Season 33 Rules

All general ETF2L rules apply for this competition. In case of a conflict between a rule in this document and a general rule, the one in this document is to be followed.

1. Season 33

1.1 Tier System

1.2 Playoffs and Tiebreakers

1.3 Map Pool

1.4 No mercs allowed unless your opponent agrees

1.4.1 Perma-mercs are not allowed

1.4.2 A team can use up to a maximum of 1 merc in Grand Final matches

1.5 Teams with 3 Default Losses or 2 Default Losses in a row will be expelled from the season

1.6 Teams may not add new players from week 7 onwards

1.7 Late matches are not allowed

1.8 Premiership only rules

1.8.1 SourceTV demos for Premiership matches are mandatory

1.8.2 Premiership players must use their real nicknames

1.8.3 Premiership players cannot change their nicknames during a season

1.8.4 Results must be submitted within 24 hours of the scheduled date

1.8.5 Penalties during Premiership Playoffs and Tiebreakers

1.8.6 Matches in the Premiership Playoffs must start within 15 minutes of the scheduled time

1.8.7 Premiership teams have a limited amount of team name changes

1.9 Prizes

2.1 6v6 Rules

2.1.1 Classlimits: 6on6, Medic, Heavy, Engineer, Sniper, Pyro and Demoman limit 1, limit 2 for other classes (Scout, Soldier and Spy)

2.1.2 Rosters must have a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 13 players

2.1.3 Minimum of 5 players needed to play a match

2.2 Weapons

2.2.1 Allowed Weapons:

Overview on whitelist.tf

2.2.2 Hats and misc items allowed; Pyrovision and Bombinomicon banned

2.2.3 Weapon Reskins allowed

2.2.4 Taunts

1. Season 32

1.1 Tier System

All teams will be split into different Tiers according to their skill level, past season results and stability. In the highest Tier (Premiership), teams will play everyone in a Round Robin format. In the remaining Tiers, every team will play 7 fixtures against similarly skilled opponents over 2 maps in a Swiss-Style System.

Three points will be awarded for each map won. No points are given for a loss. In case of a draw a decider round will be played, where 2 points will be given for a win and 1 point for a loss (see general rules 4.1.3 and 4.4.3). League points are awarded purely by winning maps, the number of captures has no effect on league points themselves. Captures only determine which team wins a map.

1.2 Playoffs and Tiebreakers

Playoffs will be held after the main season ends. The schedule can be found on the competition’s hub page.

Premiership playoff matches will be arranged as follows:

4th vs 3rd, time TBA (July 21st – July 28th)

Winner vs 2nd, time TBA (July 28th – August 4th)

Winner vs 1st, August 4th

These days may be changed to a day before the Premiership Finals date of August 4th if all affected teams agree.

Maps will be chosen by the teams using the Map elimination system with seeding coming from the placement in the main season, [Explanation].

Teams tied for the #1-4 spots in Premiership or the playoff spots in their respective Tier will be split using the following methods.

  1. Head-to-Head record (If applicable)
  2. Tiebreaker Score
  3. Rounds scored

If the first method does not split the teams, the second method will be used. If the second method does not split the teams, the third method will be used.

The tiebreaker score is detailed as follows:

  • For each match, calculate the ratio of points the team earned compared to the maximum, and multiply this by the opponent’s total score in the competition. Use only scores and opponents from “valid” matches (matches that were not default wins and were not against dropped opponents).
  • Calculate the sum of all scores calculated via the above method.
  • Divide the sum by the number of “valid” matches played.

1.3 Map Pool

The map pool consists of 9 maps. Maps must be played in the specified order.

Map pool

1 Addition to the map pool for S33
2 Updated map version

Map Rotation

1.4 No mercs allowed unless your opponent agrees

“Mercs” or “ringers” are players that are not on the roster of your team. Teams may not use a merc at any time during a match, unless their opponent agrees. If a team wants to use a merc, they must contact the opponent before the match starts. If the opponent agrees, make sure a log of the agreement is taken and provided in the match comments, together with links to the mercs’ ETF2L profiles. All mercs have to be registered on ETF2L. Using an unregistered or unapproved merc will result in a default loss and a warning for the offending team.

A team can use up to a maximum of 2 mercs, even if the opponent would allow the use of more than 2 mercs. This includes players who are still shown as unverified on the team’s roster.

1.4.1 Perma-mercs are not allowed

A player can only be used as a merc 3 times for one and the same team per season (regardless of the player being an approved merc). If a player has been used as a merc 3 times for a team already they aren’t allowed to join the team in question. After the fourth match as a merc for the same team, the player is considered a perma-merc and the team may be punished.
If a player is caught or reported perma-mercing, we will review the case and decisions made will be at the full discretion of the admin team and all circumstances will be taken into account. Note: in accordance with General Rule 2.3, only one team change per competition is tolerated.

1.4.2 A team can use up to a maximum of 1 merc in Grand Final matches

A team can use up to a maximum of 1 merc in a Grand Final match of any tier, even if the opponent would allow the use of more than 1 merc.

