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Solemn Vow unbanned in September Global Whitelist update
posted in News
ire
September 9, 2020

In an offseason update, the panel behind the Global Whitelist have elected to unban the Solemn Vow, reducing the number of bans to 21 weapons.

Graphic by mitch

We've had the opportunity to examine the effects of the Solemn Vow on the North American scene with its unban in season 3 of RGL. In an investigation by Recurse, which you can read here, we found that while the known equip rates were overall lower (although logs.tf does not account for all equip data), the conclusion among Invite Medics was that the Solemn Vow positions itself as a useful utility, even at the top level. The unban was also tested in the ozfortress ISOLATION DEVASTATION test cup, among other unbans and plugins.

We asked catfish, one of the leads behind the Global Whitelist and ozfortress head admin, to summarize the panel's reasoning:

As mentioned in the announcement post, the Solemn Vow has seen significant testing recently and we now believe that the next step is its inclusion into the Global Whitelist. In Oceania our poll results indicated a slight majority of players wanted it to be unbanned, and subsequent cup testing showed its impact on the game to be minor. The Solemn Vow is already a familiar sight to North American players, with its inclusion in recent RGL seasons. Over 68% of RGL players voted for the Solemn Vow to remain unbanned after RGL season three, while only 11% voted to reban it (21% were indifferent). No recent tests have been conducted by ETF2L for obvious reasons however past testing has indicated a rough 50/50 split on its inclusion (although this data is from several years ago, the game has seen no major changes since then). Because of these factors we no longer see any reason that it shouldn’t be allowed in the Global Whitelist, and as such have unbanned it. Players should also be aware that this decision may not be final and if the need arises in the future there is always the possibility of a reban if necessary. The Global Whitelist was created to be a less restrictive whitelist that did not drastically impact 6s core gameplay. This has been its purpose since its inception in 2016 and the inclusion of the Solemn Vow fits in with this philosophy.

The new whitelist is effective immediately, and will be used most notable for all upcoming 6s seasons of ETF2L, ozfortress, and UGC, as well as the upcoming LOCKDOWN THROWDOWN: Round 2. Players should share feedback, and participate in any league surveys should they feel strongly about the changes.

1
#1
54 Frags +

68% of players voted to have it stay unbanned? That's really surprising to hear.

68% of players voted to have it stay unbanned? That's really surprising to hear.
2
#2
tf2pickup.org
-50 Frags +
tsar68% of players voted to have it stay unbanned? That's really surprising to hear.

are you sure it wasnt..... 69????

[quote=tsar]68% of players voted to have it stay unbanned? That's really surprising to hear.[/quote]
are you sure it wasnt..... 69????
3
#3
6 Frags +

I actually can't believe that people don't understand how good this weapon could be if people knew how to call around it. I mean, it's not necessarily an unfun weapon so I guess it's cool but holy shit does medic have some powerful unlocks.

I actually can't believe that people don't understand how good this weapon could be if people knew how to call around it. I mean, it's not necessarily an unfun weapon so I guess it's cool but holy shit does medic have some powerful unlocks.
4
#4
5 Frags +
KamiI actually can't believe that people don't understand how good this weapon could be if people knew how to call around it. I mean, it's not necessarily an unfun weapon so I guess it's cool but holy shit does medic have some powerful unlocks.

It's been extremely powerful being used in scrims so far, excited to stomp this season as a medic maincall-ish health caller person.

[quote=Kami]I actually can't believe that people don't understand how good this weapon could be if people knew how to call around it. I mean, it's not necessarily an unfun weapon so I guess it's cool but holy shit does medic have some powerful unlocks.[/quote]
It's been extremely powerful being used in scrims so far, excited to stomp this season as a medic maincall-ish health caller person.
5
#5
-4 Frags +

I've been running it but when I forget to switch of the übersaw I haven't missed it.

Maybe I just need to work on me calling the health of the enemies

I've been running it but when I forget to switch of the übersaw I haven't missed it.

Maybe I just need to work on me calling the health of the enemies
6
#6
-1 Frags +

can you edit your hud to have health displayed by a gaint health bar like overwatch? that make calling who's hurt a lot easier than looking at a number

can you edit your hud to have health displayed by a gaint health bar like overwatch? that make calling who's hurt a lot easier than looking at a number
7
#7
53 Frags +

-

-
8
#8
1 Frags +

american soft power, plunk was right

american soft power, plunk was right
9
#9
21 Frags +

I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.

I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.
10
#10
-1 Frags +

fuck thia game lol

fuck thia game lol
11
#11
4 Frags +
MakI still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.
[quote=Mak]I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.[/quote]
12
#12
6 Frags +
ireamerican soft power, plunk was right

death to america

[quote=ire]american soft power, plunk was right[/quote]
death to america
13
#13
15 Frags +
FermiI've been running it but when I forget to switch of the übersaw I haven't missed it.

Maybe I just need to work on me calling the health of the enemies

if you haven't been missing seeing people's health, uber and medigun at the cost of essentially nothing then you're probably using it wrong :~~)

[quote=Fermi]I've been running it but when I forget to switch of the übersaw I haven't missed it.

Maybe I just need to work on me calling the health of the enemies[/quote]
if you haven't been missing seeing people's health, uber and medigun at the cost of essentially nothing then you're probably using it wrong :~~)
14
#14
-6 Frags +
MakI still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.

its not broken its part of the physics engine. I think it could potentially have a small nerf but its not like its game breaking.

[quote=Mak]I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.[/quote]

its not broken its part of the physics engine. I think it could potentially have a small nerf but its not like its game breaking.
15
#15
4 Frags +
maxc232MakI still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.
its not broken its part of the physics engine. I think it could potentially have a small nerf but its not like its game breaking.

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues/3340

[quote=maxc232][quote=Mak]I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.[/quote]

its not broken its part of the physics engine. I think it could potentially have a small nerf but its not like its game breaking.[/quote]

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues/3340
16
#16
-4 Frags +
MakI still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.

Personally I think banning it would fuck over a lot of people who are used to it (I know it would silence my wish to ever play Demoman again) but I definitely see that it's op. It's not just "part of the physics engine", it's a straight upgrade. I think that something to fix this hitbox would not just be much better than a ban, but would be quite necessary.

[quote=Mak]I still think Iron Bomber should be banned until valve fix it or a plugin is made that fixes it. Now that there's proof that it's more than a very viable side-grade.[/quote]
Personally I think banning it would fuck over a lot of people who are used to it (I know it would silence my wish to ever play Demoman again) but I definitely see that it's op. It's not just "part of the physics engine", it's a straight upgrade. I think that something to fix this hitbox would not just be much better than a ban, but would be quite necessary.
17
#17
7 Frags +
finmanPersonally I think banning it would fuck over a lot of people who are used to it (I know it would silence my wish to ever play Demoman again) but I definitely see that it's op.

Untrue, no Demos are aiming with the fucky large projectile in mind, they're just benefiting from it at random more than anything. Most demos who are good right now would still be just as good, they just wouldn't be getting undeserved kills on medics and scouts mostly.

[quote=finman]
Personally I think banning it would fuck over a lot of people who are used to it (I know it would silence my wish to ever play Demoman again) but I definitely see that it's op.[/quote]

Untrue, no Demos are aiming with the fucky large projectile in mind, they're just benefiting from it at random more than anything. Most demos who are good [i]right now[/i] would still be just as good, they just wouldn't be getting undeserved kills on medics and scouts mostly.
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