Community Rules

Nexus Gaming Series Rules and Guidelines

Last Updated June August 11th, 2024 by DeltaSniper (Rules are traditionally updated the week before the start of a new season)

Code of Conduct

Nexus Gaming Series, hereafter referred to as NGS, exists to create a fun and safe place for players to enjoy a competitive league experience where they can test their mettle against teams of similar skill levels. Members are expected to maintain a level of civility and respect toward other community members, NGS Staff, Moderators, and Leadership. Players are expected to act in accordance with general good will. We will not tolerate any toxic behavior. For specific details, please refer to our Community Guidelines found in section 7.0 et. seq.

2.0 Team Roster

2.1 Team

2.1.1 The league is open to everyone; there are no rank restrictions.

2.1.2 Team names, player names, and logos should be appropriate enough for Casters to say on twitch stream without repercussion and appropriate enough for a minor to see. The NGS Board reserves the right to request a team to change their name or logo at their discretion.

  • 2.1.2.1 Team names are restricted to a maximum of 2 special characters and a total of 26 characters. Special characters refer to any non-alphanumeric characters such as parenthesis (), apostrophes ‘, hyphens -, etc. The total number of 26 characters includes any special characters, alphanumeric characters, and spaces.
  • 2.1.2.2 Team Names and Tickers are restricted to using only Latin characters, accent marks are allowed.

2.1.3 Rosters will lock 2 weeks before a new season starts in order to allow time for teams to be placed into divisions. Roster adds not taken into account during placements (while rosters are locked and frozen) will deduct from your season total.

2.1.4 Teams must have a self-designated captain and they must be in the NGS discord server during the season. – The captain is responsible for coordinating matches with other teams and all correspondence with league leadership, moderators, and staff.

  • 2.1.4.1 A team may designate up to two Assistant Captains to help schedule or handle team issues if the captain is unavailable to do so. Any Assistant Captains must be in the NGS discord server during the season.
  • 2.1.4.2 A team may have a Team Manager that does not compete in the league with that team.
  • 2.1.4.3 A team may have a Coach that does not compete in the league with that team.
  • 2.1.4.4 A team is required to have a minimum of 1 captain and a minimum of 2 other team members in the NGS discord throughout the season as reliable points of contact.

2.1.5 Team members may only be rostered on one NGS team at a time. Playing under more than one Battle.Net ID is prohibited.

2.1.6 Team members must have a Heroes Profile page connected to the Battle.net ID they use for NGS matches. Team members must upload their games to Heroes Profile using the uploader found at https://api.heroesprofile.com/upload before the season starts and throughout the season.

2.1.7 All team members must be registered on the NGS website with a current Battle.Net ID prior to the season start or before joining an NGS team during the season.

  • 2.1.7.1 Members must register on the NGS website with the Battle.Net ID they have played the most games on. Permission to register with an alternate account instead may be requested from a moderator if you believe it is more accurate.
  • 2.1.7.2 Players not listed on the team’s roster on the NGS website are considered “Off-Roster Subs” (See Section 2.3 Off-Roster Subs)
  • 2.1.7.3 If you have more games played on the EU server than the NA server, you must register on the NGS website with your NA account and send a DM to a moderator with your EU Battle.net ID.

2.1.8 Team members must play their NGS matches under the Battle.Net ID they are registered with on the NGS website.

  • 2.1.8.1 While a member’s account is banned from Heroes of the Storm, they may not participate in NGS matches.
    • For a period of 1 year from the ban date.
    • Including through the use of secondary accounts.

2.1.9 If a member changes their Battle.net ID, the change must be reflected on the website within 72 hours and that team’s division moderator must be notified.

