2015 WCS Player Handbook

Version 1.1.0
Last Updated: February 6, 20151

Table of Contents
General Information .......................................................................................................................... 4
World Championship Series Format.................................................................................................... 6
WCS League Structure and Format – America and Europe ...................................................................... 6
Residency Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 6
Qualifiers ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Challenger ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Premier League ..................................................................................................................................... 9Advancement and Fill Policy ............................................................................................................... 10
WCS Global Finals Structure and Format ................................................................................................ 11
Online Tournament Regulations ....................................................................................................... 12
Online Event Equipment and Settings .................................................................................................... 12
Online Tournament Rules ....................................................................................................................... 12
Live Event Tournament Regulations.................................................................................................. 14
Live Event Equipment and Settings......................................................................................................... 14
Live Event Tournament Rules ................................................................................................................. 15
Player Rules and Responsibilities ...................................................................................................... 17
Player Code of Conduct........................................................................................................................... 17
Player Code of Conduct Offenses ........................................................................................................... 18
Player Tournament Offenses .................................................................................................................. 18
Player Disqualification and Suspension .................................................................................................. 19
Player Forfeit Policy ................................................................................................................................ 19
General Player Rights and Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 19
Live Event Player Rights and Responsibilities ......................................................................................... 20

2

Table of Contents
Prize Pool, Points, WCS Global Events ............................................................................................... 23
WCS Prize Pool ........................................................................................................................................ 23
WCS Points .............................................................................................................................................. 24
WCS Global Events .................................................................................................................................. 25
Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 26
Additional Tournament Rules and Regulations ...................................................................................... 26
Handbook Version Details ................................................................................................................ 35
Certification ..................................................................................................................................... 363

General Information
THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIESThe World Championship Series (WCS) is the featured destination for StarCraft eSports, consisting of a
unified WCS Premier league that operates in Europe and America, two global individual leagues in South
Korea, and multiple sanctioned global events with open qualifiers. The WCS is dedicated to creating thebest competitive experience for both players and spectators around the world.
CHARTERTo ensure fair administration and sportsmanlike conduct during the tournaments, the following
document outlines the rules, regulations, and player responsibilities for the World Championship Series.
Each participant of the league agrees to abide and be subject to these rules and regulations, whichshall govern all WCS league play.
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.:
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, andDiablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard(NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creatingsome of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes
nineteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service,
Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
Blizzard is responsible for the coordination of partner management, direction, and government of theWorld Championship Series.
PARTNERS / TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERSThe Official Partner for the WCS Premier League is the Electronic Sports League (ESL)
ESL is the world's largest eSports company, leading the industry across various games with numerous
online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues andtournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro Series, StarCraft® II WorldChampionship Series, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers
a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and TV production, fully
catering to the needs of the eSport’s ecosystem. With offices in Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain,
China, North America and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global
footprint. www.eslgaming.com
The Official Partner for the Global StarCraft II League is Gom eXP
Official information about the Global StarCraft II League is located at: http://www.gomexp.com/
4The Official Partner for StarCraft II StarLeague is SpoTV
Official information about the StarCraft II StarLeague is located at: http://www.spotv.net/
OPEN COMPETITION
The World Championship Series is open to all participants: (1) that have an active Battle.net accountthat is in good standing; (2) who are over the age of sixteen before each season*; (3) who follow therules of the WCS tournament; and (4) who earn their spot through Qualifiers. Players may also qualify
through their performance in previous seasons of WCS.
NON DISCRIMINATION
The World Championship Series provides equal opportunity to qualified individuals regardless of race,color, age, religion, gender, national origin, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, physical ormental disability, military status, and all other grounds of discrimination provided by local legislation.
GENERAL RELEASEAs a condition to being allowed to participate in the Tournament, participants are required to agree tothe rules set forth in this handbook, including the rules and regulations set forth on the Appendix on
page 26, as well as agreeing to release and hold harmless Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., Turtle
Entertainment GmbH, Turtle Entertainment America, Gretech Corporation, SpoTV, and any of theirrespective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agencies fromany and all liability related to the participation of the participant in the World Championship Series
whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or
damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the WCS or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance,
possession, use of or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses
and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights ofpublicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional),
whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory. Participants
must also consent to the use of their name, biographical or occupational description, picture, portrait,
likeness, voice or phrases, or any or all of them for promotional or commercial uses by Blizzard.
AMENDMENTS
The rules, regulations and code of conduct of the World Championship series may be amended fromtime to time by Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., and in such an event, notice of any such changes will be
posted on the WCS website located at http://wcs.battle.net/sc2/en/about/handbook-and-policies.

5World Championship Series Format
The World Championship Series consists of multiple tournaments in different regions around the world.
WCS also maintains a direct partnership with the Global StarCraft II League and StarLeague as sister
tournaments in South Korea. There are three seasons per year for participants to earn prizes and points
in the main leagues. Players may also participate and earn prizes and points in sanctioned WCS Global
Events run by tournament organizations around the world. At the end of all the seasons, tentatively
October 5th 2015, the top 16 players in the official WCS Point Standings will be invited to participate in
the Global Finals.

WCS Premier League Structure and Format
1.0 Residency Requirements
In order to compete in the WCS Premier League, all participants must be a resident of a country within
the home regions for regional qualifiers into WCS Challenger. All participants in WCS will be required toverify their Battle.net account and proof of residency to the tournament organizer and Blizzard:
Eligible countries and regions*:







Europe, Africa, Middle East
North America (USA, Canada)
China
Latin America
Oceania, Southeast Asia
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau*For additional information on eligibility, please see page 26
Battle.net account verification:The country of residence in each player’s Battle.net account must show an eligible country
within the region they wish to compete before each respective WCS Qualifier.
The player’s BattleTag must match those of their public persona and be pre-approved bytournament administrators before each respective WCS Qualifier.
Participants are required to play all tournaments and ladder games from the country listed on
the account during the tournament season. Blizzard will check IP connections at its discretion.
Participants that need to travel outside of their country of residence during the tournament will
be required to provide details to Blizzard for review.

6

Proof of residency verification:
Eligibility for Citizens: If the player is a citizen of an eligible country for the WCS Premier League, theplayer must provide a copy of a valid photo ID with a current address within the country.


Examples of acceptable identificationo Government-issued driver’s licenseo Military photo identification cardo Passporto Health card with photo (Canada, Australia, New Zealand)o Voter registration card with photo (Mexico)o Health card (Denmark)o Young Scot Card (Scotland)o Family book (Spain)o Bank card with owner’s signature and picture on reverse (Norway/Sweden)
Examples of non-acceptable identificationo Expired identificationo School-issued photo identification cardo Gym membership cardo Library cardo Public transportation cards
o Private ID cards

Eligibility for non-Citizens: If the player is a foreign resident of an eligible country for the WCS Premier
League, the player must submit a copy of their passport along with a valid resident visa for the eligible
country for an evaluation of their residency status. The visa must be acquired before the start of thequalifiers and is only considered valid if it allows the player to stay in the region, work in the region, andearn prize money in the region.


