Season 7 starts today and will see 350 teams do battle across 6 divisions and 35 groups. The divisions have been painstakingly crafted by the admin team and are ready for you to peruse. Make sure to get in contact with the other teams in your group as soon as possible so the scheduling process goes smoothly. Check out the league-wide Week 1 fixtures.

There have been a lot of new teams added from the waiting list, so be sure to check out if you are in the tables. If you are still on the waiting list, don’t worry, there will surely be room to replace more dropping teams. Being active and easily reachable helps your chances a lot.

We’d also like to take this chance to remind teams to use the relevant match pages to record scheduling/merc/unlocks notes and agreements. Doing so will help the admin team resolve any disputes. Make sure that your team has read and understood the rules, especially if this is your first season. They have been updated with new rules regarding hijacking teams, wildcards and unlocks. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse.

We wish you and your team the very best of luck.

• Fixed maps will be scheduled as follows:
  • Week 1: Badlands and Well
    Week 2: Turbine and Well
    Week 3: Granary and Gullywash
    Week 4: Turbine and Gullywash
    Week 5: Gravel Pit and Obscure
    Week 6: Freight and Obscure
    Week 7: Granary and Gorge
    Week 8: Freight and Gorge
    Week 9: Badlands and Gravel Pit

• Dates in detail:
  • Week 1 starts: Monday the 8th of February
  • Week 1 schedule deadline: Sunday the 14th of February
  • Week 1 match deadline: Sunday the 21st of February
  • Week 2 starts: Monday the 14th of February
  • Week 2 schedule deadline:Sunday the 21st of February

5th Cup Round 2 Starts

Round 2 fixtures have been generated as the Cup moves onto its second stage. Make sure to take a look at the playoff tree!

We’re also happy to announce the following TF2 merchandise as prizes, courtesy of Valve:

• 1st place: 6 t-shirts, 6 game-rig mousemats, 6 signed posters
• 2nd place: 3 t-shirts (you’ll have to fight amongst yourselves!), 6 signed posters, 6 character keyrings
• 3rd place: 6 signed posters, 6 character keyrings

Dates in detail:

• Round 2 starts: Monday the 8th of February
• Round 2 schedule deadline: Sunday the 14th of February
• Round 2 match deadline: Sunday the 21st of February
• Round 3 live draw: Sunday the 21st of February
• Round 3 starts: Monday the 22nd of February

Two more added to the banlist

The following players have been banned for cheating:

• Levela – Aimbot (Caught by Aequitas) -1 year ban
• Quad – Aimbot – 1 year ban

Admin Applications

Today we welcome Anderson to the admin team. Thanks for all the admin applications we have received, there have been more than ever before. We will be contacting people for interviews this week for further positions.

ESH ASRock Challenge Cup needs more signups

Our joint venture with ESH has been really successful so far, but we still need you guys to take part in as many competitions as possible! The latest cup called the ASRock Challenge is still accepting signups. The cup itself will run on Monday the 15th February, starting at 20:00CET. Check the ASRock Challenge Cup page for more details and get your team added before it’s too late!

The European Team Fortress 2 League and it’s admins are glad to be able to welcome 330 participating teams to the 7th ETF2L season sponsored by Steelseries.

Below you will find a list with the teams and their divisions. If your team is not on the list, don’t worry, there is still a huge chance you will be able to replace one of the teams that will fold at the start of this season. The exact divisions and fixtures will be published along with the announcement of the prizes in a newspost next weekend. The first week will start on the 8th of February and it’s schedule deadline will be on Sunday the 14th.

Season 7 – Provisional Divisions

The provisional divisions have been sorted for Season 7 – Provisional Divisions

This has been an exhaustive task, as there were unfortunately a large number of teams that signed up for Season 7 and have subsequently got less than 5 players in their team. We have replaced any team with less than 5 players left in their line-up. The teams with 5 players – you must have 6 players in your squad by Sunday 7th February 2010 or you will be replaced by a team on the waiting list.

