League rules

These rules are the official source of truth for OCElock league matches. By registering and playing, teams and players agree to follow these rules and accept moderator rulings.

Competition philosophy

OCElock is a community-run competition. We expect teams to self-manage, self-correct, and resolve minor issues in good faith wherever possible. Automation exists to reduce avoidable admin work and lower risk, while moderators act as a fairness backstop when issues are unresolved, repeated, or serious.

The goal is simple: fair, competitive play that is enjoyable for everyone involved.

Document version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-03-16 (AEDT)

1. Definitions and scope

These definitions keep rulings clear and consistent:

- Match — The weekly fixture between two teams.
- Scheduled time — The official match time stored in OCElock.
- Captain — Team representative responsible for scheduling, check-in, communication, and official submissions.
- Vice-captain (VC) — Team member with captain-level operational permissions where enabled.
- No-show — A team that does not meet attendance requirements by the required cut-off.
- Forfeit — A match loss awarded for no-show, captain declaration, or confirmed rule breach.
- Dispute — A formal challenge raised in-platform for moderator review.
- Moderator ruling — The final staff decision for standard match operations.

These rules apply to all regular season and finals matches unless OCElock publishes an event-specific override before play begins.

2. Match week schedule and deadlines

- Monday: Matchups are published on OCElock.
- Monday to Wednesday: Captains submit scheduling vetoes in OCElock.
- Wednesday to Sunday: Matches are played at the agreed scheduled time.
- Sunday 11:59 PM AEDT: Weekly play window closes. Unresolved matches may be ruled as forfeits or moved to moderator resolution, depending on evidence.

All official timing and deadlines are based on the OCElock platform clock. Playable slots are season-configurable and shown in each user's local timezone in the availability picker.

3. Captain obligations and team responsibilities

Captains and VCs are responsible for making match operations work smoothly. At minimum, each team must:

- Submit scheduling actions on time.
- Keep communication respectful and responsive.
- Confirm attendance before scheduled start.
- Raise technical issues quickly with evidence.
- Use in-platform dispute flow instead of untracked arguments.

4. Scheduling, vetoes, and rescheduling

Scheduling must be completed in OCElock so outcomes are auditable.

Step 1 — Both captains review listed timeslots and submit the slots they can play.
Step 2 — OCElock treats non-selected slots as vetoed for scheduling calculation.
Step 3 — If round 1 has no overlap, OCElock runs a second veto round with extra visibility to help both teams converge.
Step 4 — If overlap exists, OCElock auto-assigns a time (or uses captain preference flow when multiple overlaps exist).
Step 5 — If no overlap remains after the second round, the match is flagged for moderator/admin manual scheduling.
Step 6 — Assigned time becomes the official scheduled time used for attendance/no-show decisions.

Rescheduling rules:

- Captains cannot currently perform a free-form mutual reschedule in the player flow once a time is set.
- Reschedules are handled by moderator/admin manual scheduling in OCElock when needed.
- Reschedules outside the match week require moderator approval.
- Discord can be used for coordination, but OCElock records are authoritative.

5. Check-in and attendance model

5.1 Practical check-in window (draft open, operational guidance)

In practice, check-in begins when hero draft opens (typically around T-30). By joining draft and being ready to proceed, captains/VCs are signalling that their team is present and prepared.

Teams should still aim to be contactable and ready before scheduled start to reduce avoidable delays.

5.2 Hard attendance cut-off (system-enforced)

OCElock enforces a draft attendance check at T-5 (5 minutes before scheduled time):

- If one team has no captain/VC draft presence by T-5, the system may apply no-show forfeit.
- If both teams are absent at T-5, the system may create an open dispute instead of auto-awarding a winner.

This T-5 attendance check is the automated baseline for no-show handling.

6. Team eligibility, roster lock, and substitutions

- Teams field 6 active players for official play.
- Players must use their registered Steam account.
- Eligible players must be valid roster members under current season policy.
- Captains are responsible for who plays and for roster compliance.

