5. Rules of Play
Hero Draft (Captain's Mode)
- All professional matches use Captain's Mode drafting
- Each team bans and picks heroes in an alternating sequence
- Draft order: Ban-Ban-Ban-Ban — Pick-Pick-Pick-Pick — Ban-Ban-Ban-Ban — Pick-Pick-Pick-Pick — Ban-Ban — Pick-Pick
- Total: 7 bans and 5 picks per team
- Newly released or reworked heroes may be disabled from Captain's Mode
- Each hero can only be picked once per game (no mirror matches)
Match Format
- Group stage: Best-of-2 (BO2) or Best-of-3 (BO3)
- Playoffs: Best-of-3 (BO3)
- Grand Finals: Best-of-5 (BO5)
- The International: Group stage BO2, main stage BO3/BO5
In-Game Rules
- No intentional exploitation of bugs, glitches, or unintended interactions
- Fountain camping or excessive stalling is subject to referee warning
- Pauses: each team has a limited number of tactical pauses per match
- Disconnections: pause granted, reconnection within a set time limit
- All-chat is disabled during competitive play