1.5 Teams with 3 Default Losses or 2 Default Losses in a row will be expelled from the season

If a team receives a third Default Loss or has given a Default Loss twice in a row, they will be expelled from the league for the running season.

1.6 Teams are not allowed to use new players from week 7 and onward

Teams may not add new players to their roster during week 7 and following playoffs. Teams may use new players in that time, however only if their opponent agrees and if they do not break the maximum merc limit.

1.7 Late matches are not allowed

Every match has to be played and submitted within its week’s deadline. If the results are not submitted by Friday, 23:59 then both teams will receive no points. The only exception to this is if an admin has allowed an extension which will be played on Saturday and the results need to be submitted as soon as possible. Please note that the deadlines appear at the top of the relevant match page.

1.8 Premiership only rules

These rules under 1.8 are for Premiership teams only:

1.8.1 SourceTV demos for Premiership matches are mandatory

For every match in the Premiership division it is mandatory to upload SourceTV demos for all maps played. The responsibility to upload the demos is on the team that owns the server or, if the server is owned by neither team, on the team that arranged the server.

In case of a technical failure of the server, if it can be proven, the demo does not have to be uploaded.

Failure to upload the demo within 72 hours is punished with a minor warning for the responsible team. The warning can be removed, if the demo is provided before the end of the season.

1.8.2 Premiership players must use their real nicknames

All players who play a match in the Premiership division must play with their ETF2L nickname. Team tags and sponsorship additions are allowed but the nickname must be the same as the nickname on ETF2L, letter for letter. The nickname should be easily recognizable at a glance. Each incorrect nickname will warrant a separate minor warning; a team can receive this punishment multiple times per game.

1.8.3 Premiership players cannot change their nicknames during a season

Premiership players are not allowed to change their ETF2L nickname while the relevant season is underway.

1.8.4 Results must be submitted within 24 hours of the scheduled date

Any Premiership match without a submitted result 24 hours after its scheduled date or the week’s deadline (whichever comes sooner) will be considered a late match.

1.8.5 Penalties during Premiership Playoffs and Tiebreakers

Specific Minor and Major Warnings now result in a cut of any prize money in that specific competition. A Minor Warning results in 10% of any cash prize won being docked. A Major Warning results in 30% being docked. Please note admin discretion is applied to every single case related to penalties in the Premiership Playoffs. Only specific Minor and Major Warnings are applied to this rule, they include but are not limited to:

  • Flaming (Minor and Major)
  • Using an unapproved merc
  • Using an unlisted player
  • Violation of the Class Limits
  • Nickname rule violation
  • Fraud Attempt
  • Using a banned player
  • Cheating
  • Missing, wrong, or incomplete status screenshot

As a special rule, forfeiting or not showing up to a match in the Premiership Playoffs is punishable by 50% of any cash prize being docked.

1.8.6 Matches in the Premiership Playoffs must start within 15 minutes of the scheduled time

All Premiership Playoff matches must start within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, or Minor Warnings will be applied to the team(s) responsible. Please note Admin discretion applies to each individual case.

1.8.7 Premiership teams have a limited amount of team name changes

All Premiership teams are allowed to change their team name to a maximum amount of 3 times per season. This applies from the day the main season starts until the team does not have any upcoming matches to play in the season. If a team has already reached the maximum amount of team name changes in a season and wants to change their team name again they must contact an admin before doing so, otherwise the team will get a separate minor warning for each change done; a team can receive this punishment multiple times per season.

1.9 Prizes

TBA.

2.1 6v6 Rules

2.1.1 Classlimits: 6on6 – Medic, Heavy, Engineer, Sniper, Pyro and Demoman limit 1, Classlimit 2 for other classes (Scout, Soldier and Spy)

Classlimits for 6on6 competitions are Medic limit 1, Heavy limit 1, Engineer limit 1, Sniper limit 1, Pyro limit 1, Demoman limit 1 and Limit 2 for other classes.

2.1.2 Rosters must have a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 13 players

The roster must consist of a minimum of 6 players to be eligible to sign up to competitions. Teams must also adhere to a maximum of 13 players or will risk losing their right to a participation item. Teams exceeding the maximum allowed amount may have their latest player additions removed.

2.1.3 Minimum of 5 players needed to play a match

Teams need at least 5 players to play a scheduled 6on6 match. A team can ask their opponent to allow a merc (maximum: 2) to play for their team.

2.2 Weapons

2.2.1 Allowed Weapons

Overview on whitelist.tf

Weapons released during the season are banned until explicitly stated otherwise. Admin discretion applies.

Weapon pickups are allowed.

2.2.2 Hats and misc items allowed; Bombinomicon banned

Hats and misc items are allowed. Unique and unusual hats are also allowed. The Bombinomicon is banned.

2.2.3 Weapon Reskins allowed

All weapon reskins (Lugermorph, Holy Mackerel, Original, Frying Pan, Iron Curtain, Golden Wrench, Big Kill, Enthusiast’s Timepiece, “Festive” stock weapons, …) are allowed.

2.2.4 Taunts

Only default weapon taunts and taunts with fixed durations are allowed. For details, check the whitelist.tf link above.