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Highlander S3 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 3

1.1 Division System

1.2 Playoffs

1.3 Map schedule

1.4 Every team has 1 wildcard per season

1.5 One merc allowed by default and up to 3 mercs if the opponent agrees

1.6 Teams with 2 default losses will be expelled from the season

1.7 Dropped teams results will be removed

1.8 Teams are not allowed to use new players from week 5 onwards

1.9 Late matches are not allowed

1.10 Premiership only rules

1.10.1 STV demos for premiership matches are mandatory

1.10.2 Premiership players need to use their real nicknames

2. 9v9 Highlander Rules

2.1.1 Gamemode: 9on9, classlimit 1

2.1.2 Rosters must have a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 20 players 

2.1.3 Minimum of 8 players needed to play a match

2.2 Weapon Rules

2.2.1 Banned Unlocks List. Unlocks released during the season are banned.

2.2.2 Some set hats are not allowed. Other hats and miscs are allowed.

2.2.3 All skins are allowed.

1. Season 3

1.1 Division System

All teams will be split in different Divisions according to their skill level, past Season results and stability. Each Division will then be divided into groups of 6. In those groups, every team will play each other over up to 2 maps.

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 4.5.3).

1.2 Playoffs

Premiership playoffs will be held after the Season and involve the top 3 teams. The Map Elimination system is to be used to decide maps in all playoff matches. An explanation of the system can be found under General Rules: [Explanation].

The Premiership playoffs will be structured as follows:

  • Round 1: #3 vs. #2
  • Round 2: winner of Round 1 vs #1

Season 3 will feature Secondary, invite-only playoffs to be held alongside Premiership playoffs. These playoffs determine only the winners of the secondary money prizes, and will not affect team promotion/demotion. Teams ranked #4-6 in Premiership and #1-4 in Division 1 will be invited to these playoffs during the last week of the season – should any of these teams refuse the invite or drop before the last week, their invite will be passed on to lower placing teams.

The Secondary playoffs will be held as a 3-week Single Elimination tournament with the team ranked #4 in Premiership receiving a bye in the first week.

1.3 Map Schedule

The map pool consists of 6 maps. Switching maps is not allowed.

  • Week 1: pl_badwater
  • Week 2: cp_steel
  • Week 3: pl_upward
  • Week 4: cp_granary + koth_lakeside_final
  • Week 5: cp_gravelpit

1.4 Every team has 1 Wildcard per Season

Every team can use one wildcard in a Season. [Explanation]

Wildcarded matches may not be wildcarded again.

1.5 One merc allowed by default and up to 3 mercs if the opponent agrees

One mercenary is allowed by default and up to 3 mercenaries are allowed if the opposing team agrees. In order for your merc to be allowed by default, he cannot be more experienced than your team overall, and have no higher equivalent 6v6 experience (season 7 and earlier excluded). Experience in other leagues is included. Opponents can allow exceptions. To use more than one merc, you will need specific approval from the opponent for each merc.

Use the match page to present mercs and ask for allowance. Even the default merc has to be presented, so that your opponents can make sure he is not too experienced. If you wish to contest the default allowance of a merc, please contact an admin (support page), so that he may decide whether or not the merc is too experienced.

All mercs have to be registered on ETF2L. Teams caught using an unregistered merc, or a merc without their opponent’s permission, will receive a warning and possibly a default loss.

1.6 Teams with 2 default losses will be expelled from the season

If a team receives a second default loss, it will be expelled from the league for the running season.

1.7 Dropped teams results will be removed

Results of a dropped team will be ignored on the tables if they have not finished the season.

1.8 Teams are not allowed to use new players from week 5 onwards

Teams may not add new players to their roster from week 5 onwards. If the opponent agrees, the players may be used as mercs.

1.9 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 Sunday, 24:00 CEST, a minor warning will be applied. This warning will not be removed, even if the match has been played.

Results for wildcarded matches have to be submitted no later than one day after the match deadline at 24:00 CEST.

Teams may request an extension of the match deadline by 7 days by contacting an admin. An extension is granted if the following requirements are met:

  • The match was scheduled by the teams within the schedule deadline or is still unscheduled. Matches that got a default date are not eligible for an extension. This point resets when a wildcard is used as it opens a new schedule timeframe.
  • The extension is requested at least 24 hours before the initially scheduled time.
  • Both teams must agree to the extension, either in the match comments or by accepting/proposing the new schedule.

If an extension is approved, the current schedule will be removed. A default date will be set for the match if the match is not scheduled by the following Monday to a day within the following play week’s match deadline. Matches without result one day after the deadline of the extension passed will lead to one minor warning for each team.

1.10 Premiership only rules

These rules under 1.10 are for premiership matches only and are in place to improve the professionalism and coverage of the top tier of ETF2L.

1.10.1 STV demos for premiership matches are mandatory

For every match in the premiership division it is mandatory to upload STV 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, the demo does not have to be uploaded, if it can be proven.

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 until the deadline of the season’s catch up week. Repeated offenses will be punished with a minor warning each.

1.10.2 Premiership players need to use their real nicknames

All players who play a match in the premiership division must submit their nickname to the admin staff before they are eligible to play. Players may only play with their “official” nickname, letter by letter. Team tags and sponsorship additions are allowed. If a team uses a player who did not submit his nickname or uses a different nickname the team gets a minor warning. This rule may be enforced even without explicit reports from the opposing team.

Submitting nicknames is possible via IRC or eMail, and only needs to be done once per Season.

2. 9v9 Highlander Rules

2.1.1 Gamemode: 9on9, classlimit 1

The Highlander gamemode is played 9on9 with a general classlimit of 1. While classlimit 1 is not forced by the config, teams are expected to follow the classlimit at all times during the game. Teams may not have more than one of a class outside the spawn room.

2.1.2 Rosters must have a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 20 players 

The roster must consist of a minimum of 9 players to be eligible to sign up to competitions. Teams must also adhere to a maximum of 20 players or will risk losing their right to a participation item.

2.1.3 Minimum of 8 players needed to play a match

If you are not able to field 9 players you can choose to play 8 vs 9. If you are not able to field 8 players, a default win will be given to the opposing team.

 2.2 Weapon Rules

2.2.1 Banned Unlocks List. Unlocks released during the season are banned.

The following unlocks are banned:

2.2.2 Some set hats are not allowed. Other hats and miscs are allowed.

The following set hats are banned from use:

All other hats and misc items are allowed, including Pyrovision-granting items. If an opponent uses a banned hat during your match, you are to pause the match and ask for the player to remove it. If the opponent refuses to remove the hat, you have the right to stop the match and contact an admin with evidence to claim a default win.

2.2.3 All skins are allowed.

If the original weapon is allowed, reskins of that weapon are always allowed too. Pyrovision weapons with new abilities, such as taunts, are not considered reskins.