A growing controversy surrounds the Valve Regional Standings system as multiple teams discover they can improve their Major qualification chances simply by changing regions through roster adjustments.
The latest case involves Danish organization Sashi, which temporarily benched Mikkel "MistR" Thomsen and Casper "Cabbi" Jensen to bring in Australians Tynan "TjP" Purtell and Jordan "Hatz" Bajic. Combined with Anton "Anlelele" Huynh's Vietnamese citizenship, this gives Sashi an Asian-majority roster, allowing them to compete in the Asian VRS rankings instead of European ones.
The impact is dramatic. Sashi's 1,122 points placed them 54th in Europe with virtually no Major hopes. Those same points would rank them approximately fifth in Asia, well within qualification range for the Singapore Major. The team doesn't need to improve their standing globally—they just need their existing points counted in a different regional competition.
BC.Game executed this strategy weeks earlier with considerable success. After signing Australian Tyson "asap" Paterson, the organization moved from 36th in Europe (roughly 5% Major qualification chance) to second in Asia with over 95% projected qualification odds.
WW also attempted the regional switch by adding Ermek "enzero" Kartanbaev, though subsequent poor results diminished their advantage.
The controversy intensified when Falcons star Nikola "NiKo" Kovač publicly called on Valve to address the situation before the Major cutoff. Team Liquid previously used a similar tactic in March, trading Guy "NertZ" Iluz for Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa to move from European to American standings, successfully securing a Major spot.
Community members are demanding rule changes, with suggestions including restricting regional switches to specific periods like immediately after Major events. The debate highlights concerns about fair qualification opportunities and how Asian players might become valued more for their nationality than their skills.
Valve faces mounting pressure to reform the system as teams continue exploiting what many consider an unintended loophole in the Regional Standings framework.