2.2 Roster Changes

2.2.1 A roster change is defined as “Adding a player to a team or removing a player from a team.”

2.2.2 Teams are allowed a maximum of three (3) roster additions during the season under the following criteria:

  • 2.2.2.1 Each team must have a minimum roster of five (5) and a maximum of nine (9).
  • 2.2.2.2 A new member added to a team after the placements roster lock (see 2.1.3) shall not have an in-game Storm League rank higher than the division’s upper bound. The upper bounds of in-game Storm League rank for roster additions are as follows:
    • Heroic Division (No Restriction)
    • Nexus Division (Master 2000 Pts)
    • Division A (Diamond 4)
    • Division B (Platinum 1)
    • Division C (Platinum 3)
    • Division D (Gold 2)
    • Division E (Gold 5)
  • 2.2.2.3 Subject to the other roster addition requirements and limitations outlined in this section, a Player that otherwise meets the conditions of the Quick Approval Process can be added to a Team’s roster. The Quick Approval Process is outlined in Section 2.4.
    • 2.2.2.3.1 When a Player does not meet the conditions of the Quick Approval Process, that Player’s addition to a Team’s roster will either be denied or, in exceptional circumstances, forwarded to the Head Moderator for additional vetting.
    • 2.2.2.3.2 The Head Moderator, in his or her discretion, holds the sole authority to approve a Player that does not meet the conditions of the Quick Approval Process to a Team’s roster.
  • 2.2.2.4 Moderators must approve all roster additions prior to them being added to a Team’s roster.
  • 2.2.2.5 No team roster additions shall take place within 24 hours of a team’s scheduled match.

2.2.3 Rosters will hard lock two weeks before the end of a division’s regular season, or end of the day September 29th. (See 3.0.5). From this point on, no roster additions will be permitted, including during the playoffs, and no Off-Roster Substitutes will be permitted…

This date applies across all divisions, even in cases where some divisions have an “extended regular season” length.

2.2.5 NGS reserves the right to review, approve, or reject any player addition at its sole discretion.

2.3 Off-Roster Substitutes

Teams may use one (1) substitute for any player in their active roster for matches during the regular season as outlined below:

2.3.1 Teams may only use a total of three (3) off-roster substitutes of any kind throughout the season and a maximum of one (1) per match.

2.3.2 All substitutes must be reported to a moderator prior to the start of the scheduled match. Failure to do so will result in a forfeit of matches involving unreported substitutes. Multiple infractions may result in further penalty.

2.3.3 The use of an off-roster substitute must conform to the following conditions and must be approved by your Division Moderator:

  • 2.3.3.1 A team using an off-roster substitute must provide a link to the substitute’s Heroes Profile page to the opposing team at least 1 hour before the scheduled match. The opposing team’s captain is allowed to deny an off-roster substitute request for failure to notify that captain of your intent to use an off-roster substitute at least 1 hour before the scheduled match
  • 2.3.3.2 The off-roster substitute’s in-game Storm League rank must be at or below the division’s upper bound. The upper bounds of in-game Storm League rank for off-roster substitutes are as follows:
    • Heroic (No Restriction)
    • Nexus (Diamond 2)
    • Division A (Platinum 1)
    • Division B (Platinum 3)
    • Division C (Platinum 5)
    • Division D (Gold 4)
    • Division E (Silver 2)
  • 2.3.3.3 The off-roster substitute must satisfy the conditions of the Quick Approval Process (see Section 2.4). A Player who does not satisfy these conditions will not be permitted as an off-roster substitute. There are no exceptions to this rule.

2.3.4 The use of an off-roster substitute who is a rostered member of another NGS team must conform to all preceding conditions, Must be approved by Your Division Moderator, and must conform to the following:

  • 2.3.4.1 NGS players may substitute off-roster a maximum of one time per week.
    • NGS players include all rostered members on a team and free agents.

2.3.5 An off-roster substitute that is approved for one Match is not automatically approved for use as an off-roster substitute for another match. Substitutes are approved on a match-by-match basis.

2.3.6 Off-Roster substitutes will not be allowed once rosters hard lock, or end of the day April 7th 2024. See Section 6.0 for playoff format.

2.3.7 NGS reserves the right to review, approve, or reject any player substitutions at its sole discretion.

2.4 Quick Approval Process

The Quick Approval Process applies to both Roster Additions (pursuant to section 2.2) and Off-roster Substitutes (pursuant to section 2.3).

2.4.1. Moderators may request to check a Player’s current in-game Storm League Rank, as well as in-game Storm League history.

2.4.2 In order for a player to be approved through the Quick Approval Process, they must meet the following conditions:

  1. The player must have a public Heroes Profile profile;
  2. The player must have a minimum of 150 Storm League games;
  3. The player’s Highest Achieved Storm League Rank must be at or below the established Storm League Rank  limit for the division (see 2.2.2.2 for Roster additions and 2.3.3.2 for Off-Roster Substitutes);
    • Highest Achieved Storm League Rank is defined as a player’s highest Storm League Rank achieved when considering the current Storm League Rank and the previous three (3) seasons’ Storm League ranks.
  4. The Player must have placed in Storm League in two of the last four seasons (inclusive of the current season).
    • Excluding Divisions that do not have a rank cap, They only require 1 Season of Storm League placement.

