That is the question.

For Liquid and NIP, the answer is pretty simple: withdraw from the Budapest Major EU RMR - better known as Frag Blocktober 2025 - just days before it begins, and reap the rewards.

But how did we end up in a reality that encourages teams to drop out right before a tournament starts?

Well, who else could be to blame? Valve and the VRS, of course.

Fair warning before we dive in: we’ve now step into nerd territory. We’ll try to keep it simple enough to not bore you to death, but detailed enough so you get the full picture.

It all begins with the Frag Blocktober 2025 LAN, the final VRS ranked tournament before the Budapest Major invite cutoff. Naturally, when it was announced back in August, everyone and their mother rushed to sign up - looking to squeeze out every last VRS point before the deadline. The original 32 slots sold out in just three minutes, forcing the TO to expand the field to 48 teams.

But as the event drew closer, problems began to surface.

As you may know, Valve relies entirely on data gathered by HLTV to run the VRS. This means that if an event isn’t covered on HLTV - even if it’s considered a Ranked competition by Valve - it has no effect on the rankings.

As you can imagine, this opens the door to serious integrity issues. And, surprise, they didn’t take long to appear.

HLTV initially announced it would cover only Frag’s Playoffs, leaving the group stage out. This opened the door for teams to intentionally lose in groups - without any VRS penalty - in order to get deeper in the Playoffs and play an extra, potentially easier match.

After former Complexity GM messioso called it out, HLTV was quick to adjust its plans, announcing that they were going to start coverage from the Round of 16 instead. That fixed one issue, but left another open.

By opting not to cover groups, teams like Liquid and NIP - already guaranteed at the Major and knowing they wouldn’t lose points for withdrawing - opted to pull out just days before the event began. Now, those spots go unfilled, denying other teams a chance to play.

Naturally, this raises a whole new set of questions about how the VRS is managed.

How does a competitive system reward teams for withdrawing just days before an event? If we’re a well-resourced team with the means to travel, what’s stopping us from signing up for every VRS LAN that pops up and then bailing at the last minute if we don’t feel like playing?

But the biggest concern - one that much of the community hasn’t fully grasped - is that this is not HLTV’s fault.

Valve is relying on a third-party business whose goal is profit, to regulate a competitive system. If HLTV decides that covering a particular stage of an event is too costly or simply not worth the effort, they are entirely within their rights. The responsibility lies solely with Valve. It’s up to them to ensure a fair and level playing field, free from loopholes and integrity issues.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Poll

Thanks to the Cologne ticket prices, the cost of attending events are a hot topic right now. But look guys - TOs have to make money somewhere.

With that in mind, if TOs were to switch to subscription models for if you’re watching from home, would you be down for it? And how much would you pay?

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so just respond to us in an email and leave your initials or gamertag for a chance to be included in the next edition!