Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Philippines Esports Official Rulebook

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines Season 15

and

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Development League Philippines Season 5 Official Rules

January 2025

MPL PH Season 15 and MDL PH Season 5 Official Rules

1. Introduction and Purpose

The Official Rules, including any modifications, updates, amendments, adjustments and/or supplements thereto ("Modifications"), have been adopted by the MPL (as defined in the Team Participation Agreement) in order to codify the rules and standards of conduct that will apply as a condition to participation in the "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League" and "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Development League" ("MPL" and "MDL", or the "League"), including in all pre-season, regular-season, and post-season games, matches and tournaments and all other MPL-organized exhibition matches, promotional events, marketing events, streaming sessions, sponsor events, photo shoots, press conferences and interviews, charitable events, webcasts and chats, media events, opening and closing ceremonies, awards ceremonies and other calendar items in the League Schedule ("League Events"). The Official Rules have been designed to ensure fair play in the League, to preserve the integrity of all League Events, to protect the image and reputation of the League and to create a consistent and high-quality experience for members of the public that attend League Events.

1.1 Applicability and Effectivity

The Official Rules govern the conduct of the Players, including without limitation to, Players (collectively "Players” and each, a "Player"), Head Coach (as defined below), Team Manager (as defined below) and other employees, staff and contractors ("Team Members") of each Team that has been admitted to play in the League ("Team"). In addition to Team Members, the Official Rules also govern the conduct of all direct and indirect owners of entities that own Teams admitted to play in the League (collectively, "Owners" and each, an "Owner"). By following the Official Rules, Team Members and Owners will help to promote long-term fan interest and loyalty, which benefits all participants in the League.

The rules in this document will remain effective until a new set of rules has been made available to the Teams.

The Official Rules shall have a retrospective effect on each Team, and the actions of the Teams and their Team Members in dealing with the League’s officials subsequent to these Official Rules take effect and shall be subjected to these Official Rules.

1.2 Acceptance and Agreement

Each Team Member must, as a condition of participation as a Team Member of a Team in the League, agree to comply at all times with the Official Rules. The League reserves the right to require each Team Member of a Team to complete and sign a Participant Eligibility Form in a form to be provided by the League. Each Owner must, as a condition of their ownership of a Team, agreeto comply at all times with the Official Rules. The documents and files pointed out by the operating committee are also part of the official rules, which all the participating Teams also need to follow.

1.3 Modifications

The field and industry of professional esports competitions are changing rapidly, and the Official Rules will have to evolve in real-time to keep pace with those changes. Accordingly, in its sole discretion, the League (a) may update, amend or supplement the Official Rules from time to time; and (b) may interpret or apply the Official Rules by releasing bulletins, notices, explanatory videos, online postings, e-mail and/or other electronic communications that provide instructions and guidance to Owners and Team Members.

1.4 Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat

All Teams are responsible for their own status in the league to avoid any issues or penalizations due to their lack of knowledge of the content set forth herein. Ignorance of any of these rules does not excuse any individual and they (and their Team) will be penalized fully at the discretion of the Operating Committee at such an event.

1.5 Definition of Terms

1.5.1 Game

An instance of competition on the map designated by the committee that is played until a winner is determined by one of the following methods, whichever occurs first: (a) completion of the final objective (destruction of the enemy Team’s base), (b) Team Surrender, (c) Team Disqualification, or (d) the Operating Committee deems a Team has won in the Operating Committee’s sole and absolute discretion.

1.5.2 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 ("BO3"); winning three games out of five ("BO5"). The winning Team will

either receive a win tally in a league format or advance to the next round in a tournament format.

1.5.3 Split (a.k.a. Season)

There will be 2 splits (seasons) every year. Each league consists of different phases per season, whereby MPL includes Regular Season and Playoffs, MDL includes Open Qualifiers, Regular Season and Playoffs.

1.5.4 Independent MDL Teams

Refers to MDL Teams that are not affiliated with MPL. These Teams are (a) directly invited Teams and/or (b) Teams that have qualified from the Open Qualifiers.

1.5.5 Free Agent

Refers to any Player eligible to participate in MDL who:

a. Has not signed a valid written player agreement with other MPL/MDL Team or a Team in another league, or

b. Has been released or has a contract that has expired with an MPL/MDL Team or a Team in another league and has not renewed it, or

c. Any Player released to Free Agent must meet the condition of having no event contract with any Team. The Team needs to terminate the event contract with the Player before releasing the Player to Free Agent.

2. Schedule, Structure, and Prize

2.1 Schedule

The schedule for the MPL PH Season 15 and MDL PH Season 5 is detailed in the document presented to the Team managers and is located here.

Teams may also visit the MPL official website to view the complete date and schedule of the league.

2.2 Tournament Structure

2.2.1 Teams' Composition

MPL

For MPL PH Season 15, there are eight (8) slots in the MPL regular season, which belong to the franchise Teams.

MDL

The number of slots in the MDL regular season is 16, which belongs to the eight (8) MPL affiliated Teams and the other eight (8) for independent MDL Teams. The MPL affiliated Teams have permanent regular season slots, while certain number of independent MDL Teams from open qualifiers will be relegated each season according to their ranking and replaced by Teams from the suceeding MDL open qualifiers.

• For the succeeding seasons of MDL Philippines, the following participants will be retained:
  • 8 MPL-affiliated Teams: MPL-affiliated Teams must collaborate directly with the main franchise hosting the team. This collaboration ensures alignment with league policies, better team management, and support for player development within the MDL ecosystem.
  • 4 independent MDL Teams
    • 2 directly invited Teams
    • 2 top Teams of the open qualifier Teams

The bottom 4 Teams from the Open Qualifier Teams will be relegated and directly invited to the qualifier finals of the next season.

• Hierarchy for relegation of the Open Qualifier Teams; (1) Playoffs and play-ins placement, if in case there are open qualifier teams that are eliminated at the same time, then the MDL PH Committee will proceed with (2) based on their final seed after the seeding rounds.

2.2.2 Tournament Format

2.2.2.1 Regular Season

MPL

a. Eight (8) participating Teams of the league will not be divided into groups, conducting a double round-robin format, all best-of-three (BO3) matches. Each Team will play 14 matches per season in a league format against opponents from the same region. Each Team will play against each opponent twice per season.

b. The final ranking of the competition will be determined by points.

c. Regular season match rankings will be determined by points. A Team will earn (one) 1 point for winning a BO3 match and 0 points for losing.

MDL

MDL Regular Season will be having three (3) phases; (a) Group Stage, (b) Seeding Rounds, and

(c) Play-Ins.

a. Group Stage

i.  All 16 Teams will be divided into four (4) groups, with each group comprising four (4) Teams. Each group will feature a balanced mix of two (2) Teams from MPL-affiliated organizations and two (2) Teams from independent MDL Teams.

Pool A consists of MPL-affiliated organizations while Pool B consists of independent MDL Teams.

ii.  Teams in the same group will fight in a single round robin format in best-of-two (BO2) matches.

iii.  Group stage rankings will be determined by points. A Team will earn two (2) points for winning a match via sweep (2-0), both Teams will earn one (1) point each for a 1-1 match result, and a zero point if Team loses in a 0-2 score.

iiii. The final rankings per group will be the basis of seeding round matches.

b. Seeding Rounds

i. All 16 Teams will be regrouped based on their rankings from the group stage. Teams with the same rank will be placed into the same group, forming new brackets to compete for play-ins seeding in best-of-three (BO3) format.

ii. In each bracket, Teams will compete in a non-elimination seeding format. During this phase, Teams must secure two (2) match wins to earn a higher seed. Conversely, Teams that accumulate two (2) losses will be assigned a lower seed.

1. On Round 1, there are two (2) matches. Match 1 is between Team #1 and Team #2, while Match 2 is between Team #3 and Team #4. Match-ups on this round is assigned randomly. The winners and losers from these matches move forward along different paths.

2. The winners of Match 1 and Match 2 proceed to Match 3, often referred to as the “Winners’ Match.” The winner of Match 3 secures the top seed in the rank- based pool with a 2-0 record, placing them in positions like 1st, 5th, 9th, or 13th seed, depending on the overall tournament.

3. The losers of Match 1 and Match 2 face off in Match 4, or the “Losers’ Match.” The loser of Match 4 is assigned the bottom seed with a 0-2 record, ending up in positions like 4th, 8th, 12th, or 16th seed in the rank-based pool.

4. For Match 5, which is essentially the decider for the remaining two seeds. This match is played between the loser of Match 3 and the winner of Match 4. The winner of Match 5 secures the second seed with a 2-1 record (seeds like 2nd, 6th, 10th, or 14th), while the loser of Match 5 takes the third seed with a 1-2 record (seeds like 3rd, 7th, 11th, or 15th).

iii. Each Team's final seeding will be based on their performance within these rank-based groups, which will play a pivotal role in determining their position in the play-ins bracket.

c. Play-Ins

i. All 16 Teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket, with seedings determined by the results of the seeding rounds.

ii. The first round of the play-ins is in best-of-three (BO3) format while the second round of the play-ins is in best-of-five (BO5) format.

iii. The play-ins bracket will adhere to the following rules: (Note: Match numbers are for reference purposes only and do not indicate the actual sequence of matches. The final schedule will be determined by the official MDL PH Committee.):

a. The first-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket A #1) will face the sixteenth- seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket D #4).

b. The eighth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket B #4) will face the ninth- seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket C #1).

c. The fourth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket A #4) will face the thirteenth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket D #1).

d. The fifth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket B #1) will face the twelfth- seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket C #4).

e. The sixth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket B #2) will face the eleventh- seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket C #3).

f. The third-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket A #3) will face the fourteenth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket D #2).

g. The seventh-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket B #3) will face the tenth- seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket C #2).

h. The second-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket A #2) will face the fifteenth-seed Team after the seeding rounds (Bracket D #3).

2.2.2.2 Regular Season Tiebreaker Rules

MPL

1. In the event of multiple Teams having tied scores at the end of the regular season, the final rankings of these Teams will be determined based on the following rules:

a. If multiple Teams have tied scores, they will be ranked based on their Net Game Wins (total Game Wins minus total Game Losses) during the regular season. The Team with more Net Game Wins is considered to have a higher ranking.

b. If there are Teams with the same Net Game Wins among the tied Teams, their Head-to- head Record will be compared. The Team with more Net Match Wins in the Head-to- head Record will have a higher ranking.

c. If Net Match Wins in the Head-to-head Record are also the same, the Net Game Wins in the Head-to-head Record will be compared. The Team with more Net Game Wins in the Head-to-head Record will be ranked higher.

d. If Teams are still tied and some do not need to advance to the playoffs, the Teams that are already qualified for the playoffs or affect playoff qualification will go through tiebreaker matches.

2. Specifically, in the case of a tie between two Teams, the Net Game Wins will be compared first, and if they are equal, the Head-to-head Record between those two Teams will determine the ranking.

3. In the case of a tie between three Teams or more:

a. First, compare the Net Game Wins of all tied Teams.

b. If there are Teams with the same Net Game Wins, consider the Net Match Wins in the Head-to-head Record. The Team with more Net Match Wins in the Head-to-head Record will be ranked higher.

c. If there are Teams with the same Net Match Wins in the Head-to-head Record, then consider the Net Game Wins in the Head-to-head Record. The Team with more Net Game Wins in the Head-to-head Record will be ranked higher.

d. If Net Game Wins in the Head-to-head Record are also the same, tiebreaker matches will be conducted.

MDL

1. In the event of multiple Teams having tied scores at the end of the group stage, the amount of point differential will be compared.

Point differential = total amount of winning games - total amount of losing games For example:

2 : 0 will be considered as 2 points differential

1 : 1 will be considered as 0 point differential

0 : 2 will be considered as -2 points differential

2. If the point differential is still tied, then a best-of-one (BO1) tiebreaker match must be held.

2.2.2.3 Regular Season Tiebreaker Format

MPL

1. General Rules

a. Tiebreaker matches will be held after the regular season and before the start of the playoffs.

b. The specific dates, times, and locations will be determined by the official authorities.

c. Tiebreaker matches will follow a best-of-three (BO3) format.

d. The Team with the shortest total match victory duration will be given the priority to choose sides. If the total match victory duration is equal, the side choice will be decided by a coin toss.

2. Three-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among three Teams, the two Teams with longer total match victory durations (the sum of all match durations in the regular season) will compete in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1). The loser is considered the lowest ranked in the tiebreaker, and the winner will compete against the Team with the shortest total match victory duration in a second tiebreaker match (Match 2). The loser of Match 2 is ranked second in the tiebreaker, and the winner is ranked first. If the total match victory durations are equal, a coin toss will determine the order of matches, following the same pattern.

3. Four-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among four Teams, the Teams will compete based on their total match victory durations. The first-ranked Team will face the fourth-ranked Team in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1), and the second-ranked Team will face the third-ranked Team in the second tiebreaker match (Match 2). The losers of Matches 1 and 2 will compete in a third tiebreaker match (Match 3) to determine the third and fourth places, and the winners of Matches 1 and 2 will compete in a fourth tiebreaker match (Match 4) to determine the first and second places.

4. Five-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among five Teams, the two Teams with the longest total match victory durations will compete in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1). The loser is considered the last-ranked Team in the tiebreaker, and the winner advances to the second round of the tiebreaker. In the secondround match, the format follows the logic of a four-Team tiebreaker.

5. Six-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among six Teams, the four Teams with the longest total match victory durations will compete in accordance with the logic of a four-Team tiebreaker. The two losing Teams will compete in another match to determine the fifth and sixth places, while the two winning Teams will follow the logic of a four-Team tiebreaker to compete further.

6. Seven-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among seven Teams, the two Teams with the longest total match victory durations will compete in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1). The loser is considered the last-ranked Team in the tiebreaker, and the winner advances to the second round of the tiebreaker. In the second-round match, the format follows the logic of a six-Team tiebreaker.

7. Eight-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among eight Teams, the Teams will compete based on their total match victory durations. The first-ranked Team will face the eighth-ranked Team in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1), the second-ranked Team will face the seventh-ranked Team in the second tiebreaker match (Match 2), and so on, resulting in four tiebreaker matches. The losers of these matches will compete in accordance with the logic of a four- Team tiebreaker to determine the last four places, while the winners will compete according to the logic of a four-Team tiebreaker to determine the top four places.

MDL

1. General Rules

a. Tiebreaker matches will be held after the group stage and before the start of the seeding rounds.

b. The specific dates, times, and locations will be determined by the official authorities.

c. Tiebreaker matches will follow a best-of-one (BO1) format.

d. The Team with the shortest total match victory duration will be given the priority to choose sides. If the total match victory duration is equal, the side choice will be decided by a coin toss.

2. Three-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among three Teams, the two Teams with longer total match victory durations (the sum of all match durations in the group stage) will compete in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1). The loser is considered the lowest ranked in the tiebreaker, and the winner will compete against the Team with the shortest total match victory duration in a second tiebreaker match (Match 2). The loser of Match 2 is ranked second in the tiebreaker, and the winner is ranked first. If the total match victory durations are equal, a coin toss will determine the order of matches, following the same pattern.

3. Four-Team Tie

a. In the case of a tie among four Teams, the Teams will compete based on their total match victory durations. The first-ranked Team will face the fourth-ranked Team in the first tiebreaker match (Match 1), and the second-ranked Team will face the third-ranked Team in the second tiebreaker match (Match 2). The losers of Matches 1 and 2 will compete in a third tiebreaker match (Match 3) to determine the third and fourth places, and the winners of Matches 1 and 2 will compete in a fourth tiebreaker match (Match 4) to determine the first and second places.

2.2.2.4 Playoffs

MPL

Playoffs matches will be in a best-of-five (BO5) format, with exception of Match 7 (Lower Bracket Finals) & the Grand Finals which will both be in a best-of-seven (BO7) format. The playoffs will follow the following rules (Note: Matches 1 to 8 are only designations for the matches and do not represent the actual order of matches; the final schedule will be determined by the official MPL authorities):

1. The third-placed Team from the regular season will face the sixth-placed Team (Match 1, i.e., the first round of the playoffs, first match).
2. The fourth-placed Team from the regular season will face the fifthplaced Team (Match 2, i.e., the first round of the playoffs, second match).
3. The winner of Match 1 will face the second-placed Team from the regular season (Match 3, i.e., the second round of the playoffs, first match).
4. The winner of Match 2 will face the first-placed Team from the regular season (Match 4, i.e., the second round of the playoffs, second match).
5. The loser of Match 3 will face the loser of Match 4 (Match 5, i.e., the loser's bracket semi- finals).
6. The winner of Match 3 will face the winner of Match 4 (Match 6, i.e., the winner's bracket finals).
7. The winner of Match 5 will face the loser of Match 6 (Match 7, i.e., the loser's bracket finals).
8. The winner of Match 6 will face the winner of Match 7 (Match 8, i.e., the grand finals).

MDL

The Playoffs will continue the single-elimination bracket established from the Play-Ins. Both the semi-finals and grand finals will follow a best-of-seven (BO7) format to determine the season’s grand champion.

2.3 Tournament Prizes

Each Team shall respectively be responsible for its own applicable taxes and commission charges that may be imposed with respect to the receipt of any reward or prizes.

The prizes for Regular Season and/or Playoffs shall be paid to the Teams respectively within one month after the closure of the split and the designated receiving accounts are provided by the Teams (whichever is later).

2.3.1 Regular Season Prize

MPL

During the Regular Season, every Team shall receive a reward of $170.00 for each match they play (“Match Allowance”). Also, Teams shall have the opportunity to earn prize money based on their performance in each BO3 match. The total prize for each BO3 Match is $900.00 based on the following formula:

a. If a Team wins the match by 2-0, the winning Team shall get $900.00 while the loser gets $0.00;

b. If a Team wins the match 2-1, the winning Team will get $600.00, and the losing Team shall get $300.00.