Examples of acceptable identificationo Professional athlete visa
o Work visa
o Student visa
Examples of non-acceptable identificationo Expired visa
o Working holiday visa
o General tourist/visitor visa

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2.0 Qualifiers
The Qualifiers will take place online and will determine the top 31 players that will advance into thecurrent season’s Challenger matches (64 players in Season 1 of 2015).
A. Qualifiers will be open to players that fulfill the residency requirements and are Master-levelor above on the official qualifier region’s StarCraft II ladder (preceding or current season).
Individual regions may lower the Master-level requirement with Blizzard approval.
1. If a player determines their opponent does not meet the requirements, the player
can request a review from a tournament administrator before the match starts.
B. Qualifiers will be free to enter.
C. Apart from any special invitations, Qualifiers will be filled on a “first come, first serve” basis.
D. Players may only participate in one region per season. Once a player participates in one
region's Qualifier, they will be ineligible to play in other WCS regions until the start of thenext season.
E. The distribution of Qualifiers for WCS Premier League by region and type is below:

WCS Region

Server# of Slots*

S1 Exception**

Europe/Africa/Middle East

Europe14

28

North America

Americas

8

16

China

China

4

8

Latin America

Americas24

Oceania/Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

2

4

Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau

Korea & Taiwan

2

4*The Champion of the previous season will automatically qualify for Premier League. The Champion’s
region will have one less spot open for advancement.
**Season 1 exception will have 64 Qualifier spots to fill Challenger matches.

83.0 Challenger
Challenger matches will determine the Premier League players for each season. Challenger matches takeplace prior to each Premier League.
Over the course of the Challenger matches, there will be a total of 64 players that play in 32 single
elimination matches.
-

31 players will come from the current season’s Qualifiers (64 in Season 1 2015)
31 players from the previous season’s Premier League (excluding Season 1 2015).
o The Champion of the previous season will automatically qualify for Premier League. The
Champion’s region will have one less spot open for advancement.
A. Challenger matches – Format
1. All Challenger matches will be a “Best of 5”.
2. Each match will include one player from the previous season’s Premier League
versus one player from the region’s respective qualifier.
a) 2015 Season 1 Challenger matches will be between players from qualifiers.
b) Players will be paired based on regional systems at the discretion of Blizzard
Entertainment.
3. Players that win their Challenger match will advance to Premier League. Players thatlose their Challenger match must participate in the next season’s Qualifiers if theywish to participate in that WCS region.

4.0 Premier League
The Premier League is the featured tournament of the World Championship Series. Premier League will
include 32 players (See Appendix for Group Selection). There are 3 rounds in the tournament:
A. Round of 32 – Group Stage – Players will be required to be on-site
1. 8 groups of 4 players eacha) 4 groups will play in the ESL America studiob) 4 groups will play in the ESL Europe studio2. The matches will be played as a “Best of 3” using the Dual Tournament format (SeeAppendix).
3. The top 2 players from each group advance to the Round of 16.
B. Round of 16 – Group Stage – Players will be required to be on-site
1. 4 groups of 4 players eacha) The location for the Round of 16 and Finals will vary between each season.
2. The matches will be played as a “Best of 3” using the Dual Tournament format (SeeAppendix).
3. The top 2 players from each group advance to the League Finals.
9C. League Finals – Single Elimination Bracket – Players will be required to be on-site
1. The top 8 players are placed in a single elimination bracket.
2. The matches will be played as a “Best of 5” until the finals which will be a “Best of7”.

5.0 Advancement and Fill Policy
A. Advancement policy – a player will be advanced in a bracket in the event that the opponent
in their last recorded match forfeits the subsequent match or is disqualified for any reason,
including a player’s inability to travel to the location of an event, before the subsequent
match can be played. In the case of group play, the player directly below the advancement
cutoff in the group will be advanced.
1. If the advancement occurs mid-season for the vacating player, the advancing player
will receive all Prize money and Points for the new placement, but none for theirprevious placement.
2. If the advancement occurs post-season or pre-season for the vacating player, theplayer will gain all advancements via the Premier and Challenger fill policies, but nochanges to Prize money or Points.
B. Premier fill policy – any positions vacated by a player in the Premier League will be filled by
the player directly below the advancement cutoff in that player’s last group.
C. Challenger fill policy – any positions vacated by a player in the Challenger matches will befilled according to the rules below:
1. If the vacated Challenger spot belonged to a player who earned their spot from a
Qualifier in the current season, the spot will be filled by the next highest placing
player from the same Qualifier.
2. If the vacated Challenger spot belonged to a player who earned their spot from theprevious season’s Premier League, the spot will be filled by the next highest placing
player from the Regional Qualifier of the original player.

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WCS Global Finals Structure and Format
6.0 Global Finals
A. The Global Finals will be hosted by Blizzard and may span multiple days and multiple
locations.
B. The top players in the official WCS Points Standings will be invited to participate in the
Global Finals.
1. The cutoff date for the 2015 WCS Points Standings will tentatively be October 5th,2015 or the last WCS League Final, GSL Final, or StarLeague Final event of the year.
C. Further information on schedule, format, and rules that are specific to the Global Finals, will
be released later in the year.

11Online Tournament Regulations
7.0 Online Event Equipment and Settings
A. Equipment
1. Players must provide their own equipment.
2. Players must provide their own Internet connection to the Battle.net service.
3. Players must use their own Battle.net account with an active StarCraft II license withthe latest expansion.
4. Players may be required to register with the partner and Blizzard.
5. Players may not have other players participate in their matches as a substitute.
6. Players are responsible in dealing with computer security and DDoS attacks to theirown computer.
B. Computer Settings
1. No unapproved programs may be running during any matches.
a) Blizzard and the tournament organizer may determine acceptable programs
at their discretion. Some programs that may be deemed acceptable: music,
hardware monitoring, antivirus.
2. Players may not communicate with anyone besides their opponent and thetournament administrators during the game as outlined in the rules.
3. Interference by 3rd party programs may be cause for disqualification as ruled in the
Code of Conduct.
C. Game Settings
1. Players will compete on the live version (current patch) of StarCraft II unless given
notice at the discretion of Blizzard.
2. The “Busy” setting in Battle.net is required to be active.
3. Players must use default unit “skins” – Any extra unit “skins” are to be disabled.
4. Players may only use official team logos for custom decals.
5. The “Save All Replays” setting should always be active.