As usual, there will likely be some teams unhappy with the divisional level they have been placed in. If you wish to discuss this, please send me an email to: d2m [at] etf2l.org. In your email, please link us to any supporting screenshots/evidence to help with your argument to be moved divisions. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could give a link to download the screenshots, not attach them to your email. This is an invitation to discuss your team’s position with us and allow us to better place your team should we feel it is necessary. Please note that rage posting on the forum or news comments will not assist your team in any way.

Config Update

In the great updates valve has blessed us with 2 new commands drew our attention. The first one turns off the random spread pattern of weapons like the shotgun and uses  a fixed pattern instead. The second one allows the use of the ingame voice-chat for talking to your team, even while you are dead.  Both are perfect for competitive gaming. And the official ETF2L config will therefore be updated with those 2 commands. Please update your server with this new version of our config and use it in any upcoming Cup, Ladder and League matches.

-> [Official ETF2L League Config] <-

Admin search

As our league is ever expanding the ETF2L will be looking for new league and anti-cheat admins to strengthen our staff. _Ben has joined the Admin team this weekend, and we are looking for a couple more admins to assist us with a number of competitions and ideas for 2010.

If you are interested in joining our team please send an email to d2m[at]etf2l.org with the following details:

Season 6 Award Winners

As the start of a fresh new season comes closer we still have to honour the winners of the awards for season 6.  TCM-gaming’s Zerox deserves a special spotlight for being voted player and scout of the season. He is also the only non-Finnish player that won one of this seasons class votes. Our congratulations to the winners and a big thanks to everyone who voted.

Team awards:

• Most Surprising Team -  illegal! (Division 1)
• Fairplay Award -  CantFitMyN (Division 6i)
• Most Disappointing Drop -  Team CoolerMaster (Division 1 – old lineup)
• Division 3 team of the Season -  Monster Munch
• Division 4 team of the Season -  Clones-Inc
• Division 5 team of the Season -  Monkey Gamers
• Division 6 team of the Season -  Klan:fader

Player awards:

• Player of the season Zerox (TCM-Gaming)
• Most Underrated Player -  Gdk (Recapture)
• Demoman of the Season - Hymzi (illegal!)
• Medic of the Season -  Kyynel (Power Gaming)
• Scout of the Season – Zerox (TCM-Gaming)
• Soldier of the Season -  Hocz (illegal!)

Other:

• Biggest scandal –   boomeh caught cheating

As a final note, many thanks to _Ben, Racio and Anrolif who stayed up very late to finalise the divisions and get them posted for you as soon as we possibly could. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to read this news post and look at the divisions over your breakfast.

The live draw for Round 1 fixtures took place in our IRC channel tonight. The fixtures from the draw are currently being manually input into our system by our admin team and should be done by tomorrow evening.

ETF2L’s previous cups have given us some all-time classic encounters between Europe’s best and most exciting up-and-coming teams, so let’s hope we can bring some of that same magic to this edition of the series. The admin team would like to wish all participants the very best of luck.

Round 1 begins tomorrow and the schedule deadline is this coming Sunday, the 31st. All Round 1 fixtures must be completed by the end of Sunday the 7th of February.

• Map list for each round:
• Round 1: Badlands, Gullywash, Fastlane (decider)

• Round 2: Granary, Obscure, Well (decider)
• Round 3: Gravel Pit, Freight, Badlands (decider)
• Round 4: Turbine, Badlands, Granary (decider)
• Quarter Finals: Granary, Gravel Pit, Freight (decider)
• Semi Finals: Each team picks one map, Gullywash (decider)
• 3rd Place Match: Each team picks one map, Obscure (decider)
• Finals: Each team picks one map, Gravel Pit (decider)
• There can be no draws in Cup games. If a map ends as a draw, you must play a Golden Cap round to decide a winner of that map!
• The ETF2L cfg will be updated imminently. If you do play your Round 1 game before we release it, make sure you enable fixed weapon spread. It’s your responsibility to check this.
• The Force’A’Nature, Sandman, Direct Hit and Buff Banner are limited to 1 per team. All other unlocks are allowed. Teams are free to agree about limiting unlocks further, but such an agreement must be noted on the relevant match page.
• Any agreement between two teams regarding the use of mercs, wild cards or servers must be recorded on the relevant match page. We cannot help you settle any of these disputes unless the issue has been confirmed by both teams on the match page. It is your responsibility to make sure you and your opponent follow this rule.
• If an agreement can not be reached between both teams about what server your game will be played on, contact an admin as soon as possible to arrange the use of an ETF2L server.
• Any merc you use must be registered with ETF2L. Any mercs used without express written permission from the other team on the relevant match page will result in harsh penalties.