MDL

NIL

2.3.2 Final Placement Prize

MPL

During the Playoffs at the end of the season, Teams shall have the opportunity to earn prize money based on their performance as outlined below.

MDL

During the Play-Ins and Playoffs, Teams shall have the opportunity to earn prize money based on their performance as outlined below.

2.3.3 Special Prizes

MPL

1. The All-Star Teams (Team 1 and Team 2)

After the regular season ends, the top 2 Players in each role will be selected from the season's participants and will be awarded. A monetary prize of $500.00 each will also be given exclusively to the Players named to All-Star Team 1.

2. Fans' Choice All-Stars

After the regular season, community voting will determine the Players who will be part of the Fans' Choice All-Stars award. This recognition is a purely honorary title, celebrating outstanding Players as chosen by the community. No monetary rewards will be associated with this award, emphasizing its role as a token of appreciation and acknowledgment from the fans.

3. Most Improved Player of the Season

After the regular season concludes, the Most Improved Player of the Season will be selected by the MPL Awards Committee and awarded a $500.00 bonus.

4. Coaching Staff of the Season

After the regular season concludes, the Coaching Team of the Season will be decided by the MPL Awards Committee and awarded a $500.00 bonus.

5. Regular Season Most Valuable Player (RSMVP)

After the regular season concludes, the RSMVP will be rated by the MPL Awards Committee and awarded a $1,000.00 bonus.

6. Grand Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP)

After the conclusion of the Grand Finals, the FMVP will be rated by the MPL Awards Committee and awarded a $1,000.00 bonus.

MDL

1. The All-Star Team

After the regular season concludes, the top Player in each role shall be selected from the participants of the season and will be awarded a $100.00 bonus.

2. Rookie of the Season

After the regular season concludes, the Rookie of the Season will be rated by the selection committee and will be awarded a $100.00 bonus.

3. Most Improved Player of the Season

After the regular season concludes, the Most Improved Player of the Season will be rated by the selection committee and will be awarded a $100.00 bonus.

4. Regular Season Most Valuable Player (RSMVP)

After the regular season concludes, the RSMVP will be rated by the selection committee and awarded a $100.00 bonus.

5. Grand Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP)

After the concluson of the Grand Finals, the FMVP will be rated by the selection committee and awarded a $200.00 bonus.

2.4 MSC Qualification (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup)

a. The MPL PH region has two slots for MSC. The participants of the MPL PH Grand Finals Finals will be the two seeded teams for MPL PH in MSC.

b. All teams qualifying for MSC will automatically agree to and comply with the rules and arrangements of MSC made by the organizing committee.

2.5 M-Series Qualification (World Championship)

a. The MPL PH region has two slots for the M-series. The participants of the MPL PH Grand Finals Finals will be the two seeded teams for MPL PH in the M-series.

b. All teams qualifying for the World Championship will automatically agree to and comply with the rules and arrangements of the World Championship made by the organizing committee.

3. Team Member Eligibility

3.1 General Requirements

3.1.1 Team Formation

Each Team is required to maintain the following during the entirety of the the season:

a. One (1) General Manager;

b. One (1) Head Coach;

c. Five (5) Players for their starting lineup ("Starters"); and

d. At least one (1) and a maximum of five (5) substitute Players ("Substitute").

The minimum requirement for each Team to legitimately function in the the league is to maintain at least five (5) starter Players and one (1) substitute, along with a manager and a

coach. Failure to maintain this minimum standard shall subject the Team to applicable penalties pursuant to the league Penalty Index, which are annexed herein as Appendix A.

3.1.2 Contract Requirements

a. Signing

The Team shall enter into a legal and effective written contract respectively with every Player (Player Services Agreement, as defined below), coaching staff and general manager on the Team’s Active Roster, copies of which shall be submitted to the Operating Committee for records purposes.

b. Eligibility Forms

The Team must collect and submit the Participants' Eligibility Forms, provided by the committee, signed by every Player, Coach, and Team Manager to the Operating Committee. Any individual who fails to sign and submit the form before the deadline will not be permitted to participate in the league in any official capacity.

c. Review and Approval

Any agreement required to be submitted by a Team under this clause shall be reviewed and approved by the Operating Committee.
 

3.1.3 Team Formation Limitations

a. No Moonton Employees or Relevant Personnel

Team members shall not be employees of SHANGHAI MOONTON TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD or any of its affiliates, agencies, or other contractors at the start of or at any point during the MPL and/or MDL. "Affiliate" is defined as any person or other entity which owns or controls, is under the ownership or control of, or is under common ownership or control of another party. "Control" shall mean power, through any means, to determine the policies or management of an entity, whether through the power to elect, appoint or approve, directly or indirectly, the directors, officers, managers, or trustees of such an entity or otherwise.

b. Safety Protocols

As safety protocols for the existed pandemic, all members of the Team roster must be fully vaccinated against COVID 19. Each individual is required to have at least 2 vaccination doses.

Teams are required to submit proof of these vaccinations in one of the following methods:

- VaxCertPH

- Physical Vaccination Cards

An individual that is currently unvaccinated may still be signed to the Team provided that they complete their doses before the start of the season. Any unvaccinated individual will not

be permitted to enter the season's venue and, thus, miss whatever matches they were supposed to participate in.

Other individuals, like Team staff for social media, content, etc., are also required to submit proofs of vaccination to the Operating Committee.

For the avoidance of doubt, should any Team be in breach of the contract requirements, the said Team shall be penalized accordingly pursuant to the league's Penalty Index, which is annexed herein as Appendix A.

3.2 Player Eligibility

3.2.1 Player Age

No Player shall be considered eligible to participate in any MPL/MDL competitions before having lived fourteen (14) full years. This shall not prevent the Teams from signing Free Agents who have not lived until fourteen (14) full years, granted that they may not participate in any competition until they have lived fourteen (14) full years. Players must pass the age of fourteen (14), otherwise, they will be considered as thirteen (13) years of age and will not be eligible from participating in MPL and/or MDL. The Player's age will be counted according to the exact birthdate and not their birth year. The Team should submit the original copy of the Players’ ID card or passport issued by any official government-released ID to testify the Players have reached the age limit for participating in the competition. Any other certifications are invalid.

Players without an ID or passport will be asked to provide other legal documents.

3.2.2 Regional Residency Requirement

a. Team Formation

At least three (3) out of the five (5) Players on the starting line-up of a Team are required to be citizens of the countries or regions where the MPL/MDL competitions are held (i.e., Philippines).

No more than two (2) non-citizen Players may be listed in the starting lineup of the Team.

A Team may not have more than three (3) non-citizen Players who are living in the country or region during the whole season.

b. Citizenship

Player is considered a “Citizen” if the Player is a lawful permanent resident in the region or country or a holder of ID cards of the region or country upon the legal status in that region or country.

c. Single Residency Status

A Player may only be a Citizen of a single country at any point in time.

3.2.3 Work Eligibility

Each Player, Coach, and Team Manager must submit the following documents as proof of identity when participating in any MPL/MDL competitions:

a. Legal proof of the right to reside in the country or region where the MPL/MDL competition is held (i.e., Philippines) in accordance with local laws;

b. Permission to work in the country or region of the competition (i.e., Philippines). The Players who are not Citizens of the country or region where the competition is held require a work visa (specific details are determined by local laws).

c. All Players and Coaches are required to hold a valid Pro Esports License issued by the official sports governing authority in the host country (e.g., the Games and Amusements Board [GAB] in the Philippines) as a prerequisite for participation. Individuals with expired or missing licenses shall be ineligible to compete or access the playing stage.

3.2.4 Participants' Eligibility Agreement

All registered MPL PH and MDL PH players, coaches, and managers must sign the Participants' Eligibility Agreement with the Operating Committee within two (2) weeks after the end of the roster lock submission or the transfer window period. Any delay caused by the team or player will result in a penalty for the team or player in accordance to the league's Penalty Index as annexed herein in Appendix A. Any individual who has not fulfilled this requirement will be deemed ineligible and prohibited from accessing the stage or participating in matches.

3.3 Head Coach

Each Team is required to have a head coach who will be considered the official coach of the Team ("Head Coach"). If a team designates a Head Coach, they must undergo registration and approval from the Operating Committee before being published on the official MPL and/or MDL channels.

3.3.1 Registration and Approval

The designation of Head Coach by the Team shall go through the registration and approval formalities with the Operating Committee before being published on the official channels of MPL and/or MDL. Any publishing of such designation by any Team or Team Member before being approved by the committee is prohibited and will be subject to penalties.

3.3.2 Single Capacity

The Head Coach can only represent one Team in one region and cannot be affiliated with more than one Team in any capacity in one MPL/MDL season (including but not limited to not being the Starter, Substitute, or General Manager for any Team).

3.3.3 Presence

The Head Coach is allowed to be onsite for every Game that their Team participates in.

3.3.4 Change

Changes to Head Coaches must be submitted to the Operating Committee for approval during the Transfer Window Period before the changes can be carried out.

In case of emergency, the head coach may be temporarily registered as a substitute player.

3.4 Coaching Staff

Each team is allowed up to three (3) coaching staff personnel. If a team designates any number of coaching staff personnel, they must undergo registration and approval from the Operating Committee before being published on the official MPL/MDL channels.

3.4.1 Registration and Approval

The designation of a coaching staff by the Team shall go through the registration and approval formalities with the Operating Committee before being published on the official channels of MPL and/or MDL. Any publishing of such designation by any Team or Team Member before being approved by the committee is prohibited and will be subject to penalties.

3.4.2 Single Capacity

Coaching staff can only represent one Team in one region and cannot be affiliated with more than one Team in any capacity in one MPL/MDL season (including but not limited to not being the Starter, Substitute or General Manager for any Team).

3.4.3 Presence

Coaching staff are allowed to be onsite for every game that their team participates in. One coaching staff is allowed to accompany the Head Coach during drafting.

3.5 General Team Manager

Each Team is required to maintain, at all times, one designated Team staff member (the "General Manager"), who is responsible for administering Team commitments associated with weekly League activities including, but not limited to, content requests, game schedule, onsite studio coordination, and weekly update meetings. This same person is responsible for traveling with the team to all events, domestic or international, to uphold these aforementioned duties.

3.5.1 Registration and Approval

The designation of Team Manager by the Team shall go through the registration and approval formalities with the Operating Committee before being published on the official channels of

MPL and/or MDL. Any publishing of such designation by any Team or Team Member before being approved by the committee is prohibited and will be subject to penalties.

3.5.2 Single Capacity

The Team Manager can only represent one Team in one region and cannot be affiliated with more than one Team in any capacity in one MPL/MDL season (including but not limited to not being the Starter, Substitute or General Manager for any Team).

3.5.3 Change

Changes to Team Manager must be submitted to the MPL Operating Committee for approval before the changes can be carried out.

3.6 Players' Contract Requirements

All Players on a Team’s Active Roster must have a written contract with the Team they are playing for ("Player Services Agreement").

a. The term of any Play Services Agreement shall be minimally one (1) season and contract end dates must end either in the final day of June or the final day of December.

i. This rule is to ensure that players naturally ending their contracts will be able to become free agents during the Regular Transfer Window.

ii. The definition of a season is from Jan 1st to June 30th and July 1st to December 31st for each calendar year.

b. Minimum Salary

Each Team must pay its players, coaches, and team manager the minimum monthly salary required by Philippine Law in accordance with the terms of the applicable Player Services Agreement be it on cash compensations and/or provisions for welfare and housing costs. The Team shall be responsible for paying any insurance or other welfare costs required by the local laws for its players and coaches.

c. Maximum Salary

The aggregate maximum monthly salary for all Team Members in the Active Roster shall not exceed 900,000 PHP.

d. Insurance and Welfare

The Team shall be responsible for paying any insurance or other welfare costs required by the local laws for its Players.

e. Rule Exemption for MDL Open Qualifier Teams

Teams from the MDL Open Qualifiers are exempt from this rule. However, they must submit an initial prize distribution agreement, signed by all team members, before the season starts.

Following the conclusion of the league, the MDL Open Qualifier Teams must submit any addendum or notice of changes on the initially signed agreement (if necessary) to the committee after the season, before the Operating Committee can release the prize.

f. MDL PH Partnered Teams

For MPL-affiliated MDL teams that are partnered with other esports organizations, all Player contracts must be signed under the MPL main franchise organization to ensure proper accountability and compliance.

For the avoidance of doubt, any Team found to be in contravention of Clause 3 of the Official Rules shall be subject to penalties as provided for in accordance to the MPL Penalty Index.

4. Team Names, Team Logos, and Player Names

4.1 Team Names and Team Logos

a. Teams are not allowed to have the same or similar names and Team logos cannot be similar-looking and must be unique in design. Moreover, Team names and logos must only contain English characters, numbers, single space between words only, plus sign (+), minus sign (-), underline (_) and single quotes (‘’).

b. When applying with the Operating Committee for the use of any Team names, the Team shall also provide a short name of the contemplated Team name, length is 2-4 characters, which must only contain English characters, numbers, plus sign (+), minus sign (-), underline (_) and single quotes (‘’). Unless otherwise specified by the Team, the committee is entitled to use, at its own discretion, the full Team name and/or the short Team name on any occasion.

c. The verification of the images or the names of sponsors are allowed to be shown in Team Logos and Team Names but they cannot be the same as the trademark and the name of the sponsors. Team logos and Team names cannot use any logo with which exists any copyright issues or any logo with which exists any copyright issues.

d. For franchises that manage both of their MPL and MDL affiliates, the team names and logos must be visually unique but not entirely dissimilar. This provision also includes MPL and MDL team jerseys as they both must maintain a visually unique distinction from one another.

Example:

Overall Franchise Team - X Esports MPL Team - X Esports

MDL Team - X Esports Dragon's Watch

e. The committee reserves the final right to approve Team names and logos.

4.2 Player Names

a. Player names must only contain English characters and numbers only. The length should be 4 to 12 characters. Player Names cannot contain a sponsor's name and cannot contain spaces.

b. In case of duplicated names, both players may change their respective names after mutual discussion. In the event the mutual discussion is unsuccessful, both players shall consult the Operating Committee, to which the committee shall decide, in its sole and absolute discretion, the respective names of both players.

c. Players and Coaches In-Game Nicknames must be unique. There cannot be any repetition of the In-Game Nickname within the whole official esports ecosystem. Newly registered MPL/MDL Philippines Players and coaches cannot register In-Game Nicknames that are the same or similar to previously registered In-Game Nickname.

d. Changing player names during the mid-season is not allowed unless under excruciating circumstances that are reviewed and approved by the league’s Operating Committee. Any request for a player name change must be reviewed and approved by the Operating Committee to ensure it aligns with the established guidelines. Examples of excruciating circumstances are:

i. A legal name change due to formal legal reasons.

ii. Offensive or inappropriate connotations of the existing nickname becoming apparent.

iii. Security concerns, such as doxxing or harassment targeting the player or coach associated with the nickname.

4.3 Common Restrictions

No additional special characters will be allowed for Team names, Logos or Player Names (including underscores, slashes, etc.). Team Names, Logos and Player Names may not contain: vulgarities or obscenities; names related to the hero characters in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or other similar characters; or other contents that may create confusion.

5. Team Sponsorship

An MPL/MDL team has the ability to acquire sponsors. Sponsor names and related information are only allowed to be displayed on team uniforms during a match. If sponsors belong to the following list of restricted sponsor types then the sponsor's company name cannot be displayed during Mobile Legends: Bang Bang games, any documents related to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, MPL, MDL, or any game, competition, league or tournament related to Moonton. The committee have the ability to update the category list at any time. The following is a nonexclusive list of limited sponsors:

5.1 Prohibited Sponsorship

a. All Teams are not allowed to accept sponsorship deals from the following categories:

i. Casinos or gambling websites, apps, campaigns, and products;

ii. Adult websites and products;

iii. Firearms and ammunitions;

iv. Alcohol;

v. Drugs;

vi. Tobacco and electronic cigarette products; and

vii. Any other products that MPL/MDL officials consider conflicting with the interests of the league or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, or products that are in competition with them.

b. These brands/logo/images are not allowed to appear in ANY form of usage within the team's MLBB asset, digitally, physically or any other association is allowed. No exceptions are allowed for these sets of prohibited sponsors, this includes the Players, Team's marketing materials, & any direct or in-direct co-relations.

5.2 Third-Party Recharge, Payment Platforms, and Third-Party Store Related Sponsors

a. All Teams and Team Members are allowed to accept sponsorship deals from third party recharge, payment platforms, and third-party store-related categories, but they must comply with the following regulations. MPL/MDL officials have the right to impose penalties based on the nature and seriousness of the behavior, and the specific penalties are subject to the officials' decisions:

i. Elements related to sponsorship deals in these categories must not be displayed on any official team attire or peripherals used in official events, including but not limited to logos, slogans and/or products.

ii. Under this clause, teams are allowed to design a separate set of attire or peripherals with elements related to sponsorship deals in these categories as required. However, these items are strictly prohibited from being used in MPL/MDL or MPL-represented events, including but not limited to MPL, MDL, MSC, M-Series, and all other third-party events in which MPL and/or MDL Teams participate (including but not limited to pre- match interviews and trials, during matches, post-match interviews, and fan interactions in any activities related to the official event), unless given absolute approval by the Operating Committee.

iii. Teams still need to adhere to the application and approval process outlined in section 5.4 of this rulebook.

