FAQ

Q. Who can join?

A. Anyone can join the open qualifiers! As long as you meet the requirements to join.

Q. What is the Spring Invitational?

A. NESO hosts a variety of invite-only events for NA teams, with a certain percentage of players qualifying through our open qualifiers and a few being invited directly!

Q. Do I need to get first place to qualify?

A. No! Teams are invited based on performance as well as placement, which means you might still be invited if you were eliminated! Repeat teams are more likely to be invited.

Q. Do I need to be in the Discord?

A. We require all teams to use one of our voice-channels while participating in our events!

Q. Are exploits allowed?

A. Exploits or cheating of any kind is prohibited and will be handled on a case by case basis.

Q. How do I play? How do I join? What are the rules?

A. Read below! We detail all sorts of things. If you still aren't sure, open a ticket in our Discord and our support staff can help!

Requirements To Join

You must be a member of the discord (https://discord.gg/sQK8pcRNet)

Your Valorant account must be older than 3 months.

Your Valorant account must be North American.

Guidelines

• You must be in a VC in the NESO Discord while participating in our event.

• Opposing teams are not allowed to communicate during the match except for emergencies.

• Banter/Teasing/Name-calling/any form of unsportsmanlike communication is not acceptable and will result in punishment on the first offense. In general, all communication beyond essential is prohibited.

• If playing deathmatch or being in another game causes a delay, your team will be forced to forfeit a certain amount of rounds to the opposing team to accommodate the length of the game.

• You are entirely liable if you choose to communicate with the opposing team before, during, or after the match. If you do so, you are** entirely at fault **if they complain. If they don't complain, cool, but even if you asked them Can you guys boost me bro?, you're still liable if they report you for being annoying. This just stops any form of BM, toxicity, and generally just being annoying, so please remember this

How To Register

• Please create a team or party on the Challengermode website. Then click the button to join our event!

• You will be required to then fill out a form by clicking that same button.

• Upon completion of the form, we will review your information and where you'll be seeded. Remember to join the Discord! It makes it far easier for us to contact about prize money and in the event, anything goes wrong.

• Your team will be required to go to this page and confirm your entry within 24 hours before the tournament starting. Please contact support if you need assistance with this process.

• After this point you will officially be entered into the tournament and ready to compete! Remember to show up at least 30 minutes early so you can ask any questions, ready-up on time, and review your bracket!

How to Play

• Teams will submit their request-to-join during the week prior to the event, and confirm their entry within 24 hours before the event starting.

• Teams will be expected to be in a Team voice channel within an hour before the event starts.

• Once the bracket is released, teams will click the match details section of their match, go to the lobby.

• The top seed will create the lobby and invite the bottom seed's captain to it. Each captains should invite their players.

• Ensure the match settings are correct! Both teams are responsible for this. If there is any disputes, please contact staff prior to the match starting. We will not fix anything once it has started, since both captains are responsible for this.

• Central servers (Illinois or Texas) are required unless another server can be agreed on by both teams.

• Map bans should be conducted, please review the ban process listed below.

• Once both teams are ready, the match may begin.

The ban order is this: (Bo1)

• Top Seed Bans 1
• Bottom Seed Bans 2
• Top Seed Bans 1
• Bottom Seed Bans 1
• Top Seed Picks Map
• Bottom Seed Picks Sides

The ban order is this: (Bo3)

• Top Seed Bans 1
• Bottom Seed Bans 2
• Top Seed Bans 1
• Bottom Seed Picks 1st map
• Top Seed Picks 2nd Map
• Bottom Seed Picks Sides 1st Map
• Top Seed Picks Sides 2nd Map
• Bottom Seed Picks Sides 3rd Map

If your match is labeled to be streamed

• Admins will contact you in the Challengermode chat prior to the event starting to inform you they will be joining.

• The admin which adds you will invite the casters and observers for the broadcast.

• Please continue to conduct bans/server checks, and admins will let you know when they are ready.

• Please click the left box of to the right of each admin's name to give them lobby commands.

Voice channels

• We have two channels now for team VCs, one for 5 players called Team and one for 5 players PLUS a coach called Team + Coach. Please do not join other teams VCs, even if they only have 4 people, during events. If you want to hangout, open up a Party Room VC!

No Show/No Play Policy

• If your opposing team is not there within 5 minutes, please open a ticket in our Discord and we'll give them a 5 minute warning.

• If your opposing team is there, but not ready to play within 10 minutes, please open a ticket in our Discord and we'll give them a 5 minute warning.

Technical timeouts

• If you need a technical timeout, you have 5 minutes to pause resolve the issue. Please restart your PC, change settings, or do whatever you need to do. However, after 5 minutes has passed the game has to resume whether or not the player has returned to match. If they return again, you do not get another 5 minutes, you will have to continue playing without them.

• You are responsible for keeping track of the time you've taken for your technical pause. The opposing team is also entrusted with this. If there is an issue with this please open a ticket in our Discord and staff will decide to start or give your team AT MOST ANOTHER 3 MINUTES.

• In order to ask for a technical pause, your team should clearly state "We need a tech pause" or "Tech Pause" and then state the reason like "One of our players crashed."

• If your team doesn't announce the pause quick enough, there is a miscommunication, or the enemy team unpauses too quickly we won't be able to ensure free rounds, or other compensation.

• Before the game is unpaused, a one minute warning must be given and both teams should confirm that they are aware of it, but after the one minute warning and the five minutes have passed, the game may resume whether teams are ready or not.

• If there is an issue with this, open a ticket in our Discord and staff will sort it out ASAP.

We do not allow admin pauses outside of technical timeouts

Subbing in players

• Teams are able to edit their lineup on Challengermode, listing the player who will be on their roster for the event as well as all substitute players.

• Unless the player is listed as the main line-up before the end of the event, we cannot confirm they will receive payment instead of the player they are replacing.

• You cannot change players in the middle of a game, but you can change them between games.

Live-Streams

• We do not require any form of stream delay, but do recommend at least 5 minutes. You stream at your own risk.

• We do ask you include PlayNESO.com, Northern Esports Organization, or [NESO] in your stream title if possible.

Player Ranks

• Events are open to all skill levels unless otherwise stated in the requirements to join.

• We may review the level of every player, match history, account age, friend accounts, and the roster they will be playing with to ensure accuracy and accountability in the event there is a dispute.