1 General

1.1 Rule Changes

The Tournament Leadership reserves the right to amend, remove, or otherwise change the rules, without further notice.

1.2 Code of Conduct

All PCL participants agree to behave in an applicable and civil manner towards other participants, spectators, the press and PCL administrators. Being role models is analogous with being a PCL player or organiser and we should behave accordingly.

1.3 Additional Agreements

The PCL administration is not responsible for any additional agreements made between individual players or teams. The PCL administration profoundly discourages such agreements taking place. Agreements that are contradicting the PCL Manual are under no circumstances allowed.

1.4 Match Broadcasting

1.4.1 Rights

All broadcasting rights of PCL are owned by PCL. This includes but is not limited to:
shoutcast streams, video streams, demos or TV broadcasts.

1.4.2 Waiving These Rights

PCL has the right to award broadcasting rights for one or multiple matches to a third party or the participants themselves. In such cases the broadcast must have been arranged with the tournament leadership before the start of the broadcast.

1.4.3 Teams Responsibility

Teams do not have a choice as to whether their matches are broadcast by PCL-authorized broadcasts. Furthermore, they cannot choose in what manner the match will be broadcast. The broadcast can only be rejected by the tournament leadership. The teams agree to make sufficient accommodation so that broadcasting of matches can take place.

1.5 Communication

1.5.1 Discord

The main communication method of the PCL is Discord. A link to the Discord can be found here. Participants are expected to check the official Discord regularly so that no important information is missed. Teams are responsible for being familiar with the policies set by PCL and the information contained on the Discord.

1.5.2 E-Mail

The second official communication method of the PCL is email. The email address is contact@paragoncleague.com. Be sure to check your email regularly for updates so that no important announcements are missed.

1.6 Conditions of Participation in the PCL

The following conditions must be met in order to participate in the PCL

1.6.1 Number of Players in a Team

The team has to hold a minimum of 5 members and have a maximum of 8 members (3 substitutes).

1.6.2 Discord

The full team must be part of the official PCL Discord server found here. This is to establish easy communications with participating teams come tournament weekend.

1.6.2.1 Discord Text Channels

You must use the Text Channel dedicated to your matches for ALL communication between teams.

1.6.2.2 Discord Nicknames

The EPIC Username of each player must match their Display Name on the PCL Discord, including capitalisation and any special characters or spaces.

1.6.3 Team Logos

Teams are urged to have a logo to ensure production is of the highest quality. However, it is not mandatory. In the case of teams not having a logo, a default image will be used. Please send your team logo to one of the admins at least 1 week before the tournament begins in .PNG format with a minimum size of 500x500px. Background of the image must be transparent.

1.7 Prize Money

All prize money should ideally be paid out within 7 days after the PCL tournament finals have been completed. If a team or player is missing the proper payment information and makes no effort to fix this, the prize money will not be paid out until this is rectified.

1.7.1 Prize Money Distribution

Placement	Prize Money
First	60%
Second	40%

If the prizepool goes over the Stretch Goal, the Third Place will also be given part of the Prize Money.

1.7.2 Withdrawal of Prize Money

As long as the prize money for the PCL has not been paid out, the PCL reserves the right to cancel any pending payment if any evidence of fraud or foul play have been discovered.

1.7.3 Transfer of Prize Money

The prize money will be sent through Matcherino. Failure to provide sufficient information for the payments to be complete will result in payment being delayed. If a participant has not collected their winnings within one year of the initial payment date, the prizes are forfeited.

1.8 Player changes and team lineups

1.8.1 Player changes

Teams can have a maximum of 8 players. Teams can change their players until the official closing time of registration. After that deadline, it is not possible to add new players under no exceptions. The PCL advises teams to have a sufficient number of substitutes available. If a team for any reason does not have the sufficient number of players to participate in a match, the team will receive a default loss.

1.8.2 Lineup changes

Teams can change their lineup until the official starting time of each series (i.e. not in Game 2 of a Bo3). After that deadline it’s not possible to change the lineup with the exception of an emergency. If the draft is already done and an emergency replacement happens, the opposite team can decide whether or not the draft will be restarted after the lineup change.

1.8.3 Multiple Teams

Players cannot be part of more than one roster in the PCL.

1.8.4 Notifying Administrators and Opponents

In case of a player or lineup change, send a Direct Message to one of the Server Admins on the PCL Discord. They will assist with changing the roster on the PCL Website and other locations. Furthermore, make sure to inform your opponents before the start of the series (i.e. before the draft has started).

1.9 Consequences for leaving the PCL

If a team leaves or gets disqualified from the PCL during a tournament, the team forfeits all prize money for the event.

1.10 Betting or gambling

No players, managers, staff or administrators may be involved in betting or gambling, associate with betters or gamblers, or provide anyone any information that may assist betting or gambling, either directly or indirectly, for any of the PCL matches or the tournament in general.

1.11 Match Start

1.11.1 Punctuality

All matches in the PCL should start as stated by the Moderators. All participants in a match should be ready to go at the latest 5 minutes before the draft is to start.

Day 1
• Qualifying Round: 12:00PM EST
• Group Stages: 1:00 PM EST
Day 2
• Semi-Finals: 1:00 PM EST

1.11.2 Delaying the Match

For any delay up to 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the match teams may be penalized as the administration sees fit. At that point, the team will be considered as no show and forfeit the game. If this is the first game in a series, the team has another 15 minutes to show up for the second (or even third) game.