Dates in detail:

• Round 1 starts: Monday the 25th of January

• Round 1 schedule deadline: Sunday the 31st of January
• Round 1 match deadline: Sunday the 7th of February
• Round 2 fixtures generated: Monday the 8th of February
• Round 2 starts: Monday the 8th of February
• All fixtures for all rounds will be randomly generated

Anthony – banned for 1 year, using wallhack

Massi – banned for 1 year due to VAC + Aequitas ban – Admitted to cheating

The 5th Cup signups will now open on Wednesday 20th January 2010 at 19:00CET. Signups limited to 128 teams.

To sign your team up for the cup tomorrow, simply click here and signup! We expect places to fill fast, so make sure one of your team’s leaders is around to sign you up!

The signups will close on Sunday 24th January or when we have reached 128 teams – whichever is the sooner. The 5th cup starts on Monday 25th January.

KOTH Cup Final – TFPortal summiteer vs Game Control

After nearly 3 months, the KOTH cup draws to a close tonight with the Final match.

Match Overview

-- Tuesday, 19th January 20:15 CET --

koth_sawmill


TFPortal summiteer [4:1] Game Control

koth_lighthouse


TFPortal summiteer [0:4] Game Control

koth_waste


TFPortal summiteer [1:4] Game Control

OVERALL
TFPortal summiteer [1:2] Game Control

The maps are koth_sawmill, koth_lighthouse and a possible decider on koth_waste. Source TV is available at bcast06.blank-TV.de:50000

Good luck to both teams!

Sign-Ups opened for Season 7 on Tuesday evening and so far we have had 386 teams sign up to participate. This is a great start and I know there are still many more teams looking to sign up for the league. If you haven’t yet signed up, or if perhaps you have forgotten to sign up (hello Black Bob!), you can do so here. Simply visit the link and then click on the “Sign Up” button next to Season 7. Please bear in mind that you will need 6 active players in your roster, all with correctly entered STEAM IDs.

Division Formats & Placements:

We are looking at including 330 teams for Season 7, the same number of teams that featured in Season 6. The Divisions will be set out as follows:

• Division 1 – 10 teams
• Division 2 – 20 teams (2A-B)
• Division 3 – 40 teams (3A-D)
• Division 4 – 60 teams (4A-F)
• Division 5 – 100 teams (5A-J)
• Division 6 – 100 teams (6A-J)

With regards to placement in these divisions, we are running a slightly different system to previous seasons. This season, we are giving all teams who finished Season 6 without dropping or folding, priority entry into Season 7. This means that they will be entered into the Division that they finished in last season, depending on whether they were promoted, relegated or if they just stayed in the same division. Once all of the teams that signed up who played last season have been entered into the league, we will then fill up the spaces with new teams. When assessing new teams, we will be looking at the clan’s history, any ladder matches they have played and any other information that has been provided. You can also send us screenshots of previous matches where you have beaten teams in or above the division that you want to apply for.

I am highly encouraging all teams who are either new and are requesting a place in Season 7 OR who finished last season but would like to request to be considered for a different division to please email your request to me in the following format. Please read this very carefully, incorrect applications and submissions will be ignored!

• Send an email to d2m [at] etf2l.org, stating your ETF2L nickname and your team name
• Create a zip file of match screenshots in JPEG format, and upload it to your favourite file sharing site – i.e. Mediafire. Include the link to the files in your email. Please do not email the zip file itself.
• Include a list of the screenshots/scores in the email so that we know what we’re looking at. Preferably including the date, opposition, map and score.

This is all you need to do to support your team’s potential entry into Season 7. Every email received will be posted into our Admin forum for review by the Admin team. Decisions will be made over the next couple of weeks and we intend to have the divisions finalised by the date that sign-ups end – 24th January 2010. Please try not to harrass any of the Admin team about any updates or to ask where your team is going to be placed. We will be busy reviewing the information received and putting the teams into the divisions that we feel are best suited, based on the information received.