5.3 Grey Area Sponsors

a. To maximize the interests of the league and the Teams, sponsorship categories that are difficult to define are collectively referred to as "Grey Area Sponsors." Teams must obtain permission from the league to accept sponsorship deals from such sponsors, and the cooperation must meet the relevant specifications in the "Philippines Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports Grey Area Sponsor Standardization Process":

i. NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens)

ii. Blockchain

iii. Bitcoin/Ethereum or any other cryptocurrency

iv. Web 3.0

b. Elements related to sponsorship deals in these categories must not be displayed on any official team attire or peripherals used in official events, including but not limited to logos, slogans and/or products.

c. Under this clause, Teams are allowed to design a separate set of attire or peripherals with elements related to sponsorship deals in these categories as required. However, these items are strictly prohibited from being used in MPL/MDL or MPL-represented events, including but not limited to MPL, MDL, MSC, M-Series, and all other third-party events in which MPL and/or MDL Teams participate (including but not limited to pre-match interviews and trials, during matches, post-match interviews, and fan interactions in any activities related to the official event), unless given absolute approval by the Operating Committee.

d. Notwithstanding the above, the Operating Committee will, in their sole & absolute discretion, allow logos, slogans and/or products of the Grey Area Sponsors to be displayed IF these platforms have official licenses by the local authority to operate within the country of Philippines, however, the final approval will still be required by the Operating Committee.

5.4 Application and Approval Process

Before accepting any sponsorships, Teams must submit an application to the Operating Committee to obtain the committee’s approval. The application should include the following information:

a. Basic information about the sponsor, including but not limited to the company name, logo, and sponsored product categories.

b. Detailed information on how the team and team members will promote the sponsor.

c. The Team/Team Member’s way, manner, or pattern to advertise the sponsor (for instance, if the sponsor requires the display of the sponsor’s logo on the Team Members’ T-shirts in the MPL/MDL, the design of such T-shirt needs to be provided in the request).

5.5 Sponsorship Updates

a. Changes in Team Sponsorships may only occur during the designated Regular Transfer Window Period by the Operating Committee.

i. The 2025 1H Transfer Window Period: (GMT+8)

1. 3 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

2. 10 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

3. 17 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

4. 24 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

5. 31 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

6. 7 April 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

7. 28 April 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

8. 5 May 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

ii. The default mid-season sponsorship lock for all Teams will be as follows: (GMT+8)

1. 3 March 2025; 18:01 PM

2. 10 March 2025; 18:01 PM

3. 17 March 2025; 18:01 PM

4. 24 March 2025; 18:01 PM

5. 31 March 2025; 18:01 PM

6. 7 April 2025; 18:01 PM

7. 28 April 2025; 18:01 PM

8. 5 May 2025; 18:01 PM

b. A Team Manager or Owner may only sell or manage sponsorships and brand elements for their affiliated team. Team owners are prohibited from granting ownership interests in the team, its owner, or its brand elements to any third party involved in the business of managing or selling MPL/MDL esports teams.

c. Teams are allowed to submit a formal request to include and/or exclude sponsors in the middle of the season via the sponsorship update submission form & have to formally request to the committee with the relevant details & documents, to the email of mplph@moonton.com with the template given in Appendix G.

d. Teams are still required to receive approval from the league before being allowed to showcase any imagery of these sponsors/partners in the official league.

5.6 Broadcast and Media Committed/Sponsored Segments

a. Teams’ full agreement upon any incidental exposure, in-program product placements, and non-direct sales-oriented product handling on MPL PH and MDL PH broadcast segments housed within MPL PH and MDL PH owned channels, regardless of sponsorship category conflicts. No product consumption required from Players and Teams.

Example:

i. MVP presented by Smart, showcasing a Globe sponsored Player;

ii. Handcam by Infinix, showcasing a Samsung sponsored Player;

iii. Cocacola can product placement allocated within the broadcast and media area, in the same frame of a Pepsi sponsored Player.

b. Teams’ full participation in video segments and creative assets relating to the promotion of the tournament livestream and event attendance, which may use league- sponsored material. These segments will only be utilized during the official league broadcasts and/or presented together with MPL PH and MDL PH promotional intentions.

Example:

i. Use of Infinix phones on official trailer videos;

ii. Bite-sized contents involving use of phone for MLBB playing;

iii. Other creative executions that are subject to creative treatments.

c. Teams will not be required to do any separate offline activations if they are engaged by a conflicting sponsor that is not part of the league broadcast.

5.7 Logo Usage of MPL PH and MDL PH

5.7.1 Approval Requirement for Promotional Materials

a. Any use of the MPL PH or MDL PH logos, including derivatives or adaptations, by team sponsors for promotional purposes must first receive written approval from the Operating Committee.

5.7.2 Restricted Use Without Approval

a. Team sponsors are prohibited from using the MPL PH or MDL PH logos on their promotional materials in any form unless explicitly authorized by the league.

b. Unauthorized use of league logos may result in penalties for the team, as determined by the Operating Committee outlined in the Appendix A.

5.7.3 Guidelines for Approved Usage

a. All uses of the logos must comply with the league's branding guidelines, which dictate size, placement, color, and overall presentation. Teams and sponsors must ensure their use adheres to these standards to maintain consistency and professionalism.

b. Logos must not appear in conjunction with prohibited sponsor categories (as defined in Section 5.1) or on materials that promote products or services conflicting with the league’s interests.

5.7.4 Penalties for Misuse

- Unauthorized or inappropriate use of MPL PH or MDL PH logos may result in disciplinary actions, including fines, or other penalties as deemed necessary by the Operating Committee.

5.7.5 Submission Process for Approval

-Team sponsors seeking to use MPL PH or MDL PH logos must submit a formal request as outlined in the Team Sponsor Promotion Materials Approval SOP (outlined in Appendix J) detailing the intended use, including drafts of promotional materials, to the Operating Committee.

-Requests must be submitted at least 48 hours prior to the intended usage date to allow sufficient time for review and feedback.

6. Team Ownership and Roster Rules

6.1 Ownership Restrictions

a. No Team Owner or Team Manager or Affiliate of an Owner may own or control, directly or indirectly, or have a direct (e.g., ownership) or indirect (e.g., a contractual arrangement) financial interest, or be an employee or contractor of, more than one Mobile Legends: Bang Bangs team in MPL/MDL. Any buy-back provision, right of first purchase, or similar interest in a team shall be treated as a controlling interest in such team for the purposes of enforcing ownership restrictions.

b. The definition of a "Club Sole Owner" is as follows:

i. "Club Sole Owners"

1. Company Name: MPL/MDL teams must belong to an independent company entity, multiple teams cannot be managed by a single company.

2. Team Names and Logos: All MPL/MDL team names and logos must be unique, names cannot be shared, and there cannot be any team names or logos which are subordinate to another team.

3. Legal Persons/Shareholders: Each MPL/MDL team must have its own individual legal persons/shareholders, multiple teams are not allowed to have the same legal persons/ shareholders belonging to them.

4. Coaches/Leaders: Each MPL/MDL team can have its own independent coaches/leaders (only in the service of that team), coaches/leaders are not allowed to be members of more than one team.

5. Team Base: Each MPL/MDL Team must have its own individual "Team Base", a Team Base cannot be used by multiple teams.

6. Transfer Rules: Every MPL/MDL team must adhere to the league's official transfer system, teams are not allowed to privately allocate or transfer players within their own team.

Any other team members that participate in the league through any capacity are not allowed to purchase or attempt to possess/control any other MPL/MDL team through any other means before the end of the league in which they are participating in.

The league shall have the right to make final and binding determinations regarding Team ownership, issues relating to the multiple team restriction and other relationships that may otherwise have an adverse impact on the competitive integrity of the league. Any person that petitions for ownership into the MPL/MDL can be denied admission if they are found to have not acted with the professionalism sought by the Operating Committee. Someone seeking admission into the league must meet the highest standards of character and integrity. Candidates who have violated this rule set or attempted to act against the spirit of these rules, even if not formally contracted to the rule set, can be denied admission into the MPL/MDL.

ii. Naming Rights

Changes in team ownership and partners with naming rights are only allowed before the start of the season and are not permitted during the Transfer Window.

iii. Partnerships and Club Collaborations

For MPL, club partnerships with external entities, including but not limited to esports organizations, or investment groups, are generally not encouraged and will be subject to extensive review by the MPL Operating Committee. Any proposed partnership will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Competitive Integrity. The partnership must not compromise the competitive integrity of the MPL. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding conflicts of interest, undue influence on team operations, and risks of collusion between partnered teams.

2. Ownership Independence. Any club partnership agreement must not grant controlling interest or decision-making authority to the external entity over team operations, as defined in Section 1 of this rulebook.

3. Transparency Requirements. Teams entering into partnerships must disclose all relevant details of the agreement to the MPL Operating Committee, including financial terms, contractual obligations, and operational impacts.

4. League Approval. The MPL Operating Committee retains sole authority to approve or deny any proposed partnership. Denial can be based on concerns over professionalism, compliance with league regulations, or perceived risks to the reputation and integrity of the league.

6.2 Active Roster

6.2.1 Formation

Starters and Substitutes form the "Active Roster". No individual may simultaneously hold two or more of the roles listed above.

6.2.2 Single Team Exclusivity

A Player/Head Coach is only allowed to compete for the one Team that they have an agreement with. A Player/Head Coach will not be allowed to compete for more than one Team simultaneously and therefore cannot be listed on the Active Roster of more than one Team.

6.2.3 Disclosure

The Active Roster will be displayed on the official website of MPL and be updated upon proper filing of documentation. Once a conclusion of the Player Services Agreement is confirmed, the updated Active Roster will be placed on the website. The Active Roster of the Teams on that website will be considered the most up-to-date information that could be applied within a reasonable time.

6.2.4 Player Contract Verification

All official Players of a Team and other members in service of a Team must have a written contract, teams that are formed from a group of individuals must submit a group registration form to the Operating Committee.

An MPL/MDL Player is only allowed to compete for the one Team the Player has a contract with. A Player will not be allowed to compete for more than one Organization simultaneously and cannot be listed on the Roster of more than one Team.

To verify that these Players are officially under contract, each Team must submit the Summary Sheet from the Player Agreement ("Summary Sheet") for each Player they wish to designate as under contract, including starters and substitutes. Changes to the Roster may occur as described in Section 7 below.

Each team is responsible for ensuring that all individuals are free from any other contractual obligations that may prevent them from participating in the MPL/MDL in whatever capacity. Should it come to light that any individual on a team cannot participate in the MPL/MDL despite the official registration and announcement of said individual for the league, teams shall be penalized accordingly.

6.3 Submission of Game Day Roster and Substitutions

6.3.1 Designation of Default Starting Roster

At a time designated by the Operating Committee, before the start of each split, each Team must submit their default starting roster to the committee, including five members of the Starters and one to five members of the Substitutes. This will be considered as the initial designation of each team for every game that the MPL/MDL League Operations will be defaulting to for each game day and match.

Teams may request to modify these default starting lineups but must be made in advance of any proposed effective date of any such change and this request must be made to the League Operations team.

6.3.2 First Game

a. By default, League Operations will always assume the initial starting five of each team will be the ones to play and participate in their first game of the day.

b. To modify the starting lineup, a team must submit their changes officially to League Operations no later than 1 day prior to the start of the broadcast.

i. During the regular season, the deadline for this submission will be 1 day prior and no later than 18:00 (GMT+8).

ii. Should a team have a match the next day and should their present day match end late past 18:00, the deadline for lineup modifications will be moved, at the very least, to 23:59 of the same day or, at the very most, the next day at 10:00. League Operations reserves the right as to which deadline would be more appropriate for each individual situation.

iii. For the playoffs, other than each team's first match of the day, teams are allowed to modify their roster at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the next match on the same day. However, should there be less than 30 minutes left before the next match starts, no more changes will be allowed and a team will default to their starting five.

iv. (Onsite) For the seating arrangement, players must sit in the seating order specified by the committee.

v. Should any team fail to submit a request to modify their lineup for their first game, they will no longer be allowed to modify their lineup and will be forced to play on their default starting lineup and seating arrangement.

vi. Each team lineup will be revealed to each team only two (2) hours before the start of their match on game day.

6.3.3 Onsite Roster Requirement

a. The team must bring five starting players and at least one substitute player to the venue. If a team cannot bring five starters and one substitute, the player count may be reduced to five starting players only, but only with prior approval from officials. The team must inform the league via email at least three (3) hours before the slated match time, providing sufficient proof of documentation to support the absence of the player(s) or coach(es). Violations of this rule will result in penalties. In extreme cases, officials have the right to compel the team to change the onsite roster when necessary.

b. The team must have at least one coach and one team manager onsite. However, only two coaching staff members are permitted on stage during matches. These two individuals do not necessarily have to include the head coach, as long as they are part of the designated coaching staff. Violations of this rule will result in penalties. In extreme cases, officials have the right to compel the team to change the onsite roster when necessary.

6.3.4 Emergency Protocol

a. Teams are expected to relay any and all information to tournament officials should one of their players experience any form of illness, injury, or affliction as soon and as early as possible before the start of their next official match.

b. At this point, tournament officials will confirm with the team if the member in question is capable of proceeding with their match. If answered in the negative and if the member is part of the submitted starting lineup for their match, they must be able to submit proof by way of a doctor's note, pictures of the illness, injury, or affliction (if physically visible), and the steps to be taken to help said member.

c. At any point, the Operating Committee may choose to waive these requirements should the situation speak for itself and time is of the essence.The team will then be allowed to substitute the member in question beyond the lineup submission deadline and within a reasonable timeframe to be indicated by tournament officials.

d. In the event of an emergency, a Team will be given certain time to find an immediate Substitute upon approval of the Operating Committee. In cases where a team is unable to find a substitute player within 2 hours of the competition commencement, the Team will forfeit. The Operating Committee will determine if an event qualifies as an emergency. A substitute player may be the head coach or any eligible free agent that is not connected to any official MPL/MDL team in any capacity. Should the substitute player chosen be a free agent, they must also satisfy the requirements stipulated in Player Eligibility of Team Member Eligibility.

e. This provision will only ever be used should a team have no eligible substitutes due to causes beyond their control and should there be no other recourse available.

6.3.5 COVID-19 Protocol

Should a player included in the submitted lineup for a match be found to have tested positive for COVID-19, the team is expected to follow the provisions set forth in the "First Game" mentioned above. The player that tested positive must be immediately put into quarantine and replaced by any viable substitute on their team. The team must then cooperate fully with the Operating Committee as to the adjusted safety protocols required for them to be able to enter the venue.

Should more than half of a team test positive for COVID-19 or should there be enough members that test positive on a team that reduces their possible active roster to less than five (5) players, the team will be allowed to play from their bootcamp. However, all online play rules found in this document will then be applicable to them and must be stringently followed.

As for the opposing team, they will still be required to attend their match from the venue, but the rules that apply will remain to be onsite for them.

6.3.6 Substitutions during Match

A Team may substitute Players between Games of a Match. The Team must notify an official referee and have the substitute approved no later than five (5) minutes after the end of the game. For example, if a Team wishes to substitute a Player(s) in for the next Game, then the

General Manager must notify and seek approval from an official referee no later than five (5) minutes following Game 1.

The "end of a game" is defined as both teams reaching the post-game results screen and after being given the signal from referees that both teams may leave the stage and the fifth (5th) player of each team enters the Player Waiting Room. Once this scenario occurs, the five-minute timer shall be started by a referee.

6.4 Third-Party Tournaments

In order to unify the uniqueness and value of the MPL PH and MDL PH, policies are imposed on teams who want to join third-party MLBB tournaments:

a. MPL PH and MDL PH teams can only apply to join tournaments that have been granted Moonton's approval. Tournaments can apply for third-party tournament approval through this link: https://play.mobilelegends.com/thirdpartytournament/homeii.

b. If a team wants to attend the third-party tournament which is approved by Moonton, the team needs to send an official application for it to the Operating Committee at least one (1) week before the tournament.

c. MPL PH/MDL PH will still be the priority for teams if any conflict arises between the league and third-party tournaments.

d. Teams are not allowed to attend third-party tournaments without official approval.

e. This policy is valid all the time. Even during season/split breaks.

7. Official Roster Changes

7.1 General Roster Change Rules

Teams are authorized to use three (3) methods to make changes to their Active Roster: (1) executing player transfers, (2) signing and terminating contracts with players, and (3) implementing individual player movements. All changes to Active Roster shall be approved by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee before they will be considered effective.

7.1.1 No Effect on Contractual Obligations

Each Team shall be responsible for making any and all payments to its Players which are required by its Player Services Agreements. No voluntary change to the Active Roster shall relieve a Team of its contractual obligation to pay its Players the minimum salary as prescribed in the Official Rules.

7.1.2 No Contract Violations

Any change to the Active Roster which violates any provision of a Player Services Agreement shall be ineffective, and the General Manager of any Team that is seeking a Player transfer shall have the responsibility to ensure that all proper approvals are sought and procured before the change would be considered to take effect.

7.1.3 Notification of Termination

Teams are not allowed to unilaterally terminate Player Service Agreements arbitrarily. If the Team has proper reasons to terminate the Player Services Agreement, it shall notify the MPL/MDL officials at least two (2) weeks before the termination.

7.1.4 Active Roster Requirement

No change to the Active Roster shall relieve a Team of the requirement to maintain a minimum Active Roster including five (5) Starters and one (1) Substitute during the Regular Season. If a Team falls below one Substitute on its Active Roster, it will be subject to penalties, unless given permission to drop below the minimum at the discretion of the MPL/MDL officials.

7.1.5 Applicable Scope

This Section is intended only to govern Active Roster changes voluntarily made by Teams and does not address mandatory Player substitutions which may be required by the Operating Committee as a result of the death or disability of a Player or the suspension or banning of a Player by the MPL/MDL officials as a result of the violation of the Official Rules.

7.1.6 Contract Records

All Player Services Agreements must be submitted to the Operating Committee for official recording. Agreements that are not recorded with the committee will be considered invalid. If a Player Services Agreement has been properly recorded, Teams or Players may report any violations to the MPL/MDL officials, who will enforce penalties on the defaulting parties in accordance with the league's penalty index.

