Valve Enforces Rule Against Team Huddles at PGL Major Stockholm 2021

Just a day after Valve had enforced new rules against all coaches at the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, restricting them from cheering on the players, another new rule has been instated targeting team huddles. According to a statement released by Astralis head coach Danny "zonic" Sørensen, Valve has warned all teams about team huddle abuse.

Not only this, teams are now supposed to sit down and be ready on the server five minutes before the match. Once the five-minute countdown begins, teams will not be allowed to partake in a huddle. A strict warning has been also been issued clarifying that, further such incidents will result in a complete ban of team huddles.

The community is clearly not happy with Valve taking such extreme measures, as there are simple preventive solutions available that allow team huddles to take place without resulting in a delayed match start.

Valve takes action against team huddles at Major, rolls out new rule and a strict warning

PGL is doing a great job running the Major, despite a first-day hiccup, by improving on all production-related aspects by openly accepting the changes that the community wants to see. Valve is focused on maintaining the integrity of the tournament and ensuring that no form of cheating takes place, keeping a tight leash especially on the coaches following the crackdown on the infamous spectator bug abuse.

The latest rule, intimated to the teams at the Stockholm Major, is related to team huddles, which seem to be getting abused leading to match start delays.

To ensure that they do not disturb the flow of the tournament, teams have received a rather harsh notice that directs them to finish team huddles five minutes before the game start time. Also, failure in complying with this guideline will lead to a total ban of team huddles.

There was some back and forth related to this particular rule with many saying that its enforcement seems reasonable. With all the Legend Stage matches required to be played in a studio setup, it is important to monitor all activities that may contribute to it.

Zonic himself provided a great solution to this problem saying that the match Admin could give the competing teams a heads-up three minutes before the match start time. This way teams can get done with their huddle right before the match without causing any delays, while also tapping into the required mindset and getting pumped for the game at hand.

This comes just a day after Valve cracked down on the coaches, restricting them from cheering on the players during a match apart from when a timeout is ongoing.