Rozterz Rulebook — Dota 2

How to cite

Cite a clause by its number, for example RR-D2-7.6(a). Articles hold numbered clauses (7.6), and lettered items sit inside clauses ((a), (b)). Every Ruling cites at least one clause. Illustrations show how a clause applies. Where an Illustration and a clause differ, the clause prevails.

Preamble

Rozterz exists so that any Dota 2 community can run a tournament its players trust. That trust rests on four commitments:

1. The Organiser has the final say and decides by the written rules of this Rulebook.
2. The same situation receives the same ruling within a community on Rozterz.
3. Every ruling is explained and cited.
4. Each community's data stays inside that community.

This Rulebook gives effect to those commitments. Its Core Rules apply everywhere, while its Tournament Settings let each community fit the rules to its size and skill level.

Article 1Foundations and Definitions

This article sets out what the Rulebook covers, how it is read, and the terms it uses.

1.1 Purpose. This Rulebook sets one standard of rules for Dota 2 community tournaments on Rozterz, so that players receive the same fair treatment in every community.

1.2 Scope. It applies to every Dota 2 tournament created on Rozterz, from registration and team formation to the final result. It binds every Organising Team member, Captain, player and stand-in taking part.

1.3 Core Rules and Tournament Settings. The Rulebook has two layers:

• (a) Core Rules — every clause not listed as a setting in Schedule A. They apply unchanged in every tournament.
• (b) Tournament Settings — the values listed in Schedule A. The Organiser sets each within its permitted range and publishes them before registration opens. Where a value is not published, the default applies.

1.4 Order of authority. Where sources conflict, the higher one prevails: (1) the Organiser's final Rulings, (2) this Rulebook, (3) the published Tournament Settings, and (4) any other Organiser announcement. A final Ruling applies to the case it decides even where it departs from this Rulebook, and the Organiser states the reasons for any such departure.

1.5 Spirit of the rules. The rules are read to protect fair competition. Exploiting a gap, ambiguity or technicality for an advantage the rules plainly did not intend is a breach of this Rulebook, even where no clause names it.

1.6 Acceptance. Registering for a tournament, taking part in any auction, or playing in any game, is acceptance of this Rulebook and the published Tournament Settings. Each Captain confirms on Rozterz that the team has read both before its first series.

1.7 Definitions. In this Rulebook:

Article 2Organising Team

Five roles run every tournament. The Moderator conducts matches and escalates issues, and the Organiser makes the final decision.

2.1 Organising Team. Every tournament is run by an Organising Team with five roles. Every Moderator the Organiser selects is a member of the Organising Team.

• (a) Holding roles. One person can hold more than one role. No one holding a role marked "No" is permitted to play in the tournament as a Captain, player or stand-in.
• (b) Members who play. The Player Coordinator and the Tournament Designer are permitted to play. When they do, they take no part in decisions on escalated issues (RR-D2-2.4). Any of their tasks that concerns their own team, or a series their team plays, passes to the Moderator, and they keep information received through their role confidential and never use it for their team's advantage.
• (c) Information published in advance. Before registration opens, the Organiser publishes the following on Rozterz:
  • the Tournament Settings (Schedule A)
  • the Organising Team, with each member's role and the named deputy (RR-D2-2.4)
  • the team formation method, either auction or manual entry (RR-D2-3.4)
  • the method for building the Stand-in Pool (RR-D2-4.1)
  • the tournament format and schedule, including any auction date
  • the prize terms, if any

2.2 Moderators. The Organiser selects one or more Moderators and assigns one to each series, replacing any Moderator who has a conflict under RR-D2-2.5. In this Rulebook, "the Moderator" means the Moderator assigned to the series concerned. The Moderator conducts each match and applies this Rulebook where the facts are clear, for example by calling a Moderator Pause, ordering a remake inside the Early Game Window, confirming a No-Fault Technical Failure or issuing a warning. The Moderator can pause any game, inspect lobby settings, and request screenshots, replays or screen shares, and players and teams must follow the Moderator's instructions. Any dispute, any penalty beyond a warning, and any matter this Rulebook does not clearly cover is escalated to the Organiser.

