Rules

Rulebook's contents:

1. Regulations

1.1. General.
1.2. Rules of behavior.
1.3. Conditions of participation and restrictions.

1.3.1. Citizenship of the players.
1.3.2. Players Age.
1.3.3. Data confirmation.
1.3.4. Player Tag.

1.4. Execution of obligations.
1.5. Use of personal data and images of players / teams.
1.6. Media activities.
1.7. Broadcasting games.
1.8. Confidentiality.
1.9. Prize money.
1.10. Changes to the rules.
1.11. Rulebook translation.

2. Participants

2.1. Game account.
2.2. Substitutions during the tournament.
2.3. Players' nicknames.
2.4. Names, logos, symbols and sponsors.
2.5. Communication with the tournament administration.
2.6. Players’ responsibilities.

3. Tournament structure

3.1. Match format.

3.1.1. Description of terms.
3.1.2. Best-of-Three series.
3.1.3. Best-of-Five series.
3.1.4. Game format.

3.2. GSL Group System format.
3.3 Before the start of the tournament:

3.3.1. Registration.
3.3.2. The confirmation.
3.3.3. Creating a schedule.

4. Tournament format

4.1. Stage 1. Open Qualifier with National Finals.

4.1.1. Open qualifier:
4.1.2. National Final:
4.1.3. Stage 1 dates.
- Russia 
- Ukraine
- Kazakhstan
- Poland
- Germany, France & UK
- Turkey
- Wild Card #1
- Wild Card #2
- Wild Card #3

4.2. Stage 2. International Group Stage.

4.2.1. International Group Stage Round 1.
4.2.2. International Group Stage Round 2.

4.3. Stage 3. International Final.

4.2.1. International Final Round 1.
4.2.2. International Final Round 2.

5. Gameplay

5.1. Allowed devices.
5.2. Game version.
5.3. Arena.
5.4. Rules for participation in the tournament.
5.5. Decks and cards.

5.5.1. Decks registration.
5.5.2. Using decks in games.

5.6. Punctuality.
5.7. Results.
5.8. Draw.
5.9. Protests.
5.10. Broadcast.
5.11. Technical problems.
5.12. Changes to match times.

6. Rules of conduct

6.1. Public behavior.
6.2. Discrimination and libel.
6.3. Competition Code.

7. Prize pool

7.1. National Finals prize pool.
7.2. International Final prize pool.

1. Regulations

1.1. General 
All decisions within the tournament rules can only be done by the tournament administration. Any disputes regarding situations not specified in the rules will be solved by the tournament administration at their discretion. Decisions are final and not negotiable.

1.2. Rules of behavior
Participating Players automatically agree to abide by the Clash Royale Terms of Service and all tournament rules listed here.
Violations will be punished with warnings, penalties, disqualification from the tournament, or a ban in upcoming GameStars tournaments.

1.3. Conditions of participation and restrictions

1.3.1. Citizenship of the players.
Open qualifications are held in 9 regions:
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Kazakhstan
- Poland
- Germany, France & UK (Consist of: Germany, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ireland)
- Turkey
- Wild Card #1 (Consist of countries: Italy, Moldova, Albania, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Belarus)
- Wild Card #2 (Consist of countries: Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) 
- Wild Card #3 (UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia)

The player must be a citizen of the country of the region in whose qualification he was registered.
The player can register only in one qualification’s region.

1.3.2. Players Age 
Players must be at least sixteen (16) years old by the closing date of registration to be eligible to participate in the tournament.
If you are under the legal age of consent in your country of residence, but are at least sixteen (16) years of age, you may still enter and be a participant if you otherwise meet all the eligibility criteria and one of your parents or legal guardians read and agree to these Rules on your behalf.