8.0 Online Tournament Rules
A. Players must be online and available during the designated times of their matches.
B. Any schedule conflicts must be brought up with the tournament organizer within the period
designated by the tournament organizer.
1. Organizer will attempt to accommodate any conflicts, but changes are notguaranteed.
C. Players must check in and be ready to play 30 minutes before their scheduled match time.
Ready to play is defined as being ready to start the game within 60 seconds.

12

D. Players must get permission from the administrator anytime they must leave their computerand provide a return time.
E. All matches will be played on the respective league’s local Battle.net server or the server
associated with a regional Qualifier at the discretion of organizer.
F. Administrators will assign players either Blue or Red as their race colors for each match.
G. Tournament administrators will host and start the matches unless declared otherwise.
H. Players may request a blind pick where each player will communicate their race to thetournament administration team before map selection.
I. Players may switch races after each match.
J. During the game, players may not use chat except for a greeting, closing, and request forpause.
K. Players may not pause a game unnecessarily and should inform tournament administrationteam immediately the reason if a pause is required.
L. Players who intentionally quit a game before it has ended without a tournament organizer’s
permission will concede the game.
M. In the case of a technical issue, the tournament organizer may restart the game from the
beginning at their discretion or use “Recover Game” to start from an administrator
designated point in time.
N. If any player is disconnected from a game, they are required to wait for a tournament
administrator to verify the situation and make one of the following decisions depending on
the nature of the disconnect:
1. Restart of the game from the beginning.
2. Use “Recover Game” to start from an administrator designated point in time.
3. Declare a winner or a forfeit.
O. In case of the situation where both players are unable to win the game, tournament
organizer will declare a draw and the game will be replayed.
P. Per competition day, each player will be given a 10 minute exception for Battle.net
disconnections. Players with multiple disconnections may be given a forfeit at theorganizer’s discretion.
Q. In Qualifiers, replay watching may be considered as a delay of game and be grounds for awarning and subsequent penalties.
R. In Challenger and Premier League, players may not watch any replays in the middle of amatch. If there are any games that remain in the match, players must rejoin the designatedtournament administrator group within 1 minute.
S. Players may not share WCS match replays publically. Any requests for WCS replays forcontent creation purposes must be directed to esportsteam@blizzard.com.
T. Players who fail to arrive for their scheduled matches will receive the loss of their first game
10 minutes after the organizer’s match start time. Players will receive one loss for every
additional 5 minutes they are late. The player will be considered forfeit if the player does
not participate in any matches in that round of play.
U. Qualifier Exception – during Qualifiers stricter guidelines may be used at the discretion of
tournament organizers. Repeated warnings may lead to directly to disqualification.
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Live Event Tournament Regulations
9.0 Live Event Equipment and Settings
A. Equipment
1. Players must use the computer and monitor provided by the organizer.
2. Tournament organizers may ban any electronic storage devices from their event.
Consult with tournament organizers for their official policy.
3. Players must provide their own USB mouse.
4. Players must provide their own USB keyboard.
5. Players must provide their own in-ear USB headset or a headset that utilizes astandard 3.5mm stereo headset jack. Players may not use wireless or outlet
powered headset.
6. All equipment must operate with preinstalled Windows drivers. The organizer may
allow specialized USB drivers at their discretion. Players must contact organizer
prior to the event if they wish to use specialized USB drivers.
7. The organizer reserves the right to deny the use of any equipment suspected ofproviding an unfair competitive advantage.
8. Players must use the organizer headset while playing in any matches that arecommentated for soundproofing purposes, unless a different model is authorized by
the organizer. Players may wear personal headsets around their neck.
9. Players must have their own Battle.net account in good standing with an active
StarCraft II license with the latest expansion.
10. Players must use the same Battle.net account throughout the tournament.
11. Players may be required to use a special account during a Live Event tournament.
B. Computer Settings
1. No other programs may be installed without approval of the organizer.
2. During a match, no other applications, browsers, or streams other than the gameshould be open. The organizer may inspect a machine before a live match.
3. Players may not alter game files or modify drivers.
4. Video settings may only be adjusted under the supervision of the organizer.
C. Game Settings
1. Players will compete on the live version (current patch) of StarCraft II unless given
notice at the discretion of Blizzard.
2. The “Busy” setting in Battle.net is required to be active.
3. Players must use default unit “skins” – Any extra unit “skins” are to be disabled.
4. Players may only use official team logos for custom decals.
5. The “Save All Replays” setting should always be active.

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10.0

Live Event Tournament Rules
A. Players must be in the venue at the designated player areas during the event.
B. Players are required to be ready and check in at their game station at the time designatedby the tournament organizer, but not exceeding 120 minutes before the match starts, andcomplete game preparations including PC setup. If the player requires additional time after
setup has completed, additional time is at the purview of the tournament administrator.
C. Players must request permission from a tournament administrator to leave designatedplayer areas during the event.
D. Players may consult with an advisor(s) between games in a match at the discretion of thetournament organizer. The organizer may set and change the amount of time for thisconsultation at their discretion.
E. All matches will be played on the Battle.net server determined by the tournament organizer
F. Administrators will assign colors to players for each match.
G. Tournament administrators will host and start the matches.
H. Players may request a blind pick where each player will communicate their race to thetournament administration team before each match starts.
I. Players may switch races after each match.
J. During the game, players may not use chat except for a greeting, closing, and request forpause.
K. Players may not pause a game unnecessarily. Should a pause be required, the player must
inform tournament administration team immediately in the following manner: 1) type “PP”
in the in-game chat, 2) physically raise his or her hand to notify the organizers, in the casethat the keyboard is unresponsive.
L. Players who intentionally quit a game before it has ended without a tournament organizer’s
permission will have conceded the game.
M. In the case of a technical issue, the tournament organizer may restart the game from the
beginning at their discretion or use “Recover Game” to start from an administrator
designated point in time.
N. If any player is disconnected from a game, they are required to wait for a tournament
administrator to verify the situation and make one of the following decisions depending on
the nature of the disconnect:
1. Restart of the game from the beginning.
2. Use “Recover Game” to start from an administrator designated point in time.
3. Declare a winner or a forfeit.
O. In case of the situation where both players are unable to win the game, tournament
organizer will declare a draw and the game will be replayed.
P. In order to dispute any game issue, players must notify the administrator immediately.
Once the next game has started, players may not protest results. The tournament
administration may investigate past results at their discretion.
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Q. In Challenger and Premier League, players may not watch any replays in the middle of amatch. If there are any games that remain in the match, players must rejoin the designatedtournament administrator group within 1 minute.
R. Replays may not be removed or distributed from the tournament computers by anyone but
the tournament staff. Any requests for WCS replays for content creation purposes must be
directed to esportsteam@blizzard.com.
S. Replays may be reviewed by the tournament organizer during down time between matches
if available for production or administrative purposes.
T. Replays of tournament matches can be used for the production of additional contents at thediscretion of Organizers and Blizzard Entertainment. Replay packs may be made public after
the conclusion of the season in which the original game was played.

