Rules
1. General:
1.1 All times posted are in EDT.
1.2 All communication is to be done via the EssentialsTF Discord. Link:
https://essentials.tf/discord
2. Players:
2.1 All team leaders are to be in the EssentialsTF Discord.
2.2 All players must record a demo file of their POV for every match they play in. Plugins such as P-REC may be used to achieve this.
2.3 Offensive nicknames and avatars are not allowed.
2.4 Offensive content in-game is not allowed.
2.5 All players must provide their SteamID64.
2.6 In official matches players must use their actual ETF2L/RGL nickname. It has to be easily readable for anyone spectating or casting the game. No fake-nicks or similar are allowed. A short clan tag may be pre- or post- pended to your nickname.
2.7 Players are only allowed to livestream their matches from the tournament with a 90 second delay
2.8 Players that at the start of the event have an active ban from ETF2L (for European players) or RGL (for North American players) or a league of similar status in their respective regions for 1 month or longer are not allowed to participate in the tournament. Players that have an active ban for cheating are not eligible to enter the competition at all.
3. Teams:
3.1 Teams are allowed to have 6 players in their roster.
3.2 Teams are allowed to play with all players on their roster during a tournament.
3.3 Teams are not allowed to add players to the roster during the tournament.
3.4 Teams are not allowed to exceed 3 players from a region outside of North America without an admin's approval.
3.5 If opponents agree teams are allowed to use a maximum of 2 mercs who are not on the Toornament roster.
4. Match Rules:
4.1 All matches are to be played with the Unity Cup (RGL variant) config (unity_5cp_rgl & unity_koth_rgl).
4.1.1 The whitelist and configs can be downloaded at:
https://essentials.tf/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/unity_cup_rgl.zip
4.1.2 A SourceMod plugin is required to enable the round timer adjustment of the server config. The plugin can be downloaded at:
https://github.com/b4nnyBot/TF2-Improved-Round-Timer-Plugin
4.2 All matches are to be played with the latest version of the RGL Whitelist.
4.3 Class limits are 2 for each of scout, soldier, and spy; 1 for all other classes.
4.4 Teams decide together which server to play the match on. Server rentals from
https://serveme.tf or
https://qixalite.com/ are recommended.
4.5 The winning team is responsible for reporting the match results on Toornament, any issues with self-reporting should be communicated to the Tournament Admin team.
4.6 A delay of 10 minutes is allowed. If a team does not have all players on the server after 10 minutes their opponents can claim a default win. A status screenshot needs to be sent to the tournament admins to claim a default win with the team claiming the default win having all 6 players on the server. If no team claims default win and the match has not started after 10 minutes the game will be reported as a draw with the score 0-0.
4.7 If results are not reported when the round is set to end the match will automatically result in a draw with the score 0-0.
4.8 Teams are allowed to switch a maximum of 2 players during the course of the game at a maximum of 1 time, following rule 3.4.
4.9 Teams are not allowed to play with less than 4 players.
4.10 No spectators are allowed on the server with the only exception being the tournament admins.
4.11 A team can request 1 pause per map. The pause may go on for a maximum of 5 minutes.
4.12 All matches are to be played on NA servers, unless both teams agree to play on a different server location.
5. Invite Round Robin/Open Swiss group stage:
5.1 Teams are awarded 1 points for a match win.
5.2 Teams are awarded 0 points for a match loss.
5.3 Teams are awarded 0 points each for a match draw.
5.4 Golden cap is not used in round robin for groups.
5.5 Matches are played as BO1 (Best of 1).
5.6 Pick/ban system works as follows:
- Teams decide which team is Team A and Team B respectively.
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- The map left is to be played.
5.6.1 Teams may choose between the following maps:
cp_snakewater_final1
cp_gullywash_f9
cp_process_f11
cp_metalworks_f4
cp_sunshine
koth_product_final
koth_bagel_rc5
5.7 The top 8 open teams will join the invite teams for knockouts and will be placed into the Round-of-16.
5.8 From the invite groups all teams make it into the playoffs stage of the tournament.
6. Double Elimination bracket:
6.1 Matches are BO3 (Best of 3) except for the Grand Final, which is played as BO5 (Best of 5)
6.2 Pick/Ban system for BO3 works as follows:
Teams decide which team is Team A and Team B respectively.
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- Team A pick
- Team B pick
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- The map left is to be played.
6.3 Pick/Ban system for BO5 works as follows:
Teams decide which team is Team A and Team B respectively.
- Team A ban
- Team B ban
- Team A pick
- Team B pick
- Team A pick
- Team B pick
- The map left is to be played.
6.4 Teams may choose between the following maps:
cp_snakewater_final1
cp_gullywash_f9
cp_process_f11
cp_metalworks_f4
cp_sunshine
koth_product_final
koth_bagel_rc5
7. Cheats:
7.1 No cheating of any kind is allowed.
7.2 Exploitation of bugs is not allowed.
7.3 Scripts that allow a player to perform an action in-game that they would not be able to execute without the script, or scripts that purposefully disrupt the player hitbox are banned. Scripts that freeze or glitch the player model (e.g. in mid-air to be less predictable) to make it harder to hit are also banned.
8. Admins:
8.1 All communication with tournament admins is to be held on the EssentialsTF Discord.
8.2 Admins are allowed to make changes to the rules and/or make final decisions on situations during the tournament not included in the written rules.
8.3 Any rule breaks will be punished by the admins. Penalties include but are not limited to verbal warnings as well as defaulting rounds, maps or matches in favour of one team up to disqualification of a player or a team respectively.
9. Prizes:
9.1 Any prize monies due to eligible teams will be distributed by DreamHack directly to each eligible Team Leader within 60 days of tournament end.
9.2 EssentialsTF will transfer the alias' and email addresses of eligible Team Leaders to DreamHack in a secure manner. The eligible Team Leaders will receive an email invite to withdraw their prize monies via different methods depending on their territory.
9.3 Any prize monies will be distributed in United States Dollars (USD).
9.4 Each eligible Team Leader will receive the defined split of the prize pool as per the prize information that forms the team's prize monies via the medium defined in 9.2
9.5 Recipients of any prize monies are responsible for any transaction fees or loss due to currency conversion as well as any taxes they may have to pay in their territories.
9.6 Distribution of in-game medals will be performed within 60 days from when medals are added in TF2 by Valve, or the tournament ending; whichever is later.
9.7 All players must have a valid ETF2L profile URL, RGL.gg profile URL, or steamID64 on their Toornament team profile. Failure to provide this may result in the forfeiture of an in-game medal.
9.8 Forfeiting during the playoffs also forfeits any prize monies you would be eligible for.
9.9 Any prizes may be subject to change at any time by the sole discretion of EssentialsTF or DreamHack.