Also, please be aware that not every team will get a place in the league straight away, due to the 330 team limit. You should not panic if this happens to your particular team as there are always a number of teams that fold/drop from the league within the first few weeks. We will be replacing dropped clans with teams from the waiting list up until the end of Week 3.

Season 7 Playoffs

There are a number of playoff matches to be played, that will determine where some teams will be playing their TF2 in Season 7. The play-off matches are as follows:

Division 1
Blight Gaming v Team Empire – [Match Page]

7 brothers who aren’t brothers v we have no name cos we don’t give a fuck (teddybears) – [Match Page]

Division 2
Paroxysm v Exhilium – [Match Page]

Northwave v Nobody’s fault but mine – [Match Page]

Division 3
The MIPC Organization v insAne Team

Division 4
CZech tactiX TF2A v Entropy Team

The winners of each match will go into the division listed, the loser will drop into the division below.

The match pages for these playoff matches will be created later on today and edited into this news post, so please check back later for those. The playoff matches are to be played no later than Sunday 31st January 2010. Matches will be for 2 maps, with a decider map used if required. Map picking will be done via ‘Map Elimination’ on the 9 league maps for Season 7. All other details will be posted onto the match pages.

Best of luck to all teams who are involved in the playoffs!

We’re pleased to announce that ETF2L Season 7 will begin for 330 teams on Monday the 8th of February.

Here’s some of the rule changes we’re thinking about implementing (if you have any well reasoned suggestions, please let us know):

• Teams who participated in and completed Season 6 will have sign up priority over teams who didn’t take part in or failed to complete Season 6.
• The league will again be supported by our generous sponsors SteelSeries. Details on prizes to follow.
• Fixed maps for all divisions:
  • Week 1: Granary and Gorge
    Week 2: Badlands and Well
    Week 3: Gravel Pit and Obscure
    Week 4: Gullywash and Turbine
    Week 5: Obscure and Freight
    Week 6: Gorge and Turbine
    Week 7: Freight and Well
    Week 8: Granary and Gullywash
    Week 9: Badlands and Gravel Pit
• The ETF2L cfg will be updated for the start of the season and will feature fixed weapon spread and tf_teamtalk 1.
• The Force’A'Nature, Sandman, Direct Hit and Buff Banner are limited to 1 per team. All other unlocks are allowed. Teams are free to agree about limiting unlocks further, but such an agreement must be noted on the relevant match page.
• Important note regarding unlocks: We’re expecting Valve to make some tweaks to the new weapons soon, and are in contact with them regarding the issue. If you have any suggestions, please make them in a succinct and reasonable manner and we will pass the best articulated suggestions on to Valve.
• Each team will be granted 2 wild cards per season that can be used any time up to 15 minutes before a game is due to start.
• Default wins will be enforced for teams that fail to use their wild card in time. The league will only run smoothly if teams adhere to the scheduling rules and no exceptions will be made. If your team has to miss a weekend due to a LAN event, play the game as soon as possible or wild card it. If a team member fails to appear for a game and you have no wild cards left, the other team may wild card on your behalf or you must find a substitute/agreed merc. It is your responsibility to make sure your games are played on schedule.
• Any agreement between two teams regarding the use of mercs, wild cards or servers must be recorded on the relevant match page. We cannot help you settle any of these disputes unless the issue has been confirmed by both teams on the match page. It is your responsibility to make sure you and your opponent follow this rule.
• If an agreement can not be reached between both teams about what server your game will be played on, contact an admin as soon as possible to arrange the use of an ETF2L server.
• The rules about the use of mercs will be updated. Any merc you use must be registered with ETF2L. Any mercs used without express written permission from the other team on the relevant match page will result in harsh penalties.
• We are implementing a hijack rule that will prevent teams from replacing/changing the majority of its roster after the season has started.
• It’s our hope that any games featuring any cheaters will be replayed (assuming that a replay would be of a potential points benefit to the other team) to minimise the disruptive and unfair impact cheaters have on our divisions. The detailed mechanics of this rule will be worked out for the start of the season. Obviously, if we find any evidence that a team was harbouring someone they knew to be cheating, no replays will happen and that team will be expelled from the league.

