Rules - Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines

Rules

Table of Content

1. Introduction

2. Structure, Schedule and Prize

3. Team Member Eligibility

4. Team Names, Team Logos, and Player Names

5. Team Ownership and Roster Rules

6. Active Roster Change

7. Match Process

8. Competitive Patch & Match Server

9. Game Rules

10. Player Equipment

11. Venue and Competition Area Layout

12. Code of Conduct

13. Compliance With Penalty Rules

Introduction
- The Official Rules, including any modifications, updates, amendments, adjustments and/or supplements there to (“Modifications”), have been adopted by the Moonton (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” (“MPL”, or the “League”), including in all pre-season, regular-season, and post-season games, matches and tournaments and all other Moonton-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 by Moonton 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. Applicability
  - The Official Rules govern the conduct of the players, including without limitation to players (each, a “Player”), Head Coach (as defined below), General 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 (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.
  1. Effectivity of Rules
    The rules in this document will remain effective until a new version of the rules are made.
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 Team Member certificate and acceptance form in a form to be provided by the League. Each Owner must, as a condition of his/her/its ownership of a Team, agree to comply at all times with the Official Rules. The documents and files pointed by the Operating committee are also part of official rules, which all the participating teams also need to follow.
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, Moonton (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.

Structure, Schedule and Prize

Definition of Terms
1. Game. An instance of competition on the map designated by MPL 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 a base)
  - (b) Team Surrender, or
  - (c) Team Disqualified,
  - (d) MPL officials deems a team has won.
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.
3. Split (a.k.a. Season). There will be [2] splits (i.e. seasons) every year.. Each split will consist of three phases:
  - Qualifiers;
  - Regular Season, played after Qualifiers;
  - Playoffs, played after Regular Season.
Schedule
Phase Details
1. Regular Season.
  - There are 8 teams in total for the Regular Season.
  - Each team will play TWO BO3s with the other seven teams.
  - The ranking of the competition will be determined by points.
    - Winning the BO3 game by 2:0 grants 3 points;
    - Winning the BO3 game by 2:1 grants 2 points;
    - Losing the BO3 game by 1:2 grants 1 point;
    - Losing the BO3 game by 0:2 grants 0 points.
  - Please visit the MPL official website to view the complete date and schedule.
2. Regular Season Tiebreaker. In the event that multiple teams are tied in the standings at the conclusion of either Regular Season (as defined as having the same match winning score),
  1. If the points ranking in the BO3 Match is the same, the tied Teams will be ranked by head-to-head record;
  2. If multiple teams are tied and are unable to determine the winner through head-to-head record, the tied Teams will be ranked by the amount of winning games. The Team will be given 1 point for winning a game and deducted 1 point for losing a game;
  3. If multiple teams are tied and are unable to determine the winner through head-to-head record and amount of winning games, then additional Matches will be held (BO1). Tied teams will participate in a single cycle of BO1, and will be ranked according to points;
  4. In the event of equal amount of winning games, the tied Teams will be ranked by head-to-head record;
  5. If still no winner can be determined through points and head-to-head record, they will be ranked according to the average match length of their victories in the additional Matches with a shorter match length being ranked higher;
  6. In the event of exceptional cases or other unforeseeable circumstances, the MPL officials will voice the final decision.
3. Playoffs. The top six teams in the Regular Season point rankings will enter into the Playoffs. Teams that have qualified from the Regular Season will compete against each other in a fixed order. The Playoffs competition order is set out below and the MPL officials will notify of any adjustments made to this order ahead of time.

Prize

Regular Season Prize. During the Regular Season, every Team shall receive a reward of $300.00 each week (Weekly 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:
1. If a team wins the Match by 2-0, the winning team shall get $900.00 while the loser get $0.00;
2. If a team wins the Match by 2-1, the winning team shall get $600.00, and the losing team shall get $300.00.
Best Regular-season Lineup During the Regular Season, MPL officials will select the top 5 players in each position and award each player a $500.00 bonus.
Best Commentator/Analyst At the end of the season, MPL officials will select the best commentator/analyst and award a $500.00 bonus.

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

Position	Prize
Champion	$ 35,000.00 USD/ team
2nd Place	$ 20,000.00 USD/ team
3rd Place	$ 10,000.00 USD/ team
4th Place	$ 5,000.00 USD/ team
5-6th Place	$ 2,500.00 USD/ team

Grand Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP) The FMVP will be rated by the MPL official and awarded a $1,000.00 bonus.
Rookie of the Season The Rookie of the season will be rated by the MPL officials and awarded a $500.00 bonus.
Taxes. 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.
Payment. The prizes for Regular Season or Playoffs shall be paid to the teams respectively within one months after the closure of Regular Season or Playoffs and the designated receiving accounts are provided by the teams (whichever is later).