7.1.7 Roster Change Periods Allowed

Teams may make changes to their Active Rosters only during designated periods established by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. These periods are designed to maintain the integrity of the league while allowing teams flexibility in managing their rosters.

7.1.7.1 Mid-Season Roster Changes

i. Mid-season roster changes are allowed during a the regular season transfer window announced by the Operating Committee.

The 2025 1H Transfer Window Period: (GMT+8)

-3 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-10 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-17 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-24 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-31 March 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-7 April 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM

-28 April 2025; 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM (For MDL, this TW period is for Sponsorship Update only)

The default roster lock for all Teams will be as follows: (GMT+8)

-3 March 2025; 18:01 PM

-10 March 2025; 18:01 PM

-17 March 2025; 18:01 PM

-24 March 2025; 18:01 PM

-31 March 2025; 18:01 PM

-7 April 2025; 18:01 PM

-28 April 2025; 18:01 PM

ii. All changes must be submitted to and approved by the Operating Committee before they are considered effective.

iii. Any Player added to the roster mid-season must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Official Rules.

iv. Teams must maintain the minimum Active Roster requirements, including five (5) Starters and one (1) Substitute, at all times.

7.1.7.2 Off-Season Roster Changes

i. Off-season roster changes can be made after the conclusion of the split and prior to the roster lock deadline for the upcoming season.

ii. During this period, teams have the flexibility to rebuild their rosters, subject to approval from the Operating Committee.

iii. Teams may use this time to sign new players, release existing players, and renegotiate contracts, provided all actions comply with the Official Rules and Player Services Agreements.

7.1.8 Effectivity Date

Upon approval by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, a roster change will take effect immediately unless a later effective date is specified in the Request Form. However, regardless of the specified date, the effective date of any roster change during a tournament period must comply with the league's Regular Transfer Window deadlines.

For the roster changes during the Transfer Window, the process is as follows:

a. Submission of the Request Form.

i. The window for submission will only be on Transfer Window and only during the time period of 10:00 - 18:00. Any submission past 18:00 will be regarded as pending and processing to be continued on the next Transfer Window.

ii. The processing will take approximately one (1) working day.

iii. After processing is complete, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee will confirm with the Team and make announcements concerning the changes to other teams in the league for transparency. The Teams involved for the roster change would also be required to make an official statement and upload the same to the Team’s social media channels as an announcement.

iv. A transferred individual will become eligible to compete in the MPL starting the week following approval by the MPL Operating Committee. For MDL, the individual will be eligible to compete in the subsequent week after receiving approval from the MDL Operating Committee.

1. The official announcement for the transfers will be conducted on the same day that the transfer has become official.

2. Teams may not announce on their socials ahead of the league but may submit a social media plan to be approved by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, if so desired.

3. Should the league have any changes to the transfer announcement plans, the league shall ensure coordination with the teams.

7.2 Global Anti-Poaching and Anti-Interference Policies

During the period when the Player/Coach has not completed its Player Services Agreements, Teams can only carry out transactions and negotiations through the Player's/Coach's Team. Any private communication with individuals regarding trades will be regarded as a violation of global anti-poaching and anti-interference policies. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to carry out penalties to the appropriate extent in the event of the aforementioned situation in accordance with the league's penalty index. The table below shows an illustrative example of what constitutes poaching:

For the avoidance of doubt, the committee shall in their sole and absolute discretion decide, based on the circumstances and reasonability, if a Team has violated any anti-poaching rules in accordance to this Official Rules.

7.3 Player Transfers

A Team may transfer Players held on its Active Roster, provided that the details of the trade, including copies of all written agreements, are submitted to the MPL/MDL officials for approval in written form. The trade between Teams must be completed before the end of the Transfer Window of a split through mail or written form. The MPL/MDL officials will not approve any trades which exceed this period. Inter-Club player trade rules are as follows:

7.3.1 Quantity

a. MPL/MDL teams may process transfers as much as possible provided that the provisions on contract requirements found herein are strictly followed.

b. Naturally, MPL/MDL Teams may not exceed the maximum roster capacity of 10 Players on each Team, and the minimum roster requirement pursuant to these Official Rules must also be strictly followed.

7.3.2 Cross-Regional Player Trading

According to the requirements as provided in the Official Rules, Players can be traded across regions.

7.3.3 Transaction Requirements

Only the transaction involving Players on Active Roster shall seek the approval of the MPL/MDL officials.

7.3.4 League Approval

Player transfer requests must be submitted to the Operating Committee by the Teams in advance, in writing, and approved by the committee, in writing, before becoming effective. The transfer request approval process consists of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee confirming that the trades are occurring within the approved Transfer Window and must meet all qualifications and other rules.

7.3.5 Request Form

The request must be made using the Transfer Approval Request Form as provided by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee that must contain the following information:

1. Names of all Teams involved;

2. Names of all General Managers involved;

3. Personal names and Player Names of all Players involved and their status as Starter/Substitute;

4. Description of transfer;

5. The amount of any compensation being paid by one Team to another as a part of any consideration;

6. Requested effective date of the trade (if necessary);

7. General Manager’s Signature. The General Manager of each Team involved in a trade or a series of trades must sign the Transfer Approval Request Form. Unsigned Transfer Approval Request Forms will not be processed by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

7.3.6 Trading Relationship Restriction

During the valid period of the Player Services Agreement, trades will only be limited to a trading relationship between the Teams. The Team which the Player belongs to reserves the right to refuse another to have trade negotiations with the Players themselves or a third party.

7.3.7 Regular Season Player Transfers

Player Transfer requests during the Transfer Window period must be submitted to the MPL/MDL Operating Committee by the Teams in advance, in writing. This will then require full and official

approval from the Operating Committee before becoming effective. The movement request approval process consists of the committee confirming that the movements are occurring within the approved Transfer Window and must meet all qualifications and other rules. If a team wants to move their players, they need to submit several data below to be approved by the MPL Operating Committee:

a. Transfer Approval Request Form

b. The team needs to submit the new player data (biography, achievement, background, contract, visa (if player is foreign), and using the official forms prepared by the Operating Committee

7.3.8 Player Transfer through Loaning

Player transfers through loaning are permitted only during the off-season roster changes and are not allowed during the mid-season roster changes. The loaning of players must comply with all transfer rules outlined in these Official Rules and requires approval from the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. Teams wishing to loan players during the off-season must submit the Loan Transfer Request Form, which includes the following information:

1. Names of all Teams involved in the loan agreement;

2. Names of the General Managers involved in the loan agreement;

3. Personal names and Player Names of the Players being loaned;

4. Terms of the loan agreement, including duration, any compensation, and any additional conditions;

5. Requested effective date of the loan transfer;

6. General Manager’s Signature.

The loan transfer will only become effective upon the approval of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, and it must comply with all relevant contractual and roster rules.

7.4 Coaching Staff Transfers

7.4.1 Period

Similar to the Transfer Window of Players during the Regular Season.

7.4.2 Frequency

Similar frequency limitations as with Player Transfers during the Transfer Window of Players during the Regular Season.

7.4.3 General Limitations

Coaching staff may not exceed the maximum capacity for a Team for a transfer to proceed.

7.4.4 Transaction Requirements

All Teams coaching staff must meet the requirements of the league they are transferring to contained herein.

7.4.5 League Approval

Coaching staff transfer requests must be submitted to the Operating Committee by the Teams in advance, in writing, and approved by the committee, in writing, before becoming effective. The transfer request approval process consists of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee confirming that the trades are occurring within the approved Transfer Window and must meet all qualifications and other rules.

7.4.6 Request Form

Team needs to submit the new coach data (biography, achievement, background, contract, salary and visa, if required, etc) using the form the MPL/MDL Operating Committee prepared aside from the Transfer Approval Request Form.

7.5 Free Agent Signings

The provisions on free agency in these rules are designed to promote team continuity, prevent last-minute roster changes that damage team identity and cohesion, protect tournament integrity, and enhance fan enjoyment of the league's tournament play. To that end, the committee has established strict limitations on free agent signings:

Free agent signings are not permitted for MPL Teams during the Mid-Season Roster Changes. Changes to MPL rosters during the mid-season must occur through transfers, promotions, or demotions, as outlined in section 7.1. of this rulebook.

However, Free Agent coaches may be signed at any time during the roster transfer window, as long as the signing adheres to the league’s approval process outlined in Section 7.5.4.

For MDL Teams, free agent signings are allowed, but only during designated periods or windows approved by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. This flexibility allows MDL Teams to strengthen their rosters while maintaining the integrity of the league and its competitions. A Team may sign free agents for MDL as follows:

7.5.1 Free Agent

Refers to an individual eligible to participate in MDL who:

a. Has not signed a valid written player agreement with other MPL/MDL Team or a Team in another league, or

b. Has been released or has a contract that has expired with an MPL/MDL Team or a Team in another league and has not renewed it, or

c. Any Player released to Free Agent must meet the condition of having no event contract with any Team. The Team needs to terminate the event contract with the Player before releasing the Player to Free Agent.

7.5.2 Free Agent Period

MPL

Teams may only sign a Free Agent during the Off-Season Roster Changes period. Signing Free Agents during the active season is strictly prohibited, regardless of the circumstances. The table below provides illustrative examples of free agent signing scenarios and their corresponding analysis, along with whether they are permitted or not:

MDL

Teams can sign a Free Agent at any given time following the Regular Transfer Window period.

7.5.3 Active Roster Requirement

Free Agent signings do not relieve a Team of the requirement to maintain an Active Roster, including but not limited to a minimum of five (5) Starters and one (1) Substitute during the Regular Season.

7.5.4 League Approval

Free Agent signing requests must be submitted by a Team in advance, in writing, and approved by the MPL/MDL official, in writing, before becoming effective. Free Agent signing procedures must comply with all other requirements and rules. The approval will include a behavior check that can include in-game and out-of-game behavior.

7.6 Player Inactive Status

A Player may be placed on Inactive Status by their Team under specific circumstances, such as injury, personal reasons, or other valid conditions that prevent the Player from fulfilling their regular duties. Players on Inactive Status are not considered part of the Active Roster and are not eligible to participate in official matches or events during this period. However, even though the Player is not part of the Active Roster, they remain under contract with the Team and are not considered a free agent.

7.6.1 Contractual Obligations

The Player's contract remains in effect during the Inactive Status, and the Team is still obligated to meet any contractual obligations, unless otherwise agreed.

7.6.2 Ineligibility for Active Roster

A Player who starts the season with Inactive Status may return to the Active Roster during mid- season. However, if a Player attains Inactive Status while the season is ongoing, they must remain inactive for the rest of the season and cannot rejoin the Active Roster.

7.6.3 MPL/MDL Operating Committee Approval

Any changes to the Player's status or attempts to return to the Active Roster (if applicable) require the approval of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, following the submission of appropriate documentation confirming the Player's readiness to resume participation.

7.7 Player Releases

7.7.1 Voluntary Player Releases

Teams may release Players and/or Coaches at their discretion, provided they comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the Player Services Agreement.

Teams must notify the MPL/MDL Operating Committee of the release by submitting an official Individual Release Request Form.

7.7.2 Contractual Obligations

Teams remain responsible for fulfilling any outstanding contractual obligations to the released Player/Coach, including but not limited to the payment of any owed salary or benefits.

7.7.3 League Approval

The release of a Player must be approved by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee before it is effective. Any disputes arising from Player releases, including contractual obligations, will be handled per the Official Rules and the league’s penalty index.

7.8 Player Retirement

If Players are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations, they can negotiate with the Teams to terminate the Player Services Agreements or choose to retire from the Teams. Retired Players may only participate in the MPL competitions after the completion of one (1) calendar year from the date of the Retired Player’s retirement (for instance, if a Player retired in 01 July 2025, then the Retired Player may only participate from 02 July 2026 onwards). Retiring Players must carry out retirement procedures of which the types are divided into the following categories.

7.8.1 Negotiated Retirement

Players negotiate and carry out the retirement procedure through their Team, together with the an official from the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

7.8.2 Unauthorized Retirement

If a Player has not carried out the retirement procedure through its Team with the MPL/MDL official and just verbally declares retirement or leaves the Team without authorization, this will be regarded as unauthorized retirement and thus be subject to penalties. The Player Services Agreement of the Player will still be voided, and the Player shall not be allowed to participate in any league for a period of three hundred and sixty five (365) days from the day of discovery of the unauthorized retirement by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

7.9 Comparison Between Player Releases and Player Retirement

To clarify the distinctions between Player Releases and Player Retirement, the following table provides a detailed comparison:
 

7.10 Player Movements

7.10.1 Promotion (Upward Movement)

a. MPL teams can apply during the season to promote players from their affiliated MDL teams to MPL teams, provided that the promoted players meet the qualifications and other participation requirements of MPL.

b. The promotion process should be completed before the official mid-season roster lock. After promotion, the number of players in the MDL team must still meet the minimum team size requirements set by MDL officials.

c. The service fee paid to promoted players must not be lower than the minimum standard set by MPL/MDL officials. If the team pays a service fee higher than this standard to the promoted player, the team must also submit an additional service fee confirmation document signed by both parties to MPL/MDL officials for record-keeping.

d. For teams that do not comply with the above rules, officials have the right to reject promotion applications or take corresponding punitive measures.

7.10.2 Demotion (Downward Movement)

a. MPL teams can apply during the season to demote players from their team to their affiliated MDL teams, provided that the demoted players meet the qualifications and other participation requirements of MDL.

b. The demotion process should be completed before the official mid-season roster lock. After demotion, the number of players in the MPL team must still meet the minimum team size requirements set by MPL officials.

c. Teams and demoted players can, on mutually agreed terms, modify the player service agreement, but the team must not, on the grounds of demotion, refuse to fulfill its contractual obligations or engage in behavior that diminishes the benefits and treatment of demoted players, which would be detrimental to the interests of the demoted player.

7.10.3 Free Agent to MDL to MPL

a. Free Agent Signing to MDL

i. MDL teams can sign Free Agents during the season, provided the Free Agent meets the eligibility and participation requirements outlined by MDL officials.

ii. The signing process must be completed before the official mid-season roster lock and adhere to the MDL roster size limitations.

iii. The signed Free Agent must be registered with MDL officials, and the player's service agreement must meet or exceed the minimum standards set by the MDL and stay in MDL for at least a week.

b. Promotion from MDL to MPL for Free Agents

A Free Agent initially signed by an MDL team may be promoted to the MPL team within the same organization, provided that:

1. The Free Agent has been officially registered and has stayed on the MDL for at least one (1) whole week prior to promotion.

2. The promotion application is submitted within the designated Transfer Window or mid-season roster lock deadline.

3. The promoted Free Agent meets the MPL's eligibility criteria, including age, residency, and other participation requirements.

7.10.4 Limitations

Player movements must not cause the MPL or MDL rosters to violate the minimum or maximum roster size requirements.

7.10.5 Review Duration

For mid-season promotion and demotion applications, officials will complete the review within one (1) working day.

8. Match Process

8.1 Schedule Modifications

The MPL/MDL officials may, at its sole discretion, re-order the schedule of matches within a given day and/or change the date of an MPL/MDL match to a different date or otherwise modify the schedule of matches. In the event that the MPL/MDL official modifies a match schedule, it will notify all Teams at the earliest convenience.

8.2 Boot Camp Play Area Requirements (Online)

8.2.1 Basic Structure

a. There must be two (2) playing areas. One serves as the primary playing area for an entire participating team during official matches and a secondary playing area for participating players in quarantine.

b. Each playing area must have webcam access for observation conducted by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

c. Playing areas must have sufficient lighting by default so as not to obscure players' faces and actions.

d. Playing areas must be equipped with at least one (1) mic to serve as the main mode of contact with the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

8.2.2 Usage

a. Webcams must be able to capture most, if not all, of the playing areas' encompassing space and the main entrance/exit must be visible.

b. The mic for each playing area must be manned by the coach, manager, or team captain to be able to quickly align issues or requests that crop up before, during, and after official matches.

c. By default, coaches and other staff must not be in the playing areas after draft and must be visibly seen exiting the room.

i. Should coaches need to hear their team comms during the game, they may coordinate with the MPL/MDL Operating Committee on how to proceed with this before the season starts.

Provided that extensive inspections and planning have occurred between the teams and the Operating Committee, the committee reserves the right to waive any of the basic requirements above or may add to it at any point due to limitations, circumstances, or situations on a case by case basis per team.

8.3 Match Preparation

All members of a Team's roster that are slated to participate in a match must be ready to participate in time for MPL PH/MDL PH League Operations' pre-match preparations, starting with the players' phone logins and ping test.

"Ready," in context of this rule, is the indicative status that all participating players are in full attendance at the venue, wherever it may be, and are able to fully comply and commit with any and all instructions from the tournament staff.

By default, pre-match preparations of the tournament staff will commence at least an hour and a half before the start of a match. Teams will be considered late if they are unable to fully comply with the start of these preparations.

For online matches, teams must be located in a singular location where referees can observe them via webcam through Discord or other means. Once called for their match, all participating players must be seen and fully visible in the video feed.

8.4 Referees

a. Referee Comportment

i. Referees must always conduct themselves in a professional manner no matter the situation and circumstance surrounding certain events during the season.

1. Referees are always expected to maintain good posture, able to move and act with decorum and authority.

2. Referees are expected to speak in a friendly but stern manner so as to assert authority but maintain a positive environment for all individuals involved.

ii. Referees must always issue fair and unbiased rulings for each situation. They must always hear both parties of an issue equally and then ascertain the best course of action from there.

Under no circumstances are referees allowed to:

1. Overtly show any bias, passion, or prejudice towards any player, team, team manager, head coach, owner, or other individuals within any organization in the MPL PH Season 15/MDL PH Season 5.