16

Player Rules and Responsibilities
11.0

Player Code of Conduct

The World Championship Series is a professional league. All participants are expected to maintain aprofessional and respectful demeanor. Intentional or attempted violations of the following Player Codeof Conduct may incur penalties as listed in Player Code of Conduct Offenses (Section 12).
Disputes and Redress – Any report of a violation or dispute of an action with the current operation of
the league should first be addressed by email, telephone or in person to the tournament organizer. If
the organizer does not provide an adequate response in a timely fashion, players and teams should
contact Blizzard Entertainment at esportsteam@blizzard.com. Any unresolved situation should not be
posted on personal social media or websites until the issue is addressed by an admin or Blizzard.
A. Language – In all languages, players may not use obscene gestures, profanity and/or racist
comments in their player handles, game chat, lobby chat, or live interviews. This includes
abbreviations and/or obscure references. Organizers reserve the right to enforce this attheir own discretion.
B. Behavior – Players are required to behave in a sportsmanlike manner towards othercompetitors, members of the administration team, media, and fans.
C. Communication & Storage Devices – Players must consult with the organizer before bringing
electronic storage devices to any event and are not allowed to use any mobile or external
communication equipment during a match. All personal equipment must be in an enclosed
bag or be given to an administrator while a match is played.
D. Illegal substances – Players may not be under the influence or in possession of illegal
substances. In addition to the standard Code of Conduct penalties, any offending players
may be handed over to the authorities in accordance to the local laws.
E. Alcohol – Players that are intoxicated during any event may be disqualified at the discretionof the tournament organizer.
F. Cheating - Players must compete to the best of their ability at all times. Any form ofcheating will not be tolerated. If the Sponsor determines that a player is cheating, theplayer will be immediately disqualified and removed from the tournament and may be
restricted from participating in any events in the future, and have all of their licenses to all
Blizzard games revoked. Players may be requested to install software on their computers
for the duration of the tournament which is specially designed to detect cheating. Examplesof cheating would include, without limitation:
 Actions to intentionally alter or attempt to alter the results of any match, including
losing a match with another player to advance one or the other’s rank. If Sponsor
determines that a player is colluding or match fixing, the player will be immediately
disqualified and removed from the tournament and may be restricted from participatingin future events and have all of their licenses to all Blizzard games revoked; and17Attempts to interfere with another player’s connection to the game service throughDistributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or any other means, he or she may be disqualified
from the Tournament; and

Any incidence of Eligible Participants allowing individuals who are not the Eligible
Participant to play on an Eligible Participant’s Battle.net account in any of Blizzard
games.

G. Software Exploitation – Any intentional or attempted use of any bugs or exploits in thegame may result in a forfeit of the match and disqualification from the tournament. Bugs
and exploits will be determined at the discretion of Blizzard Entertainment.
H. Gambling – Players are not allowed to place or attempt to place wagers on any matches or
actions in, or around, for any Blizzard title.
12.0

Player Code of Conduct Offenses
A. Code of Conduct violations will be reviewed by Blizzard Entertainment and the organizer.
B. Violations of the Code of Conduct may vary including a warning, an immediate
disqualification, prize penalties, removal from the tournament, and/or restriction fromparticipation in future events.
C. Final decisions regarding player violations are up to the discretion of Blizzard Entertainment.

13.0

Player Tournament Offenses
A. If a player does not follow the rules of the tournament, the player may receive a warning at
the discretion of the tournament organizer.
B. If a player causes a delay beyond the designated exceptions, the player will receive awarning.
C. Once a warning has been issued, subsequent infractions will accrue a penalty at thediscretion of the organizer and Blizzard Entertainment. A continuing or repeated infraction
will cause multiple penalties at the discretion of the organizer.
D. In a single competition day, if a player receives:
1. One (1) penalty will result in a 1% prize money deduction
2. Two (2) penalties will result in a 2% prize money deduction
3. Three (3) penalties will result in a 5% prize money deduction
4. Each further penalty will result in an additional +5% prize money deduction
E. Penalties accrue cumulatively throughout the season and are deducted from the players
total season earnings – e.g. one penalty on Jan 5, 2015 and three penalties on Feb 9, 2015
cause a 1% + 5% = 6% total deduction in prize earnings.
F. All Prize money deducted via penalties for a season will be added to the Prize of the highest
placing Premier player in the tournament with the least penalties for the current season.
G. Blizzard Entertainment and the tournament organizer reserve the right to disqualify orsuspend any player from the league for rule violations or repeated misconduct.
18

14.0

Player Disqualification and Suspension
A. If a player is disqualified or suspended by the organizer or Blizzard Entertainment forviolating Online Match, Live Match or Player Code of Conduct regulations, the player will
receive a forfeit (see Forfeit without 48 hour notice). The player will accrue no future
placements (i.e. relegated to Qualifiers, relegated to Challenger, Premier League placement)from their performance. The player’s ability to play in future WCS events will be at the sole
discretions of the tournament organizer and Blizzard Entertainment.
B. Suspensions from the World Championship Series may be any amount of designated timedepending on the severity of the violation. The player’s ability to play in future WCS events
will be at the sole discretions of the tournament organizer and Blizzard Entertainment.

15.0

Player Forfeit Policy
A. Challenger Forfeit – If a player does not participate in a scheduled WCS Challenger match –the player will be disqualified. No prize money or points will be awarded. The organizer will
make the attempt to replace the player according to the Advancement and Fill Policy.
B. Premier League Forfeit with 48 hour notice – If a player does not participate in a scheduled
WCS match in Premier League and gives 48 hour notice prior to the scheduled play time –the player’s placement will swap with the replacement player as according to the
Advancement and Fill Policy. All applicable prize money and points will be paid out in the
regressed position. The player will retain future season placements (Challenger or Premier
League placement) if applicable from their regressed position.
C. Forfeit without 48 hour notice – If a player does not participate in a scheduled WCS match in
Challenger or Premier League and does not give notice 48 hours prior to the scheduled playtime – the player’s placement will regress in the tournament, so that their last played matchis considered a loss. All applicable prize money and points will be paid out as if their last
played match was a loss – or if their last match was in group play, all matches from thatgroup will be counted as losses. In addition, the player will be disqualified from the season
and will need to requalify.
D. Repeated forfeits – if a player forfeits or fails to compete more than once without
reasonable exceptions, Blizzard Entertainment and organizer reserve the right to preventthe competitor from participating in Qualifiers or future events.
E. Forfeit exceptions – will be considered in light of family or personal emergency. Exceptions
will be considered if the player provides a doctor’s notes in case of sickness, injury, or death
notice in case of a loss of a family member. Further causes for exception will be reviewed by
the organizer and Blizzard Entertainment. Email tournament organizers, or in the case of
disputes esportsteam@blizzard.com.

