win.gg
Win.gg Dota 2 10 pro Dota 2 players banned by Valve for account sharing

10 pro Dota 2 players banned by Valve for account sharing

Author Icon
William Davis Published 19/12/2022

Many Dota 2 players may view account sharing as a bit of harmless fun, but Valve strongly disagrees.

Valve has announced the banning of 10 competitive Dota 2 players on the grounds of illegally playing on other players’ accounts during tournaments. The list primarily consists of tier-two players, but also includes the safe lane carry of Virtus.pro and the bulk of Luna Gaming’s roster. These players will no longer be allowed to participate in any events supported by Valve or PGL.

The list of players banned for account sharing includes the following, who are banned by CSGO developer Valve and tournament host PGL. Their bans were announced by PGL through social media on December 18, 2022.

While western Dota 2 fans may not recognize most of the names on this list, the majority of them are up-and-coming grinders in Eastern Europe. The list also calls out some notable names. Kamil “Koma`” Biktimirov, who recently joined Virtus.pro as a safe lane carry, has had his career cut short by account sharing.

Sergey “[T]SA” Timchenko played for B8 and Team Empire in multiple DPC seasons, and Alliance fans may also notice Yaroslav “Limitless” Parshin, who played offlane for that team during the 2022 qualifiers for The International 11.

https://twitter.com/pglesports/status/1604415902300217345

The ban announcement did not specifically say which events these players played in without a host’s knowledge. It’s likely that they posed as other players for tournaments outside of the DPC. In these cases, teams who wished to cheat would contact them and give them the account information needed to pose as another player.

Whatever prizes they earned from those tournaments, it’s likely not more than their potential earnings if they were allowed to continue their careers.

Can you get banned for account sharing in Dota 2?

Valve has repeatedly stated that sharing accounts violates the terms of service for Dota 2, though these rules are rarely enforced outside of professional play.

For normal players, account sharing is highly discouraged and considered a violation of the game’s rules. Casual and lower MMR accounts are usually unpunished for this behavior, but Valve is able to detect when it happens and holds the right to ban Dota 2 players who choose to share accounts. 

In most cases, sharing accounts also falls under the category of smurfing, which Valve only recently made explicitly against the rules. Accounts that have been found guilty of account sharing are subject to similar punishments, ranging from getting shadowbanned into a smurf pool or outright account termination.

Valve’s methods for detecting account sharing are top secret, but cross-referencing IPs should be enough to trigger a ban for esports players.

William Davis
About William Davis

View full profile
Read Also
Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Dota 2
Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...
PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Dota 2
PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Dota 2
Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...
Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Dota 2
Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...
Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Dota 2
Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Dota 2
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...