The Russian team HOTU sparked widespread discussion in the CS2 community after using three substitutes in their match against Sangal during ESL Challenger League Season 50. This move allowed the team to avoid losing any VRS points, as only two players from the “core lineup” — the ones tied to the ranking system — remained on the roster.
ESL Challenger League Season 50 Europe Cup3
The tournament serves as one of the main qualifiers for the ESL Pro League, where teams compete not only for promotion to the higher division but also for crucial points in the global ranking. For HOTU, this particular match had little competitive importance — the team was not at risk of dropping to the lower bracket and thus took advantage of an unconventional approach.
HOTU VS SANGAL — 0:2
HOTU looked disorganized from the very start: lack of coordination and insufficient practice among the temporary roster led to a quick defeat. The second map (Train) was forfeited by HOTU, ending the match 0:2.
HOTU roster:
- Aidos ‘kade0’ Khairzhan
- Mark ‘lampada’ Ivanov
- Suleımen ‘dukefissura’ Orazaly
- Rustem ‘mou’ Telepov
- YC ‘dupr1ce’ Cheuk
Only two players — kade0 and dukefissura — belonged to the core lineup linked to VRS, which meant the match did not count toward the rating system. As a result, the team maintained its ranking position, which immediately became a topic of debate among analysts.
ANALYSIS AND CONSEQUENCES
Thanks to this decision, HOTU did not lose a single ranking point — under the current rules, the VRS system does not deduct points from teams that play with fewer than three core players. This tactic has already been dubbed a “ranking dodge”: the team technically lost but kept its standing in the global ranking (#25).
This incident became the first public example of exploiting a loophole in the current VRS version, and HLTV experts already predict that similar cases could occur again unless ESL updates its regulations.
A DIFFICULT PERIOD FOR HOTU
This is one of the toughest stretches of the season for HOTU: the team has recorded three losses (to Vitality, Spirit, and Sangal) and two wins (over The MongolZ and ENCE) in their last five matches. Head coach mou appears to be trying to stabilize the roster after recent changes, though this “system workaround” seems more like a forced measure than a strategic choice.
