition.
13. The results of the matches are recorded on the platform automatically and confirmed by the tournament referee.

10. Technical parameters of the match

1. All matches are held in Captains Mode (CM).
2. The game interface language must be set to English or Ukrainian.
3. The game voiceover language must be exclusively English.
4. The main server for holding matches is Stockholm.
5. If at least one player from a team writes the message “GG” or “GG” (in any case) in the general game chat, such a team is automatically credited with a defeat on the current map.
6. The “Adult content” parameter (visualization of blood, corpses, etc.) must be disabled in the game settings.
7. The color scheme of the player and opponent lighting, as well as the hero icons on the mini-map must be standard.
8. The use of any third-party programs, scripts (macros for casting), overlays or plugins that provide additional game information about opponents or any advantage over them is strictly prohibited.
9. Each team has the right to a total pause time of up to 10 minutes per map to resolve technical problems.
10. Pausing during an active game fight (fight) is prohibited, except in cases of a complete disconnection of the player (departure from the server).
11. Before canceling a pause, the team must receive confirmation of readiness from the opponents in the chat (write “Ready?” and receive “+” or “go”). Unilaterally canceling a pause without the consent of the other team is punishable by disciplinary action or technical defeat on the map at the decision of the referee.

11. Broadcasts

1. Players have the right to broadcast live or record their games, adhering to the requirements of these Regulations.
2. The delay for the official broadcast of the Competition must be at least 300 seconds.
3. The delay for unofficial broadcasts (player streams) must be at least 300 seconds.
4. The lobby settings in the game (DotaTV) must have a delay of at least 5 minutes.
5. Players and persons accompanying them at the venue (coaches, managers, etc.) are strictly prohibited from watching the official broadcast of the tournament during the match.

12. Conditions for determining the winners and awarding

1. The winners and prize-winners of the Competition are determined based on the results of the final matches of the main draw and the final of the “Second Chance” draw, formed by the CESL judging panel.
2. The prize fund that was provided for the 4th place of the main draw is transferred and awarded to the winner (1st place) of the “Second Chance” draw. Thus, the 4th place in the main draw is not a prize.
3. Based on the results of the Competition, the teams (or players) that took 1, 2, 3 of the main tournament draw and 1st place of the “Second Chance” draw are determined.
4. Participants who took the specified prize-winning places are awarded with valuable gifts (peripherals, merch, playing time, etc.) from CESL and tournament partners. Each player of the prize-winning team receives a gift individually.
5. The Organizer will make reasonable efforts to pay out the winnings within 21 calendar days from the date of the end of the Competition. In case the participant fails to provide correct payment details or other required documents, including tax documents, the payment of the total winnings

shall be suspended until such deficiencies are eliminated within a reasonable period of time.

6. The payment of the total winnings shall be made by bank transfer to the details provided by the participant. If the participant has not received his winnings within one year from the date of the first payment attempt, the corresponding winnings shall be cancelled. The prize money shall be paid to the team members in equal shares (the total prize amount shall be divided among the five team members) to bank accounts, net of taxes and mandatory fees stipulated by the current legislation of Ukraine.
7. When paying the prize, the Organizer acts as the participant’s tax agent, and therefore withholds and pays taxes to the budget on behalf of and at the participant’s expense, keeps tax records and submits tax reports in accordance with the requirements of the law.
8. If fewer than the minimum number of teams (16) registered and actually participated in the Competition in a particular discipline, CESL reserves the right to reduce the prize fund (number of gifts or amount of playing time) by half (by 50%).
9. Participants disqualified for violating the Regulations (cheating, smurfing, aggression, violation of the RF/RB policy, etc.) completely lose the right to any awards.
10. Official results of the Competition and announcement of winners are published in the corresponding channel of the official CESL Discord server immediately after the end of the matches. These results are final

13. Financing conditions and entry fees

1. The costs of organization, judging and formation of the prize fund are provided by CESL and the partners of the Competition.
2. To participate in the Competition, participants pay an entry fee.

2.1. The entry fee is the payment for playing time (reservation of a place) in the selected cyberclub of the CYBERION network for the period of the tournament. The standard condition of participation is the purchase of a “5 hours” game package immediately before the start of the Competition.

2.2. Players undertake to pay the entry fee directly in the cyberclub before the start of the Competition, but not earlier than 11:00 on the day of the tournament.

3. A team is not allowed to participate in the Competition if at least one of its players has not paid the entry fee by the time of completion of confirmation by the administrator of the Cyberion cyberclub (11:30).
4. If the minimum number of teams (16) is not recruited for the Competition, CESL reserves the right to reduce the prize fund by half.

14. Disciplinary rules and penalties

1. In case of violation of these Regulations, depending on the severity of the incident, the following disciplinary penalties may be imposed by the judges:

1.1. Warning;

1.2. Technical defeat of the team on a specific map;

1.3. Disqualification of the team from the current tournament;

1.4. Inadmissibility to participate in future CESL Competitions;

1.5. Lifetime ban from CESL (in case of using cheats).

2. Participants in the Competition are strictly prohibited from using any third-party software (cheating) that gives them an advantage over other players (for example: scripts, macros, etc.) and overlays that display timers of neutral creeps, enemy ultimates, or wards.
3. Using game bugs (bugs) that are not provided for by the game mechanics and give an unfair advantage (for example: viewing through textures, going outside the map, using pixel surfing, etc.) is prohibited.
4. Smurfing is prohibited in the Competition – participation by a player under someone else’s account or the use of an additional account by a player with a high rating in order to hide their real identity. All participants must play exclusively under their main accounts.
5. “Match-fixing” (322) or intentional loss in order to gain benefit for themselves or third parties is prohibited.
6. If cheating is detected, the team will be immediately disqualified from the Competition without the right to return any contributions, and the results of all its matches will be annulled. The offending player will be given a lifetime ban.
7. For bagoyuz or smurfing, the judge has the right to impose a penalty at his own discretion: from a technical defeat on the map to a complete disqualification of the team.
8. The referees have the right to request a check of the player’s account and game history on the DOTABUFF or Steam platforms at any time during the tournament.
9. Any claims regarding the fairness of the opponents’ game must be submitted by the team captain in the form of an official protest via the CESL Discord server no later than 15 minutes after the end of the match.
10. Intentional interference with the gameplay of one’s team (intentional feeding, sabotage, revealing teammates’ positions to opponents) is punishable by immediate disqualification of the player.
11. Players disqualified for sabotage or unsportsmanlike behavior in the MIX format will be banned from participating in the next 3 CESL league tournaments. The entry fee (payment for playing time) will not be refunded in this case.
12. In the event of disqualification of a player or the entire team for any violation of these Regulations, the funds for purchased game packages (hour packages) are not refundable.