This document establishes the official rules for The Archives Autumn Split 2026.

All players, captains, coaches, and staff are required to comply with the rules outlined in this document. This is in addition to the server rules.

The Archives Staff retain final authority over all rulings, interpretations, and dispute resolutions.

Staff members who are actively playing on teams within the tournament will recuse themselves from decision-making related to their matches. Administrative decisions will be handled by staff members not participating in those matches.

Staff reserve the right to issue rulings on situations not explicitly covered in this rulebook.

Appeals must be submitted with supporting evidence. All staff decisions are final.

Players are expected to maintain competitive integrity, honesty, and mutual respect at all times.

Harassment, flaming, griefing, or any form of toxic conduct is strictly prohibited. These rules apply both in-game and outside of the game, including Discord and other community platforms outside of dedicated channels.

• Players must use a valid, active main account in good standing.
• Secondary accounts must be submitted via registration form if used in 2026.
• Account level tiers:
  • Level 150+ — standard eligibility, subject to the Activity Requirement.
  • Lower than 150 — handled on a case-by-case basis.
• All matches should be played on the "main" account submitted during registration.
• A "main" account is the primary account you register under — ideally the account you play on most, and must be your highest ranked account.
• Getting banned on your main account will make you INELIGIBLE to play until that account is unbanned. No exceptions. No going on smurfs.
• Elo-sitting is not allowed at all. "Elo sitting" is when a player achieves a higher rank in the previous season by a large margin and yet purposefully sits in a lower rank with minimum games to secure a lower rank LP for the start of future splits (Ex: Master 400LP resets to Emerald I and purposefully throws games to stay there). Players caught elo-sitting will be removed and unable to play in the future.

• Teams will be placed in 8–12 team divisions based on their average rank, determined by the 5 highest ranked players on the roster regardless of starter or substitute status.
• Average rank is calculated using each player's peak rank from the 2026 season.
• After registering, teams receive a "preliminary average rank" from staff.
• After registration closes, the calculation runs again. Teams receive their "final average rank," which determines division placement.
• Final average rank is the number used throughout the split to calculate roster changes and e-subs. Once locked in, this number cannot change.
• Alt Accounts Outranking Mains: If a player's alt account has a higher peak rank than their main account, the alt is considered their main account. That account must meet all main-account requirements, including 115 ranked solo/duo games and level 150, and all matches must be played on it.
• Teams may request to "play up" a division if logistics allow. These requests may not always be granted.

• Players above 1250 LP peak will be placed in the Uncapped tier — a division sitting above the highest elo-restricted division, for teams and players exceeding the standard rank cap.
• An uncapped division may be created depending on the number of teams interested — ping an admin if you're over the cap and staff will do their best to accommodate.
• Teams whose average rank (top 5 peaks) is Master 600 LP or above are considered uncapped teams. These teams may still register and submit, but will be flagged with a warning and are subject to staff review — ping an admin so we can place you appropriately.

Players who have not met the required games will not be eligible to play. No exceptions will be made. These must be completed by October 10th.

Accounts must have ranked solo/duo history from 2025. New accounts are not permitted unless verified by the admins.

Through the website, use the /register_team command.

Team captains are responsible for ensuring all submitted roster information is accurate. Penalties may apply if an incorrect roster is found to have been submitted.

• Each roster must have 5 starters and 2 subs minimum (7 minimum players).
• Maximum roster size is 10 players.
• Only Captains are permitted to make roster management posts.
• All roster management posts must be made on the website.
• New additions will be verified by official tournament staff only.
• Roster additions may be made at any time but must be approved before playing and announced at least 24 hours before match start.
• Players added with less than 24 hours until match time will be considered emergency subs for that series.

• Captains must announce rosters in the proper match thread and tag the opposing team captain at least 4 hours before the match.
• Teams are allowed to announce a 6-man roster but must announce which 5 are playing in Game 1 at the 12-hour mark.
• The 6th man/sub must have an announced role. If their role is not announced or they sub in for a different role, they will be treated as an emergency sub.
• Rosters permanently lock after the first round of playoffs.

• Players can be on 1 team per division.
• Players can be removed from rosters, but their departure will not change the "final average rank" calculated at registration close — i.e. if you remove your highest/lowest ranked player, your team is still subject to all substitute rules below.
• No roster changes after the regular season. Staff will announce when it closes for good.

• Regular subs must be within your submitted roster. Your opponent must be given notice before the draft.
• Unannounced subs used mid-series due to an emergency give the opponent 10 minutes extra prep time. Unannounced rostered subs result in 1 ban loss per game they play in.
• Subs added after registration cannot increase their team's average rank by more than 80 LP. Substitutes that would raise the average rank above that threshold will be rejected.
• Individual players cannot sub for another team in the same division during the split.
• Players CAN sub for teams in different divisions as long as they meet all other substitute rules.