2.4.3. There are no exceptions to the Quick Approval Process.

3.0 League Structure

3.0.1 Nexus Gaming Series is a North America-based amateur league.

3.0.2 Each division will be ten (10) weeks of regular season play.

  • Divisions with a single coast have an “extended regular season” and have 1 extra week.
  • A Double Round-Robin Coast also has an “extended regular season” and has 1 extra week before playoffs begin

3.0.3 Divisions will have the following number of weeks for playoffs, including Grand Finals

  • Divisions: Heroic, E (3 Weeks)
  • Divisions: Nexus, A, D-West, D-East (4 Weeks)
  • Divisions: B-West, B-East (5 Weeks)

3.0.4 The regular season will consist of Round Robin, or Double Round Robin (where applicable), play where points are accumulated based on wins and dominations. The week starts Monday at 00:00 Pacific time (PT) and ends Sunday at 23:59 Pacific time.

3.0.5 The Season Eighteen outline is as follows:

  • Regular season start: Monday August 5th
  • Roster hard lock (all Divs): September 29th
  • Grand Finals: Monday, Nov 11th – Sunday, Nov 17th
  • Divisions: Heroic, E
    • Regular season end: Sunday Oct 26th
    • Playoffs: Monday Oct 27th – Sunday Nov 17th (3 weeks)
  • Divisions: Nexus, A, D-West, D-East
    • Regular season end: Sunday Oct 19th
    • Playoffs: Monday Oct 20th – Sunday Nov 17th (4 weeks)
  • Division: B-West, B-East
    • Regular Season End: Sunday Oct 12th
    • Playoffs: Monday Oct 13th – Sunday Nov 17th (5 weeks)

3.0.6 The NGS league is divided into rank divisions. NGS places teams into divisions based on a variety of factors, including (but not limited to): in-game Storm League rank, past NGS performance, performance in other Heroes of the Storm competitions, as well as information provided in the registration survey. Divisions with larger numbers of teams are further split into coasts.

3.1 Games and Points awarded

3.1.1 By the start of the regular season, each team will be assigned ten (10) matches with corresponding weeks in which they must be played. These are known as Fixed Matches.

3.1.2 Teams will also be assigned approximately one (1) to four (4) additional matches, depending on division size, which may be self-scheduled at any time during the regular season. These are known as Flex Matches.

3.1.3 Each match against an opposing team will follow a best of three (3) games format.

  • 3.1.3.1 A match result of 2-0 awards four (4) points to the winning team and zero (0) to the losing team.
  • 3.1.3.2 A match result of 2-1 awards three (3) points to the winning team and one (1) to the losing team.

3.2 Disbanding and Forfeits

3.2.1 If a team forfeits a total of three matches in one season, their team will be disqualified from the season and their matches will be decided per sections 3.2.2 or 3.2.3, as applicable.

3.2.2 If a team disbands and this would result in the team forfeiting more than three total matches, then all of the team’s matches for the entire season, whether played or not, will be scored as a forfeit.

3.2.3 If a team disbands and this would result in the team forfeiting three or fewer total matches, then only the remaining matches will be scored as forfeit. Matches already played before the team disbanded will remain unchanged.

3.2.4 If a team No Call and No Shows for a scheduled match, they will forfeit that match after the 15-minute grace period as described in Rule 4.1.1. If a team No Call and No Shows more than once during a season, their team will be disqualified from the season and their matches will be decided per sections 3.2.1 or 3.2.2, as applicable.

  •  3.2.4.1 “No Call and No Show” refers to when a team fails to show up for a scheduled match and makes no effort to communicate with an opposing team, moderator, or NGS leadership prior to the scheduled match time.

3.2.5 Depending on the circumstances, NGS, at its sole discretion, may decide to overrule these sections.

4.0 Matches

4.1 Season Match Rules / Process

4.1.0 It is a Team’s responsibility to field five (5) eligible players at the scheduled start of your Team’s Match. Fielding an ineligible player may result in a forfeit of the Match.

  • You Cannot add bots to field players if you do not have 5 humans

4.1.1 There will be a 15-minute grace period to attend matches. If a team is more than 15 minutes late, the opposing captain can request a forfeit from a moderator. If this occurs three (3) or more times, they may be disqualified from the league for that season.