1.3.3. Data confirmation.
- Proof of citizenship and age. To confirm participation the player must prepare in advance all documents confirming nationality/citizenship and age. Each participant of the tournament is obliged upon request of Starladder (hereinafter - the tournament organizer) to provide the above documents within the time frame specified by the tournament organizers.
- Each participant of the main event (international group stage and international final) must sign the Participation Agreement between the participant and the tournament organizer. In order to sign the above Agreement the Player must provide a Player’s Representative (over 18 years old) who will be responsible for receiving and distributing the prize fund. Minors (under the age of 18) will need to provide parental/guardian consent to participate in the tournament.
- Cases of violation of requirements. Each Player is obliged to ensure that he fulfills the requirements for nationality/citizenship and age and also has the necessary documents. Providing false and misleading or incomplete information by a player leading to incorrect identification of his nationality/citizenship or age will be considered as rule’s violating by the player. Such a violation will result in the imposition of disciplinary action on the player.

1.3.4. Player Tag.
All players must be registered on the Gamestars website with activated Player Tag (for example: #QWERTY123). API Token is used to activate it on the website.

1.4. Execution of obligations
By registering in the tournament, the participants make a commitment to finish the tournament according to the rules and regulations. The participant cannot refuse to participate in the tournament because of disagreement with the rules, the decisions of the administration or unsuitable  conditions. In case of refusal to take part in the tournament, participants will completely lose the prize money, and may be disqualified from future GameStars tournaments.

1.5. Use of personal data and images of players / teams.
For good and valuable consideration, by registering to participate in the Tournament every Player and each of their representatives, as well as every Player participated in the Tournament and each of their representatives (collectively – “Participants”) in connection with appearance in the Tournament hereby declares, agrees, confirms and gives a consent that:
(a)  Each Player hereby grants to the Tournament Organizer permission and rights to broadcast live, as well as a recording of their participation in Tournament. 
Without limiting the foregoing, each Player hereby grants Tournament Organizer a non-exclusive, free, worldwide, perpetual license (with right of sublicense)  to copy, display, distribution, editing, publication, storage and other use and display of full name/nickname/player tag, photos, images, avatars, voice, video images, game character, game statistics and biographical information, as well as the creation of derivative works based on the above elements in any existing and future social networks, in connection with the broadcasts of the Tournament or any part of it, including for commercial purposes, with the aim of expanding the audience and promoting the tournament or its part, as well as for any other purpose. Each player taking part in the Tournament grants the Tournament Organizer the right to process and store his personal data.
(b)  Player and their representative give their written consent to collect, use, disclose and process their personal data in accordance with the Law of Cyprus, General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Regulations (EC) 2016/679) and other applicable international regulatory / local acts and directives in the field of personal data protection, which may include, but is not limited to:  Name, sex, passport data, registration at the place of residence and actual address, citizenship, date and place of birth (day / month / year), TIN, data from state registers of business entities, qualification information, communication numbers, electronic identification data (IP-address, phone, e-mail, logins, nicknames), bank account details and payment/credit card details, photos, medical and other insurance policies and any other information which is or can be identified me in any form can be processed and used  for the following purposes: (i) execution of contracts, agreements, etc.; (ii) marketing and promotions regarding goods and services offered by the Tournament Organizer and its associated entities; (iii) the processing the Personal Data is required for performance the services by the third parties for the Tournament Organizer if required for the Tournament Organizer’s ordinary economic activities; (iv) other purposes under applicable law connected with obligatory, processing of the personal data by the Tournament Organizer, as well as to transfer the Personal data between entities which belong to the Tournament Organizer (sponsors, strategic partners, affiliates, agencies, licensors, licensees, successors and stewards, etc.) around the world, located in countries, which give the guarantee of protection of personal data on their territories in order to ensure the realization of civil and economic and legal relations, settlements, tax accounting, for contractual relations and communication with state authorities, counterparties and other third parties , for the purposes of carrying out economic activities as well as for other purposes which do not contradict the applicable legislation.

1.6. Media activities.
By request of Tournament Organizer, each player agrees to participate in media interviews, streaming sessions, photo or video shoots or other media events. The Tournament Organizer undertakes to help the player to take a photo/video recording by providing instructions (guideline) of how to make it. Players cannot deny or restrict to make photos/video recordings of them.

1.7. Broadcasting games.
The right to broadcast the games of the tournament belongs exclusively to Gamestars, as well as to persons approved by the Gamestars Administration.
In case games broadcasting officially, players are prohibited from broadcasting (streaming) their games without the permission of the Tournament Administration.

