1. General Provisions.2. Objectives and Tasks of the Competition.3. Application Deadlines and Registration Procedure.4. Organization and Management of the Competition.5. Official Communication and Information.6. Participants of the Competition.7. Refereeing.8. Competition Schedule.9. Match System.10. Technical Match Parameters.11. Broadcasts.12. Conditions for Determining Winners and Awarding.13. Funding Conditions and Entry Fees.14. Disciplinary Rules and Penalties.
1. General Provisions
1. These Regulations define the procedure for conducting DOTA 2 5x5 TEAM+MIX (hereinafter referred to as the Competition) which is part of the CYBERION eSPORTS LEAGUE (hereinafter referred to as CESL) and is held in the format of 38 Season.2. The uniqueness of the TEAM + MIX format lies in combining within one tournament pre-formed teams (TEAM) and individual players from whom the organizers form teams directly on the tournament day (MIX). All teams compete in one tournament bracket on equal terms.3. In 2026, the Competition among participants will be held only in cyber clubs of the CYBERION network.4. The organizers of the competition are CESL.5. In the event of force majeure circumstances and/or for security reasons and/or in the presence of any other circumstances that make it impossible to conduct the Competition, CESL has the right (and in the event of issuance of official orders by state authorities and/or local self-government bodies — is obliged) to cancel the Competition in full or in part or, if possible, postpone the Competition to other dates and times. CESL and the cyber clubs of the CYBERION network under no circumstances bear responsibility for participants’ losses.6. All current up-to-date information about the organization and conduct of the Competition, as well as official announcements about changes, are published on the official Cyberion website, as well as in official channels (Discord, social networks). Information posted on these resources is considered communicated to participants.7. CESL is not responsible for failure to familiarize or untimely familiarization with the specified information and strongly recommends participants of the Competition to independently and regularly follow up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the conditions of the Competition.8. Each participant of the Competition by the fact of filling out the registration form confirms that they have familiarized themselves with all information about the Competition provided by CESL, understood it and unconditionally agreed with all rules of conducting the Competition.
2. Objectives and Tasks of the Competition
1. The main goal of the Competition is the development of esports in Ukraine, strengthening the professional community around the CYBERION cyber club network and promoting CESL as a leading organizer of LAN tournaments.2. Main objectives and tasks of the Competition:2.1. Promotion of esports as an official sport and facilitation of its further development on the territory of Ukraine, Poland and Moldova;2.2. Identification of talented players and teams among visitors of the CYBERION network for their further professional development and support within the league;2.3. Increasing the level of sports mastery, individual skills and team interaction of participants;2.4. Support of LAN competitions that ensure fair play and equal technical conditions for each player;2.5. Increasing the level of awareness about esports among various audiences by conducting online broadcasts and covering the Competition on social networks and in media;2.6. Uniting players into a single community, promoting live communication and exchange of experience among participants;2.7. Forming patriotic feelings and supporting Ukrainian standards for holding competitions free from any influence of the aggressor country;2.8. Promoting responsible gaming, discipline and a healthy lifestyle.