2.3 Cases not covered. Where this Rulebook is silent, the Organiser decides under RR-D2-2.4 in line with RR-D2-1.5, and gives reasons for the decision.

2.4 Decisions on escalated issues. The Organiser makes the final decision on every escalated issue, after:

• (a) hearing the Moderator's account of it, and
• (b) discussing it with any Organising Team members who are available, excluding every member who is a player in that tournament or has a conflict under RR-D2-2.5.

The decision is recorded as a Ruling, citing the clauses applied. Before registration opens, the Organiser names a deputy who is not a player in the tournament. The deputy decides when the Organiser has a conflict or cannot be reached in time.

2.5 Independence. An Organising Team member must not decide, or take part in discussing, any matter involving:

• (a) a team containing a close friend, family member or clanmate, or
• (b) a personal stake of their own, such as a wager or a prize share.

A member with a conflict declares it and steps aside. Organising Team members who play follow RR-D2-2.1(b).

2.6 Finality and resistance to pressure. A Ruling takes effect when announced. A Moderator's call stands unless it is escalated under RR-D2-9.4. The Organiser's decision is final and can be changed only to correct a clear factual error under RR-D2-9.7. The Organising Team must never change a Ruling because a team, player or spectator protests, threatens or campaigns against it.

2.7 Community boundary and privacy. Each community on Rozterz is a separate, private boundary for its data, which can include private information about its members. Its rosters, player records, evidence and integrity record are visible only to its Organising Team, each member seeing only what their role needs. None of this is shared with another community or made public. Evidence such as screenshots and screen shares is seen only by the Moderator and the Organiser handling the matter, and is used only to decide it. Rozterz handles community data only to operate the platform.

Article 3Eligibility and Team Formation

Teams are formed either at an auction that keeps every team inside the same MMR band, or by the Organiser entering them directly. Once teams are formed, rosters are locked.

Eligibility

3.1 Accounts. Each player plays only on the Steam account linked to their Rozterz profile. Account sharing, playing on another person's account, and playing on a secondary account to misrepresent skill (smurfing) are prohibited.

3.2 One team per tournament. A Registered Player plays only for their own team. Stand-in Pool members are not Registered Players and are permitted to stand in for any team, one team per series (Article 4).

3.3 MMR verification. Before teams are formed, the Organiser verifies the MMR of every Captain, player and Stand-in Pool member against the MMR source and cut-off date in the Tournament Settings, for example each player's ranked MMR on the day registration closes. Rozterz assists with the checks. Verified MMR stays fixed for the whole tournament.

Team formation

3.4 Choice of method. When creating a tournament, the Organiser chooses how teams are formed and publishes the choice with the Tournament Settings (Schedule A):

• (a) Auction. Captains build their teams by bidding credits on players under RR-D2-3.5 to RR-D2-3.15. The auction keeps teams balanced: every team must finish with a total MMR between the MMR Floor and the MMR Cap, and a bid is allowed only if every team can still get there afterwards.
• (b) Manual entry. The Organiser enters each team's Captain and four players directly on Rozterz, using verified MMR (RR-D2-3.3), and publishes the rosters before the first series. RR-D2-3.5 to RR-D2-3.15 do not apply.

The auction

This part applies only when the Organiser chooses an auction under RR-D2-3.4(a).

3.5 Auctioneer. A Moderator named by the Organiser runs the auction on Rozterz as Auctioneer, with technical support from the Tournament Designer. The Auctioneer's calls on the order of bids, timing and sales are final. Any other issue is escalated under RR-D2-2.4.