Dates in detail:

• Sign Ups Open: Tuesday the 12th of January
• Sign Ups Close: Sunday the 24th of January
• Divisions Announced: Sunday the 31st of January
• Week 1 starts: Monday the 8th of February

Sign Ups for the 5th Cup open on Sunday the 17th

Our long-awaited 5th Cup will begin on Monday the 25th of January, hosting 128 teams. The competition is sponsored by ETF2L’s newest partner, Valve, who will be supplying signed TF2 merchandise as prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams.

• Sign Ups Open: Sunday the 17th of January
• Sign Ups Close: Sunday the 24th of January
• All fixtures for all of the rounds will be randomly generated
• Round 1 starts: Monday the 25th of January

Player of the season poll

We have one last piece of business to settle regarding Season 6: who was the best player of the season? Cast your vote below.

“As one of the most anticipated games currently in development, StarCraft II is expected to capture serious attention both from those who enjoyed the classic original and from new players,” said Brian Stech, SteelSeries President of the Americas. “This Limited Edition Keyset is a valuable tool for StarCraft II players looking to immerse themselves in the game and improve their performance.”

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. The custom designed ZBoard keyset will feature labeled commands, in-game shortcuts, and artwork from the game.

The StarCraft II Limited Edition Keyset for SteelSeries Zboard gives gamers:

- An intuitive layout for fast reactions

- Immersion in the StarCraft universe with official game graphics

- One-touch macros for frequent commands

- Full customization of each key

The StarCraft II Limited Edition Keyset retails for EUR 24.99 and will be available at game launch; the SteelSeries Zboard retails for EUR 49.99 and is available now at all major gaming retailers and etailers.

• [Product Page]

“We work with a number of professional gamers that have a wide assortment of preferences when it comes to the surface they’re playing on or the level of glide and friction they prefer, said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. “The SteelSeries NP+ was designed for those that prefer a rough glide and large area surface. The water and stain resistant material makes this surface, our most unique textile mousepad.”

Unlike any other surface that SteelSeries offers, the SteelSeries NP+ is specifically targeted for gamers that prefer a medium to rough glide and higher level of mouse to surface friction. Regardless of their preference, users can effectively operate an optical or laser mouse on the 17.7 x 15.7 surface. Its non-slip rubber base provides a firm grip and prevents the pad from sliding no matter what surface the SteelSeries NP+ is placed on.

SteelSeries NP+ Mousepad will be available at leading online retailers with an MSRP of EUR 24,99 beginning in March 2010.

• [Product Page]
• [Pictures]

One of ETF2L’s founders, dAyKiLLeR, is stepping down from his role as head admin to pursue real life interests and finish his degree. He has put two years and countless hours into the ETF2L project, so I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say thanks and good luck to Day, who has been an inspirational leader throughout his tenure.

D2M has been promoted to head admin in Day’s absence.

Ladder update

All of the new soldier and demoman weapons are permitted in ladder play if both teams agree on their use before the match begins. We’re also going to add Gorge and Doublecross to the map pool so you can test those in 6v6 too.

Koth cup reaches its final stage

Keep your eyes peeled for the grand final of our 4v4 King Of The Hill cup, which will be an all German affair as TFPortal summiteers take on Game Control.

Obscure 1 Night Cup Won by SHIFTPLAY

Another fun cup was won by a German team with SHIFTplay winning first place in our Obscure one night cup.

If you’d like to have your say about the map, head on over to the thread to add your thoughts about it. Do you think it should be in the map pool/fixed maps list for 2010?

Support lvl up TV

Our friends over at Level Up TV are in the running for some fantastic prizes from LiveStream. Help them out over the holiday period by visiting the competition website and vote for them. Hopefully we’ll get to see some ETF2L games cast in high quality next year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year

And finally, the staff at ETF2L would like to extend our best wishes to you, your family, and your teammates this Christmas and New Year. Thanks for a great 2009, and let’s work together to make 2010 an even better year for TF2.