3. Application Deadlines and Registration Procedure
1. Applications for participation in the Competition are submitted by filling out the official registration form, the link to which is posted in the CESL Discord server and on official resources of the CYBERION network. Registration provides for two types of participation:1.1. Team registration (TEAM): the captain submits an application for the entire team (5 main players + if available 1 substitute).1.2. Individual registration (MIX): the player registers independently for further formation of a MIX team by the organizers.2. The following time limits (deadlines) for registration are established:2.1. Acceptance of applications ends at 10:00 on the day of the Competition.2.2. Applications submitted after the specified time are automatically considered invalid and are not accepted for review.3. Registration is considered successful only on condition of filling out all mandatory fields of the form and entering accurate data. Each participant (both as part of TEAM and MIX) is obliged 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 persons (friends), however this does not guarantee that they will be placed in one game team (MIX roster). Formation of rosters is carried out exclusively by an automated mixing program to ensure balance.5. The responsibility for the reliability of the data displayed in the registration form (including current MMR) lies with the participant who provides it. In case intentional distortion of information or use of “smurf accounts” is detected, the organizers have the right to disqualify the player.6. A mandatory condition after submitting the form is that the participant (or the TEAM captain) saves a screenshot-confirmation of successful registration.6.1. The screenshot is the only proof of application submission in case of a technical failure of the system.6.2. In the absence of such a screenshot and the absence of registration in the system, the participant is not admitted to the Competition.6.3. To verify the status of your application, you must contact the administrator of the cyber club that you specified in the registration form as the place of your play.7. The fact of submitting an application is not an automatic right to participate in the Competition. The final right to admission is granted by the head referee after checking the player for compliance with safety and ethics criteria (according to Section 6).8. After the end of the registration time and the start of the automated mixing procedure, any changes in the rosters of the formed teams or transfers between them are strictly prohibited.9. Participants are obliged to arrive at the selected CYBERION cyber club, confirm presence with the administrator and pay the entry fee (game time) within the following terms:9.1. No later than 11:00 (30 minutes before the start at 11:30).9.2. In case of being late or not paying 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. Co-organizers and venues are the administrations of the CYBERION cyber club network in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova.2. Under martial law in Ukraine, conducting stages of the Competition in Ukrainian cyber clubs is carried out with strict compliance with safety requirements, the Laws of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine”, “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” and relevant regulatory legal acts regarding holding mass events. Conducting the Competition in Poland and Moldova is carried out according to the current legislation of these countries.3. Organization and conduct of the Competition on the territory of Ukraine is carried out with compliance with the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”. In cyber clubs of Poland and Moldova, communication and support may be duplicated in the official language of the country of stay and in English. The head referee and CESL representatives on site are responsible for implementation of the language regulation.4. CESL carries out selection and appointment of the refereeing panel, which ensures professional officiating at all stages of the Competition.5. Direct responsibility for preparation of the technical base, registration of participants and ensuring safety measures (according to the protocols of each country) is assigned to CESL, the refereeing panel and the management of CYBERION cyber clubs.6. CESL management approves these Regulations, carries out control over compliance with them at all locations of the CYBERION cyber club 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 (schedule announcements, draw results, consideration of complaints and technical issues) is carried out exclusively through:1.1. The official CESL Discord server (the main channel for technical questions and communication with referees);1.2. The administrator of the CYBERION cyber club directly at the venue (for resolving physical and local technical issues).2. Action algorithm for MIX format players:2.1. After completion of the automated mixing procedure (at 11:30), the results are published in the relevant Discord channel #mix-team-dota-2.2.2. The message contains: the name of the formed team, the playing roster, a link to the team voice channel in Discord and a direct link to the match page on the gaming platform (Challengermode/FACEIT).2.3. The player is obliged to immediately find themselves in the list and move to the assigned channel.3. Action algorithm for TEAM format teams:3.1. Team captains are independently responsible for coordinating their roster.3.2. To create a gaming space, the captain needs to go to the “Private channels” category in CESL Discord and use the “Create channel [+]” function for automatic generation of a voice room.4. Any agreements between players in private messages or on third-party resources have no legal force for CESL and cannot be used as evidence in disputed situations.5. To ensure in-game communication and the possibility of refereeing control, all teams (both TEAM and MIX) are obliged to use exclusively the official CESL Discord server during matches.