2. Take into consideration what they may or may not know personally about the abovementioned individuals and use said information.

iii. Referees must always observe the proper working uniforms as designated by the committee when it is necessary to appear personally on stage or on camera in general. The proper attire will be determined by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee before the start of the season.

iv. Referees must always comply with the Referee Risk and Problem Matrix, which shall be annexed herein this Official Rules as Appendix C.

8.5 Player Appeals

Any appeal made to referees by players of a game must follow protocols relatively similar to the ones seen below:

a. Appeals must be immediately communicated to the present MPL/MDL Operating Committee before arbitration can be commenced.

i. Whether or not the MPL/MDL Operating Committee will be involved, they must always be apprised of current situations where referees will commence a necessary arbitration.

ii. At any point, should the MPL/MDLOperating Committee feel the need to intercede, referees must be ready to turnover all information and work closely with said MPL/MDL official to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

b. Referees are not allowed to consent to any demands made by the teams of their own accord.

c. The MPL/MDLOperating Committee will judge appeals of erroneous judgments made by referees.

i. If a referee is deemed to have made a mistake, the MPL/MDLOperating Committee will penalize them in accordance with the nature of the error.

d. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee can assess any decision made during or after a game in order to confirm whether or not the correct procedure has been implemented.

i. If the correct procedures have not been abided by, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to overrule the referee's decision.

1. This may then lead to referee removals as seen in the section at the bottom of the document.

e. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee maintain the right to make the final decision on all decisions throughout the duration of the season.

8.6 Final Decision

The MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right for final interpretation of the Official Rules, protocols, and procedures used during the entire duration of the season.

Any and all unsettled matters that require the intercession of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee will rest on their personal and professional interpretation of the matter.

8.7 Responsibilities

Referees designated by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee are responsible for making judgments on every match-related issue, question, and situation which occurs before, during, and immediately following matchplay. Their superintendence includes, but is not limited to:

a. Completing the several referee checklist based on the actual situation during the tournament.

b. Liaise with players and their teams to ensure that the matches will occur on time and handle any issues that may impede this goal.

c. Observing occurrences on stage or on live feed (if online) and keeping League Operations team apprised of changes in teams' situations.

d. Being knowledgeable on in-game bugs and miscellaneous oddities that may occur during the course of the game, from draft to the end of a game.

e. Ensure that every department working in the event, players, teams, coaches, and managers are informed about all changes at all times.

8.7.1 Pre-Match Procedure Baseline

a. Referees will check the veracity of the submitted starting lineup for the first game.

b. Referees will check the status of each phone and direct each participating player to complete both their in-game and phone settings.

c. Once players have affirmed that their settings are correct and in working order, teams will be asked to begin an initial ping test whether on stage (if the first match of the day) or in their waiting rooms (if subsequent matches in the day).

i. After referees and players have confirmed the ping test is good, tournament phones may remain in possession of the team until it is time for their match (if possible) or may be taken by referees for further maintenance.

ii. Should the tournament phones remain in the possession of the players, they may not change any settings without the approval of a referee. This also applies to personal phones. Any pause during the game that may be caused by changing settings unbeknownst to the referees will be regarded as an unreasonable pause and the player and his team will be penalized accordingly.

d. Team Punctuality and Tardiness. Referees must ensure that players and all associated individuals to the teams playing on the day will be prompt and punctual for each and every game. A baseline for this may be found below:

i. Teams must arrive at the venue, complete with their submitted starting lineup, in time for the pre-match preparations listed above this enumeration. The pre-match procedures will typically occur 90 minutes before a team's slated match time unless moved due to a schedule change where the MPL/MDL Operating Committee will inform teams as soon as possible.

1. Should any team and their starting lineup be incapable of complying with the pre- match procedure, they will be officially considered late. Penalties will then be applied to the team.

ii. Should a team's submitted starting lineup arrive at the venue within fifteen (15) minutes left before the start of their match, they will be considered late and a heavier penalty shall be imposed. They will also forfeit any in-game settings changes that are normally afforded to them in the pre-match procedure. They must play on the tournament phones as is.

iii. Should a team's submitted starting lineup fail to arrive at all when their match is slated to start on broadcast, they will lose the entirety of the match and their opponents will be awarded the best possible outcome for their victory.

1. A team must at least have five (5) present players in the venue in order to avoid this.

2. Regardless if the 5 present are the ones slated to play the first game or not, they will be forced to play on time or else the team will forfeit the match entirely.

3. A team will be heavily penalized in accordance to the league's Penalty Index for missing their match.

4. A team will be heavily penalized in accordance to the league's Penalty Index if they play without their intended lineup for the first game of the match.

iv. Late arrival caused by force majeure will be administered at the MPL/MDL Operating Committee’s discretion. The following below are examples of force majeure that may be discreetly handled, but are not limited to:

v. Forfeiture. For online matches, teams that refuse to cooperate with the reasonable requests from referees to be ready to start the match will begin consuming their 15 minute consumable pause time for the game. Once this 15 minute timer begins, teams will have to ensure that they can cooperate properly to start the game. When the timer ends and the game has yet to start, the team refusing to be ready will forfeit the game. Teams will repeat this process for up to 2 games per match before forfeiting the match as a whole, regardless if it is a BO3, BO5, or BO7. Prizing will not be awarded to teams that cause the forfeiture of games in this way.

All Teams must adhere to the MPL Season 15 Stage SOP and Timings, MPL LOPs On-Ground SOP, Tournament Phone SOP and Risk Management, which shall be annexed herewith these Official Rules respectively as Appendix D, Appendix E, Appendix F and Appendix G.

8.7.2 Match Procedure Baseline

a. Once the players of both parties are ready and all equipment is working properly, coordinate with production and game observers on participant readiness and await the go-signal to start the match, and then start the match when necessary.

b. During the ban/pick phase, the Head Coach can communicate with the Team and participate in the Team's ban/pick. Upon the end of the ban/pick phase, the Head Coach must leave the Match Area once instructed by referees and cannot communicate with their Team in any way.

c. (Online) During the match, referees must always observe the team video feed and ensure that they have an open line to be able to hear players during the game. They must also have someone on the team, whether player or other representatives of the team, to be able to speak with immediately should it be required during the game. However, in under no circumstances may a referee disrupt the flow of the game should there be no true reason to do so. Any referee caught doing so may face the removal process found at the bottom of this document. Referees must always be ready to give warnings for any violations and report to the proper MPL/MDL official should it be necessary to dole out a penalty.

i. For COVID-related online play, teams are not allowed to play in a single room. Positive players must play in a separate room to adhere to isolation protocols. Therefore, teams must be able to support two cameras for referees to observe both rooms.

d. (Onsite) During the match, the Referees must observe and walk around the match area to check that all members are competing according to requirements, warn them of any violations to the match rules, and, if they have given out multiple warnings to no effect, the Referee can inform the MPL/MDL official at the end of the Match, if deemed necessary, the concerned member will incur a penalty.

8.7.3 Baseline Pause Procedure

8.7.3.1 Onsite Pause Rules

• Before the start of any game, the team captain, coach, or manager is responsible for ensuring that all participating players are satisfied with their GUI settings, phone settings, communications settings, and all other gamerelated conditions and equipment that affect their performance.
  • Once fully confirmed, the team captain, coach, or manager must sign a document from the MPL Operating Committee verifying that their equipment is without issue and their team is ready, willing, and able to participate in the game.
  • Any pauses that arise from any of these factors will be considered unreasonable pauses by default and the team or player will be penalized accordingly.
    • The MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to waive these penalties in the event of true technical issues that may spontaneously arise despite the good faith of the teams confirming the veracity of their equipment status earlier on.
• There is no limit or maximum pause time for any team.
• If players wish to pause, at least one player must raise their hand to signify full commitment to the pause. Under no circumstances will a pause request be entertained in any other way. Additionally, only players are allowed to request a pause and no other staff member may do so.

• Once the game has been paused, the initiating player must tell a referee as to the reason. If the pause is unreasonable or if a referee reports no indication of any real issue in the game despite player claims, MPL/MDL League Operations reserves the right to penalize the player and/or team according to the severity of the disruption caused by the pause.

The only acceptable reasons for a pause are as follows:

• Network issues
  • Full disconnections
  • Full or partial loss of hero control due to lag
  • Heavy lag that causes input delays
  • Lag must be truly felt by players and will be observed by referees to determine its legitimacy.
  • The latency on the game interface simply increasing in number is not an accurate indication that there are actual lag issues occurring for a player.
    • Players are not allowed to pause due to an increase in ms up to 35ms. This is found to be more than sufficient to play at a professional level.
    • Players may pause under 35ms and be regarded as reasonable pause provided that they are vouched for by a present referee. Otherwise, this will be counted as an unreasonable pause and afflict a penalty on the player and/or team.
• Phone input delays or FPS drops
  • Due to a software issue
  • Due to excessive heat caused by CPU/Battery
• Equipment issues
  • Disconnection of the team communications system
  • Disconnection of in-game sounds from player earphones or headset
  • High heat dissipation of the tournament phone
• MLBB in-game bugs
  • Emblem bugs (only at the start of the game)
  • Spell bugs (only at the start of the game)
  • Match desyncs
  • In-game sound bugs

8.7.3.2 Onsite Clash Pause Rules

• Teams will be capable of pausing during clashes with no limits.
• A clash pause is defined as a pause done during a clash.
  • A clash is defined as at least 4 players from opposing teams engaging with each other (3 from Team A and 1 from team B; 2 from each team.)
• Due to the nature of a clash, reasons for a pause during this time will be scrutinized to a much higher degree. Only in cases of extreme lag and severe equipment issues will a clash pause reason ever be accepted. Any other reason will be regarded as an unreasonable pause and the team/individual in question will be harshly penalized. Should a referee find that the issues of lag or equipment are greatly exaggerated, the team/individual will be penalized all the same to the maximum penalty available.

87.3.3 Online Pause Rules

• Teams are only allowed three (3) pauses per game. The referee has the right, in the referee’s sole and absolute discretion, to reject the request for a pause after 3 times, depending on the reasons for the pause.
• Teams are limited to a total of five (15) minutes collectively for each pause per match.
• If players wish to pause, at least one member of the team must be able to speak on Discord to the referee in clear and concise language.
  • Notably, they must say the phrase, "referee pause" to officially request a pause.
  • No other phrase will be acceptable and others will simply be ignored by the referees.
• Additionally, the player must also raise their hand and must be clearly visible in the team player feed. If only verbal or physical notifications for a pause request are done, the request will be ignored. Players must do both to signal the official pause request.
• Once the game has been paused, the initiating player must tell a referee as to the reason. If the pause is unreasonable or if a referee reports no indication of any real issue in the game despite player claims, MPL/MDL League Operations reserves the right to penalize the player and/or team according to the severity of the disruption caused by the pause.

The only acceptable reasons for a pause are as follows:

• Network issues
  • Full disconnections
  • Full or partial loss of hero control due to lag
  • Heavy lag that causes input delays
  • Lag must be truly felt by players and will be observed by referees to determine its legitimacy.
  • The latency on the game interface simply increasing in number is not an accurate indication that there are actual lag issues occurring for a player.
  • Players are not allowed to pause due to an increase in ms up to 35ms. This is found to be more than sufficient to play at a professional level.
  • Players may pause under 35ms and be regarded as reasonable pause provided that they are vouched for by a present referee. Otherwise, this will be counted as an unreasonable pause and afflict a penalty on the player and/or team.
• Phone input delays or FPS drops
  • Due to a software issue
  • Due to excessive heat caused by CPU/Battery
• MLBB in-game bugs
  • Emblem bugs (only at the start of the game)
  • Spell bugs (only at the start of the game)
  • Match desyncs
  • In-game sound bugs
• Teams may donate their pause privileges to their opponent if they are inclined to. If a team runs out of pause privileges, the referee will ask the opposing team if they would like to donate their pause privileges.
• For emergency cases (like loss of electricity), teams will be given up to 15 minutes to adjust to their situation. This is in addition to their 5 minutes/game pause privilege.
  • Should the team be unable to continue participating after this total of 20 minutes (should their pause consumable be unused), they will forfeit the game.
  • Should they have a next game and they are not able to resolve their situation 10 minutes after the slated start of the game, they will also forfeit this game and grant complete victory to the opposing team .

8.7.3.4 Online Clash Pause Rules

• Teams will each be given limited instances of clash pauses depending on the maximum number of games in a match.
  • Best-of-three = Three (3) clash pauses
  • Best-of-five = Five (5) clash pauses
  • Best-of-seven = Seven (7) clash pauses
• A clash pause is defined as a pause done during a clash.
  • A clash is defined as at least 4 players from opposing teams engaging with each other (3 from Team A and 1 from team B; 2 from each team.)
• Due to the nature of a clash, reasons for a pause during this time will be scrutinized to a much higher degree. Only in cases of extreme lag and severe equipment issues will a clash pause reason ever be accepted. Any other reason will be regarded as an unreasonable pause and the team/individual in question will be harshly penalized. Should a referee find that the issues of lag or equipment are greatly exaggerated, the team/individual will be penalized all the same to the maximum penalty available.
• If a Referee discovers a problem which greatly affects the Match, they can pause/resume the Match but a detailed explanation must be given afterwards and gain the MPL/MDL official’s approval, otherwise the Referee will be penalized. If a referee discovers a large problem but doesn't pause the match, they will be penalized all the same.

8.7.4 Post-Match Procedure Baseline

• Once the match has finished, the referee must first confirm the end of the match.
• Online:
  1. Confirm the results with the winning team or their representative on the vendor- approved communication platform.
  2. Ensure that production is finished using their feed before letting the teams leave the communication platform/end their video feed.
  3. Ensure that teams are warned that one of them may be up for post-match interviews and/or exclusive media interviews. Marshals must be able to obtain immediate contact with the team should the broadcast require it.
• Onsite:
  1. Referees must have the team captains, coaches, or managers of both teams sign a post-match result confirmation letter.
  2. Referees will signal the teams when it is possible to approach the opposing team for the standard post-match greetings.
  3. Ensure that teams know that they will be up for post-match interviews and/or exclusive media interviews.
• The Referee should keep the table clean and everything on the table in order after the conclusion of the matches.
• Finality of Judgment. If a Referee makes an erroneous judgment, the judgment can be subject to reversal. The MPL/MDL official at their discretion may evaluate the decision during or after the match to determine if the proper procedure was implemented to allow for a fair decision. If the proper procedure was not followed, the MPL/MDL official reserves the right to potentially invalidate the Referee's decision. The MPL/MDL official will always maintain final say in all decisions set forth throughout the league.

8.8 Gambling Prohibition

1. The MPL/MDL strictly prohibits all forms of gambling or betting related to league matches, events, or activities. This includes, but is not limited to, wagering money, items of value, or services on match outcomes, performance metrics, in-game achievements, or any other aspect of league events.
2. All rules prohibiting Gambling on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, as provided in this Official Rules, shall apply to Players, Coaches, Team Managers, Referees, and Game Observers without limitation.

Prohibited activities include:

• Direct Participation in Gambling:
  • Players, Coaches, or Team Staff placing bets on their own matches or other MPL/MDL matches, whether for or against their Team.
• Endorsement of Gambling Activities:
  • Promoting, endorsing, or advertising gambling platforms or activities through any medium, including social media, in-game actions, or live streams.
• Betting by Proxy:
  • Arranging for a third party to place bets on behalf of Players, Coaches, or Team Staff to circumvent the prohibition.

Illustrative Example:

9. Competitive Patch and Match Server

The Operating Committee will determine the Game version used for the Match and notify members ahead of time.

9.1 Banning of New/Remade Heroes

On the online servers, some remade Heroes, and Heroes that have newly been added will be prohibited from use within two weeks of being updated. The specific match prohibitions and usage times will be notified by the Operating Committee. As for Heroes that are known to cause glitches, members of the MPL/MDL official will prohibit their usage for Matches for a period of time according to the seriousness of the glitch, and the teams must strictly comply with the committee’s notifications. Should there be a situation where a hero is scheduled to be unbanned after the start of the playoffs, the hero will be banned for the entirety of the playoffs instead.

Example: Hero A was released on March 1, 2025, so Hero A becomes eligible to be used in all Matches on March 15, 2025.

9.2 Pre-Match Setup

9.2.1 Match Accounts

During the Match, in tournament server, all heroes and skins can be used for free. All teams need to ensure that all their players have already set their accounts into tournament server before they reach the tournament venue. This includes but is not limited to In-Game Nickname adjustment and Team name adjustment.

MPL/MDL matches will be conducted on a local tournament server or the official game server. Teams would need to ensure that they have server IDs ready. If the MPL/MDL Operating Committee discover that any players have not done the necessary preparation or made adjustments while on match area, the league would have to implement the penalty system set by the league.

9.2.2 Setup Time

Players will have designated blocks of time prior to their match time to ensure they are fully prepared. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee will inform Players and Teams of their scheduled setup time and duration as part of their match schedule. The MPL/MDL official may change the schedule at any time. Setup time is considered to have begun once Players enter the match

area, at which point they are not allowed to leave without permission of the on-site Referee. Setup is comprised of the following:

• Ensuring the quality of all MPL-provided equipment
• Connecting and calibrating devices
• Ensuring proper function of voice chat system
• Setting up emblem and battle spells pages
• Adjusting in-game settings
• Limited in-game warm up

9.2.3 Seating Arrangement

(Onsite) For the seating arrangement, players must sit in the seating order specified by the committee in section 6.3.2 of this rulebook.

9.2.4 Technical Failure of Equipment

If a Player encounters any equipment problems during any phase of the setup process, Player must alert and notify the MPL/MDL official immediately.

9.2.5 Technical Support

The MPL/MDL officials will be available to assist with the setup process and troubleshoot any problems encountered during the pre-match setup period.

9.2.6 Timelines 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 the MPL/MDL official. Penalties for tardiness may be assessed at the discretion of the committee.