16.0

General Player Rights and Responsibilities
A. Schedule – Players cannot be scheduled to play more than eight match series per day.
Players must be given a minimum of a 10 minute break after every series, and a 30 minute
19

B.
C.

D.

E.
F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

17.0

break after four consecutive series. Players have the right to a minimum of 10 hours breakscheduled between the player’s last series of a day and the player’s first series of thefollowing day.
Player Handle – Players have the right to have an in-game name and Clan Tag as long as it
does not contain any profanity or inappropriate references (See Code of Conduct).
Interviews and media – Players must be polite to spectators and media, but players have theright to refuse non-official autograph signings, photo sessions, and interviews that are not intheir tournament schedule. It is up to the player’s discretion to participate in non-official
autograph signings, photo sessions and interviews. Players have the right to participate in
non-official autograph signings, photo sessions and interviews that do not conflict with theirofficial tournament schedule.
Opinions – Players have the right to express their opinions in a professional andsportsmanlike manner. Tournament disputes or player violation reports must be reviewed
by the organizer and Blizzard before releasing information publicly. Depending on theseverity, false statements and other forms of defamation may cause a warning, penalty or
removal from the league.
Documentation – Players are responsible for submitting all legal waivers, affidavits, and tax
forms as requested by the tournament organizer within 3 weeks of any request.
Prize money – Players will be paid after an event within thirty (30) days from whenpaperwork was submitted with complete and correct information and on complete
verification of penalties.
Personal Streams – Players have the right to stream ladder games on their personal time.
1. WCS Qualifiers games – Players may stream WCS Qualifier games if they comply
with the “Guidelines for non-official World Championship Series Shoutcasters andStreams” in the Appendix and tournament organizer rules.
2. WCS Premier games – only official WCS partners may stream WCS Premier matches.
Non-WCS Tournaments – Players have the right to participate in other StarCraft II licensed
tournaments. Any conflict with scheduled WCS events or matches due to participation inanother tournament is the player’s choice and responsibility.
Right of Refusal – Players have the right to refuse to play. Matches that are not played will
result in an automatic forfeit. See Forfeit Policy for further information about the forfeit
process.
All players shall be free to play in any tournaments or leagues that they choose to play in,whether sanctioned or organized by a Licensee.

Live Event Player Rights and Responsibilities
A. Live Attendance – Players must attend scheduled events in person as required. Players
without a valid reason for absence or withdrawal may be disqualified and suspended fromparticipating in future league competitions.
B. Tournament Information – Players will be provided all necessary tournament informationsuch as event schedules, maps, locations, and official player interviews. The information will
20

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

be provided to the players or team management a minimum of three days before event
travel.
Travel – At the stages where players are required to travel to an event, varying levels of
support for player travel expenses, such as flights, lodging, and meals, will be provided. The
amount of support may vary per region and season. Each organizer will communicate thetravel policy specifics before any travel is required.
1. The leagues in South Korea are an exception to this regulation in consideration of
their regional characteristic.
Travel Documents – Players are responsible for obtaining the necessary documents andidentification papers for travel. Any negligence may result in a forfeit or disqualification.
Blizzard and/or the event organizer will provide invitation letters in a timely manner for any
visas application process where appropriate. Any visa or travel fees and approval will
ultimately be the player responsibility.
Accommodations – The tournament organizer is required to provide hotel rooms for theplayers. Players will be given their own room at tournaments. If a region has limited space,
Blizzard and the tournament organizer may deem sharing rooms as acceptable.
1. The leagues in South Korea are an exception to this regulation in consideration of
their regional characteristic.
Guests – Players are allowed to have guests stay with them but cannot exceed the capacityof the hotel room. Blizzard and the tournament organizer are not responsible for the travelor tickets for guests.
1. The leagues in South Korea are an exception to this regulation in consideration of
their regional characteristic.
Sponsors – Blizzard Entertainment will work to ensure players, teams and the tournament
organizers collaborate to promote the sponsors of all parties. The following are guidelines
for player and tournament organizer rights and responsibilities:
1. Sponsor Conflict Arbitration: Blizzard Entertainment will arbitrate all conflicts
between teams and players with respect to sponsor promotion
2. Restricted Sponsor Categories –The following sponsor categories will not beallowed:a) Pornography (or extremely mature materials);b) Alcohol;c) Tobacco or cigarettes;d) Firearms;e) Gambling websites; orf) Any company that is detrimental to Blizzard’s business (hacking, gold
services, account selling, key sellers)
3. Dress Code – Players will have the right to wear official team apparel that displays
their team’s sponsors unless it conflicts with the Restricted Sponsor Categories.
a) If a player’s apparel is not related to an approved sponsor, the organizer has
the right to provide the player with neutral clothing to be worn during theevent.
21

4. Player Sponsored Equipment – Players have the right to represent their sponsors
with their personal equipment.
a) Standard Equipment – Sponsored player equipment must follow standard
equipment rules and includes: keyboards, computer mice, mousepads,
mouse bungies, and headsets. During matches where specific soundproof
headsets are required by the organizer, the player is allowed to wear theirpersonal headset around their neck at their discretion.
b) Other Player sponsored items – Players are allowed to bring additional
items to their play area such as capped water bottles and towels. During
any feature matches where the player is featured by the organizer, all items(non-equipment) must be stored under the desk unless the tournament
organizer agrees to allow the items on the desk.
5. Organizer Sponsored Equipment – Organizers have the right to represent sponsors
at the event and production.
a) Production Equipment – Organizers have the right to use sponsor related
equipment and branding for the production of the show. Organizers may
also require the use of specialized soundproof headsets for feature
matches.
b) Other Organizer sponsored items – Organizers may offer players items fromtheir sponsors. The player has the right to have the tournament organizer
remove any non-production sponsored item from their area.
H. Food – Players will be provided with a minimum of one meal every 6 hours of a live event.
All other meals or snacks will be the player’s responsibility.
I. Environment – Players have a right to an acceptable competition environment. The
tournament area should be roped off or separated from spectators. Tournament organizers
must provide seats and tables for players to compete.
J. Event Privacy – Players have the right to a private area apart from the public where they cango during off-times to relax, practice matches, and not have to interact with media or
spectators.