  • 4.1.1.1 If after the 15-minute grace period, a team is unable to field five (5) human players for a match, the match will be deemed a forfeit.
  • 4.1.1.2 If a team is late due to scheduling a double header and the first match running over, the captain of the opposing team will be asked if they can wait for the match to end. If they cannot, the team will forfeit the first game of the second match.
  • 4.1.1.3 We recommend allowing 120 minutes per match when scheduling to ensure sufficient time to play three games and allow for delays/technical issues, etc.

4.1.2 Map Selections will be determined by the following rules:

  • 4.1.2.1 Map bans/picks are done by a “digital coinflip” on the Discord server.
    • DRR Divisions (Heroic, D-West, D-East, E) Home team automatically win the coin flip.
  • 4.1.2.2 Coinflip Winner chooses first map pick OR first draft pick.
    • 4.1.2.2.1 Map Ban/Pick Order: The team selecting the first map (first map team) selects a map to ban, then the other team (first pick team) selects a map to ban; then the first map team selects another map to ban, and the first pick team selects another map to ban. After the four bans, the team with map choice selects the game one map from the remaining maps in the pool.
      • DRR Divisions (Heroic, D-West, D-East, E) Home team automatically win the coin flip.
    • 4.1.2.2.2 After the first game, in all subsequent games, the losing team chooses to either select the map or to have first pick during the draft. The team that picks the map will go second during that game’s hero selection process.
    • 4.1.2.2.3 Maps may not be repeated during a match. Teams are required to inform the opposing team of their selection within 2 minutes of the previous game ending.
    • 4.1.2.2.4 If a banned map, or map not currently in rotation for the NGS season, is picked the teams will have the first 2 minutes of the game to address the issue and remake the lobby. If the issue is brought up in the first 2 minutes, a new legal map must be chosen and the new draft will proceed as a brand-new draft. If the issue is not addressed in the 2-minute time, the teams will continue to play and the score of the map will stand as if played on a legal map choice.
    • 4.1.2.2.5 A Team does not have the option of not-banning a map. You must ban 2 maps.

4.2 Maps

4.2.1 This seasons map pool consists of eleven maps. (Same Pool as Storm League) They are as follows:

  • Alterac Pass
  • Battlefield of Eternity
  • Braxis Holdout
  • Cursed Hollow
  • Dragon Shire
  • Garden of Terror
  • Infernal Shrines
  • Sky Temple
  • Tomb of the Spider Queen
  • Towers of Doom
  • Volskaya Foundry

4.3 Match Setup

NGS matches are played on the North American servers.

4.3.1 Matches should be played on the North American server unless both teams agree to play on a different server.

  • 4.3.1.1 Each team has 2 minutes to address an incorrect server assignment. If an incorrect server is being used, the game will be reset with the same draft picks on the agreed server.
  • 4.3.1.2 If neither team addresses the incorrect server assignment within the first 2 minutes, the game will continue without penalty to either team.

4.3.2 Starting side is based upon the order in the match listing on the website. The team on the top will be on the blue (home) side, the team on the bottom will be on the red (away) side.

4.3.3 Only verified spectators are allowed in game: NGS Casters, NGS Observers.

4.3.4 POV streams are allowed, this includes via Discord.

4.3.5 One captain must create a custom game in the client and proceed to invite the opposing captain and each of their team members. Casters must also be invited if assigned to the match.

4.3.6 Teams must field 5 eligible players

  • 4.3.6.1 Teams are allowed to swap players in between games so long as all players in both games of a match are on their current rosters, or approved off-roster substitutes.
  • 4.3.6.2 If a player on a team is ineligible to play, this must be addressed in the game lobby or within the first 2 minutes of the game. If unaddressed, the game will continue until its conclusion.
  • 4.3.6.3 Nonetheless, if an ineligible player is discovered the division moderator must be contacted.
    • 4.3.6.3.1 If the ineligible player would have otherwise been eligible (see Quick Approval Process in Rule 2.4), this will count against the team as an off-roster substitute.
    • 4.3.6.3.2 If the ineligible player would not have otherwise been eligible, or if the team would not be permitted to use an off-roster substitute, the Match will be scored as a forfeit against the team that used an ineligible player.