3.6 Before the auction. The Tournament Designer prepares the auction on Rozterz for the Organiser's approval. Before bidding begins, the Tournament Designer:

• (a) enters every Captain and player with their verified MMR and preferred roles,
• (b) applies the MMR Budget and Balance Window set by the Organiser (Schedule A) and confirms on Rozterz that balanced teams are possible,
• (c) shares the MMR Budget, MMR Cap, MMR Floor and each Captain's credits, and
• (d) locks the Captain and player lists, which stay locked until the auction ends or is reset.

3.7 Credits. Credits are what Captains bid with. Each Captain starts with the credits given by the Credit Formula (Schedule A), rounded to one decimal place. Under the default formula, a Captain 1,000 MMR below the Captain average starts with 118 credits and one 1,000 MMR above it starts with 82, so lower-rated Captains can afford the stronger players they need. No Captain starts with fewer than 4 credits. Credits left over after the auction have no value.

3.8 MMR Budget, MMR Cap and MMR Floor. The MMR Budget is the target total MMR for every team, set by the Organiser. The MMR Cap is the most total MMR a team can hold, Captain included, and the MMR Floor is the least.

• (a) The Organiser sets the MMR Budget in the Tournament Settings (Schedule A). By default it is 5 × the average player MMR.
• (b) MMR Cap = MMR Budget + Balance Window, and MMR Floor = MMR Budget − Balance Window.
• (c) Each Captain's own MMR counts towards their team's total before bidding starts, so lower-rated Captains have more room for players.

If the verified MMRs cannot support the chosen MMR Budget and Balance Window, Rozterz says so before the auction begins, and the Organiser adjusts them.

3.9 Nomination order. Rozterz draws the first nominator at random, on screen, and logs the draw. After each sale, the turn to nominate passes to the next Captain in the published order which is generated at random when the auction starts, skipping Captains with full rosters. A Captain who cannot attend names a proxy before the auction starts.

3.10 Nominating and the opening bid. The nominator names one player they are eligible to buy (RR-D2-3.12). Nominating automatically places the nominator's opening bid of 1 credit. If the nominator has no eligible player, the turn passes to the next Captain.

3.11 Bidding and sale. Other eligible Captains raise by at least the Minimum Raise (Schedule A). When the bid timer runs out, or the Auctioneer calls the sale, and nobody has raised, the player is sold to the highest bidder. If no other Captain is eligible to bid, the opening bid stands and the Auctioneer sells at once. The price comes off the buyer's credits, and the player's MMR counts towards the buyer's team total. Rozterz logs every bid with its time.

3.12 Who can bid. A Captain is permitted to bid on the current player only if all three conditions hold:

• (a) Open slot — their roster is not full,
• (b) MMR-safe — after the purchase, their team and every other team can still finish between the MMR Floor and the MMR Cap using the players left, and
• (c) Credit-safe — the bid leaves at least 1 credit for each of their other open slots, that is, bid ≤ credits − (open slots − 1).

Rozterz shows live which Captains can bid and each one's maximum bid. Because every sale keeps a balanced finish possible, the auction cannot get stuck.

3.13 Roles. Preferred roles are shown for reference only. They never affect nomination, eligibility, bids or budgets.

3.14 Simultaneous bids and corrections. If two Captains bid at once, the Auctioneer decides who bid first. The Auctioneer can undo the last sale to correct a mistake: the player returns to the pool, the credits are refunded, and the undo is logged.

3.15 End of the auction. The auction ends when every Captain has bought four players. Players not bought become Unsold Players. The Organiser can add them to the Stand-in Pool (RR-D2-4.1).

After teams are formed

3.16 Teams and Captains. Each team is its Captain and four players, bought at the auction or entered by the Organiser. These five are the team's Registered Players. The Captain is the team's only representative to the Organising Team: the Captain files disputes, confirms results and makes requests. A team is permitted to change who represents it once per tournament by notice to the Organiser.

