u/Morf-designer

Thanks to multiple insider sources, we now know what led to the bans of Playtime at EWC and LGD's Tailung at TI. There’s a full investigative video on this with all the available proof, but if you don't want to watch it, here's the short version:

• The bans of PlayTime and Tailung are consequences of the same 322 mafia scheme.
• It all started when DarkMago was told to throw a match against Team Liquid at the Esports World Cup. Unexpectedly, Wits solo-crashed Liquid. They called an early GG, ruining the throw and costing the mafia tons of money (there is proof of over $100,000 in losses from just two accounts on one betting site).
• Desperate to recoup their losses, the mafia demanded DarkMago win the money back by doing more 322. He came to Wits and asked him to join, so he wouldn’t ruin the next fixed match by crushing the opponents. Wits refused to participate and reported DarkMago, leading to PlayTime's disqualification from EWC.
• With their primary plan ruined, the mafia turned to LGD’s rising star, Tailung. We know this due to very suspicious betting activity that triggered an investigation into Tailung. It showed that he had been trapped in the syndicate since throwing low-tier games early in his career.
• Tailung initially made a few mistakes, like writing “It’s over, I’m sorry” on Telegram. But soon he removed the post and started denying any 322 involvement.
• According to the same sources, this is just the beginning, with up to 50 more people from the Dota scene currently under investigation for ties to the same mafia.

It looks like Valve has quietly started a massive war against accounts boosted by bots for sale. If you have no idea why this is a huge deal, just go watch Immortal for a dollar video to see how bad the situation has gotten.

Valve seems to have finally had enough of these bot farmers. Their accounts are now getting banned in an automated fasion. But here is the brilliant part: they aren't banning them instantly. Instead, Valve lets the bots hit the 100-hour mark first. I.e., bot owners waste resources and get nothing in return. According to my sources, the account trading market is in panic mode.

I’m still not sure if Valve is going to do anything about the VHS linking, but this is definitely a huge step in the right direction.

Have you guys noticed fewer bot games lately?