Arkosh Gaming Penalized for Fielding Majority Non-NA Roster in Dota Pro Circuit
In an effort to ensure fair competition, Valve implemented rules in the Dota Pro Circuit to prevent teams from forming rosters consisting of players competing remotely or relying solely on outside talent. As a result of these regulations, Arkosh Gaming has been penalized by ESL for hosting a roster composed mostly of players from outside of North America.
ESL, the tournament organizer, announced that Arkosh Gaming will face penalties for fielding three players from outside the NA region in two series. The penalties include the loss of two substitution opportunities and a level 1 draft timer penalty of 30 seconds in their matches against Quincy Crew and Black N Yellow.
These penalties directly impact Arkosh’s participation in the Winter Tour, as they will now have only two remaining substitution uses. It is worth noting that Arkosh Gaming is an unconventional team formed by anonymous figures managed by SirActionSlacks, aiming to create a spectacle and boost viewership in the NA Dota 2 scene. Despite their unique approach, the team was able to qualify for the upper division of the 2022 DPC’s Winter Tour after spending the 2021 DPC in the lower division of the region.
Before the DPC began, the identities of the main roster for Arkosh were revealed while the players were competing in matches on stream. The roster consists of well-known NA content creators, commentators, and current or former professional players.
Fortunately, the issue of players competing from outside of NA has been resolved. According to sources, including commentator Austin “Cap” Walsh, the entire roster will be playing from NA in 2022. Cap also confirmed that at least three players from within the region played in Arkosh’s recent 2-1 victory over Black N Yellow.
In response to the penalties, Cap clarified that Arkosh’s roster composition was not an intentional violation of the rules but rather an oversight by the team when forming the roster. He emphasized that the intent of the rules was to prevent weaker regions from being exploited for Major and TI spots, not to restrict regional players from working internationally. Cap expressed his support for rules enforcement and stated that Arkosh has no issue with the penalties.
While Valve may release further clarifications regarding this rule in the future, Arkosh Gaming’s oversight has been addressed, and they have made the necessary adjustments to comply with the regulations.