3.17 Roster lock. Rosters lock when the auction ends or, under manual entry, when the Organiser publishes them. A Captain must not remove a Registered Player, and a Registered Player must not withdraw from the tournament. When a Registered Player cannot play in a series, the only replacement is a stand-in under Article 4.

3.18 No disguised removals. Recording a Registered Player as unavailable in order to sideline them is misrepresentation under RR-D2-4.7. A dispute between a Captain and a player is escalated to the Organiser under RR-D2-2.4.

Article 4Stand-ins

The Organiser assigns stand-ins from a pool prepared before the tournament, always at or below the missing player's MMR, and only for genuine absences.

4.1 Stand-in Pool. Before teams are formed, the Organiser prepares a Stand-in Pool, organised in steps of the Stand-in Step (Schedule A), such as 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 and 3,000 MMR. Each member is listed at the lowest step at or above their verified MMR, so no member exceeds their step: a 2,450 MMR member is listed at the 2,500 step. The pool covers every step a Registered Player could need, from the step at or below the lowest verified MMR to the step at or below the highest. The Organiser publishes the pool and can add Unsold Players to it. Rozterz assists by placing each member at their step.

4.2 Assignment by the Organiser. Stand-ins are provided only by the Organiser. A team must not choose, recruit or propose its own. The Organiser assigns a member from the highest step at or below the missing player's verified MMR, so a 2,800 MMR player is replaced from the 2,500 step. If no member at that step is available, the next step down is used. If the absent player has made a report under RR-D2-4.8, the Organiser can assign the stand-in from one further step down. Rozterz shows which members are eligible for each assignment.

4.3 Genuine reasons only. A stand-in is provided only when a Registered Player cannot play for a genuine reason, such as illness, work, study, travel, a family matter, or a technical failure that cannot be fixed before the series. A team's preference, a player's form, or a dispute within the team is not a genuine reason. The Organiser can ask for brief supporting details, which stay private under RR-D2-2.7.

4.4 Declaration of unavailability. A player's unavailability is valid only if:

• (a) the player confirms it personally and privately to the Organiser through Rozterz, not through the Captain or a teammate, and
• (b) the confirmation is made at least the Unavailability Notice period (Schedule A) before the series, unless the Organiser accepts a genuine emergency.

A player declared unavailable for a series must not play in any game of that series.

4.5 Timing. A stand-in must join before a game begins, never during one. If no pool member at or below the required step is available, the Moderator can reschedule the series within the published schedule. Otherwise, the team plays with four players or forfeits.

4.6 Stand-in Usage Cap. A team is permitted to use stand-ins in no more than the number of series set in Schedule A. Each series in which a stand-in plays counts once towards the cap. Beyond the cap, the team plays with four players or forfeits, unless the Organiser allows an exception for a documented emergency.

4.7 Misrepresentation. It is a serious offence to:

• (a) declare a player unavailable when the team has in fact sidelined that player,
• (b) pressure, persuade or reward a player to declare themselves unavailable, or
• (c) give false information about any player's identity, account or MMR.

Penalties are set out in RR-D2-10.4.

4.8 Protection for players who report. A player who reports being pressured into a false declaration, before the matter is otherwise discovered, will not be penalised for that declaration. The report stays confidential to the Organiser and those consulted under RR-D2-2.4, and it allows the Organiser to lower the team's stand-in by one more step (RR-D2-4.2).

4.9 Organising Team members in the pool. The Player Coordinator and the Tournament Designer are permitted to be Stand-in Pool members, unless they are part of another team as Registered Players. The Organiser, Moderator and Media Manager are never permitted to be Stand-in Pool members. A member who stands in follows RR-D2-2.1(b).

Article 5Match Administration

A Moderator hosts every lobby. Teams arrive on time, prepare their own setup, and confirm results on Rozterz.

5.1 Check-in. Each team checks in on Rozterz no later than the Check-in Time (Schedule A) before its series. By then all five players must be online and present in the match channel.

