Ukrainian Dota 2 team B8 found themselves stranded in Europe due to travel restrictions, unable to return to North America to compete in the Dota Pro Circuit. However, due to “unforeseen circumstances,” Valve granted B8 an exception, allowing the team to participate in the NA DPC from their current location in Europe.
This decision has divided the Dota 2 community since it contradicted a longstanding rule that prohibits teams from playing in a region other than the one they’re competing in.
The aforementioned mentioned rule requires teams to have at least three of their members physically located in the region they’re competing in. While most of the Dota 2 fans were understanding of the B8 situation, which has arisen because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many questioned the fairness of the decision.
In the eyes of some fans, Valve and PGL have made controversial calls recently.
During the spring tour, NA team Fart Studios was forced to forfeit matches since three of their members were briefly located outside of NA for work-related purposes. Brian “BSJ” Canavan and Andrew “Jenkins” Jenkins were working as event talent in Europe, and PGL decided to throw the rulebook to FS instead of working out the situation.
Related: Region-lock ruling conundrum forces Fart Studios to forfeit DPC games
In a similar event, Valve and PGL made Old G forfeit a tiebreaker match since two of their members were participating in the Berlin Major and couldn’t make it to the series.
Valve and PGL were firm in these two decisions and granted no wiggle room to the affected teams, and their recent ruling regarding B8 adds salt to these teams’ injuries, according to Dota 2 fans. Many expressed their concerns regarding fairness and asked why B8 just couldn’t play in the Western or Eastern European DPC instead.
Dot Esports has contacted Valve for comment on the decision.
