Rocket DQ'd from ECL, EC Melbourne CQ following EMIYA cheating ban

Following Damian "EMIYA" Boulware's ban from FACEIT due to cheating, Dust2.us has confirmed with ESL that Rocket have been disqualified from ESL Challenger League Season 47 and the ESL Challenger Melbourne Closed Qualifier with immediate effect. As a result, ESL Challenger League Season 47 will now run with 15 teams, with G3 being invited to replace Rocket in the EC Melbourne Closed Qualifier, with the Asian squad being the final team bested by Rocket in the open qualifier.

Rocket's disqualification from ESL's events is the latest news in a whirlwind saga that followed EMIYA's, formerly known as droid, ban on FACEIT for cheating this morning. The cheating ban is his second such ban from the platform, having previously been banned from 2021 to 2023. While EMIYA has previously alleged that the first ban was a false positive, a second cheating ban raises serious questions regarding the player's integrity.

While FACEIT recently sunset permanent platform bans following the merger with ESL, they have a zero tolerance policy towards cheating. As a result, the Rocket squad will have to sit out this ECL season even if they don't stick together with EMIYA. Dust2.us' ESL source also confirms that ESL stands by the determination made by their anti-cheat and anti-cheat team, suggesting it is unlikely EMIYA is unbanned prior to early 2026.

Dust2.us had previously reached out to EMIYA for comment for our earlier story and has yet to hear back from the player by the time of publication for this article.