Nouns Coach Reveals He Reported Azure Ray Bug Abuse To The Organizers

Filipe “Astini” Astini, coach of North American side nouns, has revealed that he was the person who reported Azure Ray to the authorities for bug abuse 

In a recent tweet, Filipe “Astini” Astini, who coaches North American outfit nouns, bravely came forward and claimed responsibility for being the individual who suspected the Azure Ray players of exploiting a bug after analyzing video footage of Azure Ray’s previous Bali Major matches. He went on to state that he promptly reported the matter to the organizers. 

This morning while analyzing the replays of Azure Ray, I noticed a weird pattern of their pre-rune movements. After a bit of trial and error, I understood that they were abusing a bug to find out if their enemies had already taken a specific watcher.

— Filipe Astini (@filipeastini) July 3, 2023

In his series of tweets, Astini explains how the bug gave Azure Ray an unfair advantage and why he felt he needed to notify the authority immediately. He revealed that the organizers told them they needed time to decide a proper course of action. Meanwhile, they permitted nouns to utilize the bug to even the playing fields. Astini says his team took advantage of the bug in the first match of their series against Azure Ray. They could not do so in the second match, however, as the organizers decided not to allow the bug anymore. 

Credit: Sportskeeda

The Bali Dota Major 2023 organizers, in the meantime, found themselves caught in a maelstrom of controversy after their initial proclamation that Azure Ray's comprehensive 2-0 victory against nouns would be overturned, resulting in a revised scoreline of 1-1. This decision was made in response to allegations of bug exploitation by Azure Ray during the second game of the match. In a surprising turn of events, however, the organizers swiftly deleted their tweet, leaving both fans and participants bewildered and uncertain about the final ruling.

After a brief interval, the organizers put out another tweet apologizing for the tweet that implicated Azure Ray. They acknowledged the need for a more deliberate approach before reaching a final conclusion. 

We would like to apologize for the tweet posted earlier, it was a mistake and we are currently still in the progress of investigating a match.

We will be updating again whenever we have any news after the investigation is done.

— IO Esports @ Bali Major (@ioesportsgg) July 3, 2023

Following an in-depth and exhaustive investigation, the organizers released an official announcement, revealing that the evidence pertaining to the bug allegations and the accused team was inconclusive. . As a result, the initial 2-0 victory secured by Azure Ray stood unaltered.

Official statement regarding investigation for a match: pic.twitter.com/zkNg6W27p2

— IO Esports @ Bali Major (@ioesportsgg) July 3, 2023

How Did Azure Ray Took Advantage Of The Bug? 

The bug under scrutiny was reportedly connected to the strategic employment of Watchers, allowing those involved to gain access to additional information regarding the movements and whereabouts of the opposing team. 

The bug centered on an unconventional method of unraveling the whereabouts of concealed Watchers despite them being shrouded within the fog of war. pon pinging a Watcher, if a Shield Icon appeared, it indicated that the Watcher had been captured, while an Attack Command indicated that it remained uncaptured. This exploit allowed teams to exploit this information asymmetry for strategic advantage during gameplay.