Teams will only be able to region swap three months after competing with their new roster – effectively denying BC.Game a spot at the upcoming Major.
While it looked probable that we would see Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev competing at the upcoming PGL Singapore Major, Valve has taken a hard measure against region swapping effective immediately.
The newly added rule to the VRS rulebook states that:
A roster is eligible for Regional Assignment if they did not appear in any other region’s VRS list in the preceding three months.
BC.Game recently announced the signing of an Australian player to make the switch to the Asian VRS mid-season, opening their way to the Singapore Major. However, Valve’s change seems to be effective immediately, meaning that we are unlikely to see s1mple play at Singapore.
Instances of “region-swapping” leading to public outcry
BC.Game and Sashi make up the most recent organizations to resort to making roster changes for the sake of reaching the Major. Team Liquid had been the most controversial case up to that point, allowing them to reach the IEM Cologne Major by switching from Europe to Americas VRS, with no reaction from Valve.
BC.Game and Sashi’s accouncement was the last straw for many in the community, who expressed discontent with the moves on social media. Now, that the changes have been made, some voices are praising Valve, while others disagree with the immediate implementation of the rule mid-season.