Team Member Eligibility
1. General Rules
  1. Formation. Each Team is required to maintain one General Manager, one Head Coach, five Players across their starting lineup ("Starter") and one to five substitute Players ("Substitute") during the entire MPL. Each Team is required to maintain five Starters, and one Substitute, and any failure to maintain such numbers shall be subject to penalties.
  2. Contract Requirements.
    1. Signing
      - The Team shall enter into a legal and effective written contract respectively with every Players and Head Coach on the Team’s Active Roster;
    2. Eligibility Form
      - The Team shall collect and submit the Eligibility Form as provided by Moonton that is duly signed by every Player, Head Coach and Manager to Moonton;
    3. Review and Approval
      - Any agreement required to be submitted by a Team under this clause shall be reviewed and approved by Moonton.
  3. 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. “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 the 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.
2. Player Eligibility
  1. Player Age
    - No Player shall be considered eligible to participate in any MPL competitions before having lived 14 full years. This shall not prevent the Teams from signing Free Agents who have not lived 14 full years, granted that they may not participate in an MPL competition until they have lived 14 full years. Players must pass the age of 14, otherwise they will be considered as 13 years old and be banned from participating in MPL. The player's age will be counted according to the exact birthdate, not 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.
  2. Regional Residency Requirement.
    1. Team Formation. At least three (3) out of the five Players on the Starting Line-up of a Team are required to be Citizens of the countries or regions where the MPL competitions are held (e.g., Philippines). A Team may not have more than 3 non-citizen Players who are living in the country or region during the whole season. No more than 2 non-citizen Players may be listed in the starting lineup of the Team.
    2. Citizenship. A 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.
    3. Single Residency Status. A Player may only be a Citizen of a single region at any point in time.
  3. Work Eligibility. Each Player must submit the following documents as proof of identity when participating in any MPL competitions:
    1. Legal proof of the right to reside in the country or region where the MPL competition is held (e.g., Philippines) in accordance with local laws;
    2. Permission to work in the country or region of the competition (e.g., Philippines). The Players who are not citizens of the country or region where the MPL competition is held require a work visa (specific details are determined by local laws).
  4. Player Eligibility Agreement. Player Eligibility Agreement. All registered MPL-PH S8 players must sign Player Eligibility Agreement with MPL Officials within two weeks after the end of the Transfer Window Period. Any delay caused by the team or player will result in a penalty for the team or player.
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 MPL officials before being published on the official MPL website.
  1. Registration and Approval. The designation of Head Coach by the Team shall go through the registration and approval formalities with MPL officials before being published on the official website of MPL. Any publishing of such designation by any Team or Team Member before being approved by the MPL officials is prohibited and will be subject to penalties.
  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 season (including but not limited to not being the Starter, Substitute or General Manager for any Team).
  3. Presence. The Head Coach is allowed to be on-site for every Game that its Team participates in.
  4. Change. Changes to Head Coaches must be submitted to the MPL officials for approval during the Transfer Window Period before the changes can be carried out.
  5. In case of emergency, (please refer to Emergency in Substitution for more information), the head coach could be temporarily registered as a substitute player.
4. General 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, on-site studio coordination and weekly update calls. This same person is responsible to travel with the Team to all events, domestic or international, to uphold the aforementioned duties.
Team Names, Team Logos and Player Names
1. Team Names and Team Logos.
  1. 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 (‘’).
  2. When applying with the MPL officials 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 MPL officials are entitled to use, at its own discretion, the full Team name and/or the short Team name on any occasion.
  3. 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.
  4. The MPL officials reserve the final right to approve Team names and logos.
  5. Any applications regarding changes to Team names or logos must be submitted to the MPL officials at least 10 days in advance, the new name or logo can only be used after obtaining approval. Teams can only apply to change their name during the Transfer Window Period and can only apply to change their Name once within each Transfer Window Period.
2. Player Names
  1. Player names must only contain English characters, numbers or single space between words only. The length should be 4 to 12 characters. Player Names cannot contain a sponsor's name.
  2. In case of duplicated names, the player should change the name after consulting the authority.
  3. Players and Coaches In-Game Nickname must be unique. There cannot be any repetition of In-Game Nickname within the Philippines official esports ecosystem. Newly registered MPL Philippines Players and coaches cannot register In-Game Nicknames that are the same or similar to previously registered In-Game Nickname.
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.
4. Sponsors
  - An MPL 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 or any game, competition, league or tournament related to Moonton. The MPL officials have the ability to update the category list at any time. The following is a nonexclusive list of limited sponsors:
  1. Prohibited Sponsorship
    - Any Team/ Team Member, may not acquire sponsorships in the below listed categories:
    1. casino or gambling websites;
    2. websites displaying or related to pornographic imagery or products;
    3. firearms, handguns, or ammunition providers;
    4. alcoholic beverages or food;
    5. prohibited drugs;;
    6. tobacco or cigarettes, including e-cigarette and vaping products;
    7. account sharing/skin selling websites
    8. Other products or services that Moonton determine are detrimental to the MPL or in a competitive relationship with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang mobile game.
  2. Sponsorship Approval
    - A team or player must provide the following information to MPL officials for permission before being sponsored.
    1. The sponsor’s information, such as its name, logo, sponsor category, etc.;
      1. 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, the design of such T-shirt needs to be provided in the request.).
5. Review
  1. Approval. All Team Names, Logos, Player Names and Sponsors must be approved by the MPL official in advance of use in tournaments.
  2. Changes. Changes to the Team Names, Logos and Player Names are not allowed except under certain extenuating circumstances, and must be approved by anMPL official prior to use in an MPL Game. Any cosmetic change must be made before the designated date. The MPL official has the right to deny a Team name if it does not reflect the professional standards sought by the MPL. The MPL officially reserves the final right to approve names and logos.
Team Ownership and Roster Rules
1. Ownership Restrictions
  1. "Club Sole Owners"
    - 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. 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.
    - The definition of a "Club Sole Owner" is as follows:
    1. Company Name: MPL teams must belong to an independent company entity, multiple teams cannot be managed by a single company.
    2. Team names and logos: All MPL 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 team must have their 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 team can have their 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 Team must have their own individual "Team Base", a Team Base cannot be used by multiple teams.
    6. Transfer Rules: Every MPL team must adhere to the MPL 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 team through any other means before the end of the final MPL 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 MPL. Any person that petitions for ownership into the MPL can be denied admission if they are found to have not acted with the professionalism sought by the MPL. Someone seeking admission into the MPL 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.
  2. Sponsorship and Naming Rights
    - Changes in Ownership and Sponsors with naming rights may only occur during the designated transfer window by MPL.
    1. Sale of Sponsorships and Related Issues.
      - Any Team Manager or owner may only sell or manage sponsorships or brand elements for the team with which he or she is affiliated. The Team Owner may not provide any ownership interests in the Team Owner or team or any brand elements thereof to any third party person or entity who engages in the business of selling or managing MPL esports teams.
2. Active Roster
  1. Formation. Starters and Substitutes form the "Active Roster". No individual may simultaneously hold two or more of the roles listed above.
  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.
  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.
  4. All official players of a club and other members in service of a team must have a written contract, teams which are formed from a group of individuals must submit a group registration form to MPL officials. An MPL 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 6 below.
  5. Managers and Head Coaches can promote or "develop" substitute players who can be substituted as one of the Active Roster's starters, or vice versa, starters can be demoted to substitutes.
3. Submission of Active Roster
  1. Time. At a time designated by MPL official before the start of each split, each Team must submit their Active Roster to the MPL official, including five members of the Starters and one to five members of the Substitutes. In the event that a General Manager elects to modify the Active Roster, the General Manager must submit requests in compliance with the Official Rules. In the event that a General Manager selects to modify the starting lineup, the General Manager must make a request to modify the starting lineup in compliance with the Official Rules. Any request to modify rosters shall be made in advance of any proposed effective date of any such change.
  2. Late Request. If a request is submitted too late for MPL officials to make reasonable arrangements for a new Player to travel to an MPL Match, the League may, at their discretion, hold the Team responsible for the incremental costs of such Player's travel, regardless of any other rules to the contrary.
  3. Review. The MPL official reserves the right to approve or deny any request to modify Active Rosters, based upon the eligibility of the Players involved and the compliance with these Rules of such request.
  4. Requests to modify the active roster (including starters and substitutes for the team's first games on a Regular Season week) may not be submitted any later than 2 hours prior to the start of that broadcast and/or webcast.
  5. A Team may substitute Players between Games of a Match. The Team must notify an MPL referee and have the substitution approved, no later than eight minutes after the previous Game. For example, if a team wishes to substitute a player for game 2, then the coach must notify an MPL referee no later than eight minutes following game 1.
  6. In the event of an emergency, a Team will be given certain time to find an immediate Substitute. If a replacement cannot be found, the Team will forfeit. MPL Officials will determine if an event qualifies as an emergency.