22

Prize Pool, Points, WCS Global Events
18.0

WCS Prize Pool (America / Europe Regions)
A. Prize money will only be awarded to participants in the tournament, or their stated
representative.
B. If a player is disqualified, they may forfeit their prize.
C. Players must submit all required forms before the event or they may forfeit their prize.
D. All prize money will be paid out by 30 days after each tournament has concluded andappropriate paperwork has been completed accurately.
E. Prize money payments will be paid out by a check or wire transfer by the tournament
organizer. Other cash payment methods may be available at the discretion of the organizer.
F. Failure to redeem the check or to provide accurate information for the payments to becompleted will result in the payments not being made.
G. If a player has not collected the winnings or redeemed the check within one year of theinitial payment date, the prizes may be forfeited.
H. All prizes will be subject to local and country tax laws. The rate and the exact amounts mayvary depending on the location.

WCS Challenger

WCS Premier League

Rank
1st-31st*

USD
Advance to Premier

Rank
1st

USD
$30,000

Runner-ups$2,000

2nd$15,000

3rd-4th$10,000

5th-8th$8,000

9th-16th$6,00017th-32nd$4,500*Season 1 exception: There will be 32 players to advance to Premier. Season 2 & 3 will have theprevious season’s champion remain in Premier.

WCS Global Finals
Rank
1st

USD
$100,000

2nd$50,000th$15,000th

5th-8$7,500

9th-16th$5,000

3rd-4

23

19.0

WCS Points
A. Points will only be awarded to participants in any WCS approved tournaments.
1. WCS Global Events will be announced throughout the year on the official WCS
website.
B. If a player is disqualified, they may forfeit their points.
C. WCS Global Events that award points must be pre-approved by Blizzard. Points will not beawarded at every StarCraft II tournament.

WCS Premier, GSL and StarLeague
Rank

Points

1st

2000

2nd

1250

3rd-4th900

5th-8th600

9th-12th400

13th-16th300

17th-24th*150

25th-32nd*
100*StarLeague will feature 16 players, and not offer points below 16th place.
WCS Challenger and GSL Code A will continue to offer 50 points to the eliminated player.

WCS Global Events
Total Points:

7000

Total Points:

4000

Total Points:

1800

Rank*

PointsRank*

PointsRank*

Points

1st

1500

1st

750

1st

300

2nd

800

2nd

500

2nd

200

3rd-4th550

3rd-4th375

3rd-4th150

5th-8th400
5th-8th250
5th-8th100
9th-16th250
9th-16th125
9th-16th75*Points will only be awarded to players that have advanced at least one round. If there are notenough players in the event to satisfy this requirement for all top 16 players, not all points will beawarded24

20.0

WCS Global Events

StarCraft II is prevalent in many tournaments that are not directly part of the World ChampionshipSeries. In order to encourage participation and support other eSports organizers around the world,
independent tournaments that represent a fair and competitive player environment may be considered
as an outlet for WCS Points. Points may or may not be given to independent tournaments at Blizzard’s
discretion for balance and distribution. WCS Global Events must be pre-approved by Blizzard
Entertainment (See Appendix for WCS Global Event Requirements and contact information)