• Emergency subs (<24 hours notice) will be placed on your game-day roster and a calculation will be made — your game-day average peak elo roster cannot exceed your team's original average by more than 20 LP. Lineups over the limit are rejected by the Team Builder and cannot be posted. (The Team Builder on the Manage Team page lets you test this.)
• E-subs MUST meet all other requirements — no exceptions.
• Final approval is at the discretion of staff.
• Emergency subs mid-series give the opponent up to 10 extra minutes for draft prep.

All public scheduling in match threads should be done by captains only.

Penalties may apply for teams "ghosting" opponents attempting to schedule.

Reschedules from a previously confirmed time are only permitted if both teams agree and must be completed within the designated windows unless otherwise approved by admins.

• Light banter is permitted, but staff reserve the right to judge appropriateness.
• All-chat should generally only be used for pauses or technical issues.
• 1 warning for any level of unsportsmanship-like conduct per player.
• 2nd offense results in a ban.
• Teams found rotating unsportsmanship behavior among players will be banned from the tournament and possibly future events.

All players must be present in their team's voice channel on the official server.

• Matches must be created using The Archives tournament server code. Ping staff if the code does not work.
• Game Mode: Blind Pick.
• Spectator delay must always be enabled.

• All drafts must be done in DRAFTER.LOL.
• Game 1 "First Selection" is determined by the Tournament Bot (random in regular season, higher seed in playoffs).
• Teams with "First Selection" get to choose either their preferred side (Red/Blue) or their draft order (First or Second Pick). If they choose a preferred side, the opposing team chooses pick order, and vice versa.
• The losing team obtains "First Selection" for subsequent games.
• First Selection decision must be communicated 4 hours before game start. Second Selection must be public 2 hours before game start. Failure results in 1 ban loss.

If champion roles are not clear after the draft, teams may ask. The opposing team must answer. No answer or lying may result in player disqualification and full ban loss for the remainder of the series.

Newly released champions and some reworked champions are disabled for two weeks after release. Contact an admin with any questions regarding champion eligibility.

Pauses are permitted for technical issues or emergencies only. A ready check must be performed before unpausing — both parties must declare "Ready" or "R" before the game is unpaused.

Each team is allowed a maximum of 10 minutes of pause time per match. After 10 minutes, staff may be pinged and the pausing team may be subject to forfeit. Multiple or excessive pausing will be investigated regardless of the 10-minute allotment.

Abuse of the pause system may result in penalties including game loss or bans. If you suspect pause abuse, ping staff in the help channel or match thread.

Captains must report match results, proof (screenshot of post-game screen), and the draft link within 24 hours of series completion. If the next match is within 24 hours, submit at least 4 hours before it starts. Failure results in 1 ban loss for the next match.

After a game completes, both teams have up to 10 minutes before needing to start the next draft. If a substitute or emergency sub is needed, the opposing team receives up to 7 extra minutes of scout time. Casters have priority over time between games.

You cannot forfeit if your game is being streamed by Archives Broadcast. Doing so may result in removal from the tournament and/or a ban in future tournaments. Other forfeits will be reviewed by the admin team.

• Matches may be streamed by the tournament organizer. At least 48 hours' notice increases the likelihood of staff coverage.
• Players should not stream without prior approval from Admins or applicable streaming platforms. Approved streams must have a 3-minute minimum delay.

Teams may opt out of voice bots entirely or for specific members. Staff will always ask before use, and teams are always within their rights to say no.

• Failure to field a legal roster constitutes a forfeit.
• You may not field more than 2 emergency subs.
• A legal roster requires at least 3 members of the original roster competing.
• Playing with two e-subs results in a full 5 ban loss for all games they play in.

Multiple forfeits for breaking roster requirements may result in removal from the tournament.

If you lose a permanent roster member due to rule violations and cannot supplement with a rostered sub, your team will use emergency subs until an open roster window — incurring the standard emergency sub penalty. If the loss is due to unforeseen circumstances, contact an admin.

Teams are required to have a logo. Professional work is not required — clip art with your team's name suffices. Team logos must not contain another person's likeness or protected intellectual property.

Subject to change depending on signups and division sizes.

Regular season is Round Robin or Swiss, depending on division size (between 4–6 weeks).

All matches are Best of 3 Fearless.

Subject to change depending on division sizes. Playoff formats will be announced after registration closes.

All Best-of-5 series are single elimination.

Staff determine the severity of disciplinary actions and may consult involved players.

Penalties range from ban losses to team expulsion. Admin decisions are final.

Staff may amend these rules at any time to preserve competitive integrity and fairness.

All updates will be communicated through official channels, including Rules and Announcements.