4. Substitutions
  1. First Game. Requests to modify the starting lineup for the Team's first Game on a Regular Season week may not be submitted any later than 2 hours prior to the start of that broadcast and/or webcast. During the regular season. For playoffs other than each team first match of the day, Teams are allowed to modify their roster 30 minutes prior to the start the next match during the same day
  2. Substitutions during Match. A Team may substitute Players between Games of a Match. The Team must notify an MPL referee and have the substitute approved no later than eight minutes after the previous Game. For example, if a Team wishes to substitute a Player in for Game 2, then the General Manager must notify and seek approval from an MPL referee no later than eight minutes following Game 1.
  3. Emergency. In the event of an emergency, a Team will be given certain time to find an immediate Substitute upon approval of an MPL official. In cases where a team is unable to find a substitute player within 2 hours of the competition commencement, the Team will forfeit. MPL officials will determine if an event qualifies as an emergency.A substitute player, who could be the chief coach or any other player who hasn’t participated in such events may be allowed to participate. A substitute player should satisfy the requirements stipulated in Player Eligibility of Team Member Eligibility.
5. Third Party Tournaments
  1. In order to unify the uniqueness and value of the MPL-PH, policies are imposed for teams who want to join third party MLBB tournaments:
    1. MPL-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: play.mobilelegends.com
    2. 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 MPL Officials at least 1 week before the tournament. MPL-PH will still be the priority for teams if any conflict arises between MPL-PH and third party tournaments.
    3. Teams are not allowed to attend the third party tournaments without official approval.
    4. This policy is valid all the time. Even during season/split breaks.
Active Roster Change
- Teams are authorized to use two methods to make changes to its Active Roster: (1) trading Players with other Teams, and (2) signing (or releasing) free agents. All changes to Active Roster shall be approved by MPL official before they will be considered effective.
1. General Roster Change Rules
  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.
  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 trade shall have the responsibility to ensure that all proper approvals are sought and procured before the change would be considered to take effect.
  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 official at least two weeks before the termination.
  4. Active Roster Requirement. No change to the Active Roster shall relieve a Team of the requirement to maintain an Active Roster including five Starters and one Substitute during the Regular Season. After the Transfer Window Period, 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 official.
  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 MPL official as a result of the death or disability of a Player or the suspension or banning of a Player by the MPL official as a result of the violation of the Official Rules.
  6. Contract records. All Player Services Agreements must be recorded with the MPL official. The MPL official will be unable to confirm validity of any Player Services Agreements that have not been recorded. If a Player Services Agreement has been recorded with the MPL official, Teams or Players can report the other party to the MPL official in the case of a violation thereof. The MPL official will penalize the defaulting parties in light of the seriousness of the violation.
2. Player Trades
  - A Team may trade Players held on its Active Roster with another Team, provided that the details of the trade, including copies of all written agreements, are submitted to an MPL official for approval in written form. The trade between Teams must be completed before the end of the Transfer Window Period of a split through mail or written form. The MPL official will not approve any trades which exceed this period. Inter-Club player trade rules are as follows:
  1. Quantity. There is no maximum total number of Players who may be traded per split.
  2. Frequency. One Player can only be traded once during a Transfer Window Period and can only play for one Team during one split. Player rosters are determined according to the enrollment information.
  3. Trade Time. Trade can start on the start date of the Transfer Window Period at the earliest, they cannot be carried out after the deadline of the Transfer Window Period. “Transfer Window Period” refers to the time window published by the MPL official, during which trades are allowed to be carried out by Teams.
  4. Global Anti-Poaching and Anti-Interference Policies. During the period when the Player has not completed its Player Services Agreements, Teams can only carry out transactions and negotiations through the Player's Team. Any private communication with Players regarding trades will be regarded as a violation of global anti-poaching and anti-interference policies. The MPL official reserves the right to carry out penalties to the appropriate extent in the event of the aforementioned situation.
  5. Regional Player Trading. According to the requirements as provided in the Official Rules, Players can be traded within a single region.
  6. Transaction Requirements. Only the transaction involving Players on Active Roster shall seek the approval of the MPL official.
  7. League Approval. Trade requests must be submitted to the MPL official by the Teams in advance, in writing, and approved by the MPL official, in writing, before becoming effective. The trade request approval process consists of the MPL official confirming that the trades are occurring within the approved Transfer Window Period and must meet all qualifications and other rules.
    1. Request Form. The request must be made using the Trade Approval Request Form as provided by the MPL official 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 trade;
      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;
      7. General Manager’s Signature. The General Manager of each Team involved in a trade or a series of trades must sign the Trade Approval Request Form. Unsigned Trade Approval Request Forms will not be processed by the MPL official.
      - 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.
  8. Effective Date. Upon the approval of the MPL official, the trade will instantly take effect unless the Trade Approval Request Form clearly appoints a later date to take effect from. However, under any circumstance, the effective date of any trade that is specified during a tournament period must not be later than the deadline of the Transfer Window Period of the tournament.
3. Free Agent Signings
  - The provisions on free agency in these Rules are designed to promote team continuity, prevent last-minute roster changes which damage team identity and cohesion, protect MPL tournament integrity, and enhance fan enjoyment of MPL tournament play. To that end, MPL has established limited periods of time or windows during which free agents can be signed. A Team may sign free agents as follows.
    1. Free Agent. A Free Agent is any Player eligible to participate in the MPL competitions and either: (a) has not yet signed a valid written Player Services Agreement with a Team or (b) has been released from a Team or has had a contract expiry without a renewal. Merely being "in negotiations" with a Team does not change a Free Agent's status. Free Agents are free to sign with any Team, so long as they continue to meet all Player eligibility requirements.
    2. Free Agent Period. Teams can sign a Free Agent at any given time.
    3. Active Roster Requirement. Free Agent signings don't relieve a Team of the requirement to maintain an Active Roster, including but not limited to five Starters and one Substitute during the Regular Season.
    4. Approval. Free agent signing requests must be submitted by a Team in advance, in writing, and approved by the MPL 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.
    5. Announcement. The approval of the MPL official is required for Head Coaches as well as Players. Teams are restricted from announcing acquisitions of Head Coach or Players until the approval process is completed, and Players are restricted from announcing leaving the original Team and/or joining a new Team in the same way. This includes acquisitions of Players or Head Coaches being re-signed to the same Team.
4. 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 an entire season (for instance, if a Player retired in the middle of Season 5, then the Player may only participate in Season 8 at the earliest).Retiring Players must carry out retirement procedures of which the types are divided into the following categories.
  1. Negotiated Retirement. Players negotiate and carry out the retirement procedure through their Team, together with the MPL official.
  2. Natural expiry of Player Services Agreement.
  - Unauthorized Retirement. If a Player has not carried out the retirement procedure through its Team with the MPL 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 regarded as being in effect, and as such, the Player will be unable to sign with another Team.
Match Process
1. Changes to Schedule
  - The MPL official may, at its sole discretion, re-order the schedule of Matches within a given day and/or change the date of an MPL Match to a different date or otherwise modify the schedule of Matches. In the event that the MPL official modifies a Match schedule, it will notify all Teams at the earliest convenience.
2. Arrival at Studio
  - Members of a Team's Active Roster who are participating in MPL must arrive at the studio no later than the time specified by the MPL official. Late arrival caused by the Team or the Members will be subject to penalties.
  - Members of a Team's Active Roster who are participating in a League Event must get ready for the match at least 1 hour before their team match schedule. And prepared to be invited into the tournament lobby one hour before their match schedule for the testing match.
3. Referees
  1. Referee Comportment. At all times, Referees shall conduct themselves in a professional manner, and shall issue rulings in an impartial manner. No passion or prejudice will be shown towards any Player, Team, Team Manager, Head Coach, Owner, or other individuals.
  2. Appeal. Any appeal made to the Referee by Team Members during a Game must be communicated to and confirmed with an MPL official at first before commencing with arbitration, Referees are not allowed to consent to any demands made by Team Members of their own accord. The MPL official will judge appeals of errors of judgments made by Referees, if the Referee is deemed to have made a mistake, the MPL official will penalize them in accordance with the nature of their error. The MPL official can assess any decisions made during or after a Game in order to confirm whether the correct procedures have been implemented. If the correct procedures haven't been abided by, the MPL official reserves the right to overrule the Referee's decision. The MPL official maintains the right to make the final decision on all decisions throughout the duration of the Tournament.
  3. Final Interpretation. The MPL official reserves the final right of interpretation of these operation standards and protocols, any unsettled matters will be settled according to the MPL official's interpretation of the matter.
  4. Responsibilities. Referees designated by the MPL official are responsible for making judgments on every Match-related issue, question and situation which occurs before, during, and immediately following Match play. Their oversight includes, but is not limited to:
    1. Complete the MPL Referee Checklist based on the actual situation during the tournament.
    2. Before Match Start
      1. Checking whether the Team's starting lineup matches with the one that was submitted.
      2. Checking and ensuring that all player peripherals are normal, items to be checked include:
        
