Rules

Official Rules & Rank Verification Guide for Buddies for CALM.

1. General Information & Eligibility

1.1 Integrity & Charity First

This tournament is an official charity event. While competition is encouraged, sportsmanship, respect, and compliance with competitive integrity rules are strictly enforced. All proceeds go directly to the designated charity campaign.

1.2 Account & Account Level Requirements

1. Account Standing: Players must use their primary Riot Games account. Accounts must be in good standing (no active competitive suspensions or chat bans).
2. Account Level: Every participating account must be Level 20 or higher with competitive unlocked.
3. Public Career Profile: All players must set their Valorant career stats to Public on Tracker.gg.

2. Division Eligibility & Rank Restrictions

Eligibility is evaluated using both Current Rank and Peak Rank (highest rank achieved over the current Episode and the previous Episode).

Division	Allowed Peak Rank	Max Division Cap	Notes
Low ELO	Iron 1 - Silver 3	Silver 3	No player on the roster may have ever hit Gold 1 or higher in the past 2 Episodes.
Mid ELO	Gold 1 - Diamond 3	Diamond 3	Roster peak cap is strictly Diamond 3. Peak Ascendant players must register in Champions Tier.
High ELO	Ascendant 1 - Radiant	Unlimited	Open division. Unrated or low-ranked players may fill teams here if playing with higher-ranked teammates.
Game Changers	Iron 1 - Radiant (All Ranks)	Unlimited (Gender-Gated)	Exclusive division dedicated to marginalized genders (women and non-binary players). Validated via Riot Game Changers eligibility criteria or Discord verification.

2.1 Game Changers Division Eligibility & Verification

1. Roster Eligibility: All starting players and substitutes on a Game Changers roster must identify as women or marginalized genders in accordance with official Riot Games Game Changers policy.
2. Cross-Division Play: Players in the Game Changers division may also participate in open skill tiers (Low, Mid, or High) provided their individual rank meets that tier's caps.
3. Gender Verification: Captains must confirm roster eligibility through designated Game Changers Discord roles or prior tournament verification. Any attempt to falsify gender identity to gain entry will result in immediate permanent disqualification.

2.2 Unrated & Placement Players

Players who are currently unrated in the active Act must present a visible rank history from the previous two Acts. Players without any ranked history on their account within the past 6 months are ineligible to participate in Division 1 or 2.

3. Rank Verification & Registration Process

To ensure fair play and prevent smurfing across skill tiers, all teams must complete a mandatory verification check prior to bracket lock.

Challengermode Registration

Deadline: 48 Hours Before Tournament Start. The Team Captain creates a team on Challengermode and joins the desired Division tournament page. During registration, the Captain must input:

1. Full Riot ID + Tagline for all 5 starting players and up to 2 substitutes (e.g., PlayerOne#NA1).
2. Direct Tracker.gg links for all players on the roster.

Charity Entry Fee Submission

Verification Required. Captains must complete the team entry donation ($25 per team) via the official charity donation link (e.g., Tiltify / GoFundMe). Keep a digital receipt or screenshot showing:

1. Transaction/Donation Confirmation ID.
2. Team Name matching your Challengermode team name.

Discord Check-In & Verification

Complete in #rank-verification Channel. Join the Official Tournament Discord and post in the designated #rank-verification channel using the following format:

Team Name: [Your Team Name]

Division: [Iron-Silver / Gold-Diamond / Ascendant-Radiant / Game Changers]

Challengermode Team Link: [URL]

Donation Receipt: [Image attachment or Link]

Roster Tracker Links:

1. Player 1 (Captain): [Tracker.gg Link]

2. Player 2: [Tracker.gg Link]

3. Player 3: [Tracker.gg Link]

4. Player 4: [Tracker.gg Link]

5. Player 5: [Tracker.gg Link]

Sub 1 (Optional): [Tracker.gg Link]

Admin Approval & Roster Lock

24 Hours Before Start Time. Admins inspect account histories (match history, K/D trends, rank spikes) and Game Changers eligibility where applicable. Upon review, admins assign the @Verified role on Discord and approve the registration on Challengermode. Rosters lock completely 24 hours before the first match.

4. Smurf & Anti-Cheat Policy

Zero-Tolerance Smurfing Policy: Playing on an alternative account ("smurf") lower than your actual main rank is strictly prohibited.

Red-Flag Screening: Admins screen accounts for smurf indicators, including:

1. Low account levels (< level 30) with unusually high performance.
2. Recent massive win streaks accompanied by sudden MVP sprees.
3. Minimal competitive match history in previous Acts.

Penalty: If a smurf or ineligible player is detected before or during the tournament:

1. The entire team is immediately disqualified.
2. The team's donation remains non-refundable (allocated to the charity).
3. The offending player is permanently banned from future community events.

5. Match Rules & Hosting Guidelines

5.1 Lobby Configuration

Custom games are hosted using the default Challengermode integration or manually by the designated home team in accordance with Challengermode's match lobby screen.

1. Mode: Standard (5v5)
2. Allow Cheats: OFF
3. Tournament Mode: ON
4. Overtime: Win by Two: ON
5. Server Location: Frankfurt

5.2 Map Veto & Selection

Map bans and pick processes are handled directly through the Challengermode match room veto interface.

1. Map Pool: Active Competitive Map Pool (7 maps).
2. Choice of Side: The team that did not pick the map selects starting side (Attacker/Defender).

5.3 Pauses & Technical Issues

1. Tactical Timeouts: Each team is allowed one (1) 60-second tactical timeout per map using the in-game pause system.
2. Technical Pauses: If a player disconnects, the team may trigger a technical pause at the end of the current round. Maximum cumulative technical pause time per team is 10 minutes per map.