9.2.7 Acknowledgment of Pre-Match Testing

Approximately five (5) minutes before the match is scheduled to begin, a Referee will confirm with each Player that their setup is complete.

9.2.8 Player Ready State

Once all ten Players in a Match have confirmed completion of setup, Players may not alter their emblem pages or enter a warm up game.

Once players have confirmed that they are ready, when the game starts, they may no longer protest any issues with their in-game settings whether by way of interface, setups for emblems and battle spell pages, or phone settings. All players must continue the game as is.

9.2.9 Game Lobby Creation

The MPL/MDL officials will decide how the official game lobby will be created. Players will be directed by the Referee to join a game lobby as soon as testing has been completed, in their seating order.

9.2.10 Disqualification

If a team is unable to ensure that a full five (5) members of their team can participate in the game, it will be deemed as a complete match loss by the MPL/MDL official. The winning team will be granted the maximum points (e.g. 1:0 for BO1, 2:0 for BO3, 3:0 for BO5). No other data of a lost game will be recorded.

9.3 Game Setup

9.3.1 Start of Pick / Ban Process

Once all ten Players have reported to the official game lobby, a Referee will request confirmation that both Teams are ready for the pick/ban phase (as defined and described below). Once both Teams confirm readiness, a Referee will instruct the OB to start the game.

9.3.2 Recording of Pick/Ban Process

Picks/bans will proceed through the client's Tournament Mode feature. If picks/bans are completed substantially in advance of game setup, at the instruction and discretion of the MPL/MDL official, the MPL/MDL official will record the official picks/bans and manually abort the game start.

9.3.3 General Game Settings

-Map: Designated by MPL/MDL Official

-Team Size: 5

-Allow Spectators: Lobby Only

-Game Type: Draft Pick

9.3.4 Pick/Ban Phase & Side Selection

9.3.34.1 Draft Pick

The OB will select Draft Pick. After Draft has started, the starting Players of each Team can't be substituted. Players can use any hero within the Team's draft (heroes prohibited by the committee can't be used).

Teams are prohibited from not banning a hero during the draft phase unless they have been granted permission by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. Teams must request permission at least two hours prior to their match. The committee reserves the right to refuse the request, especially if the reason for the request is deemed detrimental to the integrity of the league.

- If a Team does not ban a hero during the ban phase, the team will be given a warning by their assigned marshal. If the Team does not ban another hero, they will be given a penalty and their marshals will be warning them about keeping the integrity of the competition and marshals will be watching for further actions that may suggest that they are not taking the match seriously or deliberately losing the game.

9.3.4.2 Global Ban (for MDL only)

Teams can only use a hero once in a series. Heroes that have been played by a team will automatically be unplayable regardless of the intended role for the rest of the series, but can still be picked by the other side if they haven’t used the hero yet.

Example:

• Game 1
  • Team A heroes picked: Baxia, Diggie, Yve, Beatrix, Yu Zhong
  • Team B heroes picked: Joy, Edith, Pharsa, Brody, Uranus
• Game 2
  • Team A cannot pick: Baxia, Diggie, Yve, Beatrix, Yu Zhong
  • Team B cannot pick: Joy, Edith, Pharsa, Brody, Uranus

In Game 2, Teams A and B are not allowed to play the heroes they used in the previous match. The same rule applies to Game 3.

For best-of-seven (BO7) matches, if the game goes to a Game 7, all Global Bans are lifted & teams can pick from the full extent of the hero list unless stated otherwise by the Referees.

Failure to comply with this rule will be penalized in accordance to the MDL PH Penalty Index.

9.3.4.3 Restrictions on Gameplay Elements

Restrictions may be added at any time before or during a Match, if there are known bugs with any items, heroes, skins, emblems, or battle spells, or for any other reason as determined at the discretion of the MPL/MDL official.

9.3.4.4 Side Selection

MPL

a. During the regular season, each team fights with one another twice. Each time they face off against one another, each team will be designated as the "Home" or "Away" team. A team designated as "Home" will be placed on the left side of the stage and will always have priority for in-game side selection. The "Away" team will have side selection priority for the next game as if they had lost a traditional coin flip.

-Each team will play as the Home and Away team at least once for each matchup, guaranteeing that both teams will have primary side selection priority once throughout the season against one another.

-Should a 3rd game be necessary, the Home team will once again receive the side selection priority.

-Side selection choice must be given to the MPL Operating Committee at least two (2) hours before the start of a team's first game, synchronized with the lineup reveal for each team but it should be revealed to the opposing team at least 10 minutes before Game 1. Liaison Officers and Referees will follow up on the side selection and will guide the team appropriately to the timed deadline. Should a Team fail to give their side selection in time, they will default to 1st pick.

1. Note that lineups of each team must be given before the Team that has side selection rights choice makes their choice.

2. Once the lineups has been given to both teams, the Team with side selection rights must make their decision within five (5) minutes.

3. Should a Team fail to confirm their choice within the time limit, they will then be defaulted to 1st pick.

-In between games, the Team with side selection priority will have a time limit of three

(3) minutes to provide their choice to the MPL Operating Committee. Should a Team fail to give their side selection in time, they will default to 1st pick.

-In the Playoffs, the higher-ranked seed will always be regarded as the Home team in their matches. Side selection designation will then alternate every game, similar to the regular season's mechanics. This applies even to the Grand Finals.

MDL

a. Group Stage and Seeding Rounds

i. Side selection priority will be determined by coin toss to be conducted by MDL Operating Committee and the winner will have side selection priority for the first game.

ii. The loser of the coin toss (not the loser of the game) will obtain the side selection priority for the second game.

iii. In a Bo3, another coin toss will be conducted by MDL Operating Committee to determine side selection priority for the final game. This coin toss will only be conducted when it is determined that a third game will be necessary.

iv. Side selection choice must be given to the MDL Operating Committee at least two (2) hours before the start of a team's first game, synchronized with the lineup reveal for each team. Player Care and Referees will follow up on the side selection and will guide the team appropriately to the timed deadline. Should a team fail to give their side selection in time, they will default to 1st pick.

1. The coin toss to determine team side selection priority must be conducted by MDL Operating Committee for at least fifteen (15) minutes before the 2-hour deadline.
2. Both teams must have at least one representative present for the coin toss. It will then be solely the responsibility of the representative to relay the outcome of the coin toss. MDL Operating Committee must take measures to ensure that the results are officially recorded and acknowledged by both team representatives so that no confusion occurs between parties.
3. Once called upon by League Operations, should no representative from a team attend, after five (5) minutes, the coin toss will be conducted without them. League Operations will then officially record the results and relay the results to the team or teams that were not present for the coin toss. The outcome does not need acknowledgment from the absentee team and the result may not be disputed.
4. Note that lineups of each team must be given before the Team that has side selection rights choice makes their choice.
   1. Once the lineups has been given to both teams, the Team with side selection rights must make their decision within five (5) minutes.
   2. Should a Team fail to confirm their choice within the time limit, they will then be defaulted to 1st pick.
5. In between games, the Team with side selection priority will have a time limit of five (5) minutes to provide their choice to the MDL Operating Committee. Should a Team fail to give their side selection in time, they will default to 1st pick.

b. Play-Ins and Playoffs

i. The higher-ranked seed will always be regarded as the Home team in their matches. Side selection designation will then alternate every game, similar to the MPL's regular season mechanics. This applies even to the Grand Finals.

9.3.4.5 Selection Error

In the event of an erroneously-selected hero pick or ban caused by personal reason, the erroneous selection shall be deemed irrevocable. If it is caused by a technical reason or malfunction of the Game, the Team who has committed the error must notify a referee immediately, the referee and the MPL/MDL official will then communicate and confirm with one another before deciding whether or not the Player can reselect.

In case the draft continues after a selection error was reported and ruled to be caused by a technical reason. The draft will be reset and restarted with all previous picks and bans until the selection error.

9.3.4.6 Trading Heroes

Teams must complete all Heroes trades before the countdown ends during the Trading Phase, otherwise will be subject to any disadvantages or consequences arising therefrom.

9.3.4.7 Game Start After Pick/Ban

A Game will start immediately after the pick/ban process is complete, unless otherwise stated by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. At this point, the committee will remove any printed materials from the Match Area, including any notes written by Team Members. Players are not allowed to quit a Game during the time between the completion of picks/bans and game launch, also known as "Free Time."

9.3.4.8 Controlled Game Start

In the event of an error in-game start or a decision by MPL/MDL to separate the pick/ban process from the game start, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may start the Game in a controlled manner. Players will select Heroes in accordance with the previous valid completed pick/ban process.

9.3.4.9 Slow Client Load

If a bug, disconnect, or any other failure occurs that interrupts the loading process and prevents a Player from joining a Game upon game start, the Game must be immediately paused until all ten Players are connected to the Game.

9.3.4.10 In-Game Chat

Players may make use of in-game chat for the purposes of strategy and personal timers. However, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to forbid the use of in-game chat if it is found to be necessary and may continue to forbid it for the rest of the season.

9.3.4.11 Quick Chat

Use of Quick Chat that has [All] Function is prohibited to be used by any team throughout the match.

10. Game Rules

10.1 Definition of Terms

10.1.1 Unintentional Disconnection

A Player losing connection to the Game due to problems or issues with the game client, cellphone, network or other devices.

10.1.2 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.

10.1.3 Server Crash

All Players losing connection to a Game due to an issue with a game server, Match Server, or venue internet instability.

10.1.4 Bug

A bug is defined as anything that causes an incorrect or abnormal effect in the game, that causes the game stats or hardware to malfunction, present incorrect data, lag or any defects.

10.1.4.1 General Bug

General Bug is defined as hardware malfunction that will affect the player level of play during the competition, incorrect display of stats, game mechanics malfunction but will not heavily influence the outcome of the match.

10.1.4.2 Informed Bug

The league will inform all teams about bugs that the league is aware of but will not heavily affect the gameplay of the game before each match (such as heroes, in game equipment, animation effects etc.). These bugs will only be "rectified" via banning of heroes, banning the usage of certain skins or in-game equipment to minimize the effect it has on the gameplay, therefore these bugs will not be an acceptable reason to conduct any rematch, the match will play on.

10.1.4.3 Critical Bug

Critical Bug is defined as bugs that will cause a huge negative effect on any player's ability to perform at a professional competitive level, a huge change in the game stats or game mechanic or will heavily influence the outcome of the match results. Bugs that are outside of this definition will not be deemed as critical bugs; or any unforeseen circumstances that do not allow the match to continue. The Operating Committee reserves the final rights of interpretation on what is a critical bug.

10.1.4.4 Terminal Situation

Terminal situation is defined as a situation whereby the match cannot continue due to a bug and the match needs to be remade. This includes situation such as; (1) Bugs that are not rectifiable by any technical means to resume the game; (2) Bugs that are not rectifiable by any technical means to prevent or removed; includes situation where heroes or skin need to be banned; or (3) Any situation that the MPL/MDL Operating Committee deems that the match cannot continue, includes change in the physical environment, natural disasters or hardware malfunction.

10.1.4.5 Prompt Reporting

Hardware malfunction includes server malfunction, hosting PC malfunction, or mobile phone malfunction or any hardware that is being used by the players during the course of the competition.

10.1.5 Hardware Malfunction

Defined as a bug that is noticed by any players (inclusive of hardware malfunction) would require the player to pause the game and inform the MPL/MDL official immediately.

10.2 Game of Record

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 are as follows:

1. Any attack or ability is landed on minions, jungle creeps, structures, or enemy heroes.
2. Line-of-sight is established between Players on opposing Teams.
3. Setting foot, establishing vision or targeting skillshot ability in an opponent's jungle by either Team, which includes either leaving the river or entering brush connected to enemy jungle.
4. Game timer reaches 35 seconds (00:00:35).

10.3 Stoppage of Play

If a Player intentionally disconnects without notifying the MPL/MDL Operating Committee or pausing, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee is not required to enforce a stoppage. During any pause or stoppage, Players may not leave the Match Area unless authorized by the committee.

10.3.1 Directed Pause

The MPL/MDL official may order the pause of a Match or execute a pause command on any player station at the sole discretion of the official, at any time.

10.3.2 Communication Between Players During a Pause

During a game pause, to ensure fair competition, Players are not allowed to communicate with each other in any manner about the game or be permitted to leave their seats. Players may communicate with one another provided that their topics do not concern the game at hand. This is to be monitored by the main governing Referee listening in on their team communications.

Should any player instigate conversations about the game at hand, they will be initially warned by the Referee. Should they continue to converse about it after the warning, the incident will be reported to the MPL/MDL Operating Committee and they will be penalized accordingly.

In the event that a pause exceeds the 5-minute mark, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may approve authorized communications between the team about the game.

Should the pause exceed the 15 minute mark, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may approve requests for bathroom usage.

10.3.3 Man Down

In line with the lineup submission rules, all players are presumed to be fully capable of playing their games every broadcast day. Should a pause arise from a pre-existing condition from a player without informing tournament officials beforehand, it will be counted as an unreasonable pause and the team will be penalized accordingly.

For other cases, the following protocol shall be followed:

a. During the game

Should an illness, injury, or disability develop during the game, the team must immediately inform the referees as soon as possible. Referees may then, at their sole discretion, pause the game in order to evaluate the identified player suffering from an onset affliction. Should referees definitively find nothing wrong with said player, the game will resume and the player's team will be penalized according to the maximum penalty for unreasonable pauses.

Should referees find the affliction of the identified player to be legitimate, they will then attempt to determine if the player is ready, willing, and able to continue with the game within 5 minutes of the pause. If a player requests the continuation of the game despite his current condition, the game may proceed. However, should another pause be caused due to the players' condition, referees will immediately call for the cessation of the game and the player's team will forfeit the game.

If it is found that the player is truly unable to continue playing, then the player's team shall forfeit the entire game. League Operations will then have medical staff diagnose the player in question. This player, whether or not found to be fit after the diagnosis, will no longer be allowed to continue in their remaining games for that day. The rationale here being that the health and safety of a player are paramount and having them continue with their remaining games may exacerbate their condition, whatever it might be.

The match will still continue provided that the team has a substitute at the ready. Should there be no substitute available, they will forfeit the entire match. However, at the discretion of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee and given the facts of the situation at hand, said match may be subject to a rematch or postponement instead.

b. During the draft

Should an illness, injury, or disability develop during the draft, the coach must immediately inform the referees as soon as possible. The draft will be finished and the game will be paused upon loading in. The player in question must then be checked by medical staff and diagnosed. A 15-20 minute timer will be initiated for the diagnosis. The opposing team will be free to leave the stage while this is happening.

If the player is cleared by the medical staff as capable of playing, the game will continue as normal from where it was paused.

If, on the other hand, the medical staff still cannot clear the player by the expiration of the 15- 20 minute timer, the player in question and their team will lose the game. The player will not be allowed to continue with their remaining games of the day.

c. Recording

Any player that goes through any of the procedures abovementioned will be recorded on a list for players with pre-existing conditions. Players found on this list will no longer be afforded the protocols abovementioned and will instantly lose games in future matches should they have issues once more regarding their condition. It is each team's responsibility to ensure that all of their players are capable of playing and ensuring their health and safety.

A player will be removed from the list if they are able to make it through the entire season without incident concerning their condition.

For clarity, in under no circumstances may a player be substituted once draft has started.

10.3.4 Resuming the Game

After clearance from the MPL/MDL Operating Committee is issued and all Players are notified and ready at their stations, which will be contingent on the team captain confirming that both Teams are ready to resume play, the in-client spectators will unpause the Game.

10.3.5 Remaking the Game

Under which conditions can a Game be reset is entirely decided by the MPL/MDL official. The following conditions are examples used to illustrate:

a. Remakes before GOR

The following are examples of situations in which a Game may be remade if GOR has not been established:

• If a Player notices that Player's emblems, battle spells or GUI settings have not applied correctly due to a bug between the game lobby and Match, Player can pause the Game to adjust these settings. If the settings cannot be correctly adjusted, then the Game may be restarted.
• If the MPL/MDL Operating Committee determines that technical difficulties will not allow for the Game to resume as normal (including a Team's ability to be in proper position for certain game events, such as minion spawn).
• Should any remakes happen because of the abovementioned situations, the gold and exp lane will not be counted towards keeping the same settings. In whatever way these two lanes randomize in the next game will be taken as is and the game must be played to completion.

b. Remakes after GOR

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

• If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the Match which significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics.
• If the MPL Operating Committee determines that there are environmental conditions which are unfair (e.g. excessive noise, fan gank, hostile weather, unacceptable safety risks).
• Should a remake happen in this way, the game will start with no settings retained and with new picks and bans entirely. Teams will be given extra time of five (5) minutes to recoup and recount their strategy for the remake.

10.3.6 Restart Protocol

If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the Match that significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics, or the external environmental conditions become untenable then a restart may occur.

• Certain circumstances must be met before a restart may occur. The MPL/MDL official must determine that the bug is critical and verifiable. For the bug to be considered critical, the bug must significantly damage a Player's ability to compete in the game situation. The determination of whether the bug has damaged a Player's ability to compete is up to the sole discretion of the MPL/MDL official. In order for a bug to be considered verifiable, the bug must be conclusively present and not possibly attributable to Player’s error. The spectator must then be able to replay the instance in question and verify the bug.
• If a Player believes she/he has experienced a critical bug, they must pause the Game and alert a referee in a timely fashion. If it is believed that a Player is attempting to delay reporting of a bug to wait for a possible restart at a more advantageous time, then a restart will no longer be granted.
• If the MPL/MDL official determines that the bug is critical and verifiable and that the Player followed the pause protocol, then the Team experiencing the bug will be presented with the option for a restart. If the Team accepts, officials will attempt to utilize the rules set in this section to remake the Game. An exception to this is if the restart occurred due to a hero bug, then settings no longer will be retained (including picks and bans) regardless of Game of Record status and the hero may be made ineligible for at least the remainder of the day's Matches unless the bug can be conclusively tied to a specific game element that can be fully removed (i.e. a skin that can be disabled).
• This section is applicable if the pause is directed as per section 'Directed Pause' and does not limit the ability of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee to institute a restart.

