Originally Posted by
surge
Unrelated: for future CLs, can we consider a rule against poaching players for cash?
No. For one, you are proposing a rule which is unenforceable without either a) staff deferring to hearsay and speculation (AKA an "abuse of power") or b) a player telling on themselves.
For example, consider the idea of WAPOW coming back next year and signing up for Clan League with iTemp and Kros appearing on its roster. With this rule in place, do you seriously think iTemp and/or Kros will say "yeah Pyro paid us $500 each to play for WAPOW"? Do you think Pyro will admit the same? Obviously not. iTemp, when questioned, will give a slightly more plausible answer of "I just want to win", and Kros will say "me itemp and pyro been friends long time bratan DD". So then what do we do as staff? Prohibit WAPOW from playing due to "bad vibes"? The situation rapidly becomes absurd.
Originally Posted by
surge
I understand that most entrants are playing to win, but watching Experience poach multiple high-level players, for cash, and on the final day of signups ... that didn't feel like fair play to me. It doesn't feel right that one member with $1000 to spare is allowed to a.) boost their clan's chances of winning massively, and b.) remove players from another clan in the league
It's competition. It's not "fair". It never was "fair". If we were concerned about maintaining any semblance of parity for Clan League, then Alpha wouldn't have won it seven times. Do you think Alpha members are just really good friends? Do you think people the likes of Kros, Cicada, Warabi and BOOST joined Alpha because they're such good friends with Fire, Ponzo and Tyka? Absolutely not. Alpha exists for the sole purpose of collecting/attracting the best players and winning events like these, and what has just happened with Experience is simply the Alpha project taken to its logical conclusion, but perhaps until now nobody had the money or gall to pull it off. So, not only is this sort of thing long overdue, but also I personally welcome it and I am glad to see people getting paid for their talents for once.