5.2 Lateness. A team not ready in the lobby at the scheduled start forfeits the first game once it is later than the Game Forfeit Time, and the series once it is later than the Series Forfeit Time (both in Schedule A). The Moderator can excuse a delay caused by an earlier match overrunning or by an outage affecting everyone.

5.3 Lobby hosting. A Moderator's account creates and hosts every tournament lobby, configured as in Schedule B. Players do not host tournament lobbies.

5.4 Technical readiness. Each player is responsible for their own connection, power, hardware and software. Before check-in, each player updates and restarts the Dota 2 client and confirms Steam is online. A wired connection is strongly recommended.

5.5 Sides and draft priority. Before every game, a coin toss decides which team chooses side or first pick.

5.6 Draft. Picks and bans are final once locked, including mis-clicks. If a Captain drops out during the draft, the team pauses at once, and the time used comes out of its Pause Bank for that game.

5.7 Incorrect lobby settings. If a lobby setting differs from Schedule B and this is reported within the Early Game Window, the game is remade with the same draft. After the Early Game Window the game stands, unless the Organiser finds the setting gave one team a material advantage, in which case RR-D2-7.6 applies.

5.8 End of a game. A game ends when an Ancient is destroyed or a team concedes. A concession binds the team only when its Captain types "gg" in all chat during play or announces it to the Moderator. Another player typing "gg" does not concede for the team.

5.9 Result confirmation. Both Captains confirm each game's result on Rozterz within 15 minutes, with the Dota 2 match ID. If the Captains disagree, the Moderator decides from the match record.

Article 6Pauses

Pauses are for technical problems only, must be explained at once, and a pause during a fight is presumed tactical unless proven otherwise.

6.1 Permitted reasons. A player is permitted to pause only for:

• (a) a disconnection or client issue,
• (b) a network problem, such as high latency or packet loss,
• (c) a hardware or software failure, or
• (d) a health or personal emergency.

A pause to plan, regroup, wait for cooldowns or reset a fight (a tactical pause) is prohibited.

6.2 Pause Bank. Each team has a Pause Bank for each game, set in Schedule A. Unused time does not carry over to the next game. A team is permitted to give part of its remaining Pause Bank to its opponent by saying so in all chat. Moderator Pauses do not use any Pause Bank.

6.3 Calling a pause. The pausing player's team member states the reason in all chat within 10 seconds of the pause, for example "Pause — packet loss". If no reason is given, the opposing team is permitted to unpause after 30 seconds.

6.4 Network evidence. During tournament games, every player keeps Dota 2's network information display, or an equivalent ping and packet-loss readout, switched on. Evidence of a network problem is needed only when the Moderator requests it. If the Moderator does, the player who paused sends a screenshot of the readout, and a network pause without that evidence is treated as a tactical pause.

6.5 Pauses during fights. A pause called during the Fight Window is presumed tactical. The Fight Window is open when, in the previous five seconds, any hero has dealt or received damage from an enemy hero, or when the pausing team has an active Smoke of Deceit or a teleport in progress. The pausing team can rebut the presumption only with evidence under RR-D2-6.4 or the Moderator's own observation.

6.6 Resuming. The pausing team announces in all chat when it is ready. The opposing team confirms "ready" within 60 seconds, after which either team is permitted to resume. Except under RR-D2-6.3 and RR-D2-6.7, players must not unpause before both teams are ready.

6.7 Exhausted Pause Bank. Once a team's Pause Bank is used up, any player is permitted to unpause. That team is permitted to pause again only for a health emergency or with the Moderator's consent.

6.8 Moderator Pauses. The Moderator can pause any game at any time and states the reason in all chat. Players must not unpause a Moderator Pause.

6.9 Review after the game. A Captain can ask for any pause to be reviewed by giving the Moderator its in-game time within the Dispute Window (RR-D2-9.2). The Moderator checks the replay and any evidence and escalates any penalty beyond a warning (RR-D2-2.4). Penalties under RR-D2-10.3 can be applied after the game has ended.

