The Indefinite Bans That Did Not Stay Indefinite
Fourteen Counter-Strike players were banned indefinitely in February 2015, days before a Major qualifier. Ten of them were cleared and got their slot back.
Posts tagged “esports”
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Titan Paid for a Week of Cheating They Never Saw
KQLY cheated for one week before he joined Titan. The VAC ban landed three months later and disqualified the whole roster for a week that predated it.
The Longest Match Was Not Why He Was Suspended
Lillekanin's four-hour StarCraft II game holds a world record and broke no rule. The suspension cited three other things — one of them was alt-tabbing.
MarineLorD Lost a Qualifier He Won Fair and Square
MarineLorD won his DreamHack Tours qualifier legitimately. He lost it anyway, over one ladder match given to a friend in a separate ranking process.
When the Team Broke First: Prime's Five Fixed Games
A coach in debt, players going unpaid, and five thrown matches over six months. Twelve people were indicted; three got suspended sentences and lifetime bans.
Forsaken's Cheat Was Caught, His Deletion Made It Worse
OpTic India's forsaken tried to erase the cheat mid-match. Anti-cheat had flagged it first, and a second event's data turned one match into a five-year ban.
iBUYPOWER's 'Permanent' Ban Wasn't, and Valve Never Said So
Valve called the iBUYPOWER bans permanent in 2016. In 2025 two players said they were clear to play again — and the confirmation came from them, not Valve.
The Ban That Came With a Criminal Record
Lee Seung-hyun was among the most decorated StarCraft II players alive. Losing two matches on purpose ended his career and put him in front of a judge.