Substitutions (flex model):

- Any eligible rostered CORE/RESERVE player may be used up to match start.
- Teams should communicate substitutions early to avoid confusion.
- Emergency edge cases can be escalated to moderators/admins for manual guidance.

Roster lock:

Roster lock is intended to ensure teams are competition-ready at season start with core/reserve depth. In exceptional circumstances (for example, player departure causing non-viable roster size), admins may approve manual roster intervention.

Match-level lineup note:

OCElock does not currently enforce a strict pre-match lineup lock. Teams may field any eligible CORE/RESERVE players on their roster. Post-match validation checks participant eligibility, and non-rostered players may trigger violations and moderation action.

7. Hero draft, lobby setup, and match start

OCElock uses the in-platform hero draft system for official picks/bans.

- Draft opens around T-30 (about 30 minutes before scheduled match time).
- Captains/VCs run draft actions for their team; players can follow the draft state.
- Picks and bans are handled through the structured draft flow configured for the season.
- The draft must be completed/submitted in OCElock before normal result flow.

After draft completion:

- The home captain creates the custom lobby and shares the party/lobby code.
- The away side joins using that code.
- Teams begin match play once both sides are ready.

For operational walkthroughs, see Hero draft and Custom match creation.

8. Draft disputes and hero-rule enforcement

If there is a drafting issue (wrong action, disputed ban/pick outcome, or other draft integrity concern), raise a dispute in OCElock with evidence.

Immediate process (before match start):

1. Escalate immediately in the match Discord thread and @mention moderators for fast triage.
2. Pause progression where practical until staff confirms the ruling path.
3. Include draft screenshots or VOD clips plus timestamps.
4. Provide additional evidence if moderators request it.

Confirmed draft/hero-rule breaches may lead to replay, forfeit, or other moderation action based on impact and evidence quality.

9. Pause, disconnect, restart, and rehost procedures

Custom matches use Deadlock's in-game pause behaviour. OCElock does not currently auto-pause a live custom match when a player disconnects, so this section is mostly team-governed.

9.1 Pause usage (self-governed)

- Pause limits follow whatever the game currently allows (at present, typically one pause per player per match).
- Teams should use pauses for genuine technical interruptions (disconnects, major game glitches, urgent setup faults), not tactical delay.
- Captains should communicate pause reason and expected resume timing in match chat/Discord.

9.2 Rejoin protocol

- Once affected players reconnect, both teams should confirm readiness and resume promptly.
- If a team repeatedly stalls without clear technical cause, the opposing captain may raise a dispute for moderator review.

9.3 Restart/rehost

- Captains should resolve restart/rehost collaboratively where possible.
- If both captains agree, they may proceed with a restart/rehost for major technical failure.
- If there is disagreement, open a dispute in OCElock and escalate in the match Discord thread for moderator ruling.

10. Technical issue protocol (who, where, when)

If a technical issue affects match integrity:

Step 1 — Who reports: Captain or VC from affected team.
Step 2 — Where: OCElock dispute flow (and linked moderation thread where available).
Step 3 — When: As soon as practical, ideally during or immediately after the affected game.
Step 4 — What to include: Match ID, timestamps, screenshots/VOD clips, brief impact summary, and attempted mitigation.

Late or low-evidence technical claims may still be reviewed but are less likely to change outcomes.

11. Result submission and split dispute windows

Result handling is done in OCElock:

1. Winning captain submits result with Steam match ID and scoreboard evidence.
2. Losing captain confirms or disputes.
3. Approved/confirmed result updates standings and records.

11.1 Result disputes (longer window)

- Policy window: Up to 6 hours from submission, capped by week-end constraints.
- System behaviour: Auto-confirm can occur when no dispute is raised within window.
- Guidance: Raise disputes promptly; do not wait until the end of the window.

