ESL announced on Tuesday that the ruling to disqualify Astral Authority from the Burbank regional has been overturned
On Tuesday, ESL posted an update on reddit about the recent disqualification of Astral Authority from the first Fall Regional due to a Tyrael bug in his 'Even in Death' talent.
The post reads in part:
” After this joint review involving parties from both Blizzard and ESL, we found that Astral Authority’s Tyrael did no damage with Smite through use of the Even in Death talent. In addition, the review concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prove intent to exploit the bug. As a result, we are overturning Astral Authority’s disqualification. Astral Authority will advance to the Heroes of the Storm Fall Regional #1 in Burbank, CA.”
At the most recent, and final qualifier for the first Fall Regional, there were no hero or talent bans enforced by ESL or Blizzard (other than the normal, two week ban on Medivh because of his recent release). Regardless, hours after the final match of the qualifier, ESL announced they would be disqualifying Astral Authourity for allegedly "exploiting a bug with Tyrael".
” In the event that ESL is made aware of a confirmed bug, it is our procedure to issue a temporary ban on the affected Hero or talent. We had not been made aware of any potential exploits involving Tyrael’s Even in Death talent, but it’s because of situations like this that our ruleset includes the following provision for unknown bugs: 'Any actions that result in an unfair advantage are illegal. This includes bug abuse of any kind.' ”
Batterry (who played Tyrael during the matches) also released a post on reddit explaining ESL's overturning of the ruling. In it he goes into detail of what AA was sent as to the reasoning for their disqualification along with their plea to prove that in no way did Smite deal damage post-death, meaning the bug was never used. He also goes into great detail (including gifs and screen shots) on precisely how the damage numbers from Tyrael add up.
” I can understand that ESL’s decision was made with the best intention to safeguard the integrity of our eSport. To me, the most respectable feat a person or entity can do is admit when they were wrong even when made with the best of intentions...How the community views me, my teammates, the other teams, and the organizations that supports these events is important to me. I would never trade a victory for the respect and growth of this community. ”
It has obviously been a stressful two days for Astral Authority and ESL alike. We asked AA coach Vaalia how she feels about the overturn.
"I would like to thank ESL and Blizzard for the professionalism they've shown throughout this process. They made the decision they felt was accurate given the evidence they received against us to protect the other teams. They followed procedure and allowed us to appeal their decision. With dignity, honor and respect toward all players and teams, they looked over all evidence and replays. With strength of character, they determined Astral had not exploited and rectified the situation. To say we are relieved is an understatement. Thank you to everyone who spoke with cool heads and respect. See you all in Burbank!"
Astral now officially joins TNC, Vox Nihili, Murloc Geniuses, Crescendo, Team High Score, Naventic and Gale Force esports at the first Fall Regional in Burbank August 5th-7th.
Follow us on Twitter @GosuGamersHotS and on Facebook for more competitive Heroes of the Storm news and coverage from around the world.