        a. That the 10 cell phones used for the competition are divided into two groups by the markers on their backs of Blue 01 - Blue 05 and Red 01 - Red 05, they cannot be switched without authorization.
        
        b. Each cell phone used for the competition has over 50% of power remaining and is connected to a charging cable.
        
        c. Each cell phone used for the competition has headphones connected to it and the headphones are functioning normally.
        
        d. Each cell phone used for the competition is connected to the designated Match Wi-Fi or 4G and has a completely stable signal. Please ensure that all the phones have all forgotten any unrelated Wi-Fi network (any switching and usage of the network must be confirmed with an MPL official).
        
        e. After the phones have been set up, launch the Game and direct each Player to check the Team Logo, Player Name, Team Name, emblems etc. Once all steps have been completed, turn off the Game in the background and reset it in order to ensure that all operations are effective.
        
        f. Invite all Team Members participating in the Match to enter the game room through an Observer Account and ensure that all members are in their correct teams, once each member has confirmed that they are ready, notify the OB of starting the Match.
        
        g. Participating Team Members must ensure that Speed Mode is not turned on, the cell phone's internet settings are not allowed to be changed without a Referee's notice.
      3. Under the circumstances of substituting players in BO3, BO5 or BO7 Matches, the Team should inform the judge of the information of the player substitution within 5 minutes. The judge has the right to reject any request for substituting players after players are seated in the competition area.
      4. Confirming the Match Area does not have any unauthorized persons.
      5. Checking and ensuring that Players have not brought any electric communications equipment.
      6. Checking and ensuring that there is no food in the Match Area and all drinks conform to official requirements.
      7. Check and confirm all the players and coaches wear team uniforms. Clothes, hats, watches, jewelry showing any other brands and that are not team uniforms are prohibited to be worn.
      8. Teams must prepare for the Match one hour prior to its start and enter the Game fifteen minutes prior to the start of the Match and enter into the match room straight away upon invitation of the Observer Account. If one side is not ready once the pre-appointed match time has been reached, then everyone will wait an extra ten minutes. After this extra ten minutes of waiting time has finished, if one Team has still not entered into the match room and prepared then the late Team will be considered to have lost the first Game of this Match, if the Team has still not entered into the match room and prepared after twenty minutes then the late Team will be considered to have lost two Games of this Match and so on, up until one side has claimed victory.
      9. If both teams are 30 minutes late in a BO3 Match, both will be considered to have lost the Match; For Regular Season game, both teams have 0 points; For Playoffs, it will be decided by MPL officials based on the actual situation.
      10. If there are unexpected circumstances that may cause a Team to be late, the Team must notify the MPL official thirty minutes before the start of the Match, the MPL official will decide whether or not they agree to delay the Match depending on the situation. If the MPL official has not been notified thirty minutes prior to the start of the Match but the Team is late nonetheless, the MPL official will administer extra penalties to the Team according to the Match result's importance.
      11. Late arrival caused by force majeure will be administered at the MPL official’s discretion.
    3. During the Match
      1. Once the Players of both parties are ready and all equipment is working properly, announce the start of the Match.
      2. 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 straight away and cannot communicate with their Team in any way.
      3. 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, if they have given out multiple warnings to no effect, the Referee can inform the MPL official at the end of the Match, if deemed necessary, the concerned member will incur a penalty.
      4. Pause Rules
        