10.3.7 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 battle spells. If, however, a Match has reached GOR then the MPL/MDL official shall not retain any settings. If an incident happens where a hero is banned/picked accidentally due to a serious bug, the game will be restarted. If the bug was resolved, the heroes banned/picked before the happening of the incident will be retained. If the occurrence of the bug was proven to be inevitable, the previously banned/picked heroes will not be retained.

10.3.8 Banning of Heroes and Skins

If a match restart was caused by a bug related to a specific hero, the settings for the match will not be retained (including the heroes picked/banned) regardless of the game record. The hero will then be banned in the following matches of the day or for a longer time, unless the bug is determined to be fully related to a specific element that can be completely removed from the game (for example, a hero skin bug).

10.3.9 Player Confirmation of Settings

Each team captain shall verify that every Player on his/her Team has finalized their intended game settings (including emblems, talents, controls, and GUI settings) before GOR is established. Any error in verification is not grounds for a game restart after GOR is established.

Team captains must also verify that all equipment and phone settings are finalized by all members according to their preference.

10.3.10 Discretionary Power

10.3.10.1 Forced Remake/Restart

The MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to remake or restart a game, with any match settings to be the same or not, should they believe it necessary to ensure the best interests of the League. This discretionary power cannot be impeded regardless if this provision lacks language for certain rationale.

10.3.10.2 Win Declaration

a. At their sole discretion, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee shall have the right to reject a remake or restart of a compromised game provided that one team cannot reasonably avoid defeat.

Example:

• Team B is wiped out and, in that time, Team A can reasonably destroy their base before any of their death timers finish the countdown for their heroes to respawn.
• In this scenario, should there be a full compromise of the game that would require a GOR remake, Team A will be declared the winner instead.

b. If the game has been played for over 10 minutes (00:10:00), at their sole discretion, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee shall have the right to reject a remake or restart of a compromised game provided that one team cannot avoid defeat to a degree of reasonable certainty. Operating Committee have final approval and say on an awarded game victory. The following criteria may be used (but are not required to be used) in the determination of reasonable certainty when two (2) out of three (3) criteria are met:

• Gold Differential. Of the total gold earned in the game, one team has earned 57.5% or more of that gold; or
• Remaining Turret Differential. The difference in the number of remaining turrets between the teams is at least seven; or
• Hero Differential. The difference in alive heroes between the teams is at least four with more than 30 seconds of respawn time.

10.4 Postponement

In the event of a technical difficulty which leads the MPL/MDL Operating Committee to declare a restart, they, in their sole discretion, may request a rematch or postponement of the game.

10.5 Post-Game Process

10.5.1 Results

The MPL/MDL official will confirm and record the game result from the referee.

10.5.2 Tech Notes

Players will identify any tech issues with the MPL/MDL official.

10.5.3 Break Time

The MPL/MDL official will inform Players of the remaining amount of time before the next Game's pick/ban phase begins. All players of each team must be on time and present on stage or the play area before this begins. Failure in punctuality after reasonable reminders of the MPL/MDL Official Committee will merit appropriate penalties against the teams.

10.5.4 Results of Forfeiture

Matches won by forfeiture without proper reason will be reported by the minimum score it would take for one Team to win the Match (e.g. 1-0 for BO1 Matches, 2-0 for BO3 Matches, 3-0 for BO5 Matches). No other statistics will be recorded for forfeited Matches.

10.6 Post-Match Process

10.6.1 Results

The MPL/MDL official will confirm and record the match result. The team captain, coach, or manager must sign a document handed over to them by referees to confirm the official results.

10.6.2 Break Time

In cases where breaks or delays between matches and games are necessary, referees will inform the appropriate Team Managers as soon as possible. Updates will also be provided to teams as soon as available.

10.6.3 Next Match

Players will be informed of their current standing in the competition, including their next scheduled Match.

10.6.4 Obligation After Competition

Players will be informed of any post-match obligations, including, but not limited to, media appearances, interviews, or further discussion of any match matters.

Match participants must comply with the uniform arrangement of the MPL/MDL, no Players can act independently without consent (for example, not following others on the bus, night out, changing rooms, etc.).

Match participants cannot bring unauthorized personnel into the Team Member Areas, into the hotel arranged by the committee, ride in buses arranged by the committee or participate in other group events.

11. Player Equipment

11.1 MPL-Provided Equipment

1. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee will provide, and MPL/MDL players will exclusively use, equipment in the following categories to MPL/MDL players for all official onsite MPL/MDL matches. No other personal devices will be allowed in the tournament area. The equipment includes, but are not limited to:
   • Gaming Phone
   • Headsets and/or Earbuds and/or Microphones
   • Tables and Chairs
   • If the match is online, the player can use their own equipment limited to their mobile phones and earphones.
2. Within the match area, players are not allowed to bring any headphones, earbuds and/or microphones that have not been provided by the committee without the approval of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. All player-owned or team-owned equipment must be submitted to the committee in advance for approval. Unapproved equipment or equipment that is suspected by the Operating Committee of providing an unfair competitive advantage will not be permitted for use, and players will be required to use equipment that is provided by the league instead.
3. Within the match area and only during the draft pick, the coach is allowed to bring a notebook or paper. After the draft pick is over, the coach should take all the items listed above away. Players are not allowed to bring notebooks or papers to the competition area.
4. At their discretion, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may disallow the use of any individual piece of equipment for reasons relating to tournament security, safety or operational efficiency or effectiveness.
5. No player-owned or team-owned hardware or equipment may be brought into the match area if it features or displays any name, likeness or logo of a company or brand which is a competitor of the MPL/MDL.
6. The Players hereby agree to adhere to the Infinix Tournament Phone SOP and Risk Management which is annexed herewith this Official Rule as Appendix F.

11.2 Replacement of Equipment

If equipment or technical problems are suspected by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee at any time, a Player or the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may request a technical review of the situation. A league technician will diagnose and troubleshoot problems, as needed.

Technicians may advise that the specific piece of equipment be replaced at their sole discretion should they find anything wrong. Decisions regarding the replacement of any equipment are solely at the discretion of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. If a Player wishes to use personal replacement equipment, the Player must use equipment which has been pre-approved by MPL/MDL Operating Committee otherwise they will be provided replacement equipment by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

a. Phone Replacement

Teams must always use the official tournament phones provided by the league. Should a player experience issues that a league technician or Referee confirms to be true on their phone, they will be given a replacement tournament phone.

However, in the event that no replacement tournament phones are available, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may grant the use of their personal phones for tournament play, provided that tournament officials have been able to screen, test, and clear said phone for use. Teams must take due diligence and reasonable care on behalf of the players by doing the following:

• Submitting a list of mobile phones that players may use as a backup to tournament officials.
• Bringing said devices to the MPL/MDL tech rehearsals before the start of the season for tournament officials to inspect.
• Once cleared by officials, teams must bring these phones during their game days.

Should it not be possible to replace a compromised tournament phone with any of the abovementioned methods, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, at their sole and absolute discretion, may decide to bring in an unprecedented mobile phone to continue the game, remake the game and regard this as a critical bug, or choose to postpone the match.

b. App & Usage

i. Players are prohibited from installing their own apps and must use only the app provided by MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

ii. Voice Chat. Voice chat will be provided only via the native system used in league- provided headsets. Use of third-party voice chat software (e.g., Skype) is not permitted, unless MPL/MDL Operating Committee determines to change the method of voice chat under special circumstances in MPL/MDL Operating Committee’s sole and absolute discretion. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee may monitor a Team's audio at the discretion of MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

iii. Social Media and Communication. It is prohibited to use MPL/MDL provided cell phones to view or post on any social media or communication sites. This includes, but is not limited to, Facebook, X, and email.

iv. Non-Essential Equipment. It is prohibited to connect non-essential equipment to league cellphones for any reason.

11.3 Client Accounts

Players will have match server accounts provided for them by the league. It is the players' responsibility to configure their account to their preferences. The account's Gaming Name must be set only to the player's official tournament handle, as approved by MPL/MDL. The team name and team ID need to be officially submitted before the set date, and cannot be changed after the submission.

11.4 Tournament Equipment and Stage Defaults

11.4.1 Audio Equipment

a. Pink Noise

Default pink noise levels will be dictated by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee and will be considered generic for all teams participating. Pink noise levels may be increased but may not be decreased from the default threshold set by the Operating Committee.

b. Communications Audio

No defaults for comms and teams are free to set these however they see fit with assistance from referees and other league staff.

11.4.2 Audio Controls

Players will be required to maintain volume levels above minimum settings, which will be clearly marked on the controls. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee may require players to adjust their volume levels higher if the official determines, at their sole discretion, that volume levels are too low.

Headphones must be placed directly on a player's ears, and must remain there for the duration of the game. Players are not permitted to obstruct the placement of headphones by any method or place any item, including hats, scarves or other articles of clothing, between the headphones and the player's ears.

11.4.3 Tournament Phone Status

a. In-game Settings

Settings must be completed during the allotted time given during the pre-match procedures. All players are responsible for the accuracy of their settings and all consequences related to the lack thereof once their games begin.

b. UI Settings

Settings must be completed during the allotted time given during the pre-match procedures. All players are responsible for the accuracy of their settings and all consequences related to the lack thereof once their games begin.

11.4.4 Equipment Tampering After Preparation Time

Players may not touch or handle another teammate's owned or provided equipment after the allotted preparation time. Players who require assistance with their equipment should ask for assistance from the MPL/MDL Operating Committee.

11.5 Player and Coach Apparel

a. Players must wear official team uniforms during all MPL/MDL matches and prematch and post-match interviews by the league which also includes Media Day, Player Summit, or any League Obligation. If no team requirement exists, players must wear pants and closed-toe shoes, as well as visible team-branded apparel, on their upper body, during the entirety of any MPL/MDL event or appearance. All participating players must wear matching apparel during the game. Specifically, for pants, players must wear black.

• The matching apparel includes shirts, jerseys, and pants. For the avoidance of doubt, short pants, sweatpants, athletic pants, and/or pajama pants will generally not be considered appropriate attire. Jerseys and all other apparel worn during such times are subject to the restrictions set forth in this Section, and are subject to the review and discretion of the MPL/MDL official.

b. Coaches must don what can be considered fully business casual attire or smart casual attire complemented by their official team jacket. No other form of attire is permissible.

c. Players and Coaches must avoid chewing gum, hats, sunglasses, eyecatching necklaces and pendants while at the match area.

d. Players and coaches must not wear any clothing, accessories, or ornaments that feature brands and/or intellectual property (IP) materials not approved by the MPL/MDL officials. This includes logos, slogans, copyrighted designs, or any other IP that has not been explicitly authorized. Additionally, food and/or beverages are not allowed to be brought onto the stage.

e. Team Members may wear apparel with multiple logos, patches or promotional language. The MPL/MDL official reserves the right at all times to impose a ban on objectionable or offensive apparel:

• Containing any false, unsubstantiated, or unwarranted claims for any product or service, or testimonials, that the MPL/MDL official, in its sole and absolute discretion, considers unethical.
• Advertising any non "over the counter" drug, tobacco product, firearm, handgun or ammunition.
• Containing any material constituting or relating to any activities which are illegal in any MPL/MDL region, including but not limited to, a lottery or an enterprise, service or product that abets, assists or promotes gambling.
• Containing any material that is defamatory, obscene, profane, vulgar, repulsive or offensive, or that describes or depicts any internal bodily functions or symptomatic results of internal conditions, or refers to matters which are not considered socially acceptable topics.
• Advertising any pornographic website or pornographic products.
• Containing any trademark, copyrighted material or other elements of intellectual property that is used without the owner's consent or that may give rise to, or subject MPL/MDL or its affiliates to, any claim of infringement, misappropriation, or other form of unfair competition.
• Disparaging or libeling any opposing Team or Player or any other person, entity or product.
• The league official reserves the right to refuse entry or continued participation in the match to any Team Member who does not comply with the aforementioned apparel rules.

12. Venue, Competition Area Layout, and Other Restrictions

12.1 Stage (Onsite)

The stage onsite is considered the play area where official MPL/MDL games are to be conducted. Under no circumstances are other people allowed on stage outside of players of the next/current match and official MPL/MDL staff. Certain concessions may be made for other individuals provided that they have been cleared by the Operating Committee. The Teams hereby agree to adhere to the league's Stage SOP and Timings, as annexed in these Official Rules in Appendix D.

12.2 Match Area (Online)

The "match area" consists of the area immediately viewable by the team camera. During match play, the presence of team members in the match area is restricted solely to the players of the Teams in play.

12.3 Wireless Devices

Wireless devices, including mobile phones and tablets, are not allowed in the match area. Certain devices may be allowed in the match area provided that it has been thoroughly checked and cleared by the Operating Committee and will not affect the tournament integrity in any way.

12.4 Food and Drink Restrictions

No food is allowed in the match areas. Drinks are permitted in the match area provided that these are all in containers with no branding and will not be cumbersome to keep on the official match tables. The MPL/MDL Operating Committee reserves the right to reject any drinks to be brought into the match area.

12.5 Backstage Match Waiting Area

This area is the designated area for teams that are about to have a match or currently having a match. All team staff are expected to stay in the general area while their team's match is ongoing. Hospitality staff will be on standby for any Team needs for this duration.

12.6 General Waiting Rooms/Holding Rooms

Other Teams that are slated to have their next match while awaiting the current match to finish will each have a holding room to stay in. In these general waiting rooms, Team will be attended to by hospitality staff for any needs and referees will prep them for their upcoming match.

12.7 Media Room

This area will be the designated interview room for media that are in the venue. Interviews may be requested from certain teams before or after their matches. Hospitality staff will be sure to update and guide teams accordingly to this room should it be necessary.

12.8 Crowd Control

Every team is obliged to cooperate with the MPL/MDL Operating Committee to actively manage fans on-site and guide fans to watch the match in order. Arranging or assisting (whether intentional or not) fans to disturb the order is strictly prohibited. The team shall be held responsible for consequences caused by the ill management of fans.

12.9 Rehearsals Obligation

Teams are required to come into technical rehearsals whenever deemed necessary by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee. This includes, but is not limited to, dress rehearsals, tech rehearsals, show openings, and award ceremonies.

Baseline Procedure:

1. Schedules for any rehearsals shall be sent to teams at least one (1) week in advance.
2. Teams must commit the chosen representative/s, either due to the request of the MPL/MDL Operating committee or if given a choice, within one day after the schedule has been aligned.
3. Should a team's representative be incapable of participating, teams shall be enjoined to commit a proper stand-in. These stand-ins must be part of the currently recognized roster of the season. No other stand-ins will be allowed.
4. Should a stand-in be committed instead, said stand-in must be capable of relaying and aligning information from the rehearsal. Each team shall be responsible for their own capabilities on event days.

In the absence of a schedule, as a general rule, teams will be asked to come in at least one (1) or two (2) hours earlier before the start of the broadcast for their match during the playoffs or a two to three (2-3) lead time during the regular season before broadcast days begin.

12.10 League and Match Days Obligation

For the avoidance of doubt, each Team and their Players and coaching staff shall be obligated to attend the following and ensure each Team’s participation in the following League and Match Day Obligations, as and when required by the MPL/MDL Operating Committee at their sole and absolute discretion, as follows:

• League Obligations
  1. Media Days (Asset Day, Promo Day);
  2. Regular Season Player Summit;
  3. Playoffs Player Summit;
  4. Playoffs Opening;
  5. Phone Testing Days;
  6. Regular Season Opening;
  7. Regular Season Closing;
  8. Grand Finals Opening;
  9. Press Conferences;
  10. Promotional Guestings;
  11. Media Committed/Sponsored Segments;
  12. Team Participation on Emergency Protocols;
  13. Player Mic Check Participation; and
  14. Tournament Phone Testing.
• Official League Meetings
  1. Pre-Season Meeting/Briefing;
  2. Weekly Meetings; and
  3. Post-Season Meeting.
• Match Day Obligations
  1. Post-Match Media Interviews;
  2. Pre-Match Social Media, Content, Marketing Shoots & Interviews;
  3. Post-Match Social Media, Content, Marketing Shoots & Interviews; and
  4. Scheduled Meet & Greets.

13. Code of Conduct

13.1 Competition Conduct

13.1.1 Unfair Play

The following actions will be considered unfair play and will be subject to penalties at the discretion of the MPL/MDL Operating Committee, in accordance to the league's Penalty Index, which is annexed herein this Official Rule as Appendix A.

13.1.1.1 Collusion

Collusion is defined as any agreement among two (2) or more Players, Head Coaches, Teams, and/or confederates to disadvantage opposing Players. Collusion includes, but is not limited to, acts such as:

• Soft play is defined as any agreement among two (2) or more Players to not damage, impede or otherwise play to a reasonable standard of competition in a Game.
• Pre-arranging to split prize money and/or any other form of compensation.
• Sending or receiving signals, electronic or otherwise, from a confederate to/from a Player.
• Deliberately losing a Game for prize money, or for any other reason, or attempting to induce another Player to do so.

13.1.1.2 Competitive Integrity

Teams are expected to play at their best at all times within any Game, and to avoid any behavior inconsistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, honesty, or fair play. For the sake of clarity, team composition and the pick/ban phase will not be considered when determining whether this rule has been violated.

13.1.1.3 Hacking

Hacking is defined as any modification of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang game client by any Player, Team or person acting on behalf of a Player or a Team.

13.1.1.4 Exploiting

Exploiting is defined as intentionally using any in-game bug to seek an advantage. Exploiting includes, but is not limited to, acts such as: glitches in buying items, glitches in neutral minion interactions, glitches in Heroes ability performance, or any other game function that, in the sole determination of the MPL/MDL official, is not functioning as intended.