1.12 Server Issues

If a match is interrupted (e.g. server crash or disconnect) within the first three minutes of a game, then the match should be restarted. However, in the case of a disconnect, the game may be restarted only in the first 3 minutes and if there has been no First Blood or the destruction of a tower.

1.13 Server Region

Matches will be played on the NA Servers. However, if a match-up is between 2 EU teams, they can play on the EU Server.

1.14 Match Procedures

1.14.1 Determining the “better seed”

Random seeds are the last resort, so whenever a clear seeding is given, we will avoid them and declare one participant the “better seed”.

1.14.2 Coin Toss

The better seeded team will use the Paragon Competitive League Discord Coinflip Bot. The winner of the coin toss has the choice about who starts in the hero-ban/pick process.

To flip the coin, simply use the command ?flipcoin in the Discord Text Channel dedicated to your match.

1.14.3 Match Results

The result must be immediately confirmed by both parties in the Discord Text Channel dedicated to your match.

1.15 Bugs and Glitches

As is the nature of any game that has not yet been released, there will be bugs and glitches. Any bug or glitch that is not only easily and consistently reproducible, but also gives a team or player an unfair advantage will be banned from the tournament under our discretion.

1.16 Penalties

Penalties are given for rule violations within the PCL. These may range from disqualification of a single match all the way to indefinite suspension from the PCL.

1.17 Publisher’s Rights

The Publisher reserves the right to remove any player or team from the tournament or its qualifiers for any reason. In such a case the player or team will be disqualified.

1.18 Publisher’s Ban

If any player that participated in a match gets banned by the publisher, the player and his team will be disqualified. Furthermore, the player will be banned from PCL tournaments for life.

2 Format

2.1 Stages

• First Stage: Qualifiers (maximum of 16 teams)
• Second Stage: GSL-Style Group Stage (8 teams)
• Third Stage: Playoffs (4 teams)

2.1.1 Qualifiers

These only take place if there are more than 8 teams playing in the tournament.

A maximum of 16 teams will participate in a single elimination best-of-one (Bo1) system.

2.1.2 GSL-Style Group Stage

The group stage will consist of 8 teams. The group stage will be played in a best-of-one (Bo1) and GSL-style format. Each group will consist of 4 teams.

• Match one: Team A vs. Team B
• Match two: Team C vs. Team D
• Match three: Winners’ match (WM): Winner of match one vs. winner of match two - winner advances to semifinals
• Match four: Elimination match (EM): Loser of match one vs. loser of match two - loser drops out
• Match five: Decider match: Loser of WM vs. winner of EM - winner advances to semifinals and loser drops out

2.1.3 Playoffs

The playoffs consists of 4 teams. All playoff games will be in single elimination and best-of-three (Bo3) format. The winner of each group will play the runner-up of the other group in a semi-final. These are followed by the finals and the Bronze Medal game.

2.2 Draft

As stated in 1.15.2, the winner of the coin flip has the choice of who starts in the hero-ban/pick process. The team that bans first also has first pick.

2.2.1 Ban Mode

Each team will ban one hero (60 seconds per ban)

2.2.2 Pick Mode

Hero Picks follow the 1-2-2-2-2-1 format (60 seconds per pick or double pick)

3 Other Violations

3.1 General

When a player or team has broken one or several rules set forth by the PCL, it will be referred towards this section for the appropriate penalty, where all general punishments are listed.

3.2 Violation of Netiquette and Unsportsmanlike Behavior

For a sportsmanlike and pleasant game it is essential that all players have a sportive and fair attitude. Violations of this rule will be punished with a penalty. The most important and most common offenses are listed below. However, the administration may assign penalties for not explicitly listed cases of unsportsmanlike behaviour.

3.2.1 Insults

All insults occurring in connection with the PCL will be punished. This primarily applies to insults during a match but also on the PCL Discord. Insults on e-mail and other means of communication will be punished if they can be linked to the PCL and the evidence is clear.

3.2.2 Harassment

Particularly severe abuse cases with radical statements or the threat of physical violence can result in significantly heavier penalties including the exclusion of the player from future events.

Depending on the nature and severity of the insult the penalty will be assigned to the player or to the team in general.

3.2.3 Spamming

The excessive posting of senseless, harassing or offensive messages is regarded as spamming in the PCL. Spamming on the Discord will be punished depending on the nature and severity.

3.2.4 Misconduct

The attempt to mislead or deceive players or administrators in any way will be punished depending on the nature and severity of the violation.

3.2.5 Playing with a Disallowed Player

Using a disallowed player results in a disqualification of the match for the team. Furthermore, the player will be prohibited for the rest of the tournament before he/she is eligible to play. Also, because this might have created an unfair situation, the opponent can demand a rematch. If the opponent decides that a rematch is to be played, then the old result will be nullified, and only the new result will count in the rankings.

4 Copyright Notice

The material appearing in this document is the property of Paragon Competitive League. Unauthorised alteration of the material in this document, including without limitation any trademark image or drawing, may be seen as a violation of the laws of copyright and trademark and may thus be prosecuted under criminal and/or civil law.

No part of the content of this document may be reproduced in any form, except for personal use, without the written permissions of the Paragon Competitive League.

The material in this document is accurate to the best of our knowledge. We assume no liability for any error or omission. Furthermore, we reserve the right to change the content of this document at any time without prior notification.