        If it is an online match, the maximum pause time for each team during each game is 5 minutes, the Referees must pause the match as soon as a team calls for a game pause and ask for the reason for pausing. If no good reason for pausing the game can be given, the MPL official has the right to penalize the team which called for the pause according to severity. Acceptable reasons include, but are not limited to: Lag, software malfunction such as a glitch, phone hardware malfunction, MPL official has the final right of interpretation for what is deemed an acceptable reason. If one team has used up all of its pause time during a game but still signifies they wish to pause, the Referee must first assess the situation and decide whether they will pause the match on behalf of the MPL officials (due to a major issue such as a phone malfunction, internet disconnection, game crash etc.), if it's just a little bit of lag or another minor issue the Referee can refuse the player's request to pause the game and ensure the smooth running of the match. Once the problem has been resolved, the Referee must ask all players whether they are ready or not, once all the players have agreed, the Referee can resume the match.
      5. Clash Pauses
        
        Teams will be given limited instances of clash pauses depending on the maximum number of games in a match.
        
        Best-of-3 = 3 Clash Pauses
        
        Best-of-5 = 5 Clash Pauses
        
        Best-of-7 = 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.
      6. Frequency of Pauses
        
        Teams will only be allowed 3 instances of pauses for each game.
      7. Donation of Pauses
        