Article 7Drop-outs and Client/Server Issues

Inside the Early Game Window any drop-out, whether a server or a client issue, means a remake. After it, a player-side problem is the team's responsibility, and a verified no-fault failure is settled by the Organiser, guided by the game state.

Read the diagram top to bottom. Each outcome names the clause that applies.

7.1 Drop-outs and their causes. A player can drop out of a game in two ways: a disconnection, caused by a network issue, or a client issue, where the Dota 2 client crashes, freezes or will not rejoin. Every drop-out, or failure to rejoin, is classed as either:

• (a) a Player-Side Fault — caused by the player's own network connection, power, hardware, software, client updates or account, including Steam being in offline mode, or
• (b) a No-Fault Technical Failure — caused by a fault in the Dota 2 client itself, the servers, Game Coordinator or lobby, not by any player or team, and verified under RR-D2-7.4.

Where the cause cannot be established, the failure is a Player-Side Fault unless RR-D2-7.4 is satisfied.

7.2 Immediate steps. When a player drops out, a teammate pauses at once and states the reason in all chat. The player works through the Reconnect Checklist (Schedule C) and reports each step to the Moderator in the match channel.

7.3 Inside the Early Game Window. If a player drops out or fails to connect within the Early Game Window, the game is remade with the same heroes, sides and draft priority. A team is permitted one remake for a Player-Side Fault per series, and any later Player-Side Fault in that series follows RR-D2-7.5.

7.4 Verifying a No-Fault Technical Failure. The Moderator classes a failure as no-fault only if:

• (a) the affected player is reachable and responsive in the match channel,
• (b) the player has completed the Reconnect Checklist within 10 minutes of the drop-out, and
• (c) the Moderator has confirmed, by screenshot or screen share, that the client offers no way back into the game, or the failure affected several players or the whole lobby at once.

7.5 Player-Side Fault after the Early Game Window. The team uses its Pause Bank while the player reconnects. If the player has not returned when the Pause Bank runs out, the game continues with four players, or the team can concede. The player is permitted to rejoin at any time. No replacement is permitted to join a game in progress.

7.6 No-Fault Technical Failure after the Early Game Window. Once the Moderator confirms the failure under RR-D2-7.4, the pause becomes a Moderator Pause and any Pause Bank time used since the drop-out is restored. The game resumes if the player rejoins within the Restoration Window (Schedule A). If the player cannot rejoin, the Moderator escalates the matter and the Organiser decides by the game state at the moment of failure:

• (a) Competitive Game — the game is replayed with a new draft. The series score is unchanged, and draft priority is the same as in the original game.
• (b) Decided Game — the Organiser decides the result, considering the game state and which team suffered the failure.

7.7 Competitive and Decided Games. A game is Decided if, at the moment of failure, one team:

• (a) has Mega Creeps (all six enemy barracks destroyed), or
• (b) has destroyed at least two enemy barracks and leads in net worth by at least 15,000 gold.

The Organiser can also find a game Decided, with written reasons, where the outcome is beyond reasonable doubt. Every other game is Competitive.

7.8 Whole-lobby failure. If the game server crashes or every player drops out at once, the failure is a No-Fault Technical Failure without individual verification, and RR-D2-7.3 and RR-D2-7.6 apply.

7.9 Game-affecting bugs. A player who meets a bug that significantly changes gameplay pauses and reports it to the opponent and the Moderator in all chat. Knowingly exploiting a bug is prohibited (RR-D2-8.2). If the Organiser finds that a bug decisively affected the game, RR-D2-7.6 applies as if it were a No-Fault Technical Failure.

Article 8Conduct and Fair Play

Compete hard, play clean, and raise complaints only through the dispute process.

8.1 Sportsmanship. Players, stand-ins and team staff treat opponents, Organising Team members, casters and spectators with respect.