13.1.1.5 Spectator Monitors

Players who are playing in a Game are not permitted to look at or attempt to look at any screen or device that is displaying an observer level view of that Game (i.e., that is or is capable of showing a neutral view of the map).

13.1.1.6 Ringing

Playing under another Player's account or soliciting, inducing, encouraging or directing someone else to play under another Player's account.

13.1.1.7 Cheating Methods

The use of any kind of cheating device and/or cheat program, or any similar cheating method such as signaling devices, hand signals, etc.

13.1.1.8 Intentional Disconnection

An intentional disconnection without a proper and explicitly-stated reason.

13.1.1.9 MPL/MDL Official Discretion

Any other further act, failure to act, or behavior which, in the sole judgment of the MPL/MDL official, violates these Rules and/or the standards of integrity established by MPL/MDL for competitive game play.

13.1.2 Insulting Behavior

A Team Member may not take any gesture directed to an opponent, fan, or official, or incite any other individual(s) to do the same, which is disparaging to a person's race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or cognitive ability (or disability as to whatever is applicable).

Additionally, excessive profanity or obscene gestures directed at an opponent, fan, or official, or inciting any other individual(s) to do the same will be harshly penalized, intentional or not. This applies to before, during, and after the match, and beyond.

13.1.3 Studio Interference

No Team Member may touch or otherwise interfere with lights, cameras or other studio equipment. Team Members may not stand on chairs, tables or other studio equipment. Team Members must follow all instructions of MPL/MDL studio personnel.

13.1.4 Unauthorized Communications

All mobile phones, tablets and other voice-enabled and/or "ringing" electronic devices must be removed from the play area before the Game. Players may not text/email or use social media while in the match area. During the Match, communication by a Starter shall be limited to the Players on the Starter's Team.

13.1.5 Professional Manner

Players are expected to compete in a professional manner. Throwing a match, halting play without cause, or showing a flagrant lack of effort will be construed as a violation of player conduct, and will result in match penalties, forfeit and disqualification from the League.

13.1.6 Contest Manner

1. All MPL/MDL players must sit upright during online contests when livestreaming, and may not put their feet on the seat, sit cross-legged or act in an otherwise unseemly manner. Mobile phones must also only be used on the desktop.
2. Competitors and team members must respect the backstage order; refrain from making loud noises, fool around or negatively affect other teams’ preparations; and shall keep the team lounge clean and tidy.
3. During the contest, competitors are not allowed to stand-up or leave their seats without the referee’s permission. In the case of special circumstances, players should raise their hand and obtain permission from the referee.
4. Before the start and after the finish of a series contest, competitors from both teams shall take to the center of the stage and fistbump/shake hands (right hand) as a mark of respect. They shall then return to their team zone after shaking hands.
5. No team member shall maliciously commit any act that negatively affects the contest during the contest period.

13.1.7 Identity

A Player may not cover his or her face or attempt to conceal his or her identity from the MPL/MDL official. The MPL/MDL official must be able to distinguish the identity of each Player at all times and may instruct Players to remove any material that inhibits the identification of Players or is a distraction to other Players or the MPL/MDL official.

13.2 Etiquette and Social Media Speech

League participants (including but not limited to: clubs, players, coaches or other team members) in any place (including online and offline private and public places, including but not limited to games clients, game platforms, social software, social media, live broadcast platforms, media reports, etc.) must comply with the norms required by this chapter, and must not make any discriminatory (including race, color, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion beliefs, political opinions, etc.); derogatory personality of others (including but not limited to: name, portrait, reputation, honor, privacy, etc.); content that is excessive or morally controversial, fabricated facts, and any other speech or behavior that may affect the league, MPL PH/MDL PH official and its related parties (including but not limited to league sponsors, other participants) caused damage; negative impact and risk remarks. Otherwise, officials have the right to make severe punishments based on the nature and consequences of the behavior.

The above-mentioned speech acts include but are not limited to:

13.2.1 Prohibited Gestures

Any action that is generally considered to be insulting or any action prohibited by MPL PH/MDL PH is forbidden to be shown in any place (including online and offline private and public places, including but not limited to games clients, game platforms, social software, social media, live broadcast platforms, media reports, etc.)

These poses include, but are not limited to, a list below:

• The middle finger
• The nazi salute
• Any form of gang signs
• Gestures involving the male or female genitalia
• Gestures implying anything sexual in nature
• Hand seal pose
• Any hand signs or gestures that are intentionally political in nature

At the discretion of the tournament operating committee, this list may be expanded whenever necessary at any point in time.

13.2.2 Abusive Behavior

Abuse (including but not limited to the MPL/MDL official, opposing Team Members, or audience members) on any occasion (including but not limited to social media, live streaming) and at any time will not be tolerated. Repeated etiquette violations, including but not limited to touching another Player's cellphone, body or property will result in penalties. Team Members and their guests (if any) must treat all individuals attending a Match with respect.

13.2.3 Profane and Hostile Speech

A Team Member may not use language that is obscene, foul, vulgar, insulting, threatening, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory or otherwise offensive or objectionable; or promote or incite hatred or discriminatory conduct, in or near the Match Area, at any time. A Team Member may not use any facilities, services or equipment provided or made available by MPL/MDL or its contractors to post, transmit, disseminate or otherwise make available any such prohibited communications. A Team Member may not use this type of language on social media or during any public-facing events such as streaming.

13.2.4 Defamation Towards the Organizers

Statements Regarding Moonton, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, MPL and/or MDL, Team Members may not give, make, issue, authorize or endorse any statement or action having, or designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of MPL, MDL, Moonton or its affiliates, or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the officials.

13.2.5 Releasing Information without Approval

Teams will be asked to submit paperwork for approval or visibility throughout the MPL/MDL. This paperwork is necessary for maintaining expectations throughout the MPL/MDL. Early announcements can disrupt the competitive scouting a Team would use to create strategies for upcoming Matches. For this reason, if a Team Member has been told not to release information, as it may undermine the competitive process, and the Team Member proceeds to release said information, then the Team Member and/or Team will be subject to penalties.

13.2.6 Confidentiality

A Team Member may not disclose any confidential information provided by MPL/MDL official, the MPL/MDL or any affiliate of the MPL/MDL, by any method of communication, including all social media channels.

13.3 Unprofessional Behavior

13.3.1 Responsibility Under Code

Unless expressly stated otherwise, offenses and infringements of the Official Rules are punishable, whether or not they were committed intentionally. Attempts to commit such offenses or infringements are also punishable.

13.3.2 Harassment

Harassment is forbidden. Harassment is defined as systematic, hostile and repeated acts taking place over a considerable period of time, or a singular egregious instance, which is/are intended to isolate or ostracize a person and/or affect the dignity of the person.

13.3.3 Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is forbidden. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances. The assessment is based on whether a reasonable person would regard the conduct as undesirable or offensive. There is zero tolerance for any sexual threats/coercion or the promise of advantages in exchange for sexual favors.

13.3.4 Discrimination and Denigration

Team Members may not offend the dignity or integrity of a country, private person or group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigrating words or actions on account of race, skin color, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, financial status, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason.

13.3.5 Criminal Activity

A Team Member may not engage in any activity which is prohibited by common law, statute, or treaty and which leads to or may be reasonably deemed likely to lead to conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction.

13.3.6 Behavior Contrary to Morality

Team members can't participate in any actions considered by the MPL/MDL officials to be immoral, disgraceful or contrary to traditional morals and ethics.

13.3.7 Bribery

No Team Member may offer any gift or reward to a Player, Coach, Manager, MPL official, Moonton employee, or person connected with or employed by another MPL/MDL Team for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing Team.

13.3.8 No Poaching or Tampering

No Team Member or Affiliate of a Team may solicit, lure, or make an offer of employment to any official Coach or Player who is signed to any MPL/MDL Team, nor encourage any such official Coach or Player to breach or otherwise terminate a contract with said Team. An official Coach or Player may not solicit a Team to violate this rule. An official Coach or Player may express publicly their desire to leave the Team and encourage any and all interested parties to contact their management (i.e. a general statement aimed at the entire marketplace) after obtaining the consent of the Team. But, to be clear, the Head Coach or Player may not entice a Team directly to reach out to their management or attempt to violate their contractual obligations (i.e. a Player cannot contact or callout a Team and suggest that they inquire about the Player).

Violations of this rule shall be subject to penalties, at the discretion of the MPL/MDL official. To inquire about the status of an official coach or Player from another Team, Managers must contact the management of the Team that the Player and/or official coach is currently contracted with. The inquiring Team must provide visibility to the MPL/MDL officials before being able to discuss the contract with a Player.

13.3.9 Gifts

No Team Member may accept any gift, reward or compensation for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in connection with competitive play of the Game, including services related to defeating or attempting to defeat a competing Team or services designed to throw or fix a Match or Game. The sole exception to this rule shall be in the case of performance-based compensation paid to a Team Member by a Team's official sponsor or owner.

13.3.10 Non-Compliance

No Team Member may refuse or fail to apply the reasonable instructions or decisions of the MPL/MDL officials.

13.3.11 Match Fixing

No Team Member may offer, agree, conspire, or attempt to influence the outcome of a Game or Match by any means that are prohibited by law or these Rules. Any team or player has the responsibility to report any match-fixing activities to the league. Teams or players who have knowledge of match fixing but have not reported it to the league will be deemed as an accessory to the violation and shall be penalized by the league.

13.3.12 Detrimental Service

Team Members cannot take part in any event or business which is related to boosting/piloting, unofficial top-up platform, account selling, etc. Additionally, promoting, endorsing, or advertising any such detrimental services is strictly prohibited. Any Teams or Players have the responsibility to report any team members detrimental service to the league and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Teams or Players who have knowledge of detrimental service but have not reported it to the league will be deemed as an accessory to the violation and shall be penalized by the league.

13.3.13 Document or Miscellaneous Requests

Documentation or other reasonable items may be required at various times throughout the season as requested by the MPL/MDL officials. If the documentation is not completed to the standards set by the MPL/MDL then a Team may be subject to penalties. Penalties may be imposed if the items requested are not received and completed at the required time.

13.3.14 No Smoking

It is not permitted to smoke inside non-smoking areas or other actions which violate venue rules when in the venues provided by the official. Vaping is considered the same as smoking. For onsite matches, the match area or any area captured by official cameras are considered non- smoking areas.

13.3.15 Account Transaction

Any Team Members are not allowed to transfer the account and benefit from it. MPL/MDL officials will not solve any issues caused by account transactions. People who made the transaction will be penalized.

13.3.16 Piloting

Any MPL/MDL Team Members are not allowed to pilot for other teams in MPL PH/MDL PH or other Players in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

13.4 Association with Gambling

No Team Member or MPL/MDL official from the MPL/MDL Operating Committee may take part, either directly or indirectly, in betting or gambling ("gambling") in any MLBB related-matches as expounded on the section 8.8 of this Rulebook.

Further to the above, any Player associated with any gambling sponsors shall be required to serve a 90-day cooldown period prior to being eligible to participate in MPL PH/MDL PH. The said gambling sponsors shall not be allowed to use the images of the Players for any purposes whatsoever. In the event of non-compliance of this Clause 13.4, the Player and the Team (in the league’s sole and absolute discretion) shall be penalized in accordance to the provisions of the Penalty Index.

13.5 Team Conduct

13.5.1 Team Activities

Before any team’s player partake in a non-official marketing/commercial activities by third party entities, an official notice to the league would need to be submitted. Permission would need to be obtained from the league for activities such as show matches or anything that is related to MLBB game. Any team activities should not directly or indirectly affect the league image in a negative way. Violators will be subjected to penalties.

13.5.2 Media Shoot Activities

MPL/MDL would have requirements throughout the season for teams and their personnel to conduct and participate in a league sanctioned media shoot. This includes but is not limited to profile shoot, video shoot etc. Teams and Players need to cooperate with the league to complete such requirements within the timeline and other requirements set by the league. Any misconduct such as lateness during the activity will be subjected to league penalties.

13.6 Indirect Violation

Any Teams or Players are not allowed to directly or through any third parties, entice, encourage, assist, force, etc. anyone to break the rules and regulations of the league.

14. Compliance with Penalty Rules

14.1 Subjection to Penalty

a. Any person found to have engaged in or attempted to engage in any act that the MPL/MDL official believes, in their sole and absolute discretion, constitutes unfair play, will be subject to penalties in accordance with the league's Penalty Index as annexed herein this Official Rules as Annexure A. The nature and extent of the penalties imposed due to such acts shall be in the sole and absolute discretion of the league officials.

b. When the circumstances of the violation are significantly minor or the circumstances are particularly serious, the MPL/MDL Operating Committee has the right to make any penalties outside the scope of the penalties specified in the league's Penalty Index based on the consequences of the specific violation.

14.2 Penalties

• Upon discovery of any Team Member committing any violations of these Rules, the MPL/MDL official may, without limitation of its authority, issue the following penalties:
  1. Verbal or written warning(s).
  2. Fine(s) or confiscation of prize.
  3. Suspension(s) for attending MLBB official tournaments.
  4. Disqualification(s) for MPL PH/MDL PH.
  5. Restricted access to MPL PH venues.
  6. Restrict participation in activities related to MPL PH/MDL PH.
  7. Disqualification for any personal rewards selection.
  8. Suspension for whole career.
  9. Any other punishment deemed fit by the authority of MPL/MDL.
• Upon discovery of any Team or Organization committing any violations of these Rules,the MPL/MDL official may, without limitation of its authority, issue the following penalties:
  1. Verbal or written warning(s).
  2. Loss of side selection for current or future game(s).
  3. Loss of ban for current or future game(s).
  4. Fine(s) and/or revenue sharing confiscation.
  5. Loss of game(s).
  6. Loss of match(es).
  7. Transfer transactions and/or new player registration rejections;
  8. Suspension(s) for attending MLBB official tournaments.
  9. Disqualification(s) for MPL PH/MDL PH.
  10. Disqualification for any team rewards selection.
  11. Any other punishment deemed fit by the authority of MPL/MDL.
• Repeated infractions are subject to escalating penalties, up to, and including, disqualification from future participation in MPL/MDL. It should be noted that penalties may not always be imposed in a successive manner. The MPL/MDL officials, in its sole discretion, for example, can disqualify a Player for a first offense if the action of said Player is deemed egregious enough to be worthy of disqualification by the MPL/MDL official.
• Penalties that state a listed amount of time for discipline will only apply to competition months. Competition months are defined as the months in which MPL professional competitions are taking place.
• Infractions will be governed by the league Penalty Index, which can be found in the Appendix A.
• Penalty counts will be tracked and monitored by the committee on an annual basis throughout the esports calendar year.

14.3 Penalties for Policy Breach

If the officials determine that a Team or Team Member has violated the Official Rules, or other rules of MPL/MDL, the MPL/MDL officials or the Operating committee may assign penalties at their sole discretion.

14.4 Player/Team Behavior Investigation

If the MPL/MDL official determines that a Team or Team Member has violated the Code of Conduct, or other Official Rules, the MPL/MDL official may contact the Team or Team Member to discuss the investigation, the Team or Team Member is obligated to tell the truth. If a Team or Team Member withholds information or misleads the officials creating an obstruction to the investigation, then the Team and/or Team Member is subject to penalties.

14.5 Right to Publish

The MPL/MDL officials shall have the right to publish a declaration stating that a Team and/or a Team Member has been penalized. Any Team Members and/or Team which may be referenced in such declaration hereby waive any right of legal action against the MDL, MPL, Moonton, and/or any of their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, agents, or contractors.

14.6 Appeal

In the event that a Team/Team Member who is subject to penalties has doubts about the MPL/MDL official’s decisions for the penalties, the Team/Team Member may file an appeal against the decisions with the MPL/MDL through email. The appeal will be reviewed by the Operating Committee.

14.7 Other Penalization Principles

• Should any teams or players of the league violate rule 14.5, the Operating Committee has the right to implement penalties based on the actions of the team or player in question as per interpreted by the league. The league maintains the right to set the penalty whereby the severity may range based on the actions of the violators beyond the penalties stated in the rules and regulation.
• Other than league penalties as per stated in the rules and regulation document, if the violation infringes or any law, the league has the right to turn over the violator and related information to local legal entities.

15. Spirit of the Rules

15.1 Finality of Decisions

All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the MPL/MDL, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with MPL/MDL, the decisions of which are final. Committee decisions with respect to these Rules cannot be appealed and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages or any other legal or equitable remedy.

15.2 Rule Changes

These Rules may be amended, modified or supplemented by the Operating Committee, from time to time, in order to ensure fair play and the integrity of the league.

15.3 Best Interests of the League

The MPL, MDL, and its Operating Committees will, at all times, may act with the necessary authority to preserve the best interests of the league. This power is not constrained by the lack of any specific language in this document. The Operating Committee may use any form of punitive actions at their disposal against any entity whose conduct is not within the confines of the best interests of the league.

16. Reservation of Rights

League Operations reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify MPL/MDL competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, human error or any other factor within or outside of League Operations’ control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the competition, as determined by League Operations. If the competition is so terminated, League Operations reserves the right to determine the winners of said competition from among all non-suspect, eligible Participants. 

Appendices

Appendix A

MPL PH Penalty Index

MDL PH Penalty Index

Appendix B

Participant Eligibility Agreement

Appendix C

Referee Risk and Problem Matrix

Appendix D

Stage SOP

Timings SOP

Appendix E

League Ops On-Ground SOP

Appendix F

Tournament Phone and Risk Management SOP

Appendix G

Team Sponsorship Update SOP

Appendix H

Official Roster Change SOP

Appendix I

MPL Alamat Awards Criteria and Selection

MDL Special Awards Criteria and Selection

Appendix J

Team Sponsor Promotion Materials Approval SOP