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Riot Games has disqualified veteran top laner Park “Summit” Woo-tae from the League of Legends: The Americas (LTA) North Promotion Tournament after determining that he breached the Esports Global Code of Conduct by watching his own VOD mid-match.

The decision follows a two-day investigation after Summit was caught on broadcast alt-tabbing to a YouTube replay of the very game he was competing in, during an extended pause in Estral Esports’ series against Disguised.

Riot’s Competitive Ruling

In its official statement, Riot confirmed that Summit had violated Article 4.3 of the Esports Global Code of Conduct, which defines cheating as “the use of any in- or out-of-game method, technique, or technology that affects the outcome of a game and gives a personal or team unfair advantage.”

As a result, Summit has been disqualified from the LTA North Promotion Tournament effective immediately, with Riot adding that a “comprehensive disciplinary ruling” will be released later through its Competitive Operations website.

While the disqualification only applies to the current tournament, future sanctions such as suspensions or fines could follow once the full report is published.

Estral Esports Appeals the Decision

Estral Esports quickly released a statement acknowledging that Summit did, in fact, open the stream during the lengthy pause, but defended their player, citing “an unsustainable situation” caused by server instability and poor on-site communication.

According to the organisation, the match had already been delayed by over two hours due to repeated DDoS attacks and technical issues, leaving players waiting for more than five hours with no updates.

Estral has since filed a formal appeal, calling the ruling “disproportionate and overly severe” and urging Riot to adopt “a more humane standard in event management.”

Community Divided

The ruling has sparked heated debate across the League of Legends community. Many fans and analysts have argued that the punishment is justified, stressing that watching a live VOD of your own match is a clear violation of competitive integrity, regardless of intent.

Others sympathised with Estral’s frustrations about the event’s technical issues, suggesting that Riot’s handling of the situation contributed to the lapse in judgement.

What’s Next for Estral

Despite losing their starting top laner, Estral Esports is still eligible to compete in the LTA North Promotion Tournament. The team will continue with substitute player Alejandro “Shintalx” Quintanilla, a high-ranked solo queue player and content creator with limited professional experience.

Estral will face SDM Tigres in the lower bracket for a chance to stay alive in the tournament. A win would set up a match against Luminosity Gaming, while a loss would end their promotion hopes.

Meanwhile, Summit’s future in professional play remains uncertain. Once one of the LCS’s most respected top laners and the 2022 Spring Split MVP with Cloud9, this disqualification marks a major setback for a player with an otherwise impressive international career spanning the LCK, LPL, and LCS.

Riot is expected to publish its full disciplinary decision on competitiveops.riotgames.com in the coming days.