4.3.7 If an issue arises during a Match, Captains are responsible to reach out to their Division Moderator.  If the Division Moderator is not available, Captains should reach out to any other Division Moderator, Community Moderator, Head Moderator, and/or Member of the Board. NGS Casters are not formal referees or otherwise responsible for deciding issues between teams during a Match. Captains who rely upon their NGS Caster for a formal rule determination may be subject to re-evaluation of the ruling and disciplinary action.

4.4 Hero/Skin/Mount/Talent Bans

4.4.1 New heroes will be banned for the remainder of the week they are released in, as well as one additional full week (ending Sunday).

4.4.2 Reworked heroes will be banned the same duration as the ban for a new hero. Reworked heroes are defined as such by Blizzard in their patch notes and other “News” posts. NGS and the Rules Committee retain the right to declare certain heroes as “Reworked,” at their discretion.

4.4.3 New Heroes and Hero reworks that are released during or immediately before the NGS Playoffs will be banned for the duration of the playoffs. 

4.4.4 Talents, heroic abilities, and hero/talent interactions may be banned temporarily if they are found to be bugged. Talents, heroic abilities, and hero/talent interactions will be banned on a case by case basis, as determined by the Rules Committee.

4.4.5 Hero skin and mount bans will be decided by the Rules Committee.

4.4.6 If a banned hero is selected in draft, the draft must be reset and begin again with the same picks and bans up until the banned hero was selected.

  • 4.4.6.1 If a banned hero is picked again by the same team after the draft has already been reset for this reason, the team picking the hero forfeits that map.
  • 4.4.6.2 If a banned hero pick is not addressed before the game begins, the team that has selected the banned hero forfeits that map. This map forfeit must be addressed within the match. If it is not addressed during the match, the match result will stand.

4.4.7 If a banned talent or heroic ability is selected, or a banned hero/talent interaction is used, by a team, the map is forfeit by that team. In the case of a banned level 1 talent being selected by a team, each team has 2 minutes to address the banned level 1 talent. If a team is found to be using a banned level 1 talent within the first 2 minutes on the game clock, the game will be reset with the same draft picks.

  • 4.4.7.1 Except for a banned level 1 talent, if a banned talent pick, heroic ability pick, or banned hero/talent interaction usage is not caught during the match, it must be reported to a moderator within 24 hours after the match concludes. If it is not reported within 24 hours, the match result will stand.

4.4.8 The following skins are banned (all tints included):

  • Archangel Diablo
  • Cyberhawk Kael’thas
  • Maraudin’ Muradin
  • Striker Li-Ming
  • Mecha Tyrael
  • Cuddle Bear Stitches

4.4.9 The following mounts are banned:

  • Countess Kerrigan Mount (Bat)
  • Crimson Arthas Mount (Gargoyle)
  • Invisible Horse

4.4.10 Each team has 2 minutes to address a banned skin or mount. If a team is found to be using a banned skin or mount within the first 2 minutes on the game clock, the game will be reset with the same draft picks.

  • 4.4.10.1 If neither team addresses a banned skin or mount within the first 2 minutes, the game will continue without penalty to either team.
  • 4.4.10.2 Regarding mounts: if a team sees that their opponent is using a skin that does have a banned mount, they should pause the game and ask what mount is being used in case they do not see the mount by the 2-minute mark.

4.5 Scheduling Matches

4.5.1 At the start of the season, teams will be assigned an opponent for each week. These are called ‘Fixed matches’. In addition, there will be matches assigned that can be scheduled at any point during the season. These are called ‘Flex Matches’.

4.5.2 Scheduling of matches will be done between team captains or their designee. Teams are permitted to play matches on any day and at any time of the week. Once match times are agreed upon, the team captain or their designee must input the match into NGS scheduler on the website.

4.5.3 A Fixed match must be scheduled between Monday 00:00 PT of the start of the corresponding round, and Sunday 23:59 PT one week later. There is one round each week. All team Fixed matches and their corresponding weeks will be posted at season start.

4.5.4 Fixed Matches are to be scheduled before the corresponding round begins. The date and time can be agreed to by the captains at any point, but the actual playing of a Fixed match must fall within the one week window for that round.

  • 4.5.4.1 If a match has not been scheduled by 23:59 PT of the last day of a round, teams must contact their division moderator to let them know why.

Example: Say that Round 1 starts January 1. Round 2 starts on January 8, and Round 3 on January 15. Teams must schedule their Round 2 Fixed match so that it is played between January 8 and January 15, and it must be added to the calendar by January 8. The teams will receive all of their Fixed matchups prior to Round 1, so a Round 2 Fixed Match can be put on the calendar any time between when the match schedule is issued before the season starts and January 8. However, the match itself must be played within the Jan 8-15 window.

