There is money at stake. This section says in advance what happens when the staff has a doubt, so that nobody discovers it on the day it concerns them.
Two standards of proof, for two different sanctions.
To ban, we need certainty: an unambiguous record, an admission, a recording, or a measurement no honest play produces. Doubt benefits the player.
To exclude from the leaderboard, a serious and consistent body of evidence is enough. The player keeps their access, their kits and their progress: the sanction only removes them from the race for the prize.
This difference is deliberate. Handing out money on a leaderboard we suspect is distorted would be unfair to every other participant — and demanding the same certainty as for a ban would mean never being able to set anyone aside.
What the staff relies on: the full match history recorded by the server, click-rate and reach measurements, movement records, reports, video recordings, and live checks — staff can watch any ongoing match.
What is never a reason on its own: being very good, playing a lot, having a strong ratio, using an allowed PvP client, or being reported by unhappy players.
What you are entitled to:
The written reason for your sanction, shown in game and readable at any time.
A Discord ticket to appeal, read where possible by a staff member who did not make the decision.
The right to ask for a review for the following season.
What the staff commits to: giving a reason for every exclusion, logging it, and never using it for anything other than the integrity of the competition — not for a disagreement, not for a dislike, not for a chat dispute, which fall under ordinary sanctions.
Any appeal relating to a season must be filed before the end of the 30-day claim window. After that, the season leaderboard is closed for good.