6. Participants of the Competition
1. A participant of the Competition is a natural person who has completed official registration and participates in the tournament in one of two statuses:1.1. TEAM: as part of a pre-formed team of 5 persons;1.2. MIX: as an individual player for further automated объединення (combining) into a team.2. Players aged 18 years and older at the moment of the start of the Competition are admitted to participation. Players aged 12 to 18 may participate only with the consent of parents or guardians.3. Participation format:3.1. A TEAM team is considered registered provided that the captain successfully registers all 5 players of the main roster.3.2. MIX participants register individually and agree to automated distribution into teams based on their game rating (MMR).4. After filling out the registration form, each Participant (or the TEAM captain) is obliged to take a screenshot confirming successful submission of data. This is the only proof of registration in case of a technical failure. In the absence of such a screenshot, claims regarding participation are not considered.5. Players are not admitted to participation in the Competition if within the last 6 months they participated in tournaments in one team with citizens of the russian federation/belarus or played in tournaments organized by aggressor countries, or in tournaments where participation of teams from the russian federation/belarus is allowed.6. An exception to clause 5 is participation of players in international European tournaments where meeting representatives of the russian federation/belarus was technically unavoidable due to the tournament bracket.7. In connection with the official opening of the CYBERION cyber club in the Republic of Moldova on 18.02.2026, from the specified date the CESL Regulations apply to players of this region. Participants of Moldova from 18.02.2026 are provided with official recommendations regarding the inadmissibility of participation in tournaments of the aggressor country. Participation in events of the russian federation/belarus after this date is grounds for disqualification.8. Participants are obliged to adhere to the principles of politeness, respect for opponents and fair play. Use of profanity, personal insults, toxic behavior and discrimination is strictly prohibited.9. Any manifestations of physical aggression or threats on the territory of the CYBERION cyber club lead to immediate disqualification and a lifetime restriction of access to all CESL events.10. Participants take part in the Competition exclusively in the CYBERION cyber club network. Players of one team (both TEAM and MIX) may be located in different cyber clubs of the network.11. Participants are obliged to book a gaming seat in the cyber club in advance independently. On the tournament day from 11:00 participants are prohibited from launching any ranked or third-party game sessions, except the matches of the Competition.12. In case of expiration of gaming time (service package), the participant is obliged to notify the cyber club administrator in advance to ensure continuity of the gaming process.13. Participants are obliged to maintain communication with the refereeing panel and CESL exclusively through the official CESL Discord server.14. By participating in the Competition, the Participant gives full consent to photo and video recording and grants CESL the right to freely use these materials on official CYBERION resources and for advertising purposes.15. Steam game profiles of all participants must be fully public (privacy settings “My profile” and “Game details” — “Public”) continuously from the moment of submitting the registration application until the official completion of the Competition. Also each participant is obliged to enable in the Dota 2 settings the option “Expose Public Match Data”.16. Requirements for nicknames and team names:16.1. Player nicknames must be censored, readable, must not contain hieroglyphs, links and Cyrillic.16.2. TEAM team names must be censored, must not contain hieroglyphs or links, and must be written exclusively in Latin characters. Use of abbreviations is allowed.16.3. MIX team names are assigned by the organizers automatically.16.4. The participant’s in-game nickname must fully correspond to their nickname on the FACEIT/Challengermode platform specified during registration.16.5. In case of non-compliance of a nickname with the requirements of the Regulations or if it is unreadable, the player is obliged to change it at the first request of the referee. Refusal to change the nickname or the team name is grounds for disqualification.17. It is strictly prohibited to register individually (MIX) using a game account with total Dota 2 playtime of less than 100 hours. If such an account is detected during verification of the MIX roster, the player is not admitted to matches or is disqualified without refund of the entry fee. This restriction does not apply to players in pre-formed TEAM teams.
7. Refereeing
1. CESL manages the tournament processes. Any situations that are not described in the regulations are resolved by the head referee of the tournament, whose decision is final.2. Referee and their powers:2.1. The referee ensures compliance with the regulations and fairness of the competition.2.2. The applicant is a person who contacts the referee regarding a disputed situation or violation of the regulations.2.3. The referee’s decision is mandatory for execution.2.4. Control over compliance with the regulations during the tournament is the main duty of the referee.2.5. All disputes between teams are resolved by the referee.2.6. Referee decisions are situational and are not subject to appeal.
8. Competition Schedule
1. The Competition is held according to a schedule depending on the chosen tournament format (daytime or evening).2. Daytime tournament format:2.1. At 10:00 registration on the website closes. To verify the status of the application, the participant must contact the administrator of the cyber club specified during registration.2.2. From 11:00 to 11:30 the participant needs to arrive at the cyber club, pay for gaming time and confirm presence with the cyber club administrator.2.3. At 11:30 cyber club administrators complete confirmation of all present participants.2.4. At 11:30 the procedure of drawing and mixing begins.2.5. At 12:00 the technical check of participants’ readiness is completed (device settings, profiles).2.6. At 12:00 – 12:30 the approximate start of the first matches begins.3. In the event of a power outage, the participant is obliged to immediately inform the cyber club administrator and the CESL administrator through the official Discord server.4. CESL reserves the right to adjust the start time of the Competition and matches in case of technical malfunctions or delays in previous games.