4.5.5 Flex Matches may be scheduled at any point during the Season. They must be on the calendar prior to seven days before the end of the season.

Example: The Regular Season ends on March 31. All Flex matches must be on the calendar by March 24. They may be scheduled for any day from the start of the season through March 31.

  • 4.5.5.1 Because of their flexibility, it is advised to schedule a minimum of 1-2 Flex Matches between weeks 1 and 4 depending on how many you are assigned. This will avoid any unintentional forfeits for teams that over schedule at the end of the season. This will also produce a better and more competitive experience for all teams including your opponents.
  • 4.5.5.2 Division Moderators will be monitoring teams who are not actively scheduling Flex Matches at the beginning of the season. Please be aware that they may reach out to your team in discord to notify you accordingly.

4.5.6 If a team is unable to schedule during a particular round, that team will forfeit their match. Upon forfeiting 3 matches, a team is disqualified from the season. (see section 3.2 Disbanding and Forfeits)

  • 4.5.6.1 To minimize scheduling conflicts, it is strongly recommended that teams have at least 3 days available during each week. One of those days should be a weekend (Fri – Sunday) and two during the week (Mon – Thurs).

4.5.7 If teams are unable to agree on a scheduled time for their match, both teams will receive zero (0) points for their match.

  • 4.5.7.1 Teams must inform their Division Moderator that the match could not be scheduled ASAP. The Division Moderator will discuss the scheduling conflict with both team captains.
  • 4.5.7.2 If it is deemed that one team was the primary cause of the scheduling difficulty, that team will be given zero (0) points and the opposing team will be awarded three (3) points for that match. This is determined on a case by case basis if requested by one of the involved teams.

4.5.8 If a match must be rescheduled, the team that cannot attend the match must notify the captain of the opposing team at least 24 hours in advance. The opposing team captain can agree to re-schedule or decline to reschedule if they cannot accommodate the change.

  • 4.5.8.1 If the teams are unable to reschedule, the team that cannot attend will forfeit the match and three (3) points will be awarded to the opposing team.

4.5.9 Any disputes regarding scheduling and forfeits will be handled by Division Moderators on a case by case basis.

4.6 Match Result Submissions

4.6.1 The captain (or designee) of the team that won the match is responsible for reporting results.

4.6.2 To submit match results, teams will use the NGS website submission process.

4.6.3 Failure of the winning team to submit the match results within 4 days of the match being played, will result in a penalty of minus 1 point in the standings for their division.

  • 4.6.3.1 For example, a match played on a Sunday must be reported by 11:59pm on Wednesday, in order to avoid penalty.
  • 4.6.3.2 A Discord Bot will attempt to provide notification ping reminders to captains and assistant captains of teams with an unreported game. The bot is not responsible if these notifications do not occur.

4.6.4 Any disputes regarding match reporting will be handled by Division Moderators on a case by case basis.

5.0 Disconnects and Pauses

5.0.1 A team’s roster is considered locked for a game once the first ban is locked in during a draft.

5.0.2 If a player disconnects during draft after the first ban has been locked in, then that team has 10 minutes to have their team member reconnect. The amount of time used is subtracted from that team’s match pause time.

  • 5.0.2.1 If the player who has disconnected during draft is unable to reconnect, the game can be remade with a sub instead, if one is eligible. In that case, the draft will continue where it left off with all prior heroes picked, and hero bans will be picked the same as before the player dropped. If no substitutes are available, the map is forfeit.

5.0.3 Teams may pause a total of 3 times per game due to disconnects or technical issues. The amount of pause time must not exceed 10 minutes per match per team. If a team uses their full 10 minutes, they must unpause the game. If their opponent then requests that the game be resumed, and the team that has paused refuses to resume, the map is forfeit and results in a map win for their opponent.

  • 5.0.3.1 If a disconnected player is unable to reconnect, the game may be finished with an AI. Alternatively, the team with the disconnected player may elect to forfeit the map.

5.0.4 Teams will announce an unpausing before actually doing so. This requires a countdown from 3 after both teams have confirmed they are ready.

5.0.5 Any team abusing the pause system will be punished. The abuse of the pause system will also result in a default forfeit of the ongoing match. NGS will review any abuse of pause concerns and additional sanctions may be applied at its discretion.