8.2 Prohibited conduct. The following are prohibited:

• (a) cheats, scripts, gameplay-automating macros, or any third-party software that gives an in-game advantage,
• (b) account sharing and smurfing (RR-D2-3.1),
• (c) ghosting — receiving information about the opponent during a game from a stream, a spectator or any outside source,
• (d) match-fixing, deliberately losing, or betting on any match involving one's own team,
• (e) disconnecting deliberately or abusing pauses (Article 6),
• (f) knowingly exploiting a bug (RR-D2-7.9),
• (g) harassment, hate speech, threats or discriminatory language in any channel,
• (h) using all chat during play for anything other than pauses, technical issues, concession and brief courtesy such as "glhf" and "gg", or
• (i) colluding with another Captain at the auction, such as agreeing not to bid against each other or to trade players afterwards.

8.3 Pressure on the Organising Team. It is an offence to pressure any Organising Team member outside Article 9, including through public campaigns, repeated private messages, threats, or encouraging others to protest. Complaints about a Ruling go only through Article 9.

8.4 Responsibility for associates. A team is responsible for the conduct of its stand-ins while they play for it, its staff and anyone acting on its behalf in tournament channels.

Article 9Disputes and Decisions

Captains raise disputes with the Moderator, who escalates any that the rules do not clearly settle. The Organiser's decision is final.

9.1 Who can raise a dispute. Only a Captain can raise a dispute on a team's behalf.

9.2 Dispute Window. A dispute about a game is raised with the Moderator on Rozterz within the Dispute Window (Schedule A), counted from the end of that game. A matter that needs action during play is raised with the Moderator during a pause.

9.3 Contents. A dispute states the clause relied on, the in-game time or moment concerned, and the evidence available, such as screenshots, replays or recordings.

9.4 Escalation. The Moderator settles a dispute directly only where this Rulebook clearly answers it. Otherwise, or if either Captain disagrees with the Moderator's call, the Moderator escalates it to the Organiser. The series continues unless the Moderator pauses it.

9.5 The Organiser's decision. The Organiser decides an escalated dispute under RR-D2-2.4, hearing the Captains where useful, and posts the decision on Rozterz citing the clauses applied. The decision is final.

9.6 Where disputes are argued. Disputes are argued only in the Rozterz dispute channel, never in all chat, public channels or social media. A dispute argued anywhere else can be dismissed.

9.7 Correcting a clear error. After a decision is final, the Organiser can change it only to correct a clear factual error, and only before either team's next series begins. The correction is announced to both Captains with reasons.

9.8 Confidential reports. No decision arising from a report under RR-D2-4.8 identifies the reporting player.

Article 10Penalties

Penalties scale with the offence and with repeat offences, and they apply only within the community that imposed them.

10.1 Available penalties. In increasing order of severity:

• (a) warning,
• (b) reduction of a team's Pause Bank,
• (c) loss of pause rights for the rest of a series,
• (d) game forfeit,
• (e) series forfeit,
• (f) disqualification from the tournament, or
• (g) suspension from the community's future tournaments for a stated period (RR-D2-10.7).

10.2 Choosing a penalty. The Organiser chooses a penalty in proportion to the offence, after hearing the Moderator, weighing intent, effect on the game and earlier offences in the same tournament. The guideline penalties in RR-D2-10.3 to RR-D2-10.5 apply unless the Organiser records reasons for departing from them.

10.3 Pause offences. Counted per team across the tournament:

10.4 Roster offences.

If forfeits under this clause come to light after the team has advanced, the Organiser decides how to restore the bracket and can disqualify the team.

10.5 Conduct offences.

10.6 Penalties found after a game. A game forfeit found on later review reverses that game's result only if the review ends before the next game of the series begins, or within 30 minutes of a series' final game. Otherwise the result stands and the penalty applies in the team's next series. Disqualification and suspension can be imposed at any time.

