The Overall High School Competition Rulebook can be viewed here.

These Official Rules (“Rules”) of the PlayVS High School Esports League apply to each of the teams who have registered and met the requirements for the 2022-2023 school year, as well as their head coach, assistant coaches, vice principals, athletic directors, Starters, Substitutes (collectively “Team Members”), and other members.

1.1.1 Unintentional Disconnection.

A player losing connection to the game due to problems or issues with the game client, platform, network, or PC.

1.1.2 Intentional Disconnection.

A player losing connection to the game due to player’s actions (i.e. quitting the game). Any actions of a player which lead to a disconnection shall be deemed intentional, regardless of the actual intent of the player.

1.1.3 Server Crash.

All players losing connection to a game due to an issue with a game server, PlayVS platform, or venue internet instability.

A game of record (“GOR”) refers to a game where all ten players have loaded and which has progressed to a point of meaningful interaction between opposing teams. Once a game attains GOR status, the period ends in which incidental restarts may be permitted and a game will be considered as “official” from that point onward. After the establishment of GOR, game restarts will be allowed only under limited conditions. Examples of conditions which establish GOR:

1.2.1

Any attack or ability is landed on minions, jungle creeps, structures, or enemy Champions.

1.2.2

Line-of-sight is established between players on opposing teams.

1.2.3

Setting foot, establishing vision or targeting skillshot ability in opponent’s jungle by either team, which includes either leaving the river or entering brush connected to enemy jungle.

1.2.4

Game timer reaches two minutes (00:02:00).

If a player intentionally disconnects without notifying a coach or League Official or pausing, a League Official is not required to enforce a stoppage. During any pause or stoppage, players may not leave the match area unless authorized by their coach. Coaches should communicate any disconnections or pauses inside PlayVS’s Match Lobby chat.

1.3.1 Directed Pause.

League Officials may order the pause of a match or execute a pause command on any player station at the sole discretion of the League Officials, at any time.

1.3.2 Player Pause.

Players may only pause a match immediately following any of the events described below, but must signal a head coach immediately after the pause and identify the reason. Pause requests must be communicated in the match’s all chat and in PlayVS's Match Lobby Chat and may only be called as long as there are no team engagements at the time of the request. Acceptable reasons for a Player pause include:

1.3.3 Duration of the pause.

In the event that a Player pause will run longer than 10 minutes then please contact a League Official by reaching out to PlayVS directly to report the situation.

1.3.4 Player illness, injury, or disability by default is not an acceptable reason for a Player pause. In the event that a pause does occur due to one of these reasons, then the pausing team must alert their coach of the pause. The coach will contact a League Official immediately and report the issue and reason for the pause. The League Official will review the information and determine if the pause will be approved or be considered an Unauthorized Pause (covered in section 1.3.7). The League Official may approve or extend the pause in order to evaluate the identified player to determine whether the player is ready, willing, and able to continue playing within a reasonable period of time.

If the League Official determines that the identified player is not able to continue playing within such a reasonable period of time, then the identified player’s team shall forfeit the game unless a League Official, at their discretion, determines that the game is subject to a different outcome.

1.3.5 Other unacceptable pause reasons but not limited to the following:

1.3.6 Resuming the Game.

When the pausing team is ready to unpause the game, a player from each team must confirm the resumption by typing “ready” or “r” in the chat. To communicate with the opponent, players will press enter, type “/all” followed by a space and the message, then press enter again to send the message.

1.3.7 Unauthorized Pause.

If a player pauses or unpauses a game without permission from the coaches, it will be considered unfair play and penalties will be applied at the discretion of League Officials.

The decision of which condition(s) shall justify a game restart is solely at the discretion of League Officials.

1.4.1 Restarts After GOR.

The following are examples of situations in which a game may be restarted after GOR has been established.

1.4.1.1

If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the match which significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics.

1.4.1.2

If a League Official determines that there are environmental conditions which are unfair (e.g. excessive noise, hostile weather, unacceptable safety risks).

1.4.2 Controlled Environment.

Certain conditions may be preserved in the event of a restart of a game that has not reached GOR, including, without limitation, picks/bans or Summoner spells. If, however, a match has reached GOR, League Officials shall not retain any settings.

1.4.3 Player Confirmation of Settings.

Players on each team should verify that they have finalized their intended game settings (including runes, masteries, controls, and GUI settings) before GOR is established. Any error in verification is not grounds for a game restart after GOR is established.

Each team is required to maintain, at all times during the season, one coach, and at least five players in the starting lineup (“Starters”). It is recommended that a team also maintain players as Substitutes or Alternates ("Substitutes"). For the avoidance of doubt, Starters and Substitutes are subject to the same roster eligibility requirements. No individual may simultaneously hold two or more of the roles listed above.