        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
      8. Emergency Pause
        
        For emergency cases (like loss of electricity), team’s will be given up to 15 minutes to adjust to their situation. This is in addition to their 5 minutes/game pause privilege.
      9. If it is an offline Match, Teams can raise their hand to motion to the Referee and request for a pause, the Referee must pause the Match as soon as a team calls for a Game pause and ask for the reason for pausing. There is no maximum pause time per Game for offline Matches, but if no good reason for pausing the Game can be given, the MPL official has the right to penalize the Team which called for the pause according to severity.
      10. 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 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.
    4. After the Match
      1. Once the Match has finished, the Referee must first confirm the end of the Match. If it is an offline Match, the Referee and the Team Captain shall sign a post-match result confirmation letter; If it is an online Match, the Referee and the Team Captain shall make a text confirmation on a chat app.
      2. Once the aforementioned work has finished, for offline Match, if it is the end of a Match, the Referee must give the order and tell Team Members that they can proceed to the opponent's seating area and shake hands.
    5. Finality of Judgment. If a Referee makes an incorrect judgment, the judgment can be subject to reversal. The MPL 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 official reserves the right to potentially invalidate the Referee's decision. The MPL official will always maintain final say in all decisions set forth throughout the MPL.
    6. Gambling Prohibition. All rules prohibiting gambling on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, as provided in this Official Rules, shall apply to Referees without limitation.
Competitive Patch & Match Server
- The MPL officials will determine the Game version used for the Match and notify members ahead of time.
- 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 MPL officials. As for Heroes that are known to cause glitches, members of the MPL official will prohibit their usage for Matches for a period of time according to the seriousness of the glitch, please strictly comply with the MPL officials’ notifications.
- Example: Hero A was released on March 1, 2021, so Hero A becomes eligible to be used in all Matches on March 15, 2021.
1. Pre-Match Setup
  1. Match Accounts. During the Match, in tournament mode, all Heroes and skins can be used for free.
  2. Setup Time. Players will have designated blocks of time prior to their Match time to ensure they are fully prepared. An MPL official will inform Players and Teams of their scheduled setup time and duration as part of their Match schedule. The MPL 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:
    1. Ensuring the quality of all MPL-provided equipment.
    2. Connecting and calibrating devices.
    3. Ensuring proper function of voice chat system.
    4. Setting up Emblem and Battle Spells pages.
    5. Adjusting in-game settings.
    6. Limited in-game warm-up.
  3. Seating Order. Players must sit in the seating order they submitted.
  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 official immediately.
  5. Technical Support. The MPL official will be available to assist with the setup process and troubleshoot any problems encountered during the pre-Match setup period.
  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 official. Penalties for tardiness may be assessed at the discretion of the MPL official.
  7. Acknowledgement of Pre-Match Testing. Approximate 5 minutes before the Match is scheduled to begin, a Referee will confirm with each Player that their setup is complete.
  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.
  9. Game Lobby Creation. The MPL official will decide how the official game lobby will be created. Players will be directed by the MPL official to join a game lobby as soon as testing has been completed, in their seating order.
  10. Disqualification If a team is unable to send 5 qualified players to the game at the beginning, it will be deemed as loss by the MPL 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.
2. Game Setup
  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.
  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 official, the MPL official will record the official picks/bans and manually abort the game start.
  3. General/Game Settings.
    1. Map. Designated by MPL Official.
    2. Team Size: 5.
    3. Allow Spectators: Lobby Only.
    4. Game Type: Draft Pick.
3. Pick / Ban Phase & Side Selection
  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 MPL can't be used).
  2. 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 official.
  3. Side Selection.
    1. During the Regular Season, Teams’ sides for Game 1 in the BO3 Matches will be decided by coin flip. The Teams will then take turns to switch sides in subsequent Games. The team obtaining the privilege of choosing sides could independently decide whether to be the Red Side or the Blue Side. Teams must name their side within 2 minutes after coin flip results.
    2. In the Playoffs, the higher-ranked seed will have side selection for odd-numbered Games (e.g. Games 1, 3, and 5), while the lower seed will have side selection for even-numbered Games (Games 2 and 4). If two teams are ranked the same, a team will be randomly generated by coin flip. The team will have the side selection for odd-numbered Games (e.g. Game 1, 3, and 5), while the other team will have the side selection for even-numbered Games (e.g. Games 2 and 4). For example, the higher seed may choose to play Game 1, 3 and 5 on the blue or red side and the lower seed may choose to play Game 2 and 4 on the red or blue side. The higher seed will be required to submit their final decision for Game 1 by the deadline. If the Match is carried out over the course of a few consecutive days, the Team must submit their final decision one day before the start of the Studio at 22:00 at night (according to the local time where the Match is being held). If no decision is submitted, the Team with the higher seed will default as Blue.
  4. 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 in error must notify a referee immediately, the referee and the MPL official will then communicate and confirm with one another before deciding whether or not the Player can reselect.
  5. 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.
  6. Game Start After Pick/Ban. A Game will start immediately after the pick/ban process is complete, unless otherwise stated by an MPL official. At this point, MPL 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."
  7. Controlled Game Start. In the event of an error in game start or a decision by MPL to separate the pick/ban process from game start, an MPL official may start the Game in a controlled manner and all Players will select Heroes in Custom - Classic Mode. All Players will select Heroes in accordance with the previous valid completed pick/ban process.
  8. Slow Client Load. If a bug, disconnect, or any other failure occurs which 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.
Game Rules
1. Definition of Terms
  - Unintentional Disconnection. A Player losing connection to the Game due to problems or issues with the game client, cell phone, network or other devices.
  - 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.
  - Server Crash. All Players losing connection to a Game due to an issue with a game server, Match Server, or venue internet instability.
  - BUG. Bugs could lead to incorrect or abnormal results of the game, or even could cause faults, flaws, malfunction or defects of game data or hardware equipment.
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:
    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 two minutes (00:02:00).
3. Stoppage of Play
  - If a Player intentionally disconnects without notifying an MPL official or pausing, an MPL official is not required to enforce a stoppage. During any pause or stoppage, Players may not leave the Match Area unless authorized by an MPL official.
  1. Directed Pause. The MPL official may order the pause of a Match or execute a pause command on any player station at the sole discretion of the MPL official, at any time.
  2. Communication Between Players When the Competition Ends. During the suspension, to ensure fair competition, players shall never communicate with each other in any method or leave their seats. With the aim of preventing disputes, players are allowed to communicate with the judge, under the premise of finding out or solving the problems that cause suspension. In case that the suspension lasts for a long time, the judge could independently decide whether players are allowed to discuss the content relevant to the game before the cancellation of suspension.
4. Resuming the Game
  - Players are not permitted to resume the Game after a pause. After clearance from an MPL official is issued and all Players are notified and ready at their stations, which will be contingent on the team captain confirming through in-game chat that both Teams are ready to resume play, the in-client spectators will unpause the Game
5. Remaking the Game
  - Under which conditions can a Game be reset is entirely decided by the MPL official. The following conditions are examples used to illustrate:
  1. Remakes Before GOR. The following are examples of situations in which a Game may be remade if GOR has not been established:
    1. 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.
    2. If the MPL official 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).
  2. Remakes After GOR. The following are examples of situations in which a Game may be restarted after GOR has been established.
    1. If a game experiences a critical bug at any point during the Match which significantly alters game stats or gameplay mechanics.
    2. If an MPL official determines that there are environmental conditions which are unfair (e.g. excessive noise, fan gank, hostile weather, unacceptable safety risks).
  3. Remakes 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.
    1. Certain circumstances must be met before a restart may occur. The MPL 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 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.
    2. If a Player believes she/he has experienced a critical bug, s/he 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.
