The International 2018: Valve Penalizes VGJ.Storm For Using Multiple Coaches

VGJ
VGJ.Storm

The International is the biggest DOTA2 tournament with the largest prize pool in the history of E-sports. Teams, players and every one attached to the tournament pours their everything, every ounce of their energy to win the DOTA2 annual Championship event. Controversy and complicacy have always been a part of the DOTA2 scene and even an event like TI8 can’t dodge it. We are not going to judge who messed up here or who’s fault it was but let’s take a look at what happened during the group stage match of VGJ.Storm.

VGJ.Storm will receive penalties during their first International 2018 playoff match for having more than one coach at the group stage match. The rules allowed 5 players and one coach during the drafting phase but apparently, instructions were not clear enough and VGJ.Storm used 2 coaches. This situation forced Valve to step in and explain what happened.

This was the statement Valve Officially released from their tweeter on August 19, 2018,

“Today we learned that VGJ.Storm had used two coaches during their group stage drafts. When we asked VGJ.Storm, they said that they asked a PGL employee if they could have more in the draft, and he told them that he doesn't care as long as they left at the end of the draft.

We had clearly instructed all teams in the required players meeting that only 5 players and 1 coach were allowed in the competition room during the draft.

We think this was likely a misunderstanding rather than malicious, however, it is still their responsibility to follow the instructions provided like the other teams have.

As such, we are applying penalties to just their first series of the Main Event; they will not be allowed to use a coach during the draft and will have a level 2 draft time penalty.”

Beside their main coach Clairvoyance, VGJ.Storm also brought Illidan for TI8. Because of their penalty, they will not be allowed to have any coach during their first playoff match and they will have a level 2 drafting penalty reducing their reserve time by 70 seconds. They will face Group A seed 3/4 in the winner’s bracket.

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