ESL makes strict ruling changes amid Valve’s Dota 2 smurf banning spree

Valve shook the Dota 2 world with its smurfing bans over the last two days. Multiple professional players lost access to their alternative accounts, and ESL made a new ruling change today, Jan. 18, opening the way for further punishments.

Since StingeR was banned in the middle of DreamLeague qualifiers, Dota 2 fans have questioned whether these bans could impact players’ professional careers. Despite the uncertainty, ESL’s most recent rule change could cause players to miss out on tournaments.

Following the changes, ESL now has the authority to reject players who are banned by Valve. If the VAC ban isn’t related to issues in competitive play, the ban may be waived. This waiver is conditional on the player using a new account in good standing, with no suspicion of account sharing in the past.

While the new rules will allow ESL to take similar action against offenders, going hand-in-hand with Valve, the tournament organizer will likely stay in close contact with the developer before swinging the ban hammer again. In previous years, when Valve organized most competitive events, an account ban could become a career-ending punishment for players.

The new rulings have some room for error, and the nature of bans will play a more critical role. Smurfing and account sharing have been heavily criticized parts of the professional scene in Dota 2, but professional players always defended their actions, noting long queue times.

Amid the smurf banning apocalypse, even Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi lost access to his top 15 ranked account. It looks like rank and MMR aren’t important for Valve, and the developer wants everyone playing on a single account without any excuses.