Ubisoft Bans Tubarão + Noor Combo Mid-Osaka Major: Ruling and Backlash Timeline
Ubisoft banned the Tubarão and Noor interaction at BLAST R6 Major Osaka from Nov 11, after all 20 teams had already agreed a GA. The ruling is not retroactive. Teams say they were not told in advance.
TL;DR: On Nov 11, 2026, Ubisoft banned a Tubarão + Noor gadget interaction at the BLAST R6 Major Osaka for the rest of the event. The ruling starts that day, is not retroactive, and a confirmed use costs a round loss. The two operators themselves are not banned; their gadgets can still be used separately. All 20 teams had already agreed a gentlemen's agreement (GA) on Nov 7. The backlash is that Ubisoft says it identified the interaction before the Major and, after being asked mid-event, told BLAST it was intended — but did not inform teams in advance.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Ahead of the Major (date not published) | Ubisoft later said it had already identified an interaction between Tubarão's Zoto Canister and Noor's Horus Lance. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | The interaction shows up in Osaka Major matches. Teams are caught by surprise; many thought it was a bug. Siege.GG, writing on Nov 7, tied the discovery to the previous day's matches. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | After BLAST consulted Ubisoft, teams were told the interaction was intended and therefore legal. All 20 teams then agreed not to use it. Team Liquid Alienware IGL Felipe "FelipoX" Lucia made the GA public. |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Ubisoft issues an official ruling: the interaction is not allowed from Nov 11 until the end of the event, under section 4.6 of the Osaka Major rulebook. A confirmed use is a round loss. The ruling is not retroactive. |
| That weekend (as of Nov 11 coverage) | Insider Gaming reported that the grand final would take place that weekend, alongside the Season 4 update reveal. |
What the interaction does
Ubisoft's ruling, as quoted by Insider Gaming, describes it this way:
When one Zoto Canister freezes both a Horus Lance and a hard breach gadget, the Lance disables the gadget as soon as the freeze ends.
In plain terms: a defender can freeze an attacking hard-breach device and Noor's Lance together. When the freeze ends, the Lance disables the breach gadget. Teams described this as a "gamechanger mechanic" that had not appeared in the latest patch notes.
Tubarão and Noor themselves remain legal. Only that specific combined use is banned for the rest of the Major.
The gentlemen's agreement came first
Siege.GG reported on Nov 7 that all 20 teams at the event agreed not to use the combo — the first gentlemen's agreement in the Siege esports scene in years, according to that report. FelipoX announced it shortly after the KINGZERO eSports vs Dplus KIA match began.
Players originally believed the interaction was a bug. After several teams asked BLAST, and BLAST asked Ubisoft, they were told it was intentional.
FelipoX, quoted by Siege.GG:
Yesterday, everyone was caught by surprise by a gamechanger mechanic that was not notified anywhere, not even on the latest game patch notes. When asked by multiple teams if this was an intentional interaction, BLAST confirmed with Ubisoft that it is, which is quite weird, as these gadgets never worked this way and no one knew or was told about this change.
A GA is an agreement among teams, not a tournament rule. Siege.GG noted that BLAST admins could not enforce it, so a team that broke it would not automatically be penalized — until Ubisoft's Nov 11 ruling created an official penalty.
The official ruling
From Ubisoft's social post, as published by Insider Gaming:
- The interaction is disallowed from 11 November until the end of the event, under section 4.6 of the Osaka Major rulebook.
- Tubarão and Noor are not banned. Both gadgets can still be used separately.
- Confirmed use of the interaction results in a round loss.
- The ruling is not retroactive. Earlier matches will not be reviewed.
Why there's a backlash
The sequence is what drew criticism. Ubisoft says it knew about the interaction before the Major, then — when asked mid-event — confirmed it was intended, then banned it on Nov 11 after "monitoring its impact on matches." Teams, meanwhile, had already had to organize a GA themselves.
Insider Gaming reported that commenters focused on that delay. One wrote that teams "already made a GA." Another called the ruling "better late than never." Those are reader comments, not official findings.
In the coverage we opened, Ubisoft has not published a fuller explanation of why the interaction was left unannounced before the event, or why the official ban came after the GA.
What's confirmed vs still open
| Confirmed | Still open / not claimed here |
|---|---|
| Official ban from Nov 11 to the end of the Osaka Major | Whether the interaction will be patched out of the live game after the event |
| Round-loss penalty; not retroactive | A public date for when Ubisoft first identified the interaction |
| Operators and separate gadget use remain legal | Why teams were not told before the Major |
| All 20 teams had already signed a GA on Nov 7 | Whether any team used the combo in a match before the GA |
Sources
- Insider Gaming, Nov 11, 2026: Ubisoft Officially Shuts Down Rainbow Six Siege Tubarão & Noor Interaction in Osaka
- Siege.GG, Nov 7, 2026: Players reach gentlemen's agreement to ban Tubarão and Noor's trick at BLAST R6 Major Osaka
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