You thought the VCT NA Qualifiers would just be teams playing matches against each other? Without any drama or sensations? Imagine if that was possible.
VCT NA Open Qualifiers are about to end, and soon we will know all the teams that will compete in the first VCT main events. So far, things have been strangely quiet – NA teams were just playing against each other in VALORANT, and that's it. We thought that our popcorn supplies were going to waste, but everything changed with a T1 vs. TSM match, where T1 got disqualified from the tournament by their coach violating the rules.
Why Was T1 Disqualified From VCT NA Qualifiers?
T1 was disqualified from VCT NA Open Qualifiers for violating rule 7.2.11 which states:
At Live Events, all communication devices other than devices authorized by the Tournament Operator and Tournament Officials for use that Live Event must be removed from the play area before any Official Games begins. Players may not text/email or use social media while in the match area. During the match, communication by a player shall be limited to the other players in the Team. (source)
And how did they break this rule? Riot didn't give us exact details, but thanks to the tweets made by TSM players, we have a good idea of what happened.
Im playing vs a team that has their coach typing and probably talking to them mid game gg 6v5 https://t.co/vnDb36XOfs
— TSM FTX Subroza (@Subroza) January 30, 2022
si
— TSM FTX Subroza (@Subroza) January 30, 2022
So, one of T1's coaches accidentally wrote something on "all chat" that was supposed to help the team win the game – and since he's not a "player", that kind of move is against the rules. Disqualification for something like this may seem a bit harsh, but our theory is that Riot looked a little more in-depth into the game logs and saw that this was happening in virtually every game T1 played in the qualifiers.
Speaking of T1's coaches – there was a lot of controversy behind the organization hiring Cody " Stunner" Macleod as an Assistant Coach for the Valorant roster, especially since he's known for being banned in PUBG for cheating. We don't know if he was the one responsible for T1's disqualification from the tournament, but it's worth waiting for an official statement from T1, as it looks like the drama is far from over.
damn.
— T1 pwny (@1pwny) January 30, 2022
Despite this situation, the VCT NA Open Qualifiers continue and are nearing their end. The top 4 teams will make it to the VCT NA Main Event, which starts on February 11, and you can check out the bracket here.