6.0 Playoffs

6.1 General Format

6.1.1 All divisions’ playoffs will consist of a single-elimination bracket.

6.1.2 All Playoff Games are Best of 5

6.1.3 Divisions: Nexus, A, C. playoffs will consist of the top 8 teams of the division. There will be 3 rounds, Finals, Semi-Finals, Grand Finals. The winner of the finals is that division’s grand champion. 

6.1.4 Divisions: Heroic, E. playoffs will consist of the top 4 teams of that division. There will be 2 rounds, Semi-Finals and Grand Finals. The winner is the division’s grand Champion.

6.1.6 Divisions: B-West, B-East. playoffs will consist of the top 8 teams from the East side and the top 8 teams from the West side of each division. Each coast of each division will have their own separate bracket, concluding in a coastal final to determine the coastal champions. The coastal champions of that division then meet in a grand-final to determine the division’s grand champions.

6.1.7 Divisions: D-West, D-East. playoffs will consist of the top 4 teams from the East side and the top 4 teams from the West side of each division. Each coast of each division will have their own separate bracket, concluding in a coastal final to determine the coastal champions. The coastal champions of that division then meet in a grand-final to determine the division’s grand champions.

6.1.8 Each playoff round will last one week. Except for the first week of playoffs, which lasts 2 weeks.

6.1.8 Teams tied in points after the regular season will be ranked according to the priority listed below:

As soon as a “Tie” is broken by some metric, that team is no longer considered to be further tied and is immediately removed and the Tiebreaker process is restarted with any remaining tied teams, beginning with the Head to Head metric. In the event that multiple teams are broken by the next Tiebreaker Metric, The highest non-tied team in that metric is removed first.

  • 6.1.7.1 In the case of a tie in points, the team that is higher seeded is:
    1. The team with the most points in the head to head matches against the other tied teams.
    2. The team with the highest regular season Map Score (the number of Map Wins subtracted by the number of Map Losses).
    3. The team with the highest total KDA over the season. This will be calculated manually to several decimal places, breaking all ties unless teams have the exact same ratio of kills:deaths.
    4. If the teams are still tied, and the tie determines seeding only, then the seeding will be determined by coinflip. If the tie determines whether teams will advance to playoffs, a B01 bracket will be used to break the ties as required.

Example 1: Teams A, B, and C are tied in overall points. Team A scored 6 points against teams B and C (two dominations), B scored 2 points against A and C (an 0-2 loss to A and a 2-1 win over C), and C scored 1 point against A and B (an 0-2 loss to A and a 2-1 loss to B). A is ranked higher than the others and a head-to-head check is then performed between B and C. B won against C 2-1, so B is ranked higher than C. The final ranking would be A/B/C.

Example 2: Team A and B each scored 4 points against the other two tied teams. Team C scored 1. Team C is the third seed. The head-to-head result between A and B determines the first and second seeds.

Example 3: Team A scored 5 points against B and C. B scored 2, and C scored 2. Team A is the first seed. The match between B and C determines the second and third seeds.

Example 4: Team A, B, and C, each scored 3 points against the other two. Map Score is now evaluated to determine seeding order. In the unlikely event that two or more teams are still tied, KDA and further metrics will be used to break further ties.

Example 5: Teams A, B, C, D are all tied, a metric splits Team A as above all 3 other teams, Team B and C are still tied, and Team D is the lowest. Team A and D are broken, but as Team A is the highest, Team A is removed and no longer considered “Tied” and Teams B, C, and D restart the Tiebreak Checks.

6.2 Disconnects During Playoffs

Pause time is increased from 10 minutes to 15 minutes per team, per match, for the playoffs.

6.3 Match Selection During Playoffs

6.3.1 The team seeded highest in the match (“Home”) will start the process by choosing first map pick OR first draft pick for the first game of the match. Map bans proceed as normal.

  • 6.3.1.1 In the case of Division Grand Finals, map bans/picks are done by a “digital coinflip” on the Discord server. The Coin Flip winner chooses first map pick OR first draft pick.
    • 6.3.1 supersedes 6.3.1.1, meaning in a Grand Final that is within the same coast, the team with the higher seed has the choice of first map pick or first draft pick, coinflip is not used.

6.3.2 The team that chose the battleground for the first game will go second during the first game’s hero selection process.