    3. If the MPL 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.
    4. This section is applicable if the pause is directed as per Section ‘Directed Pause’ and does not limit the ability of an MPL official to institute a restart.
  4. 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 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.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.
6. Postponement
  - In the event of a technical difficulty which leads the MPL officials to declare a restart, the MPL official, in its sole discretion, may request for a rematch or postponement of the Game.
7. Post-Game Process
  1. Results. The MPL official will confirm and record the game result.
  2. Tech Notes. Players will identify any tech issues with the MPL official.
  3. Break Time. The MPL official will inform Players of the remaining amount of time before the next Game's pick/ban phase begins. The pick/ban phase will start at the predetermined time whether all of the Team is in the Match Area or not. The MPL official can decide themselves whether or not to log in on a Player's account and enter into the game lobby. After pick/ban has started, any Player of a Team present in the Match Area can determine the Hero pick/ban for their Team. However, if there are no Players from a Team present in the Match Area when the pick/ban phase starts, this Team will be considered as abstaining from this Game.
  4. Results of Forfeiture. Matches won by forfeit 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.
8. Post-Match Process
  1. Results. The MPL official will confirm and record the match result.
  2. Next Match. Players will be informed of their current standing in the competition, including their next scheduled Match.
  3. Obligation after Competition.
    1. Players will be informed of any post-match obligations, including, but not limited to, media appearances, interviews, or further discussion of any match matters.
    2. Match participants must comply with the uniform arrangement of the MPL, no Players can act independently without consent (for example, not following others on the bus, night out, changing rooms, etc.).
    3. Match participants can't bring unauthorized personnel into the Team Member Areas, into the hotel arranged by the MPL, ride in buses arranged by the MPL or participate in other group events.
9. Awarded Game Victory
  - In the event of a technical difficulty which leads MPL officials to declare a restart, the MPL may instead award a game victory to a team. MPL officials, in their sole discretion, may determine that a team cannot avoid defeat to a degree of reasonable certainty. The following criteria may be used as reference for determining this acknowledgement, if the two criteria are not satisfied, one team's victory is unable to be directly determined, however, if one of the criteria has been satisfied the MPL officials will use their own judgement according to the situation to determine whether one team would be inevitably defeated.
  1. The difference in kills between the teams is no less than 15.
  2. A game has been played for more than 10 minutes on the game clock while gold difference is more than 800*gaming time.
10. Rules for Playing off-site
  - To ensure fairness of online tournament:
  1. All Teams/Players MUST conduct a video call with the MPL Officials through third-party video call software (Skype/Facebook) while the matches are live.
  2. Players who fail to join the video call MUST provide a reasonable excuse to the MPL Officials at its sole discretion and must submit a video recording of the player playing each Game to the MPL Officials right after the series has ended. The video recording must be able to show the player’s face clearly playing the matches.
  3. Any dispute will have to be done AFTER the series is over and within 3 hours, the MPL Officials would provide a response within 24 hour and all decisions will be made by the MPL Officials. Any dispute submitted after the mention period will not be entertained.
  4. Any video recording submission would provide the team/player a strong stance as evidence. Failing in providing the evidence will affect the decision made by the MPL Officials.
  5. Players must show their phone screens to the camera if instructed by a referee. Also they are required to show their phones screens to the camera during the following points
    - While players are still in the lobby just before the draft starts.
    - While the game is in the loading screen after the draft and before the game starts.
    - While in the victory screen/post game screen
Player Equipment
1. MPL-Provided Equipment
  1. MPL officials will provide, and MPL players will exclusively use, equipment in the following categories to MPL players for all official MPL matches. No other personal devices will be allowed in the tournament area. The equipment includes, but not limited to:
    1. Gaming Phone: iPhone XR; Headsets (noise cancelation) and/or Earbuds and/or Microphones;
    2. If the match is online, the player can use their own equipment limited to their mobile phones only;
    3. Table and Chair;
  2. Within the Match Area, players are not allowed to bring any headphones, earbuds and/or microphones that have not been provided by MPL without the approval of MPL officials. All player-owned or team-owned equipment must be submitted to MPL officials in advance for approval. Unapproved equipment or equipment that is suspected by MPL officials of providing an unfair competitive advantage will not be permitted for use, and players will be required to use equipment that is provided by MPL instead.
  3. Within the match area and only during the draft pick, the coach is allowed to bring a notebook or papers. 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, MPL officials 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 MOONTON.
2. Replacement of Equipment
  - If equipment or technical problems are suspected by MPL at any time, a Player or MPL may request a technical review of the situation. An MPL technician will diagnose and troubleshoot problems, as needed. Technicians may request that MPL order replacement of any equipment, at their discretion. Decisions regarding the replacement of any equipment are solely at the discretion of MPL. If a Player wishes to use personal replacement equipment, the Player must use equipment which has been preapproved by MPL otherwise they will be provided replacement equipment by the MPL.
3. App & Usage
  1. Players are prohibited from installing their own Apps and must use only the App provided by MPL.
  2. Voice Chat. Voice chat will be provided only via the native system used in MPL-provided headsets. Use of third-party voice chat software (e.g., Skype) is not permitted, unless MPL determines to change the method of Voice Chat under special circumstances. The MPL official may monitor a Team's audio at the discretion of MPL.
  3. Social Media and Communication. It is prohibited to use MPL cell phones to view or post on any social media or communication sites. This includes, but is not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and email.
  4. Non-Essential Equipment. It is prohibited to connect non-essential equipment to MPL cell phones for any reason.
4. Client Account
  - Players will have match server accounts provided for them by MPL. 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. The team name and team ID need to be officially submitted before the set date, and cannot be changed after the submission.
5. Audio Controls
  1. Players will be required to maintain volume levels above minimum settings, which will be clearly marked on the controls. MPL officials may require players to adjust their volume levels higher if the official determines, at their sole discretion, that volume levels are too low.
  2. 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.
6. Equipment Tampering
  - Players may not touch or handle another teammate's owned or provided equipment after a Match has started. Players who require assistance with their equipment should ask assistance from an MPL official.
7. Player and Coach Apparel
  1. Players must wear official team uniforms during all MPL matches and pre-match and post-match interviews by the MPL. 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 event or appearance. All starting players must wear matching apparel during the game.
    - 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 official.
  2. Coaches must wear business casual attire or team uniform while at the Match Area.
  3. Players and Coaches must avoid chewing gum, hats, sunglasses, eye-catching necklaces and pendants while at the Match Area.
  4. Players and coaches should not wear any clothes or ornaments with brands that are not approved by the MPL official. Food and/or beverages are not allowed to be brought to the stage.
  5. Team Members may wear apparel with multiple logos, patches or promotional language. The MPL official reserves the right at all times to impose a ban on objectionable or offensive apparel:
    1. Containing any false, unsubstantiated, or unwarranted claims for any product or service, or testimonials, that the MPL official, in its sole and absolute discretion, considers unethical.
    2. Advertising any non "over the counter" drug, tobacco product, firearm, handgun or ammunition.
    3. Containing any material constituting or relating to any activities which are illegal in any MPL region, including but not limited to, a lottery or an enterprise, service or product that abets, assists or promotes gambling
    4. 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.
    5. Advertising any pornographic website or pornographic products.
    6. Containing any trademark, copyrighted material or other element of intellectual property that is used without the owner's consent or that may give rise to, or subject MPL or its affiliates to, any claim of infringement, misappropriation, or other form of unfair competition.
    7. Disparaging or libeling any opposing Team or Player or any other person, entity or product.
    8. The MPL 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.
Venue and Competition Area Layout
1. Match Area
  - The "match area" consists of the area immediately surrounding the match platform. During match play, presence of Team Members in the Match Area is restricted solely to the Players of the Teams in play.
2. Wireless devices
  - Wireless devices, including mobile phones and tablets, are not allowed in the Match Area.
