In a continued effort to uphold competitive integrity, PGL, a leading tournament organizer in the Dota 2 esports scene, has issued bans to four players for their involvement in match-fixing during the DreamLeague Season 24: North America Open Qualifier 1.
The sanctioned players are:
- Mkid 影 (Kyrgyzstan)
- Pcyscho (Russia)
- Lanzarote (Ukraine)
- Heaven_1 (also known as Kohxi/Kohol, Ukraine)
Despite participating in the North American qualifier, these players are based in Eastern Europe and competed remotely.
Competing under the team name “unknown,” they advanced to the Closed Qualifier in September 2024 but were eliminated by Apex Genesis (now Wildcard Gaming).
PGL’s investigation uncovered evidence of their involvement in match-fixing during the Open Qualifier, leading to their bans.
This development follows a recent wave of sanctions in the North American Dota 2 scene.
Earlier this month, PGL banned five players—Cloud (KK), Muhammad “high_shaggy” Ghaznavi (Saadman01), Sonic, ValOdbka, and Dmytro (Logan)—for similar offenses.
The North American region has faced challenges with match-fixing and win trading, exacerbated by the migration of professional players to other regions and the withdrawal of organizations.
PGL’s decisive actions underscore a zero-tolerance policy towards such unethical practices, aiming to preserve the integrity of the competitive landscape.
