EMIYA, formerly recognized as droid, finds himself entangled in a web of controversy with a two-year ban from FACEIT for cheating. The repercussions extend beyond EMIYA, casting a shadow over his team, Rocket, resulting in their disqualification from both the ESL Challenger League and the ESL Challenger Melbourne closed qualifier. Sources from ESL affirm their commitment to the anti-cheat decision, adding weight to the consequences.
This ban isn’t EMIYA’s first brush with the authorities; he previously faced a permanent FACEIT ban for alleged cheating in March 2021 under the alias “DROID.” Despite his appeal to FACEIT, claiming a false positive, he remained banned until March 2023, when he reappeared under a different account. However, a recent ban emerged, cutting short his return less than two weeks before Rocket’s scheduled appearance in Monterrey, Mexico, for the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR.
The twist in this tale is that EMIYA hasn’t incurred the wrath of Valve Anti-Cheat, and Valve, by policy, doesn’t mirror platform cheating bans from third-party organizers. Consequently, this leaves a loophole, and unless Valve chooses to implement a catch-all disqualification clause from their rulebook, EMIYA could technically still attend the RMR.
Valve’s stance on the situation
Valve’s rulebook does provide them with discretionary powers to disqualify any player or team. The specific clause states, “Valve also reserves the right to disqualify any player, team, broadcaster, commentator, or producer in its sole discretion. The TO will immediately disqualify such person or team upon notice from Valve. Any event winnings by such player or such Banned Team will be forfeit. No player from a Banned Team will be eligible to compete in the event with any other team.”
The situation takes another turn as Ahmed “ayy” Mahmoud, a Rocket player, publicly expresses his reluctance to attend the RMR. He asserts that the team doesn’t deserve the slot in light of the circumstances. Adding to the complications, Blake “Elk” Swinson doesn’t possess a passport, implying that Rocket might have to field their coach in the absence of a registered substitute.
But that’s not the end of Rocket’s woes. Ayy discloses that their coach, Alexandr Zlobin, communicated with the team during the Americas RMR closed qualifier matches—an act expressly prohibited by the rulebook. ex-Akuma player allegedly watched the team’s Point of View (POV) during several games, providing subtle adjustments during matches against M80 and BOSS. The breach came to an end when an opponent alerted Rocket about the violation.
Will perpetrators of cheating face consequences?
Matthew “nero” Seymour, who corroborates a similar account of the events, admits to the wrongdoing, emphasizing there’s no excuse for their actions. Nero goes further, suggesting that Rocket might not be the only team engaging in such practices during the closed qualifier. While these claims raise the specter of a broader integrity issue, verifying these facts proves challenging as ChallengerMode and PGL reportedly did not enforce the use of a TO-operated TeamSpeak for the North America closed qualifier.
The admission of the coach communication rule violation and EMIYA’s cheating ban inject uncertainty into Rocket’s participation in the Americas RMR. The team secured their RMR spot by defeating NRG 2-0 in the final round of the Swiss stage, eliminating Damian “daps” Steele’s team from Major contention. However, EMIYA’s ban introduces doubts about the legitimacy of these results, leaving Rocket’s RMR outcomes and participation hanging in the balance amidst a maelstrom of controversy.
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