The Starters are considered collectively as the “Starting Roster.” The Starting Roster, including any Substitutes that are competing, will be required to be on-site for every official game that the team participates in.

Substitutes are considered collectively as the “Bench.” Players on the Bench may be used for any match in which that team is competing within an assigned league. All eligible substitutes for a league will be displayed under the Bench area of the Manage Teams page. The players shown under the Bench area are the only players that can be used as subs for the selected team within that enrolled league. Any verified player can be enrolled as a substitute through the enrollment process by navigating to the enrollment page, selecting the team, and then switching to the Bench tab and selecting the players you would like to be enrolled into the Bench for the selected team. During the playoffs, substitutes must be locked in as part of the roster as part of the roster lock requirement one (1) week before playoff’s begin.

The Starting Roster will be displayed on www.playvs.com. The Starting Roster on the PlayVS website will be considered the most up to date roster that could be applied within a reasonable time. Roster eligibility is at the discretion of League Officials.

All players associated with a school are considered collectively as the "Complete Roster." The "Playoff Roster," Starting Roster plus the bench, must be locked in one (1) week prior to the playoffs.

A player is only allowed to compete for the school that they enrolled in. A player will not be allowed to compete for more than one school simultaneously and therefore cannot be listed on the roster of more than one school. To verify that these players are officially enrolled at their school, each player must be verified by the team's coach or another member of the faculty. For the avoidance of doubt, the verification of a player is an agreement to a summary of some key terms of the Rulebook needed by the league to verify eligibility and confirm agreement by player and team.

1.5.1 Roster Size

League of Legends teams consist of a starting roster of 5 players. We recommend teams have a player for each role (Top, Jungle, Mid, ADC, or Support).

Substitute players must be enrolled onto the roster in order to play. When they are intended to play, a coach must make the substitution on PlayVS in order for it to be a valid substitution for the match. The switch should be done at least 15 minutes before the intended game of the swap.

1.5.3 Custom matches & summoner spells requirement

There is no minimum level requirement that will be enforced. However, it is strongly recommended that summoner accounts reach level 10, which is the minimum level required to access all summoner spells in game and will also allow you to create custom rune pages.

1.5.4 Role Assignments & Role Swaps

Each school should have equipment for their players in the following categories

2.2.1 PC/Laptop

2.2.2 Mac

2.2.3 Peripherals

3.1.1 Game

An instance of competition that is played until a winner is determined by one of the following methods, whichever occurs first: (a) completion of the final objective, (b) Team Surrender, or (c) Team Forfeit.

3.1.2 Match

A set of games that is played until one team wins a majority of the total games (e.g., winning two games out of three “best of three”) or the maximum number of games are completed (e.g., two games in a “best-of-two”). Each team will receive win or loss tallies in a league format or the winning team will advance to the next round in a tournament format.

3.1.3 Phase

A section of scheduled league play that comprises a season. There are three distinct phases: preseason, regular season, and playoffs. Each phase has its own format.

3.1.4 Season

Scheduled league play that will occur over an approximately three-month period of time. Each season will consist of three phases: (a) Preseason, (b) Regular Season, and (c) Playoffs, which will occur at the conclusion of the Regular Season and will lead into a championship.

3.2.1 Preseason

This phase consists of each team enrolled in the league competing in up to three official practice weeks. Results of this match will not be recorded however this match is required in order to properly test equipment and player game connections.

3.2.2 Preseason Format

This phase consists of each team enrolled in the league competing in one official practice week. Preseason matches between each team will be played in a Best of Three (BO3) format. The team to win two matches will be declared the winner. In the event that a single team reaches two wins before the start of a third game, then a third game will not be played. Results of this match will not be recorded however this match is required in order to properly test equipment and player game connections.

Preseason matches will also follow a “Blind Pick” format. This allows us to include players that have registered late or didn't connect a League of Legends account yet in participating. Matches in “Blind Pick” will have teams play in custom matches instead of lobby codes. Starting Week 1 of the Regular season, matches will switch to "Tournament Draft”.

Important: Summoner Level 3 is required for “Blind Pick”.

3.2.3 Regular Season

This phase consists of each team within a state, each playing a minimum of 14 games per season, in a league format against opponents within that same league. Ranking in the league will be determined by each team's game wins and games losses.

3.2.4 Regular Season Format

Regular season matches between each team will be played in a Best of Three (BO3) format. The team to win two matches will be declared the winner. In the event that a single team reaches two wins before the start of a third game, then a third game will not be played. Wins and losses from each match will be added to each team’s regular season standings.

Rosters - Teams must have a roster of five(5) players ready to go at the start of the match. In between games, teams may substitute players to the starting roster. The substitution needs to be made on the PlayVS platform, communicated in the PlayVS Lobby Chat, and confirmed with the other team before the next game can begin.