11.2 Forfeit disputes (shorter window)

- Expected response window: 1 hour from forfeit creation for immediate contest.
- Platform dispute deadline: Forfeit records currently follow the same backend dispute window model as results (up to 6 hours, capped by week-end constraints).
- Moderation note: Earlier submissions are prioritised; late disputes may still be reviewed in exceptional circumstances when evidence quality is high.

Missing evidence may delay approval or lead to rejection until proof is provided.

12. Forfeits and no-show handling

OCElock supports automated and manual forfeit flows.

12.1 Automated no-show (system-enforced)

- At T-5, OCElock checks for captain/VC draft attendance.
- One-team absence may trigger no-show forfeit.
- Both-team absence may trigger open dispute for moderator resolution. - Once draft is already completed, T-5 no-show automation no longer applies to that draft session; unresolved play then follows normal result/forfeit/dispute flow.

12.2 Captain-declared forfeit (moderator-reviewed)

- A captain/VC may declare forfeit where opponent did not attend or cannot field a legal team.
- Declaring captain's team is recorded as winner; the opposing team is recorded as the forfeiting team.
- Expected use is close to or after scheduled match start conditions, with supportable evidence.
- Unsupported or bad-faith declarations may lead to sanctions.

12.3 Outcomes and repeat patterns

- Forfeiting team: loss and 0 points.
- Opposing team: win and league points under standings policy.
- Repeated forfeits may trigger staff escalation:
- 2 forfeits in season: warning-level intervention.
- 3 forfeits in season: review for removal/disqualification from the season.

13. Evidence standards by dispute type

Use evidence proportional to the claim.

What to provide by dispute type:

- Result score — End-screen screenshot, match ID, relevant VOD segment.
- Forfeit — Attendance proof, timestamps, captain communications, reschedule confirmations.
- Eligibility — Player IDs/accounts, roster context, match logs where available.
- Hero-rule — Draft/selection screenshots, VOD clip of selection/game.
- Technical — Timestamped clip, error context, scope/impact summary, mitigation attempts.

Repeated low-quality or misleading evidence may itself be treated as misconduct.

14. Disputes, rulings, and appeals

Use disputes for result errors, eligibility concerns, no-show disagreements, hero-rule breaches, technical failures, or other match-impacting issues.

Dispute handling principles:

- Submit disputes in OCElock with clear, relevant evidence.
- Moderators may request additional evidence or statements.
- Rulings are applied to preserve fairness and consistency.
- For standard match operations, moderator rulings are final.
- Appeals are generally limited to major disciplinary outcomes and require substantial new evidence.

For non-match behavioural/community incidents, use General Support instead of the match dispute flow.

15. Competitive integrity and prohibited conduct

The following conduct is prohibited and may trigger match penalties, suspensions, or bans:

- Cheating, scripting, or unauthorised tools.
- Exploit abuse for unfair advantage.
- Match-fixing, collusion, or intentional throwing.
- Account sharing, impersonation, or unregistered identity use.
- Refusal to follow moderator instructions during active incidents.
- Harassment, hate speech, threats, or doxxing (also covered by Code of Conduct).

OCElock may update exploit and integrity interpretations as Deadlock changes. Captains are responsible for relaying updates to players.

16. Light streaming and co-stream guidance

Streaming is generally allowed for community engagement, but keep it low-friction and fair:

- Do not use streams to gain unfair live information during active games.
- Use sensible delay where competitive integrity could be affected.
- Respect takedown or moderation requests for specific incidents.
- Officially announced broadcast matches may include extra instructions.

This section is intentionally light-touch and community-oriented.

17. Investigation expectations, authority, and updates

OCElock reviews incidents on a best-effort basis. Straightforward cases are usually resolved quickly; complex evidence-heavy matters may take longer.

Material rule updates will be published before enforcement where practical. Where automation and policy differ temporarily, staff may apply manual moderation to preserve fair competition.

For behaviour standards and disciplinary framework, see Code of conduct.