3. Food and Drink Restrictions
  - No food is allowed in the Match Areas. Drinks are permitted in the Match Area only in MPL-provided sealable containers.
4. Green Room
  - The warm-up area is reserved for Team Members only and access will be provided by the MPL official at their discretion.
5. Other Team Member Areas
  - Other Team Member Areas are areas within the venue, as defined by the MPL official from time to time, designed to allow Players to relax and socialize in locations separate from the Match Area. Access to these areas is limited to Team Members, unless specific permission is otherwise granted by the MPL official.
6. Punctuality
  - Team is obliged to cooperate with the MPL official 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. Team shall be held responsible for consequences caused by ill management of fans.
Code of Conduct
1. Competition Conduct
  1. Unfair Play. The following actions will be considered unfair play and will be subject to penalties at the discretion of the MPL official.
    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:
      1. Soft play, which 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.
      2. Pre-arranging to split prize money and/or any other form of compensation.
      3. Sending or receiving signals, electronic or otherwise, from a confederate to/from a Player.
      4. Deliberately losing a Game for prize money, or for any other reason, or attempting to induce another Player to do so.
    2. Competitive Integrity. Teams are expected to play at their best at all times within any MPL 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.
    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.
    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 official, is not functioning as intended.
    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).
    6. Ringing. Playing under another Player's account or soliciting, inducing, encouraging or directing someone else to play under another Player's account.
    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.
    8. Intentional Disconnection. An intentional disconnection without a proper and explicitly-stated reason.
    9. MPL official Discretion. Any other further act, failure to act, or behavior which, in the sole judgment of the MPL official, violates these Rules and/or the standards of integrity established by MPL for competitive game play.
  - Insulting Behavior. A Team Member may not take any action or perform any gesture directed at an opposing Team Member, fan, or official, or incite any other individual(s) to do the same, which is insulting, mocking, disruptive or antagonistic.
  - 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 studio personnel.
  - 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.
  - 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.
  - Contest Manner.
    1. All MPL players must sit upright during online contests when live-streaming, 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 of a series contest, competitors from both teams shall take to the center of the stage and 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.
  - Identity. A Player may not cover his or her face or attempt to conceal his or her identity from the MPL official. The MPL 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 official.
2. Social Media Speech and Etiquette
  - MPL-PH league participants (including but not limited to: clubs, players, coaches or other members) in any place (including online and offline private and public places, including but not limited to games clients, game platforms, social software, social medias, 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, 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 official and its related parties (including but not limited to league sponsors, other participants) caused damage; negative impact and risk remarks. Otherwise, MPL-PH 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:
  1. Make a prohibited pose. Any action that is generally considered to be insulting (including but not limited to vertical middle finger, hook index finger, etc.) or action prohibited by MPL-PH (choke pose or throat-cutting action) are 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 medias, live broadcast platforms, media reports, etc.)
  2. Abusive Behavior. Abuse (including but not limited to the MPL 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 cell phone, body or property will result in penalties. Team Members and their guests (if any) must treat all individuals attending a Match with respect.
  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 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.
  4. Statements Regarding MPL, Moonton, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. 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, Moonton or its affiliates, or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the MPL official.
  5. Releasing Information without Approval. Teams will be asked to submit paperwork for approval or visibility throughout the MPL. This paperwork is necessary for maintaining expectations throughout the MPL. 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.
  6. Confidentiality. A Team Member may not disclose any confidential information provided by MPL official, Moonton or any affiliate of Moonton, by any method of communication, including all social media channels.
3. Unprofessional Behavior
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  6. Behavior contrary to morality. Team members can't participate in any actions considered by the MPL official to be immoral, disgraceful or contrary to traditional morals and ethics.
  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 Team for services promised, rendered, or to be rendered in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing Team.
  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 Team, nor encourage any such official coach or Player to breach or otherwise terminate a contract with said MPL 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 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 official before being able to discuss the contract with a Player.
  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.
  10. Non-Compliance. No Team Member may refuse or fail to apply the reasonable instructions or decisions of the MPL official.
  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.
  12. Document or Miscellaneous Requests. Documentation or other reasonable items may be required at various times throughout the MPL as requested by the MPL official. If the documentation is not completed to the standards set by the MPL 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. 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.
  14. Account Transaction. Any team members are not allowed to transfer the account and benefit from it. And MPL official will not solve any issues caused by account transactions. People who made the transaction will be penalized.
  15. Piloting. Any MPL team members are not allowed to pilot for other teams in MPL-PH or other players in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
4. Association with Gambling
  - No Team Member or MPL official may take part, either directly or indirectly, in betting or gambling on any results of any MPL Game or Match.
5. Competitor Games
  - Players, Managers, and Coaches shall not engage in any competitor games’ event/ activity/ livestream or other way to give the competitor games’ exposure. The competitor games are defined as Mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) Game.
Compliance with Penalty Rules
1. Subjection to Penalty
  - Any person found to have engaged in or attempted to engage in any act that the MPL official believes, in their sole and absolute discretion, constitutes unfair play, will be subject to penalty. The nature and extent of the penalties imposed due to such acts shall be in the sole and absolute discretion of the MPL official.
2. Penalties
  1. Upon discovery of any Team Member committing any violations of these Rules, the MPL 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. Suspension(s).
    8. Disqualification(s).
    9. Any Other Punishment Deemed Fit by the Authority of MPL.
  2. Repeated infractions are subject to escalating penalties, up to, and including, disqualification from future participation in MPL. It should be noted that penalties may not always be imposed in a successive manner. The MPL official, 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 official.
  3. 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.
  4. Infractions will be governed by the MPL Penalty Index, which can be found in the Appendix A.
3. Penalties for Policy Breach
  - If the MPL official or Moonton determines that a Team or Team Member has violated the Official Rules, or other rules of MPL, the MPL official or Moonton may assign penalties at their sole discretion.
4. Player/ Team Behavior Investigation
  - If the MPL official determines that a Team or Team Member has violated the Code of Conduct, or other Official Rules, the MPL 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 MPL official creating an obstruction of the investigation, then the Team and/or Team Member is subject to penalties.
5. Right to Publish
  - The MPL official 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 MPL, Moonton, and/or any of their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, agents, or contractors.
6. Appeal
  - In the event that a Team / Team Member who is subject to penalties has doubts about the MPL official’s decisions for the penalties, the Team / Team Member may file an appeal against the decisions with Moonton through email. The appeal will be reviewed by Moonton.
Spirit of the Rules
1. Finality of Decisions
  - All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the MPL, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with MPL, the decisions of which are final. MPL 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.
2. Rule Changes
  - These Rules may be amended, modified or supplemented by MPL, from time to time, in order to ensure fair play and the integrity of MPL.
3. Best Interests of the MPL
  - Moonton and the MPL official at all times may act with the necessary authority to preserve the best interests of the MPL. This power is not constrained by the lack of any specific language in this document. MPL officials 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 MPL.

Table of Content

Spirit of the Rules