1.8. Confidentiality
The content of any protests, appeals, discussions or correspondence on any other issues with the Tournament Administration is strictly confidential. The publication of such materials without the prior written consent of the Tournament Administration is prohibited.

1.9. Prize money
All prize money will be paid out, latest 90 days after the last day of the final stage to the player’s representative. All participants of the International Final of the tournament will be provided with a “tournament participant” contract for signing, in which they will have to specify all the requested information.
NOTE!  For this purposes, Team Representative/the Player should be also provided Tournament Organizer with the required and necessary information such as, including but not limited to:
For Player:
- full real name of the Player and date of birth.
For Player’s Representative or Player represented by itself (only adult - of legal age):
-  full real name of the Player’s Representative/adult Player;
- citizenship of Player’s Representative/adult Player;
-  full registered address of Player’s Representative/adult Player;
- official email address for signing and communication Player’s Representative/adult Player;
 - No. of the identification document of the Player’s Representative/adult Player (Passport/ ID Card/Tax number).
Player’s Payment Details:
- BANK DETAILS of Player’s Representative/adult Player: Bank Account Holder Name, Bank Name, Bank Account No./Iban Code, Swift ID of Beneficiary’s Bank, Beneficiary’s Bank Address;
or
- PayPal of Player’s Representative/adult Player: Beneficiary’s email address of PayPal account.
 
All information is strictly for confidential use and required for the legal purposes related to receiving prize money by a Player, that takes the winner's place of the Tournament, and settlements with the winner.
In case of delays of Player’s Representative/adult Player in providing payment information referred to aforementioned, the Tournament Organizer has the right to postpone the payment of prize money in proportion to the days of delay.
 
The official email address of Tournament Organizer for communication in cases related to aforementioned information - [email protected]

1.10. Changes to the rules
The tournament administration reserves the right to supplement, delete and otherwise change the rules without any additional notice to the participants. To ensure fair play and maintain healthy competition, the Tournament Administration also reserves the right to make decisions on issues not mentioned or covered in detail in these rules, and in exceptional cases - to make decisions that are contrary to these rules.

1.11. Rulebook translation.
Rulebook can be translated into several languages in order to best accommodate a wide subset of Players. The English version of Rulebook will be treated as the singular source of truth in the event of a Rulebook dispute or inconsistency in Rulebook translation. 

2. Participants

2.1. Game account
Players are obliged to use only their own game account with a unique Player Tag. After a participant played first match in the tournament, the account will be assigned to him and cannot be changed until the end of the tournament.
If a player changed his Player Tag on the website after his first match in the tournament and played with a new Player Tag in any other match, he will be disqualified.

2.2. Substitutions during the tournament
Substitutions can’t be used during solo tournaments.

2.3. Players' nicknames.
Players are prohibited from changing their nicknames without permission of the Administration.

2.4. Names, logos, symbols and sponsors 
The Tournament Organizer reserves the right to prohibit the use of unwanted names and / or symbols within the competition. The use of any legally protected word, logo or symbol, all or a part of them is prohibited without the permission of its owner. Clash Royale Gamestars League: Season #1 prohibits advertising or promoting sponsors representing other gaming companies (whether exclusively or broadly), game publishers or gaming platforms, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, weapons, betting companies or companies associated with gambling; and advertising or promotion of any company, product or service related to any of the above. Notwithstanding any approval that may be provided by Tournament Organizer, the entire risk and responsibility of obtaining the right to use the corporate name or the intellectual property of a third party in or as part of a Team name shall be with the Team.

2.5. Communication with the tournament administration.
Each participant must join the official Gamestars game’s Discord server, which is the only official channel of communication with the tournament administration. Also, important announcements regarding the holding of the tournament will be published there.
Each participant must specify their discord contact in their profile on the Gamestars website. 
All participants agree that they will check the announcements in the discord once every 24 hours.

2.6. Players’ responsibilities.

Players who have qualified for the International Group Stage must provide all needed information to the Tournament Organizer for the broadcast needs.. Include, but not limited to players photos, ingame nicknames, names, etc.