3.2.5 Regular Season Tiebreakers

The ranking of the teams will be determined by the standings of Wins and Losses. Tiebreakers are covered in Section 5.3 of the High School Competition Rulebook. More information about Tiebreakers can also be found here.

3.2.6 Playoffs

Playoffs matches between each team will be played in a Best of Three(Bo3) format. Winners of each match will advance to the next portion of the bracket. Teams in the playoffs will compete in a single elimination bracket until only two teams remain. The two remaining teams will move on to compete in the Finals (Section 3.2.7)

Rosters - Teams must have a roster of five(5) players ready to go at the start of the match. In between games, teams may substitute players to the starting roster. The substitution needs to be made on the PlayVS platform, communicated in the PlayVS Lobby Chat, and confirmed with the other team before the next game can begin.

3.2.7 Finals Format

This match consists of the top two teams from each league as decided by Playoffs. The Final’s format will be a single Best of Three(Bo3) match. The team to achieve two game wins will be awarded the match win and will be declared the League Champion. In the event that a single team reaches two game wins before the start of a third game, then that game will not be played.

Rosters - Teams must have a roster of five(5) players ready to go at the start of the match. In between games, teams may substitute players to the starting roster. The substitution needs to be made on the PlayVS platform, communicated in the PlayVS Lobby Chat, and confirmed with the other team before the next game can begin.

4.1.1 Equipment Testing

4.1.2 Timeliness of Match Start

It is expected that players will resolve any issues with the setup process within the allotted time and that match will begin at the scheduled time. Delays due to setup problems may be permitted, at the sole discretion of League Officials. All players competing must be in the game lobby to be considered “present”. Teams that are over thirty (30) minutes tardy will forfeit their match.

4.1.3 Match Lobby Order

4.2.1 Start of Draft

Once all ten players have reported to the official game lobby, Top Laners for both teams will give confirmation that both teams are ready for the pick/ban phase. Once both teams confirm readiness, the room owner will start the game.

4.2.2 Side Selection

4.2.2.1 Regular Season Side Selection

The team shown on the left of a Match Overview (displayed as “Home Team”) will have side selection in Game 1. The team shown on the right of a Match Overview (displayed as “Away Team”) will have side selection in Game 2. In the event that Game 3 needs to be played, then the loser of Game 2 will choose their side for Game 3. If a side is not selected, the team will default to the “Blue” side. In the event that a team has side selection for a game, but is not the first team to enter the lobby, the opponent should move to the red side until they arrive. This does not however replace the selecting team’s preference. For the purpose of clarification, all players on the same team must join the same side. If both sides have all positions filled and still need to switch sides, the spectator spots will need to be used to make a space.

4.2.2.2 Playoffs Side Selection

In the playoffs, the higher-ranked seed will have side selection for odd-numbered games (e.g. Games 1 and 3), while the lower seed will have side selection for even-numbered games (Game 2). For example, the higher seed may choose to play game 1 on blue side, but game 3 on red side. If no decision is submitted, selection will default to blue side.

4.2.2.3 Draft Mode

Draft mode format as follows: Blue Team= A; Red Team = B Bans: ABABAB Picks: ABBAAB Bans: ABAB Picks: BAAB

4.2.2.4 Selection Error

In the event of an erroneously-selected Champion pick or ban, the team in error must report that error to the coach of the opposing team. If the game begins before the error is corrected, a player may pause the game as soon as it loads and discuss the situation in PlayVS Lobby Chat with coaches. In the event of a mistake or game client error, the pick and ban process should be immediately restarted. The draft should then be restarted and brought back to the point at which the error occurred so that the team in error may correct its mistake. To reset the match, every player must exit the game using the "ESC" key. Once all 10 players have left the game, a new lobby can be created using the same Tournament Code as before. It is required that all previous picks and bans remain the same until the point of the error.

4.3.1 Results

Results will be automatically recorded after a match has ended.

In the event that a player uses a League of Legends account that is not connected to their PlayVS profile, the match will automatically be quarantined and Coaches will need to contact PlayVS directly to resolve the issue.

In the event that Tournament Codes could not be used and a custom match was created, then match results would need to be submitted manually within 1 hour of match completion by the coach of the team who won. Players should take screenshots of the match results and share those with their coaches.

In the event of an error, coaches must contact PlayVS directly.

4.3.2 Next Match

Players will be informed of their current standing in the competition, including their next scheduled match through the PlayVS client.

4.3.3 Results of Forfeiture

Matches won by forfeit will be reported by the minimum score it would take for one team to win the match (e.g. 2-0 for best of three games). No other statistics will be recorded for forfeited matches.

Important: By default, rulebooks overrule game day protocols. Please reach out to support if you find conflicting information.

V 1.0 - 2022//2023 - Summary of Fall ‘22 Changes -AK

V1.1 - 1/20/23 - Spring 23 update for blind pick matches to play in custom matches (3.2.2)