9. Match System
1. The Competition is held under a combined system that includes the main Single Elimination bracket and an additional stage “Second Chance” (Second Chance Bracket).2. All matches of both stages are played in Best of 1 format (to one win).3. The “Second Chance” stage is introduced to ensure that each team plays at least two matches within one tournament day:3.1. All teams that lose in the first stage of the Competition within the current tournament day automatically enter the parallel “Second Chance” tournament bracket;3.2. Teams that lose their match in the second stage or in the next stages of the main bracket (having already advanced to the next stage after the first stage) are eliminated from the Competition finally;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 4th place of the main bracket. Thus, 4th place in the main bracket is not a prize place;3.4. In case of refusal to participate in this stage, the team captain is obliged to immediately inform the CESL administrator for correct updating of the tournament bracket.4. TEAM category teams participate in an unchanged registered roster, and MIX category teams are formed by an automated system based on the MMR rating of individual players.5. Captains:5.1. In TEAM teams, the captain is the person who submitted the application.5.2. In MIX teams, the CESL administrator appoints a captain from among the players of the formed roster.6. Restrictions and substitutes:6.1. Unauthorized transfers of players between teams are strictly prohibited.6.2. For TEAM teams, substitutes are not provided (play shorthanded or technical loss).6.3. For MIX teams, the referee may allow the involvement of a “stand-in” from among those who have already been eliminated from the tournament.7. All tournament matches are conducted exclusively on the platform and servers of Challengermode/FACEIT/CESL.8. Side selection (Radiant/Dire) or the order of hero picking (First/Last Pick) is determined automatically by the platform or by an in-game coin toss (/roll).9. The team that won the right of choice selects either the side or the pick order. The opponents choose the other available parameter.10. All matches are played on the current version of the Dota 2 game map.11. The tournament is conducted 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 Raid Alert” signal is announced, the administrator of the respective CYBERION cyber club immediately informs participants about the location of the nearest shelter and informs the head referee about the security situation in the region. Based on the received information, the referee makes the final decision regarding stopping matches, the duration of the pause or further steps regarding conducting the Competition.13. Match results are recorded on the platform automatically and confirmed by the tournament referee.
10. Technical Match Parameters
1. All matches are conducted in Captains Mode (CM).2. The game interface language must be set to English or Ukrainian.3. The game voice-over language must be English only.4. The main server for matches is Stockholm.5. In case at least one player of a team writes “GG” or “ГГ” (in any letter case) in all chat, such team is automatically credited with a loss on the current map.6. The “Mature Content” parameter (visualization of blood, corpses, etc.) must be obligatorily turned off in the game settings.7. The color scheme for highlighting players and opponents, as well as hero icons on the mini-map, must be standard.8. It is strictly prohibited to use any third-party programs, scripts (macros for spell casting), overlays or plugins that provide additional game information about opponents or any advantage over them.9. Each team has the right to a total pause time of up to 10 minutes per map to resolve technical problems.10. It is prohibited to pause during an active in-game fight, except in cases of complete disconnection of a player (server crash/disconnect).11. Before unpausing, the team is obliged to obtain confirmation of readiness from the opponents in chat (write “Ready?” and receive “+” or “go”). Unpausing unilaterally without the consent of the other team is punished by a disciplinary penalty or a technical loss on the map by the decision of the referee.
11. Broadcasts
1. Players have the right to conduct a live broadcast or record their games, observing 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. Lobby settings in the game (DotaTV) must have a delay set to at least 5 minutes.5. Players and persons who are with them at the venue (coaches, managers, etc.) are strictly prohibited from watching the official tournament broadcast during the match.