Starting from the International Group Stage Round 1 stage, every player must prepare a web camera or any other device with a camera to stream themselves for competition. In the official discord server of the tournament will be created special channels, where players will stream themselves for Tournament Organizer during the games.
All participants automatically give their consent to the organizer to use their stream for the broadcast needs.
Tournament organizers may refuse players to participate if they do not follow the tournament rules.

3. Tournament structure

3.1. Match format.

3.1.1. Description of terms.
- Game - One game between two players.
- Match - play up to 2 wins (Best-of-Three series) or up to 3 wins (Best-of-Five series), depending on the stage of the tournament.
Matches will be played in classic friendly battle 1v1. Invites for matches will be sent automatically (more detailed in par.5.6. Punctuality)

3.1.2. Best-of-Three series. 
Players will play up to 3 games. The first player to win 2 games will be the winner.

3.1.3. Best-of-Five series. 
Players will play up to 5 games. The first player to win 3 games will be the winner

3.1.4. Game format.
The player wins a battle by obtaining more Crowns than the enemy. It can be done by destroying the opponent's Crown Towers.
Players will have 3 minutes of main time to complete the game. After 3 mins passed, the player, who obtained more Crowns, won the game.
If both players have similar crowns, 2-mins overtime will start.
The player who obtains a Crown during the overtime will win the game (be considered as a winner).
If games end in a draw, the player with the lower single tower HP loses the game.
If the player destroys the opponent's King's Tower, he gets 3 Crowns, as the other two Crown Towers will be automatically destroyed as well, resulting in an automatic win.

3.2. GSL Group System format.

Group Stages in the tournament using GSL System. Each GSL group consists of 4 players.

The format is as follows:

• The four players of the group are split into two pairs of competitors who play each other in the Opening Matches (M1 & M2 Matches).
• The winners of these two matches will then face each other in the Winner’s Match (M3 Match).

-The winner of this Winner's Match places first in the group (means advance to next round of Open Qualification).

• The losers of the initial two matches face each other in the Elimination Match (M4 Match).

-The loser of this Elimination Match places fourth in the group (means elimination from Open Qualification).

• The loser of the Winner’s Match and the winner of the Elimination Match will face each other in the Decider Match (M5 Match).

-The winner of the Decider Match takes second place in the group (means advance to next round of Open Qualification).
-The loser of the Decider Match places third in the group (means elimination from Open Qualification).

Visually GSL group looks like:

Matches’ format in group depends on the stage. For Open Qualifiers all matches will be played in a 2-wins format (Best-of-Three series).

For Open Qualifiers -  the players with two wins in the group advances to the next round of the open qualifier. The players that got two defeats are eliminated from the tournament.

In Open Qualifier matches M1 and M2 will be played parallel. Matches M3 and M4 will be played parallel as well. For example schedule of 1st Round of Germany region looks like:
18:00 CET - M1 Match.
18:00 CET - M2 Match.
18:40 CET - M3 Match.
18:40 CET - M4 Match.
19:20 CET - M5 Match.

Detailed schedule for each round of each region is written below in par. 4.1.3. Stage 1 dates.

3.3 Before the start of the tournament:

3.3.1. Registration.
Clash Royale Gamestars League: Season #1 is attended by players that registered and confirmed their participation on the official website of the tournament. Registration dates for each region are written on the tournament page of this region.
To participate in the Tournament, you need to register on the official website, set the Player Tag of your game account, register in the tournament and confirm your participation.

3.3.2. The confirmation.
To participate in the Tournament Player must confirm his participation within the time frame written on the Tournament page. The Player who did not manage to confirm participation will not be allowed to participate in the Tournament.

3.3.3 Creating a schedule.
The schedule of the Tournament will be created after the end of the confirmation, within the terms written on the Tournament page. The participating players will be randomly divided into groups.

4. Tournament format

The tournament consists of three stages - Open Qualifier with National Finals, International Group Stage and International Final.