25

APPENDIX
ADDITIONAL TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS:Eligibility
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (“SPONSOR”) IS THE SPONSOR
OF THIS TOURNAMENT. THIS TOURNAMENT IS OPEN ONLY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE, AS OF THE LATER
OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF STARCRAFT II 2015 LADDER SEASON 1, OR FEBRUARY 6, 2015: (A) LEGALRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA,
COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, JAMAICA, MEXICO, NICARAUGA,PARAGUAY, PERU, PUERTO RICO, URUGUAY, AND VENEZUELA, AUSTRALIA, INDONESIA, HONG KONG,
INDIA, JAPAN, MACAU, MALAYSIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE PHILLIPPINES, SINGAPORE, SOUTH KOREA,TAIWAN, THAILAND; AND VIETNAM; AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BELARUS, BULGARIA, CROATIA, THE CZECHREPUBLIC, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND,ISRAEL, ITALY, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL,ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, THE UKRAINE,
TURKEY, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM; (B) THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE,
AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (C) HAVE AUTHORIZED ACCESS TO A FULL BATTLE.NET ACCOUNTREGISTERED ON BLIZZARD’S NORTH AMERICA BATTLE.NET SERVICE (A BATTLE.NET LIGHT ACCOUNT ISNOT SUFFICIENT FOR THIS TOURNAMENT) THAT IS IN GOOD STANDING AND WHICH REMAINS IN GOOD
STANDING THROUGHOUT THE TOURNAMENT (THE “ACCOUNT”); AND (D) WHO ARE NOT RESIDENTS OF
THE US STATES OF ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, NORTH DAKOTA, MARYLAND, VERMONT OR THE
PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA (THE “ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS). If you are under the legal age ofmajority in your country of residence, but over the age of 16 (a "Minor"), you may still enter and be
an Eligible Participant if you otherwise meet all of the eligibility criteria set forth above and one ofyour parents or legal guardians read and agree to these Official Rules on your behalf. Directors,
officers and employees of Sponsor, its parent, and any of their respective affiliate companies,
subsidiaries, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, and immediate family
and household members of each are not eligible to win any prizes. All applicable federal, state and local
laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited or restricted. Eligible Participants must have an
Account which includes a valid email address. Sponsor reserves the right to verify the email addressprovided to Sponsor by the Eligible Participant. The Eligible Participant must be a natural person who isthe person who registered the Account unless the Eligible Participant is a Minor using an Accountregistered by a parent or guardian. Blizzard shall have the right to disqualify any players that are
rendered ineligible due to local law.
Collection of Information.
The information necessary to operate the Tournament was collected by Sponsor at the time that each
Eligible Participant registered a Battle.net account used to participate in the Tournament, and without
limiting Sponsor’s rights under its privacy policies with regards to its use of the information, will be used
to contact you specifically for operation of the Tournament. The Tournament is not open to anyone
26under the age of majority in your country of citizenship, and in the event that Sponsor becomes awarethat you are under the age of majority in your country of citizenship and your parent or guardian has notprovided specific permission to Sponsor for you to participate in this Tournament, Sponsor will delete,erase or destroy any and all personally identifiable information related to the Tournament. In the eventthat you are a citizen of France and/or any of the other countries whose citizens are eligible for thisTournament, and pursuant to French law pertaining to data collection and processing, you are informedthat the data collector is Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., and the data collected will be transferred to theUnited States of America. Upon request, you will be provided with access to your personal data. You
also have a right of opposition to the data collection, under certain circumstances. To exercise suchright, you may write to "2015 WCS - Personal Data,” c/o Blizzard Entertainment, P.O. Box 18979, Irvine,
CA 92612. You may also withdraw your personal data upon request, however you will be disqualified as
an Eligible Participant in the Tournament if you withdraw your personal data prior to the determinationand fulfillment of the prizes listed in Section 5 herein. Information collected in connection with theTournament will otherwise be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at
http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/privacy.html.
Prizing and Travel
Prizes are not transferable. No substitutions or exchanges (including for cash) of any prizes will bepermitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any
prize. All prizes are awarded "AS IS" and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied(including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particularpurpose). STATE, LOCAL TAXES, INCLUDING VAT TAXES WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR
USE OF ANY PRIZES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. All cash prizes will be paid in U.S.
currency. Winners will be required to complete and submit to Sponsor an IRS form W-8 or W-9 toreceive a cash prize. All ad must take place on the dates and times as specified by Sponsor. Eligible
Participants who qualify for prizes hereunder shall be responsible, at their own cost and expense, forobtaining all the necessary visas, passports, or other travel documents issued by the government of theircountry of citizenship so that they have the legal capacity to travel to WCS event, regardless of where in
the world that event may be held, and are responsible for any and all other costs and expenses
associated with their prize that are not specifically set forth herein. Should an Eligible Participant who
qualifies for a prize hereunder be a “minor” in their country of residence, a parent or legal guardian shalltravel on the same itinerary with the Eligible Participants, and shall be responsible for all of their own
travel and accommodation costs including, without limitation, transportation and accommodation costs
and any cost or expense associated with obtaining all the necessary visas, passports, or other travel
documents issued by the government of their country of citizenship so that they have the legal capacity
to travel to a WCS event.
Affidavit & Release
As a condition of being awarded any prize, winners will be required to execute and deliver to Sponsor asigned affidavit of eligibility and acceptance of these Official Rules and release of liability. In the eventthat a winner is under the age of majority in his or her country of residence, winner’s parent or legal
guardian will be required to execute and deliver such documents. Failure to return a signed affidavit
27within seven (7) days may result in forfeiture of prize. Potential winners are responsible for ensuring
return of all required materials; proof of sending will not be considered proof of receipt by Sponsor.
Winners List; Rules Request
A list of winners will be posted at http://us.battle.net/WCS no later than November 30, 2015 and willremain available until March 31, 2016. For a copy of the winners list, send a stamped, self-addressed,#10 business-size envelope (4 1/8" x 9 1/2") after November 30, 2015, and before March 31, 2016 toSponsor at, “2015 WCS - Winners List, c/o Blizzard Entertainment, P.O. Box 18979, Irvine, CA 92612.” To
obtain a copy of these rules, send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to Sponsor at theaddress listed below, “2015 WCS - Rules Request, c/o Blizzard Entertainment, P.O. Box 18979, Irvine, CA
92612.” Canadian residents may omit return postage.
Miscellaneous
Sponsor reserves the right to patch or update StarCraft II at any time to fix bugs, change balance, or add
features as deemed appropriate by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, without suspending or cancelingthe Tournament. The Tournament and these Official Rules will be governed, construed and interpreted
under the laws of the state of California in the United States, provided that Blizzard shall have the rightto disqualify any players that are rendered ineligible due to local law. Eligible Participants agree to bebound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects.
Sponsor reserves the right to change these Official Rules at any time, in its sole discretion, and tosuspend, cancel or modify the Tournament or any Eligible Participant's participation in the Tournamentshould viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor's control affectthe administration, security or proper play of the Tournament, or Sponsor otherwise becomes (asdetermined in its sole discretion) incapable of running the Tournament as planned. Due to server
capacity and other technical limitations beyond the control of Sponsor, Sponsor reserves the right tolimit the number of Eligible Participants. Eligible Participants who violate these Official Rules, tamper
with the operation of the Tournament or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor,
the Tournament or any other Eligible Participant (in each case as determined in Sponsor's sole
discretion) are subject to disqualification from entry into the Tournament. Sponsor reserves the right tolock out persons whose eligibility is in question or who have been disqualified or are otherwise ineligible
to enter the Tournament. If you have any questions about these Official Rules or the Tournament,
please email them to wow-tourneyinfo@blizzard.com or send written questions to: 2015 WCS c/o
Blizzard Entertainment eSports, P.O Box 18979, Irvine, CA 93623.

28

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Glossary of Terms
A. Group Stage – general term for a round in the tournament where players are split into
smaller groups where they compete with the players in their group. The WCS uses the "Dual
Tournament Format" for all group stages.
B. Bracket Stage – general term for a round in the tournament where players are placed into astandard tournament bracket.
C. Game – is defined in this document by a single “1 versus 1”
D. Match – is defined by a series of multiple games. Typically “Best of <Odd Number>”“Best of <Odd Number> Games” – is a type of “Match”. The <Odd Number> represents the maximum
number games in the Match. Games are played until a player has won more than 50 percent of the
maximum number of games.

Dual Tournament Format
A group of 4 players are placed into a standard double elimination bracket where each match is a best of
3 games. The matchups will follow a standard double elimination bracket until the following scores areachieved: 1st place (2-0), 2nd place (2-1), 3rd place (1-2), 4th place (0-2).

29

WCS Premier League Flowchart

Premier League – Round of 32 Group Selection Method
In the Premier League Round of 32, the eight groups of four players will be selected by random draw
from set player pools. Each player pool may be organized according to travel constraints according to
the discretion of the organizer. The following rules will apply when selecting groups:
1. Each group in the Round of 32 will have no more than one (1) representative per qualifying
region with the exception of the Europe region.
2. The Europe region will have no more than two (2) representatives per group.

30

Premier League – Round of 16 Group Selection Method
In the Premier League Round of 16, the four groups of four players are selected as follows:
1. The first place finishers (8 players) of the Round of 32 Group stage will be randomly placed - 2
players per group.
2. The second place finishers (8 players) of the Round of 32 Group stage will be randomly placed 2 players per group and each player placed must not be put into the same group as someone
they faced in the Round of 32.

Premier League - Round of 8 Single Elimination Selection Method
In the Premier League Round of 8, the bracket is selected as follows:
1. The second place finishers (4 players) of the Round of 16 Group stage will be seeded into the 8player single elimination bracket.
2. The first place finishers (4 players) of the Round of 16 Group stage will be seeded into the 8player single elimination bracket to play against a second place finisher. The Round of 8
opponent cannot be someone each player faced in the Round of 16.

WCS Map Pool
The map pool for the World Championship Series follows the official map pool on the active StarCraft II
Ladder. The maps are chosen by a council of partners and Blizzard and will be listed on the WCS
website. The map pool will change in with each Season of WCS.
*GSL and StarLeague in South Korea will be allowed to have a different map pool.