10.7 Penalties stay within the community. Disqualifications, suspensions and misrepresentation findings are recorded only in the community's integrity record and apply only to that community's tournaments (RR-D2-2.7). A penalty imposed in one community has no effect in any other. Rozterz never shows these records on a player's platform profile, never shares them with other communities, and will never apply the suspension across all Rozterz tournaments. A suspended player has the right to appeal once against each suspension, in writing, to the Organiser.

Article 11Amendments and Versioning

Rules never change mid-tournament. Rozterz revises the Rulebook between tournaments.

11.1 Custodian. Rozterz maintains this Rulebook and publishes each version with a version number and effective date.

11.2 Which version applies. A tournament runs for its whole duration under the version in force when its registration opened.

11.3 No changes mid-tournament. Once registration has opened, neither this Rulebook nor the published Tournament Settings can change, except to correct an obvious error or protect player safety. Any such change is approved by the Organiser and announced in writing to every Captain by the Media Manager, with reasons, before it takes effect.

11.4 Proposals. Any Organising Team member or Captain can propose an amendment to Rozterz, citing the clause concerned and, where possible, a real case that shows the need.

11.5 Review. Rozterz reviews this Rulebook at least twice a year, taking account of the proposals received.

11.6 Version history.

Schedule ATournament Settings

The Organiser sets these values within the permitted range and publishes them before registration opens (RR-D2-2.1). Any value not published takes the default. The Credit Formula, MMR Budget, Balance Window, Minimum Raise and bid timer apply only to an auction.

These values are Core Rules and cannot be changed by an Organiser: five players per team (RR-D2-3.16), the 1-credit opening bid and bidding conditions at any auction (RR-D2-3.10 and RR-D2-3.12), the stand-in assignment rule (RR-D2-4.2), the Early Game Window (first blood or 5:00), the Fight Window (RR-D2-6.5), the Decided Game thresholds (RR-D2-7.7), the 10-second pause reason (RR-D2-6.3), the 60-second ready confirmation (RR-D2-6.6), the 10-minute Reconnect Checklist (RR-D2-7.4) and the 15-minute result window (RR-D2-5.9).

Schedule BStandard Lobby Configuration

Every tournament lobby uses these settings (RR-D2-5.3).

Schedule CReconnect Checklist

A player who drops out completes these steps in order within 10 minutes, reporting each one in the match channel (RR-D2-7.2 and RR-D2-7.4):

1. Press Reconnect on the Dota 2 main screen, if it is shown.
2. Fully close and restart Dota 2.
3. Restart Steam and confirm it is online, not in offline mode.
4. Confirm you are signed in to the Steam account linked to your Rozterz profile.
5. Confirm your internet connection works, for example through voice chat or a web page.
6. If there is still no way back in, send the Moderator a screenshot of the Dota 2 main screen, or share your screen.

Schedule DOrganiser Checklist

Before registration opens:

• Publish the Tournament Settings (Schedule A)
• Fill the five Organising Team roles, select the Moderators, publish who holds each role, name the deputy, and record any conflicts (RR-D2-2.1, RR-D2-2.2, RR-D2-2.4 and RR-D2-2.5)
• Publish the team formation method, format, schedule, any auction date and any prize terms

Before team formation and the first series:

• Verify the MMR of every Captain, player and Stand-in Pool member (RR-D2-3.3)
• Confirm every Captain has accepted this Rulebook on Rozterz (RR-D2-1.6)
• Assign a Moderator to every series, and test each Moderator's lobby account with the Schedule B settings
• Publish the Stand-in Pool, with every member listed at their MMR step (RR-D2-4.1)
• Form the teams by auction or manual entry, and publish the final rosters (RR-D2-3.4)

After the tournament:

• Record disqualifications, suspensions and misrepresentation findings in the community's integrity record (RR-D2-10.7)
• Send any amendment proposals to Rozterz (RR-D2-11.4)