4.1. Stage 1. Open Qualifier with National Finals.

4.1.1. Open qualifier:
Consist of 3-5 Rounds (depends on the region) and National Final.
In each Open Qualifier Round all players will be divided into GSL groups with 4 players in each. All matches will be played in a 2-wins format (Best-of-Three). Detailed dates and time for each region you can check in par. 4.1.3. Stage 1 dates..
Top-2 players of each group will pass to next Round, 3-4 places of the group eliminated. Rounds will be played until 8 players remain, which will play in the National Final of the region.

4.1.2. National Final:
National Finals will be played according to the Double Elimination system. All matches will be played in a 3-wins format (Best-of-Five). 

According to the placement in this stage following amount of players will pass to International Group Stage from each region:
- Russia - Top-4 players from National Finals.
- Ukraine - Top-4 players from National Finals.
- Kazakhstan - Top-3 players from National Finals.
- Poland - Top-4 players from National Finals.
- Germany, France & UK - Top-3 players from National Finals.
- Turkey - Top-3 players from National Finals.
- WC Tournament #1 - Top-4 players from National Finals.
- WC Tournament #2 - Top-3 players from National Finals.
- WC Tournament #3 - Top-4 players from National Finals.
Also players will get prize money due to par. 7.1. National Finals prize pool.

4.1.3. Stage 1 dates.
- Russia
Round 1: 112 players, 32 groups (3/4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played from March 10, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 2: 64 players, 16 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 17, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 3: 32 players, 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 23, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 4: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 24, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from April 2 to April 4, from 18:00 to 20:30 CEST.
Russian National Final will be officially streamed. All participants of the Russian National Final must provide their photos and information to the Tournament Organizer.

- Ukraine
Round 1: 104 players (3/4 players in each group), 32 groups. The matches of the round will be played Match 9, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 2: 64 players, 16 groups. The matches of the round will be played Match 12, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 3: 32 players, 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 16, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 4: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 19, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 26 to March 28, from 18:00 to 20:30 CET.
Ukrainian National Final will be officially streamed. All participants of the Ukrainian National Final must provide their photos and information to the Tournament Organizer.

- Kazakhstan
Round 1: 31 players (3/4 players in each group), 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played Match 17, from 16:00 to 18:00 CET time.
Round 2: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played Match 24, from 16:00 to 18:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from April 2 to April 4, from 15:00 to 17:30 CEST.
Kazakhstan National Final will be officially streamed. All participants of the Kazakhstan National Final must provide their photos and information to the Tournament Organizer.

- Poland
Round 1: 81 players, 32 groups (3 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played from March 11, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 2: 56 players, 16 groups (3/4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 12, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 3: 32 players, 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 15, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 4: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 19, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 22 to March 24, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET.

- Germany, France & UK
Round 1: 46 players, 15 groups (3-4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 16, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 2: 30 players, 8 groups (3-4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 19, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 3: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 23, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 26 to March 28, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET.

- Turkey
Round 1: 31 players, 8 groups (3-4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 17, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 2: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 22, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 26 to March 28, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET.

- Wild Card #1
Round 1: 60 players, 16 groups (3-4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 18, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 2: 32 players, 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 22, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 3: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 23, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 26 to March 28, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET.

- Wild Card #2
Round 1: 38 players, 12 groups (3-4 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 17, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 2: 24 players, 8 groups (3 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played March 22, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
Round 3: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 23, from 20:00 to 22:00 CET time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from March 26 to March 28, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET.

- Wild Card #3
Round 1: 192 players, 64 groups (3 players in each group). The matches of the round will be played from March 18 to March 19, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 2: 128 players, 32 groups. The matches of the round will be played from March 22 to March 23, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 3: 64 players, 16 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 25, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 4: 32 players, 8 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 27, from 18:00 to 20:00 CET time.
Round 5: 16 players, 4 groups. The matches of the round will be played March 28, from 18:00 to 20:00 CEST time.
National Final: 8 players, Double Elimination System. The matches will be played from April 2 to April 4, from 19:00 to 21:30 CET

4.2. Stage 2. International Group Stage.

International Group Stage consist of two Rounds:

4.2.1. International Group Stage Round 1.
32 Players will be divided into 8 GSL Groups. All matches will be played in a 3-wins format (Best-of-Five series).
Top 1 player of each group advanced to the International Final directly.
Top 2-3 players of each group advance to International Group Stage Round 2.
Top 4 player of each group eliminated from the tournament.

