ESL updates IEM rule book ahead of Katowice 2020

Cover Image Courtesy: ESL Gaming - Adela Sznajder | Thumbnail Image Courtesy: ESL Gaming - Helena Kristiansson

ESL has just released an updated version of its IEM (Intel Extreme Masters) rulebook before the start of its fourteenth season ahead of Katowice 2020.

Some of the big changes introduced to the rulebook which applies to all the gaming titles are,

Line-up Changes During Event

Under this existing rule, an eight-hour timeline has been introduced inside which teams have to report any changes to their line-up.

During the main event, the line-up for the next upcoming map has to be reported to ESL at least 8 hours before the scheduled start of the match, or immediately after the end of the previous map, whichever is later.

In case this is the first match of an offline event (or of a new stage of an offline event with a break of over 30 hours between stages), the line-up has to be reported to ESL at least 24 hours before the scheduled start of the match.

During the qualifiers, the line-up can be changed at any time between maps.

Later changes are only possible in cases of emergency (e.g. injuries, illness).

Technical Checklist

Once the players are done completing their setup process they would be required to sign off on the ESL admins technical checklist. Once the match starts and a technical pause is taken, there will be an assessment of the situation and if it is found that the problem could have been averted if the checklist had been properly followed, action will be taken in the form of one minor penalty point.

Limitations For Issuing Punishments

From now on punishments can be issued for a limited amount of time after the incident has taken place.

In the case of cheating and match-fixing, this duration is set to 10 years. For infractions like ringing, faking, lying about legally relevant personal information (name, age, nationality, residency, …), the duration is set to 5 years. Smaller infractions may expire earlier.

Damaging or Soiling

The rule which warned a player that if any action taken by them resulted in damaging or soiling of rooms, furniture, equipment, or similar things, then they would be fined for the same, the cost including restoration charges, handling efforts and damaged reputation caused with a third party or the public, has been changed to not just damaging or soiling but also potentially damaging.

Along with these common changes, some CS:GO specific changes that took place were,

1. If there is a match being played immediately before another team’s match is scheduled to take place, the latest time at which the map selection process for the next game has to be started is during the halftime of the potential final map of the previous match.
   
   
2. The map vetoes must not be made public before ESL does so.
   
   
3. The updated offline coaching rule dictates that if a warning is given to a coach for talking to the players between rounds by shouting or other such means, the warning will be counted for the entire event instead for just that match. Also, some teams who receive a pre-warning in case they have been known to indulge in such activities, the ‘pre-warning’ will itself count as the first warning and breaking the rule will lead to a penalty immediately.
   
   
4. Joining the wrong team on the server is now forbidden and may be penalized with one minor penalty point.
   
   
5. A player is no longer allowed to intentionally cause his character to suicide by either using the ‘/kill’ command, using map features to inflict self-damage like jump off on Vertigo or take damage by hurling utilities at self.
   
   
6. Vertigo replaces Cache in the map pool for current competitive circuit.
   
   

Some of these game-specific rules applied to CS:GO are surely going to be a topic of debate over the next few days. Let’s see which are accepted and which aren’t, can already see public going bonkers over not choosing Cache for the competitive circuit.