Valentin “Jedusor” Villarubla

TIMELINE

On May 25, 2026, Valentin Villarubla (“Jedusor”) participated in the Space Gods: TPC - EMEA Dark Star Cup. During the final game, in Round 4-6, Jedusor paused the game without providing tournament officials with a valid reason. Upon initiating the pause, tournament officials asked Jedusor for a reason for the pause, but did not receive a response. Approximately 90 seconds later, Jedusor returned to his computer and confirmed that he was ready to resume play; however, no reason for the pause was provided.

At the conclusion of the match, tournament officials again contacted Jedusor and requested an explanation for the pause. Jedusor did not respond and instead went offline, cutting off communication with tournament officials. Later that evening, upon request from tournament officials, Jedusor provided a statement regarding the incident. 

Upon becoming aware of these allegations, Riot Games conducted a preliminary assessment of the facts, reviewed the full game footage, and opened an investigation into the matter. 

RELEVANT RULES

TFT Pro Circuit Professionals must abide by the TFT Pro Circuit & Regional Finals Rules. In particular, the below provisions are relevant to the present case:

• 5.2.2 Player Pause. Players may only pause a match immediately following any of the events described below, but must signal a Riot official immediately after the pause and identify the reason. Acceptable reasons include:
  • An Unintentional Disconnection
  • A hardware or software malfunction (e.g. monitor power or peripheral disability or game glitch)
  • Physical interference with a player (e.g., fan gank or broken chair)
• 5.2.3. Illness, Injury or Disability. Minor Player illness, injury, or disability is not an acceptable reason for a Player pause. In the case of an underlying and/or pre-declared medical condition the Player may however inform a Riot official prior to the Match, who may then grant a pause during the Match in order to evaluate the issue and to determine whether the Player is ready, willing, and able to continue playing within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the League Official, but not to exceed a few minutes. [...]
• 5.2.5. Unauthorized Pause. If a player pauses or unpauses a game for an unauthorized reason, or without permission from a Riot official, it will be considered unfair play and penalties will be applied at the discretion of Riot officials.

RULING

Following a review of the matter, Riot Games found that Jedusor breached Article 5.2.2 and Article 5.2.5 of the TFT Pro Circuit & Regional Finals Rules, which prohibit players from pausing the game for an unauthorized reason. 

The below is a summary of the findings. All facts and evidence available were considered. The below refers only to what is considered necessary to explain the reasoning of the case.

When reviewing the case, Riot Games assessed the potential impact of the unauthorized pause. The pause was initiated on round 4-6, which was a critically important round for Jedusor, who had been reduced to one life and needed to improve his board in order to win the following combat phase. During this round, after the pause, Jedusor came close to being unable to make all of his actions for the turn. 

As part of that investigation, Riot Games provided Jedusor with an opportunity to submit a statement. In his statement, Jedusor explained that he felt unable to continue playing due to the temperature in his apartment, which he stated was approximately 30°C. Jedusor stated that he felt he was about to faint and paused the game in order to cool down before continuing. When subsequently asked why he had not communicated this reason at the time of the pause, or when tournament officials contacted him following the match, Jedusor did not provide an explanation.

In assessing Jedusor's statement, Riot Games considered all available evidence. This included reports of exceptionally high temperatures in France on May 25, 2026, as well as match footage showing Jedusor leaving his setup and walking to his kitchen sink during the pause. Riot Games determined that these circumstances were consistent with Jedusor's account that the pause was prompted by concerns related to the heat in his apartment.

While Riot Games acknowledges that Jedusor competed during a period of unusually high temperatures, players remain responsible for ensuring that they are able to participate in competition under suitable conditions. Moreover, because Jedusor’s stated reason for the pause did not fall within any of the pre-approved pause categories set out in Article 5.2.2 of the TFT Pro Circuit & Regional Finals Rules, he was required to communicate the issue to tournament officials so that they could assess the situation and determine whether a pause was warranted.

After reviewing the available evidence, Riot Games determined that Jedusor’s stated reason for the pause is most appropriately categorized as a minor player illness and therefore did not constitute a permitted basis for an unsanctioned player-initiated pause under the applicable rules.

In determining the appropriate sanction, Riot Games also considered as an aggravating factor Jedusor’s failure to communicate the reason for the pause when requested by tournament officials, both at the time of the incident and again at the conclusion of the match.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings set out above, Jedusor is fined an amount equal to 30% of the prize money earned from the Space Gods: TPC - EMEA Dark Star Cup and will forfeit all TFT Pro Circuit Points awarded for the event

In addition, Jedusor is warned that any further violations of the TFT Pro Circuit & Regional Finals Rules may result in escalated penalties.

Upon issuance of this ruling, the matter is considered closed, and the ruling is final and cannot be appealed. Riot Games reserves the right to review the matter should new, substantive evidence come to light.