International Group Stage Round 1 matches will be played:
For A,B,C,D groups - from 12 April to 16 April.
For E,F,G,H groups - from 26 April to 30 April.
More detailed schedule will be announced for participants prior to the International Group Stage in Official Discord.

4.2.2. International Group Stage Round 2.
16 Players will be divided into 4 GSL Groups. All matches will be played in a 3-wins format (Best-of-Five series).
Top 1-2 players of each group advance to the International Final.
Top 3-4 players of each group eliminated from the tournament.

International Group Stage Round 2 matches will be played from 10 May to 14 May.
More detailed schedule will be announced for participants prior to the International Group Stage in Official Discord.

4.3. Stage 3. International Final.

International Final consist of two Rounds:
4.2.1. International Final Round 1.
16 players will be divided into 4 GSL Groups. All matches will be played in a 3-wins format (Best-Of-Five series).
Top 1-2 players of each group advance to the International Final.
Top 3-4 players of each group eliminated from the tournament.

4.2.2.International Final Round 2.
International Final Round 2 will be played according to the Single Elimination system for 8 players. All matches will be played in a 3-wins format (Best-Of-Five series). 

According to the placement in this stage will be known champion of the tournament and players will get prize money due to par. 7.2 International Finals prize pool.
International Final Round 1 and Round 2 will be played from 1st June to 6th June. More detailed schedule will be announced for participants prior to the International Final in Official Discord.

5. Gameplay

5.1. Allowed devices.
Throughout the tournament, players are required to play on any device.

5.2. Game version
All players must have the latest version of the game installed to participate in tournaments held by the administration. All updates must be installed prior to the start of the tournament.

5.3. Arena.
Any Arena can be used during the tournament.

5.4. Rules for participation in the Clash Royale Gamestars League: Season #1 tournament.
Players need to make sure they are logged into the same game account that was registered on the GameStars website. Players logged into the wrong account will not receive a game invite.
Players should not click “Decline” when responding to a game invite.
If Player clicks “Decline”, a second invite will be sent. If a player clicks “Decline” one more time - player will get a forfeit defeat.
If a player does not appear in the lobby within the allotted time (see par. 5.6) after sending an invitation to the game, the player will automatically get a defeat.
If a player encounters any problems during a match, he must contact the tournament referee on Discord as soon as possible.

5.5. Decks and cards

5.5.1. Decks registration.
All cards can be used during the Open Qualifiers and National Finals. Decks can be changed in between games during this stage.
Before the International Group Stage and International Final Stages players must submit 3 of their decks, which they will use during one of these stages. To do that, players must send screenshots of their decks to tournament organizers.
Each player’s deck may not contain more than six duplicate cards. Meaning all decks should have 2 cards that are different from the other decks.

5.5.2. Using decks in games.
Starting from International Group Stage when the player deck wins a game with deck, this deck cannot be used for the remaining games of the match.
Losing player can use the same deck, which with he lost the game, for the next game.
If a player tries to use a deck which has already won a game, he get forfeit defeat for that game (not for the whole match).
In this case, his opponent can use the same deck for next game, which with he got forfeit win.
In other words, to win a Best-of-Five match (up to 3 wins), a player must win all games with his three different decks.

5.6. Punctuality.
The first invite of the Match will be sent at the start time of the match. The starting time is written on the match page. Each player is given 5 minutes to accept the invitation and start the game. Be aware that you chose the correct deck for the game before accepting the invitation.
Invites for each subsequent game will be sent immediately after the completion of the previous game. Each player is given 5 minutes to choose a deck they will use in the next game, accept the invitation and start the game.
Invites to the game for players will be sent to their Player Tag that was registered on the tournament organizer's website. In case a player didn’t receive an invite - check that you’re logged in the game with the correct account.
If the game didn’t start after the allotted time passed (5 mins after invitation sent), the system will check it and the player, who didn’t accept the invite, will get a forfeit defeat. In case both players didn’t accept the invitation - both players will get forfeit defeat.

