DISCLAIMER: This set of rules is not final, and is subject to change. As such, please regularly check back for new or updated sections. All changes to the Rules will be announced on the Trench League Discord, and will be on record. The Trench League reserves the right to change rules without prior notice. Modified rules may go into effect immediately after public announcement. If you have any concerns with the rules below, please contact a Global Administrator in the Trench League Discord. Additional information can be found on The Trench League Discord or the Trench League Website.
1.1) Introduction
1.1.1) The Trench League is an Amateur Dota 2 League and serves to provide a competitive experience for teams whose members are Archon 5 and under. The Trench League is currently in its third season.
1.2) Tournament Format
1.2.1) All enrolled and confirmed teams are organized into Groups, and will compete with others in their group across several weeks in two-match series. Each team’s standing in their Group will be kept track of based on the number of wins, losses, and ties they have. When all games in a Group have been played, each team will be assigned a score based on their standing: a win is worth two (2) points, a tie is worth one (1) points, and a loss is worth zero (0) points. The top teams of each group will then be seeded to compete in a bracket. The whole set of Group games are called collectively the Group Stage, and the size and number of groups will vary depending on the number of enrolled and confirmed teams.
1.2.2) Once the top teams of each group are seeded, they will be placed in a double elimination bracket. All winners’ bracket games are best of three (3) sets, and all losers’ bracket games are best of three (3) sets as well. The Grand Finals are a best of five (5) set. The winner of the Grand Finals is declared the Trench League Champion for the season.
2.1) Official Standing
2.1.1) To be eligible to play in the Trench League a user must be in good standing with the Trench League, meaning they cannot be banned on any Trench League platforms or resources.
2.1.2) Players that are VAC banned or have any VAC bans on record are not eligible to play in the Trench League.
2.1.3) Players are not able to play for more than one Team. Players are therefore not eligible to enroll if they are already confirmed members of an existing Trench League team.
2.2) Public Data and Accounts
2.2.1) All Players must disclose their Steam account username and in-game name, and must keep “Expose Public Match Data” enabled for the duration of the tournament to remain eligible. In addition, both Steam and Dota 2 profile pages must be made public and remain as such for the duration of the tournament.
2.2.2) All Players must also disclose the Steam account usernames of any and all Steam accounts they have access to (namely, smurf accounts). If at any point it is found that a Player has access to an undisclosed steam account, they will no longer remain eligible to play in the Trench League.
2.2.3) All players must register for a team via the Trench League website and be approved for play by a league admin prior to participating in any league games.
2.2.4) The required information described in rules 2.2.1 - 2.2.3 is aggregated and managed on the Trench League Website. Players must therefore have a valid account and complete profile on the Trench League Website to be eligible to play in the Trench League.
2.3) Rank and Game Requirements
2.3.1) The medal Rank of any Player or Captain at the time of initial enrollment in the Trench League cannot exceed Archon 5 which translates to an in-game MMR of roughly < 3400.
2.3.2) If any enrolled player climbs to or exceeds 3630 MMR (Legend 3) at any point during the season, that player is no longer eligible to play in the Trench League.
2.3.3) If any enrolled player loses eligibility due to their MMR exceeding 3630, they may be reinstated if it is found that their MMR drops back below Archon 5 (under 3400 MMR).
2.3.4) To be eligible to play in the Trench League, all players must have 300+ matches on record in Dota 2, and must have recorded matches at least two (2) months prior to the enrollment date.
2.4) Enrollment
2.4.1) Teams that wish to enroll in the Trench League must complete necessary forms on the Trench League website. The team Captain is responsible for registering the team and getting all members to sign up for the team prior to the league start date.
2.5 Smurfing
2.5.1) If for any reason an Admin suspects a Player or Captain to be smurfing, this will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the administration team. Smurfing accusations should be sent to NTTHRASH or CactusLord on Discord, and it will be reviewed alongside the evidence given.
2.5.2) Accounts with suspicious game patterns -- for example, US based teams having players with high game counts played on EU servers, are subject to disqualification.
3.1) Members
3.1.1) A valid Team consists of four (4) Players, one (1) Captain, and up to three (3) Standins, all of whom must be eligible to play in accordance with Section 2 of the Official Trench League Rules. It is HIGHLY encouraged to have at least one Standin, but it is not required.
3.1.2) For any official matters, the Captain of a team is considered to be the spokesperson and leader of a team. Any scheduling or administrative concerns will be directed to the Captain, and prize money will be distributed to the Captain of the winning team.
3.2) Standins
3.2.1) Teams are permitted to use their accepted Standins in any series of games at any time, provided that the Captain notifies the Administrator in charge of the lobby/lobbies before the series. Standins may NOT be swapped in after a series has already started.
3.3) Disbanding
3.3.1) If a team disbands in the middle of a Trench League season, an official notice must be made to Administrators as such. Once the disbanding of a team is confirmed, the team and all its players forfeit any further matches or potential winnings for that season. If any enrollment fees have been collected those fees will NOT be reimbursed.
4.1) All games will be played in Captain's Mode.
4.2) Eligibility and Specifics
4.2.1) Games must be ticketed to be considered valid Trench League matches.
4.2.2) All teams must use their official team ID in lobby matches, at risk of forfeiture upon failure to comply.
4.2.3) No coaches or non-caster spectators are allowed in the lobby, with the exception of administrators.
4.2.4) Teams that do not have five (5) members in a lobby slot, ready to play can be penalized depending on degree of tardiness. Escalting penalties are as follows:
5 minutes - Offending team forfeits the first game by default.
10 minutes - Offending team forfeits the series entirely.
There are exceptions for explicitly technical difficulties, such as Game Coordinator issues and lobby issues.
4.2.5) If both teams fail to be ready, both teams will forfeit by default and no points will be awarded for the series, in addition to a warning that repeated action will cause entire removal from the league.
4.2.6) All games in a series, after the first, allow a five (5) minute break for every thirty (30) minutes of game time played.