According to Valve’s rules, teams must have at least three players from the competitions region. In two of the four games they had played thus far, Arkosh Gaming used three players outside the North American region. This resulted in them being punished for two of their other matches.
Arkosh Gaming Penalty
Rules were put in place to ensure that teams in the Dota Pro Circuit would not rely solely on outside talent. These rules were put in by Valve to prevent teams from having to field rosters that are made up of players from other regions.
Due to these safeguards, Arkosh Gaming is now being punished by the ESL for hosting a roster that included players outside North America. Arkosh has been penalized for two of their Winter Tour matches.
The official ESL Dota 2 tweet said the following:
“As a result of rostering three players outside of the NA region for two series, @ArkoshGaming has been penalized two sub opportunities and a level 1 draft timer penalty (30s) was applied for their series against @Quincy_Crew and @BlackNYellowGG”
Arkosh is a strange case, having been formed as a roster of anonymous individuals who tried to create a spectacle in Dota 2 esports. They eventually made it to the 2022 DPC Winter Tour after finishing the 2021 DPC.
Before the DPC started, the identities of the leading Arkosh players were revealed. The players were revealed to be Jason Newsham, Andrew Jenkins, Brian “BSJ” Canavan, Jaron Clinton, and Kyle Freedman from the original roster. People who are all famous content creators and former or current pros in North America.
How Does This Impact the Upcoming Season
According to various sources, the issue with players from outside North America has been resolved, with the entire roster being played from the region in 2022. This rule was put in to prevent players from raiding weaker regions for their Major and TI spots. Therefore Arkosh being penalized for their actions seems fair.
Valve is planning on releasing more details regarding this rule shortly. Still, for now, they’re satisfied that Arkosh was not able to get away with an oversight that was quickly corrected. This proves that the ESL properly regulates matches to ensure fair games for all participants. Although this will serve as a setback for Arkosh, other matches will go on smoothly as teams compete for the top spot in the Winter Tour.
Dota 2 esports is as hot as ever as updates continue to roll in. Fans can continue to support their favorite teams and even have their share of fun through esports betting if they feel lucky.