5.7. Results
The results of each set and match as a whole are calculated automatically.
However, in order to avoid misunderstandings, at the end of each set, both players need to take screenshots of the screen where the tournament administration can see the result of the set and keep them throughout the tournament.
Players are required to provide screenshots of the results of the match sets to the tournament administration upon first request. If a player fails to provide proof of victory in the match at the request of the administration, it may be awarded forfeit.

5.8. Draw
In the scenario of a tie after the overtime, the game will evenly damage the Players’ remaining towers until a winner is decided. If a true tie occurs and the game cannot determine a winner, the Players will start a new game to determine a winner (new invite in game will be sent).

5.9. Protests.
A protest about violation of rules during the match or wrong match results may be accepted within 15 minutes after the end of all matches in the group. To do this, you must use the functionality of the Gamestars website, providing all the necessary materials, if required.

5.10. Broadcast
Open qualifiers and National Finals will not be streamed (except National Finals of next regions: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan).
The International Group Stage and International Finals will be officially broadcasted.
By participating, all players automatically give their consent to the use of their personal data in live broadcasting and publication of recordings of games and live broadcasts in the public.

5.11. Technical problems
Participants are solely responsible for the settings and the quality of the Internet that they use for official games. The administration is not responsible for the poor quality of the connection between the participant and the server.
Players are also responsible for solving their technical problems, including those related to hardware and software.
Matches cannot be rescheduled due to technical or other problems for the player.

5.12. Changes to match times.
The administration can change the start time of the match at its sole discretion, due to problems with broadcasts, delays in the previous match, etc.

6. Rules of conduct

6.1. Public behavior
Participants are obliged to respectfully treat representatives of the GameStars administration, the press, tournament partners and other players. Participants are required to comply with the rules of decent behavior, not to use offensive statements based on race, orientation, gender, citizenship, religion, etc. It is forbidden to use vulgar, obscene expressions, threats to other participants or the administration of the tournament. These rules apply to messages in game chat, social networks or any other text and video interviews.
Insulting the GameStars administration, other participants, spectators is strictly prohibited.

6.2. Discrimination and libel
Participants are prohibited from insulting the dignity or integrity of a country, person, group of people with statements based on race, orientation, gender, citizenship, religion, language or any other preference. Violators can be disqualified at any time, fined half of the prize money, both together and separately.

6.3. Competition Code
All participants are expected to play at their best at all times within any match within the Clash Royale Gamestars League: Season #1. Violators of the rules may be punished at the discretion of the tournament referees. Examples of violations:
- Cooperation - Participants who cooperate with others, including other competing participants to cheat or deceive and gain an unfair advantage are guilty of collusion. Acts of collusion include, but are not limited to:
Teaming - agreement between players not to play at full strength;
Preliminary consent to the split of prize money or other forms of compensation;
Receiving information and signals from outside sources during a match;
Deliberately losing any match for compensation.
- Cheating - any modification of the game client, including using any 3rd party apps to grant in-game advantages
- Exploiting - deliberate abuse of in-game bug to gain an advantage
- Smurfing - the use of fake accounts, or playing on someone else's account for profit.
- Multi-account - using multiple personal accounts..
- Disconnection from the game - intentional disconnection from the game, without the prior permission of the tournament organizers.
- Lie - an attempt to deceive the administration or other players with knowingly false statements, information or documents.

7. Prize pool.

7.1. National Finals prize pool.
Based on the results of the National Final of each region the prize pool will be distributed as follows:
1st place - $ 500
2nd place - $ 300
3rd place - $ 200

7.2. International Final prize pool.
Based on the results of the International Final the prize pool will be distributed as follows:
1st place - $ 7000    
2nd place - $ 3400    
3rd place - $ 2200
4th place - $ 2200
5th place - $ 1600
6th place - $ 1600
7th place - $ 1600
8th place - $ 1600
9th place - $ 1200
10th place - $ 1200
11th place - $ 1200
12th place - $ 1200
13th place - $ 1000
14th place - $ 1000
15th place - $ 1000
16th place - $ 1000