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The Counter-Strike scene has been lit up with controversy after Wildcard coach Vincent “vinS” Jozefiak criticised the organisation of Birch Cup 2025, calling the event in Gdańsk a “series of failures” that should never have been given VRS status.

In a lengthy post on social media, vinS described chaotic scheduling, constant technical breakdowns, and unfair conditions that directly impacted competitive results. His frustration echoed widely across the community, as VRS tournaments directly affect qualification for Counter-Strike Majors.

“Booths by the river”

According to vinS, Wildcard began their first match at 9am, but thanks to repeated PC issues, including six replacements during a single best-of-one — the game dragged on until after 1pm. The team then continued playing until 11pm, while some opponents began their day hours later, creating what he called an exhausting and unfair schedule.

On top of that, teams were plagued by bugs and crashes in crucial rounds, with one match seeing ESC forced to play on 60Hz monitors. “That’s how I played tournaments in a booth by the river in my city eight years ago, not matches that count towards qualifying for the Major,” vinS wrote.

The coach also argued that Valve needs to be more selective about which events are included in the VRS system, saying technical failures of this scale should never affect matches tied to Major qualification.

Why Birch Cup sparked backlash

Birch Cup 2025 was the first major event hosted by its organisers, who were new to handling tournaments of this size. Despite DraculaN 2, a more established and reliable event, running at the same time, many teams still opted for Birch Cup because of the valuable VRS points on offer.

That gamble came at a cost. Instead of a smooth competition, teams were left battling not only each other but also constant technical headaches. The scandal has reignited a long-standing debate in Counter-Strike about whether Valve should enforce minimum standards for tournament organisers.

Messioso responds: “Teams made their choice”

Not everyone agreed with vinS. Complexity manager Graham “messioso” Pitt responded with a more pragmatic stance, arguing that teams knew the risks when signing up for an event run by inexperienced organisers.

“Anything related to scheduling, equipment quality, event quality etc is something that you accepted by attending the event. If a team doesn’t like the hospitality or conditions, they should simply not attend,” messioso said.

He drew a line between poor conditions that are equal for both teams, which he sees as a matter of choice, and unequal conditions, such as different PCs or monitors, which threaten the integrity of competition.

The debate escalated when vinS suggested teams should be allowed to withdraw from events without losing VRS points if technical issues get out of control. Critics pushed back, warning such a rule would be easy to abuse.

What this means for Valve and VRS

The fallout from Birch Cup highlights the growing tension between teams, players, and Valve. For many, it’s unfair that crucial VRS points are tied to poorly organised events that compromise competitive integrity. For Valve, however, the philosophy has long been that the free market will sort itself out, teams vote with their attendance, and organisers who fail to deliver won’t survive.

But as Anders Blume pointed out, the VRS structure has created an “arms race.” Teams feel they can’t afford to skip a tournament offering points, even if the conditions are subpar, because someone else will take the opportunity and gain a competitive edge.

Whether Birch Cup 2025 becomes just another cautionary tale or sparks real change will depend on how Valve responds. For now, though, the controversy has left players and fans alike questioning the system’s fairness — and whether chasing VRS points is worth enduring tournaments that feel more amateur than professional.