12. Conditions for Determining Winners and Awarding
1. Determination of winners and prize-winners of the Competition is carried out based on the results of the final matches of the main bracket and the final of the “Second Chance” bracket formed by the CESL refereeing panel.2. The prize fund that was provided for 4th place in the main bracket, in the TEAM+MIX format, is transferred and awarded to the winner (1st place) of the “Second Chance” bracket. Thus, 4th place in the main bracket is not a prize place.3. Based on the results of the Competition, the teams (or players) who took 1st, 2nd, 3rd places of the main tournament bracket and 1st place of the “Second Chance” bracket are determined.4. Participants who took the specified prize places are awarded valuable gifts (peripherals, merch, gaming 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 winnings within 21 calendar days from the date of completion of the Competition. In case the participant does not provide correct payment details or other necessary documents, including tax documents, payment of the total winnings is suspended until such deficiencies are remedied within a reasonable period.6. Payment of the total winnings is carried out by bank transfer to the details provided by the participant. If the participant did not receive their winnings within one year from the date of the first attempt of payment, the corresponding winnings are annulled. Prize funds are paid to participants of the team in equal shares (the total prize amount is divided among five team participants) to bank accounts after deduction of taxes and mandatory fees provided by the current legislation of Ukraine.7. When paying winnings, the Organizer acts as the participant’s tax agent, and therefore withholds and pays taxes to the budget on behalf of and at the expense of the participant, keeps tax records and submits tax reporting in accordance with the requirements of legislation.8. In the event that fewer than the minimum number of teams (16) registered for and actually participated in the Competition in a specific discipline, considering TEAM and formed MIX rosters in total, CESL reserves the right to reduce the amount of the prize fund (number of gifts or volume of gaming time) by half (by 50%).9. Participants disqualified for violation of the Regulations (cheating, smurfing, aggression, violation of policy regarding the russian federation/belarus, etc.) fully lose the right to any awards.10. Official results of the Competition and the announcement of winners are published in the relevant channel of the official CESL Discord server immediately after the completion of matches. These results are final.
13. Funding Conditions and Entry Fees
1. Expenses for organization, officiating and forming the prize pool are provided by CESL and partners of the Competition.2. To participate in the Competition, participants pay an entry fee.2.1. The entry fee is payment for gaming time (seat reservation) in the selected CYBERION cyber club of the network for the period of the tournament. The standard condition of participation is purchase of the “5 hours” gaming package immediately before the start of the Competition.2.2. Players undertake to pay the entry fee directly in the cyber club before the start of the Competition, but not earlier than 11:00 on the tournament day.3. A team is not admitted to participation in the Competition if at least one of its players has not paid the entry fee by the moment of completion of confirmation by the Cyberion cyber club administrator (11:30).4. In the event that the minimum number of teams (16) is not reached for the Competition, CESL reserves the right to reduce the prize pool by half.
14. Disciplinary Rules and Penalties
1. In case of violation of these Regulations, depending on the severity of the incident, the referees may impose the following disciplinary penalties:1.1. Warning;1.2. Technical loss of the team on a specific map;1.3. Disqualification of the team from the current tournament;1.4. Denial of admission to participation in future CESL Competitions;1.5. Lifetime ban in CESL (in case of using cheats).2. Participants of the Competition are strictly prohibited from using any third-party software (cheating) that provides an advantage over other players (for example: scripts, macros, etc.) and overlays that display timers of neutral creeps, enemy ultimates or wards.3. Use of game bugs (bug abuse) that are not provided by the game mechanics and give an unfair advantage (for example: viewing through textures, going out of the map boundaries, using pixel surfing, etc.) is prohibited.4. Smurfing is prohibited in the Competition — participation under someone else’s account or the use by a high-rated player of an additional account in order to hide their real identity. All participants must play exclusively on their main accounts.5. “Fixed matches” (match-fixing — 322) or intentional losing for the purpose of obtaining benefits for oneself or third parties is prohibited.6. If cheating is detected, the team is immediately disqualified from the Competition without the right to refund any fees, and the results of all its matches are annulled. The violating player is assigned a lifetime ban.7. For bug abuse or smurfing, the referee has the right to assign a penalty at their discretion: from a technical loss on the map to full disqualification of the team.8. The refereeing panel has the right to require verification of a player’s account and their game history on DOTABUFF or Steam platforms at any time during the tournament.9. Any claims regarding the fairness of opponents’ play must be submitted by the team captain in the form of an official protest through the CESL Discord server no later than 15 minutes after the end of the match.10. Intentional interference with the gameplay of one’s own team (intentional feeding, sabotage, disclosing teammates’ positions to opponents) is punished by immediate disqualification of the player.11. Players disqualified for sabotage or unsportsmanlike behavior in MIX teams receive a ban on participation in the next 3 CESL league tournaments. The entry fee (payment for gaming time) is not refunded in such a case.12. In case of disqualification of a player or the entire team for any violation of these Regulations, funds for purchased gaming packages (hour packages) are not refundable.
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