100T fined $5k for delay of game, coach suspended through 2021

100 Thieves has been fined $5,000 for non-compliance and delay of game, according to a report released by Riot. The coach, Hector “FrosT” Rosario has also been suspended for the rest of the 2021 Valorant Champions Tour as a result of his actions towards tournament organizers. 

According to Riot, 100T and Immortals came into the lobby to prepare for their very first game in the Masters tournament. Tournament officials chose a server for the two teams to play on that they felt was equi-distant to where both teams were based. The officials then informed the teams of the server they chose and asked them to initate the start of the game.

100T disagreed with officials on which server they were playing on, due to issues with ping, which can influence the outcome of the game if one team has a high ping advantage over the other. 

The players from 100T then entered the in-game shooting range in order to delay the start of the match so that their coach could argue with officials over the server location. It is unclear whether the players were instructed to enter the shooting range or if they were instructed to do so by someone within 100T. 

FrosT then joined a Discord server with a tournament official to argue over the server and convince them to change it. A Riot Games employee entered the chat and cemented their decision. 100T then gave in and started the match after about an hour of arguing. 

Why was 100 Thieves arguing with Riot during VCT?

Ping is always an issue in an online tournament such as Valorant is now. Technical issues are bound to happen when multiple players are joining from various locations around the United States. The issue of ping was brought up by FaZe Clan after the Masters grand final. 

“The ping matters, especially when it’s as low as single-digits… It’s not the reason why we lose, but it definitely gives them an upper hand when it comes to fighting and being confident because they’re going to see you first,” Corey “Corey” Nigra said of ping differential.

100T won the game in question but then got knocked out of the tournament in the semifinals to Gen.G. There has been no official response given by 100T yet. A a request for comment from WIN has gone unanswered.