RMR Capsules + Coaches
On Jan. 27, 2021, a new CS:GO update was released, which was exclusively related to the pro scene. Besides RMR capsules, which contain a total of 24 team stickers, the guidelines for the new Major qualifiers were announced and the topic of the coaching scandal in the middle of the year was taken up again.
New RMR capsules
Teams around the world competed in RMR events in 2020 to qualify for the Fall Major. However, due to current circumstances, the tournament planned in Rio did not take place. To give viewers the opportunity to support their favorite teams, Valve brought out the RMR capsule.
All teams that would have originally qualified for the major will be featured in these capsules and will receive 50% of the revenue generated by these stickers. Regardless of personal opinions about the design, it's a great idea for both the community and the teams.
Pro Scene - Choaches
In this update, some new features and game changes were announced for the RMR tournaments in 2021. First important point: The teams, which would have qualified as Legends for the last Major start with 600 points, Challenger with 300 and Contender with 100.
Valve decided not to accept 6-man rosters in their events. While teams are allowed to substitute players in and out during an RMR event, substitutions will result in a 20% points deduction for the current tournament. Substitutions back in, on the other hand, would be allowed with no loss of points. However, if a player is substituted again, the procedure would start all over again. All in all this will be a problem especially for Vitality, who got used to the six player system very well and have to decide which player will not make it into the active lineup at the RMR events. For Astralis and NAVI it can be assumed that B1T and Bubzkji will have to sit on the bench at the Major Qualifier.
Referring the coaching scandal and also numerous problems with streamsniping in 2020, Valve banned coaches and also all other team members from being in the same room during a competitive match. Coaches are not allowed to communicate with the team during games, even in tactical timeouts. Thus, Valve made a sweeping strike against all coaches and banned them from active participation in the game.
All in all, clear steps back towards a traditional five-man roster, in which the IGL is responsible for tactical decisions. For some teams this decision will be more serious than for others, depending on how much influence the coach had actively on the strategies and calling ingame. The response from coaches, as well as players, has been shock. Nobody understands the decision to ban the coaches from the server.
Valve also cracked down directly on those coaches who used the bug. Depending on the severity of the offense and the number of repetitions, coaches were banned from tournaments for 1-5 majors and are not allowed to participate with any team. Those coaches who have a rating of 6+ according to ESIC are permanently banned from all major events and will never participate again.
Full update news: blog.counter-strike.net
