SK Nisqy fined €2,000 for bug exploitation

The bane of every professional player's existence, bugs and exploits represent one of the most crucial aspects of a competitor's preparation when competing in an organized setting. Comparable to Viego, who historically was one of the most bugged champions upon release for professional play, Neeko has been one of the biggest head-scratchers for players since her rework last year.

Initially judged to be a feature, Neeko quickly became a staple in the 2023 meta, both as a mid-laner and jungler. With the ability to send out your clone and scout areas at a low cost, professional players could essentially earn themselves an infinite and free way of acquiring vision in choke points, gaining an unfair advantage. Luckily, the bug was soon identified and removed from professional play.

Unfortunately, to this day, the interaction remains usable in-game and has never been properly patched by the game's developers. In Nisqy's case, it seems old habits die hard! While Nisqy did not gain any unfair competitive advantages, league officials and referees quickly rectified the mistake and paused the game.

Luckily, once Nisqy received a reminder of the rules, the match eventually continued, with the Belgian mid-laner eventually losing despite holding an 8k gold lead against BDS. However, defeat wasn't the only punishment for the player, as he later received a €2,000 fine for the usage of this bug, as highlighted in the official EMEA Penalty Tracker.