WCS Premier League Map Selection Process
1. All Map Vetoes and Map Choices must be made prior to the start of a Match.
2. If no higher seed can be determined, the administrator will flip a coin to define the higher
seeded player.
3. For all Matches, the higher seeded Player must choose to act as Player A or Player B.
4. For all Best of 3 Games Matches, Player A must veto one Map first, then Player B must veto two
Maps, and then Player A must veto one more Map. The vetoed Maps will not be played in the
Match. Player B must choose the Game 1 Map and then Player A must choose the Game 2 Map.
The Game 3 Map will be the Map that hasn’t been chosen or vetoed.
5. For all Best of 5 Games Matches, Player A must veto one Map first and then Player B must vetoone Map. The vetoed Maps won’t be played in the Match. Next, the Players must alternate31

choosing each Game’s Map, starting with Player A choosing the Game 1 Map. The Game 5 Map
will be the Map that hasn’t been vetoed or chosen for Games 1-4.
6. For all Best of 7 Games Matches, there will be no Vetoes. Players must alternate choosing eachGame’s Map, starting with Player A choosing the Game 1 Map.
7. No Map may be played more than once in a Match.

WCS Global Event Requirements
Requirements

WCS Season Maps (same as ladder) for all Global Events
The qualifiers should use the same map pool as the actual onsite event. If this is notpossible due to the timeline of the qualifier and a map pool update, the live mappool should be used for the qualifier. This is not a requirement during the WCS offseason.



16+ Tournament Players
Players from Qualifiers (that did not Qualify to the actual Tournament) do not counttowards Tournament Players



WCS Events with 32 or more players: At least 25% of the total spots must be
attainable through an open qualifier
WCS Events with less than 32 players: At least 8 spots must be attainable through an
open qualifier
Global Qualifiers cannot be other WCS Global Events
Global Online Qualifiers must not have a cap or limit to players
Global Onsite Qualifiers must have a minimum of 64 players
The Global Qualifiers dates must be published in English at least one week prior to
the start of the qualifier tournament

MAP POOLNUMBER OF PLAYERSGLOBAL QUALIFIERS









FORMATIn addition to Global Qualifiers, WCS partners may invite additional players at theirdiscretion
Any player in the tournament that did not qualify through a Global Qualifier will beconsidered an invitee
Invitees may not be seeded into the Top 8 and will only earn points after advancing a
round
WCS Events must use pre-approved tournament formats as listed in the WCS
Handbook
Other formats may be approved by Blizzard during the application process

WCS points can only be awarded after advancing at least one round within thetournament
Different formats will have different definitions of a round

PLAYER RIGHTS

WCS Player Rights and Responsibilities

BRANDING

WCS and StarCraft II branding

POINTS32

Total WCS Point Pool

7000

4000

1800

WCS Points for 1st place
No. of players on-site

1500$75,000
8+

Global Stream/Broadcasting

Free 720p in English

On-Site Casters

Required
Required
Required750$25,000
8+
Free 720p in
EnglishRequired
Required
Required300$10,000
4+
Free 480p in Local
Language
Optional
Required
Optional

Prize pool minimumSound Dampening
Live Audience

Additional WCS Global Event notes:
1. Round Advancement – Players must advance one round in a WCS Global Event in order to claim
WCS Points for that placement.
a. A round within the tournament is defined asi. In single-elimination, a match victory.
ii. In double-elimination, a match victory.
iii. In group play, advancing from the group.
1. If a group does not eliminate any player, it will not count as a round.
iv. Blizzard reserves the right to review and define a round for approved
tournaments with unique formats.
b. Proceeding from a Qualifier will also be considered advancing one round if the qualifying
event is specific to a unique WCS Global Event and does not serve as aseparate/standalone/linked tournament. A separate/standalone/linked tournament isany event that awards prize money and/or WCS Points.
2. Pre-approved Tournament formats – All WCS Global events must get approval from Blizzard.
Formats that differ from the following may require additional review:a. Dual Tournamentb. Double eliminationc. Round-Robin
Become a WCS Partner
If you’re interested in setting up a partner tournament that feeds into the WCS ranking system, pleasecontact us at sc-tourneyinfo@Blizzard.com.
**Note that meeting the requirements listed above does not automatically grant you partner
status—we’d like to work with you directly to ensure your event fits well into the schedule anddoesn’t overlap other partner events. Exceptions to the requirements may be made under thediscretion of Blizzard.

33

Guidelines for non-official World Championship Series Shoutcasters and Streams
Broadcasting: The shoutcaster must receive permission from the tournament broadcast partner;
 The shoutcaster must receive permission from both players to broadcast if the game is being
broadcast on a non-official World Championship Series Qualifier stream; The stream must be broadcast on a minimum 5 minute delay; The stream must not be broadcast on television without permission from Blizzard
 The shoutcaster may not charge fees of any kind for spectators to watch the broadcast; The shoutcaster may run pre-roll commercial ads and inventory commercial ads;
 The shoutcaster must follow the Blizzard Entertainment Video Policy;
Sponsorships and Endorsements:
 The shoutcaster may not run ads for their own products or endorsements, including portions ofoverlays, video commercials, and/or verbal shoutouts, without permission from the tournamentbroadcast partner and Blizzard Entertainment; The stream cannot be sponsored by any companies that sell or promote any of the following
products:o Pornography (or extremely mature materials);o Alcohol;
o Tobacco or cigarettes;
o Firearms;
o Gambling websites; oro Any company that is detrimental to Blizzard’s business (hacking, gold services, accountselling, key sellers) Gambling, including raffles, cannot be associated with a stream;
Behavior and Professionalism: The shoutcasting should promote a fun and engaging experience for the viewers;
 The shoutcaster must refrain from using vulgar language or swear words;
 The shoutcaster must treat all players with respect and cannot comment negatively on theplayer’s overall skill or character; The shoutcaster must cast with the utmost professionalism; The stream must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
If you have any questions regarding the non-official World Championship Series Shoutcaster Streams,
contact the Blizzard eSports team at esportsteam@blizzard.com.

34

Blizzard eSports Website
Visit the official World Championship Series website for updates and information.
http://www.StarCraft2.com/WCS

Feedback
If you have any feedback regarding the rules, please email: esportsteam@blizzard.com, with the subject"WCS Handbook Feedback".

Handbook Version Details
Version 1.1.0 – February 6, 2015-

Complete update for WCS 2015

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PLAYER CERTIFICATIONI hereby acknowledge receipt of the 2015 World Championship Series Handbook (“Handbook”). I
understand that my compliance with the Handbook is a condition of my participation in the WorldChampionship Series. I acknowledge that the Company reserves the right to impose discipline for any
conduct it deems inappropriate, including, but not limited to, disqualification from a WorldChampionship Series Tournament, or the World Championship Series altogether. I have carefully readand I understand the Handbook. I understand and support these standards set forth in the Handbook,and I will act in accordance with them.

Print Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Signature: ____________________________________________________Date: __________________

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