2GGaming has banned Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth from competing at any of its events. The announcement came via 2GG’s Twitter on Monday. 2GG has followed Super Smash Con’s decision to ban CaptainZack following his bracket manipulation scandal with Elliot “Ally” Carroza-Oyarce.
Here is the official statement from 2GG.
Effective immediately, CaptainZack will be banned from competing at all 2GG events due to match fixing at Prime Saga and MomoCon 2019. Both events ran by us.
Match fixing is wrong and hurts the integrity and spirit of competition. Don’t do it.
— 2GG (@2GGaming) August 5, 2019
2GG’s decision seems to be a deterrent to potential cheaters just as much as it is a punishment for CaptainZack. Interestingly, 2GG has only banned CaptainZack from competing at its tournaments, not from attending them. Therefore, CaptainZack may still be able to spectate at 2GG events and participate in the Smash community without competing. He will do just that this weekend at Super Smash Con 2019.
The statement that 2GG issued does not specify a time frame for CaptainZack’s ban. As a result, it is implied to be indefinite, or perhaps even permanent. Many members of the Smash community have rallied behind CaptainZack to an extent. Such people have claimed that a lifetime ban is unnecessarily severe for CaptainZack’s actions.
2GG and the CaptainZack controversy
Some people have criticized 2GG’s decision regarding CaptainZack on the basis of inconsistency. One Twitter user brought up Ezra “Samsora” Morris’ apparent bracket manipulation at Come to Papa 3. There, Samsora seemingly threw one of his pools matches by switching to Bayonetta.
Because of his loss in round robin pools, Samsora played Robert “Myran” Herrin in round one of the main bracket. Samsora sent Myran to losers, where he was eliminated by Cesar “EKING” Rosa for 65th place. Samsora suggested his loss in pools was intentional, as he wanted to “get rid of all the top seeds first.” Despite this, Samsora has faced no repercussions, and 2GG has not issued a ban on him.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community members have also criticized 2GG for making a statement on CaptainZack in the first place. 2GG notably is not a signatory for the SSB Conduct Panel. This means that 2GG does not guarantee that it will uphold bans recommended by the Conduct Panel.
The Conduct Panel has recommended a lifetime ban on Ally. This is because he was in a relationship with CaptainZack while he was 27 and CaptainZack was 16. However, 2GG has not made such a ban official. As a result, many have pushed back against 2GG for formally banning CaptainZack before formally banning Ally.
