Normally, there would be an interview here. However, as the nominated participant had a ‘mishap with the timing’, we decided to take a closer look at a particular tournament. The aim of this article is to highlight the things you should avoid when organising a tournament or tournaments. We are, of course, referring to the Vanguard Cup. I’m even taking part in the tournament myself, on the Avalanche.gg team. I just hope that after this article, there won’t be some clause in the already sparse and frequently amended rules to get rid of me and my team from the tournament, because then you’d have less ‘content’.
Teamspeak recording
The owner of the entire tournament, the “–maik” project, was a player for Armitra Esports, which took part in the tournament. During the matches, it was a requirement to be present and communicate on the organiser’s TeamSpeak server, as well as to record conversations whilst the match was in progress. The requirement to record communication is somewhat absurd, given that the tournament’s owner is playing in the same tournament.
Teamspeak is being recorded, players are required to stay on the organiser’s Teamspeak server, but the coach is not allowed to chat with the players on the coach’s channel – why? After all, Teamspeak recording is mandatory; if he breaks the rules, it will be on the recording. Unless, of course, the requirement to record ‘comms’ was for a different purpose. The same person who shared some information with us told us that they had been asked to send precisely such comms. However, when their side asked for the comms, they didn’t receive them.
The rules are a wheel of fortune
It depends on which side of the bed the administrator gets out of. Before the tournament started, we were told that players could not be changed during the tournament. Before the start, it was possible to register 5 starting players and 2 substitutes. Suddenly, during the tournament, the administrator changed his mind (he has the right to do so), but I cannot find any information that such a change to the rules had taken place. Then, before the 5th round match (2-2), the owner himself wrote that changes could be made during the tournament. And everything would be fine, were it not for the fact that the initial narrative was that you could swap out your entire squad. It was only later, following suggestions from the captains, that he changed his stance and said, ‘there must be a core after all’.
At one point, we (Avalanche.gg) had a problem adding a player to the team, where, due to our own stupidity, we didn’t have a fifth player in the line-up 10 minutes before the match. We were playing Armitra Esports at the time, where the tournament owner was also playing. There would have been nothing strange about this had we not had to wait for a reply at the very last minute. The situation was somewhat strange, as the tournament owner was playing for the opposing team, and although he could have replied a little sooner. Nevertheless, the administration/owner deserves credit for how the situation was resolved, as they eventually managed to extend the start time of the match by 10 minutes, and during that time we managed to add a player.
From my perspective, the rules are also poorly written. They give the tournament organiser a great deal of flexibility. This isn’t generally a bad thing, but with poor management, situations can arise where we might feel that a certain team (e.g. Armitra Esports) is being favoured in the tournament. Below are the rules for the entire tournament.
- General provisions
- The CS2 tournament is organised by a private individual.
- The tournament is amateur, recreational and non-commercial in nature.
- The tournament is not a game of chance, a lottery or a betting scheme within the meaning of the Gambling Act – the results are determined by the players’ skills.
- The tournament takes place online.
- Participation in the tournament constitutes acceptance of these rules.
- Conditions of participation
- Teams consisting of 5 players may participate in the tournament, with the option of two substitutes.
- Players may be changed, added or removed no later than 24 hours before the next match, but the core (3 players) must be retained.
- Each participant must have a legitimate copy of Counter-Strike 2 and a good internet connection.
- The organiser accepts no responsibility for technical issues on the part of participants.
- Tournament rules
- The tournament is played in Counter-Strike 2.
- The detailed format of the competition (bracket, BO1/BO3, maps) will be provided to participants before the start of the tournament.
- The organiser reserves the right to change the schedule for technical or organisational reasons.
- The use of cheats, exploits, stream sniping and unauthorised software is prohibited.
- In the event of a breach of fair play rules, the Organiser may disqualify the team.
- Entry fee
- The entry fee for the tournament is 30 PLN per team.
- The entry fee is intended solely for:
- covering the organisational costs of the tournament (including the TeamSpeak 3 server),
- prizes for participants.
- The organiser does not make a profit from organising the tournament.
- Prizes
- The prize pool is funded by the entry fees.
- The type and value of the prizes will be announced before the tournament begins.
- Prizes may be in cash or in kind.
- Any tax obligations associated with receiving a prize are the responsibility of the winners, in accordance with applicable law.
It is clear that this is likely to be this person’s first tournament, but it is still worth seeing how others, more experienced colleagues, do it before organising one. Even the very first point of the rules, “The organiser of the CS2 tournament is a private individual,” seems unnecessary. We do not know what the purpose of this point was, but I suspect it was for data administration or to indicate who is responsible for the tournament. And here lies the paradox. On the one hand, we want to state who is responsible, yet on the other, we avoid doing so by stating “A private individual”.
Swiss system, but without BO3
Firstly, I should point out that tournament formats are often a matter of personal taste. One person might like this tournament’s format, whilst another might not, so this section is a subjective opinion. The Swiss system typically involves some matches (qualifiers, promotion) being played in a Best of 3 format. You won’t experience that in this tournament. The first round is, of course, BO1, as is the second. The third round is also BO1, as are the fourth and fifth. It is only the play-offs that are played in a Best of 3 format.
Scheduling matches
The first round allows four days to play the match (2–5 February). Before the tournament began, the captains had time to agree on dates. The second round began on 6 February and ended on 8 February. The next 3 days were for the third round, and so on. Why were there 4 days in the first round, even though the captains had time to agree on dates? In the second round, there was no such time, because the next round begins immediately, and on top of that, the timeframe was shortened by 1 day.
First withdrawal
Invitation
Due to the delay in publishing the interview with the CEO of Vandals Clan, we would like to nominate “–maik” to take part in our sub-project.
Note regarding the interview with the CEO of Vandals Clan: please be advised that the series may be put on hold due to the participant’s lack of time to complete it.
Spread the word!
You can report controversial issues or disputes on our Discord or via email (drama@superion.gg). You can expect a neutral and fair approach to the matter. Proof of this can be found in the interviews conducted as part of Stan Podziemia with people who did not see eye to eye with us and did not hold us in high regard — despite this, we provided each of them with a space to freely and honestly present their position. If you have any additional facts or an opinion regarding the Vanguard Cup, we would be grateful for the information.
Overdue support
We apologise that Stan Podziemia did not appear last week. From previous content, we managed to raise another 75 PLN for charity. You can view the donation via THIS LINK.
English 
Polish 