Astralis shocked the world by reuniting “Stabbi” with the target of said duo’s back-stabbing. Now, they’re surprising us all by fielding cadiaN at the BLAST Fall Final.

How is this possible? The roster lock for the event passed on the 4th, and cadiaN wasn’t announced until nearly two weeks after.

Here’s your answer: Dodgy rules and BLAST consistently enforcing them inconsistently.

If you look at BLAST’s rules, a team can register a coach and a sub on their roster who can stand in if needed. The only person who would be able to play in br0’s place—without the need for an emergency sub—would be Astralis’ coach, rugged.

Astralis requested for cadiaN to replace br0 on an emergency substitution basis shortly before announcing cadiaN’s signing. According to br0’s agent, the player is in good health and ready to find another team.

In addition to this instance, BLAST have also faced criticism with allowing emergency subs in one case but not in another.

Allowing teams to make these “emergency substitutions” during unclear circumstances may allow teams to make under-the-table deals to circumvent tournament rules. If Astralis do very well at this event, they will shoot up in Valve’s Global Rankings.

BLAST will need to take a hard look at how they enforce their own rules in the future if they want to ensure competitive integrity in their tournaments - and credibility in the eyes of Valve.