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Rules

These rules apply for Season 3 (spring 2010). Please note that all rules are subject to change.

Eligibility

  • All colleges and universities in the United States and Canada can register in the CSL.
  • Players must be enrolled in their respective institutions as students (either undergraduate or graduate) at time of registration.
  • Players cannot be suspended by CSL for previous infractions.
  • The minimum number of players per team is four, but it is highly recommended to have more.

Format

  • Teams will compete against each other in weekly matches throughout the season.
  • The format of each match is four 1v1's and one closing ace match with unannounced players. The match goes to the team that first gets to three wins in order by lineup.
  • Players MUST be fielded according to the submitted lineup.
  • Although CSL prefers games to be played sequentially, note that it is possible to play all five sets simultaneously if both teams agree.
  • If the match is decided before all the games are played, teams have the option of playing out the remaining games. However, these games will not officially count.
  • No player can be fielded twice in the first four sets. The ace match, however, can be played by any player from the team's roster, regardless of whether they have played in an earlier set in that match.

    • Substitutions:

  • Each team is given an allowance of three substitutions per season.
  • Only one substitution is allowed per match, and substitutes must be the same race as the original player specified in the lineup.
  • Substitutes cannot be chosen from the lineup of the match that they are substituting for (no player can play twice in one match).
  • After the three substitutions are used up, any subsequent substitutions must be agreed to by the opposing team.
  • Substitutes are not allowed in playoff games.

Season Format

  • CSL is divided into East and West Conferences each further divided into four Divisions.
  • The regular season consists of nine weeks of round robin play. Each team will have one match per week against another team in their Division (unless they have a bye that week).
  • The top three teams in each Division will advance to the playoffs. The first place finisher in each Division will be seeded in the Round of 16, while the second and third place finishers will be placed in the Round of 32. The playoffs will be split by East and West Conferences, with the winners of each conference facing off in the Grand Final.
  • Only players added on or before the ninth week of the regular season play are allowed to be fielded in the playoffs.
  • The format for playoff matches is the same as the regular season. The Grand Final format is six 1v1 matches and an ace match if there is a tie.
  • In the playoffs, the same rules and procedures as during the regular season will apply.

Administrative rules

  • Each team will have a coordinator that is responsible for organizing his or her team, submitting lineups and results, and serving as a point of contact with CSL staff and other coordinators.
  • Lineups are due Tuesday, 11:59pm PST. They may be submitted and/or changed by the team coordinator at any point before the deadline.
  • Each division’s matches will have a pre-set date and time (see schedule). Matches must be played at the default time unless both teams agree to play their matches beforehand. No matches can be postponed.
  • Teams are considered no-shows 30 minutes after the proposed time, and are given an automatic match loss.
  • Players are considered no-shows 10 minutes after the preceding set ends and are given an automatic set loss.
  • Match results, replays (with a recommendation for best replay), and optional summaries must be sent in by the winning team by Sunday night,
    11:59pm PST. This rule will be strictly enforced this season.
  • Late lineups result in first a warning, and then an automatic ace loss. For every 24h, another set loss will be recorded.
  • Late match results result in first a warning, and then a recorded draw.

Gameplay rules

  • All games will take place on iCCup using iCCup launcher (anti-hack and LAN latency must be on).
  • All games are to be played in game mode Use Map Settings and game speed Fastest.
  • Only players, commentators, and one observer per team are allowed in game. Observers and commentators may be asked to leave at either player's discretion, especially if there are latency issues.
  • In-game chat should be limited to pp, ppp, or related (for PAUSING the game) and gg, good game or related (for ENDING the game). Players can ask to remake the game in the first 30 seconds if there are latency issues.
  • In the case that a player is unintentionally dropped, there will be a rematch to determine the winner. In case a game clearly has a winner as determined by CSL staff, the set point will go to that winner. This rule does not pertain to intentionally dropped games.
  • The following game mechanics are allowed in game:
    • Observer over turret
    • Units pressed through
    • Drops to defuse mines
    • Mineral walk
    • Hold lurker
    • Larvae move
  • The following are not allowed, at the penalty of a set loss:
    • Cargo glitch
    • Flying drones and templars
    • Terran sliding buildings
    • A bug which allows your units to remain stacked while moving/
      attacking (not muta stacking)
    • Allied mines

Bannable offenses

  • Smurfing, maphacking, observer hacking, and any type of behavior that gives an unfair advantage to a player can be grounds for a permanent player ban.
  • Depending on how far the season has progressed, the player's team will either be given a match loss or be disqualified from the league (if it is discovered that the player has been using an unfair advantage throughout the season).