6.3.3 In the following games of a match, the losing team of the previous game will have the choice for either battleground selection or first hero pick in the draft. The team that picks the battleground will go second during that game’s hero selection process.

6.3.4 Battlegrounds may not be repeated during a match. Teams are required to inform the opposing team of their selection within 2 minutes of the previous map ending.

7.0 Community Guidelines

7.0.1 Players shall not engage in any toxic or unsportsmanlike behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, use of excessive swears, derogatory, and/or any other hate-filled language, etc., regardless of whether such behavior is directed at other Players or NGS Volunteers, Moderators, or Leadership. NGS takes all allegations of toxic or unsportsmanlike behavior extremely seriously and such behavior will not be tolerated.

7.0.2 Players shall not harass or verbally assault other members of NGS, or the Heroes of the Storm Community at large. This includes harassment or verbal assault that takes place in-game, on the NGS Discord server, Twitter, Facebook, and/or any other form of communication. NGS takes all allegations of harassment or verbal assault extremely seriously and such behavior will not be tolerated.

7.0.3 Players shall not cause disruption of their Matches, or any other NGS Match. Any Player found violating this section will be subject to immediate removal from their Match and/or result in a Forfeit of that Match, in addition to any other disciplinary action.

7.0.4 Players shall not engage in any attempts to deceive the league leadership or other Players. This includes, but is not limited to, smurfing, playing on a non-registered account, allowing someone to play on your account, giving false information, not submitting new team members to your Division Moderator for approval, using multiple accounts on the NGS Discord server for the purpose of deception, etc.

7.0.5 Players shall not cheat, stream-snipe their opponents, use any external third-party automation programs, or use any known exploits or bugs, to their advantage during a Match. Known bugs and exploits will be posted in the Announcements channel on the NGS discord. Any Player or Team found violating this section will receive a Forfeit of that Match and/or a Disband from NGS, in addition to any other disciplinary action.

7.0.6 Any Player found violating any rule in this section will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including a silence on the NGS Discord server, a suspension, and/or permanent ban from all NGS activities.

7.0.7 NGS, its Board of Directors, and the NGS Disciplinary Committee, in their sole discretion, reserve the right to enforce every rule in this section and issue any disciplinary action, as they deem fit.

7.0.8 Ignorance of these rules is not an excuse to break them.

7.1 Appeal Process

7.1.1 A community member or team captain may submit a written appeal, within 2 weeks from the disciplinary action, for review by NGS if they disagree with a silence, suspension, ban, or any other disciplinary action that has been given due to any infraction(s).

7.1.2 The appeal letter should state why the person believes the disciplinary action is in error as well as suggestions on what disciplinary action (if any) they see as appropriate.

7.1.3 NGS will make a final decision to either remove, amend, or sustain the current disciplinary action after reviewing the player statement. All of the Nexus Gaming Series rules and consequences outlined in this document are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the NGS team. NGS prides itself on providing a fun, community-based league that is free from any toxicity. These rules are meant to provide a guideline that the leadership team and NGS community can use to ensure this goal.

8.0 Changes to the Rules and Guidelines

All subsequent changes to this document outside of grammatical and syntax fixes will be announced to the NGS community through the NGS Discord.

Glossary of Terms

Match: a best-of-3 set of games played against a single opponent

Game: the act of playing a Heroes of the Storm map against an opposing team

Round: a week during which at least one Fixed match is played. Rounds start Monday at 0:00 Pacific time and end the following Sunday at 23:59 Pacific time.

Disband: the breaking up of an organized team.

Forfeit: losing a game or match without playing it due to being unable to field a roster in time for a match, unable to schedule a match, or other circumstances.

Division: a number of teams grouped together for competitive purposes according to skill level

Region: the geographic designation that splits some divisions

Record: the total number of points a team has received from matches.

Flex Matches: Matches that can be scheduled for any week of the regular season.

Fixed Matches: Matches that must be played during a specific week of the regular season.

NGS Caster: This is a person that has been approved by the Head Caster to cast official NGS Matches. This includes anyone who has obtained the Caster Hopeful, Caster, Veteran Caster, or Cocaster tag, as outlined in the #caster_sign_ups discord channel. All NGS Casters are required to follow the Caster Bylaws as edited from time-to-time by the Head Caster. Any updates or changes will be announced by the Head Caster in the #casters channel in discord.

NGS Observer: This is a person that has been approved by the Head Caster to act as an observer of official NGS Matches.