Valve blocks late region swaps for Singapore Major, ending BC.Game and Sashi's Asian invite hopes

Valve has changed the Counter-Strike rulebook so that teams cannot switch regions shortly before a Major to get an easier route in. The change, published on Tuesday (6 October), applies straight away to the PGL Singapore Major. It looks set to cost BC.Game and Sashi their hopes of an Asian invite.

The Singapore Major is the first CS2 Major in South-east Asia. It runs from late November, with the finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December. For fans in Malaysia, it is the closest Major yet, and the rule change has shaken up the race for Asia's places.

What has changed

Major invites are based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), Valve's ranking system. Each team is placed in a region, and each region gets a share of the places at the Major.

Under the new rule, a roster only gets a regional assignment if it has not appeared on any other region's VRS list in the previous three calendar months. That three-month period is counted back from when Major invites are sent out, not from the start of the Major. Valve publishes its official VRS updates on the first Monday of each month.

The aim is to stop teams changing their line-ups at the last minute, for example by signing players from a weaker region, so they can be ranked against easier opposition while keeping points earned elsewhere.

Who is affected

BC.Game, the team featuring Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, signed Australian player asap in September to move into the Asian rankings. Sashi also added an Australian pair to try to enter the Asian VRS. HLTV reported that a third team, WW, made a similar move.

Under the new rule, these teams cannot receive an Asian Major invite unless they find a solution with Valve directly. They can still use their VRS position for invites to other tournaments. Dust2.us added that Team Liquid had also used a player swap earlier this year to change their regional eligibility for IEM Cologne.

The Asian race now

The change matters because the Asian rankings are very close. In the Asian VRS standings published at the start of October, TYLOO lead with 1,337 points, just ahead of BC.Game on 1,330 and The MongolZ on 1,325. Lynn Vision, 5star, FlyQuest and DEPO make up the rest of the top seven.

With BC.Game out of the Asian picture, TYLOO and The MongolZ look strongest. The MongolZ have also strengthened before the deadline. On 5 October, they signed nin9 and brought back cobrazera to complete their roster.

Key dates

Talkesport reports that the VRS snapshot on 2 November will decide all 32 Major invitations. That leaves October events as the last chance for teams to improve their ranking.

The Singapore Major then runs from late November to 13 December. Tickets for the finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium went on sale in February, with prices from S$144.

Key takeaways

• Teams that appeared on another region's VRS list in the last three months cannot get a regional assignment for Major invites.
• The rule takes effect immediately for the PGL Singapore Major.
• BC.Game (with s1mple), Sashi and WW are affected by their moves into the Asian rankings.
• TYLOO, BC.Game and The MongolZ were separated by just 12 points at the top of the Asian VRS.
• The finals are at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December.

FAQ

What is Valve's new VRS region rule? A roster cannot be given a region for Major invites if it appeared on another region's VRS list in the previous three calendar months.

Is s1mple's team still eligible for the Singapore Major? BC.Game can no longer receive an Asian VRS invite unless they reach a solution with Valve. They can still use the VRS for invites to other events.

When and where is the PGL Singapore Major? The Major runs from late November to 13 December, with the finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December 2026.

Sources: HLTV, Strafe, Dust2.us, Talkesport, The Kallang