I will quote the only comment from the panel in the past on this issue:
Beren • apex WarLight Member
Level 62
Report
If a player doesn't join, does the clan have the option of replacing him with someone else who is playing fewer than 3 tournaments? Assuming this all happens before June 15th, of course.
ChrisCMU WarLight Member
Level 59
Report
Yes, they can be replaced before the RR starts. But it will start without them. I will set a deadline for leaders to replace someone.
I suggest you all communicate your lineup to your clan players and make sure they expect an invite.
We've talked things through with the panel. It's safe to say everyone had a different opinion before we began. After discussing the issue at great length, we have decided that the following rule shall apply:-
A player has to drop completely(give up all their slots) to be considered inactive. This player can then be replaced by another player in the clan as of deadline date. The replacement player can be anyone, whether it be a new player or someone who is already not committed to 3 tournaments.
If someone is already committed to the max number of tournaments(3), they cannot be shuffled around to tweak a clan's line-up.
This issue is due to the fact that we have a deadline, and the tournaments are created a few weeks after the deadline. This is a necessity if we are to have some idea of who to invite when we create the tournaments.
However, things can change in that time period. People leave clans or even Warlight. They may get busy and cannot commit to games. In the interest of a competitive league, it is better if such slots are filled by someone else rather than a clan pick up boots.
Line-ups being known to all and clans tweaking their line-ups based on opponents is a valid concern, but I would like to point out that the line-ups were already known to 3 Group A clans before they submitted their initial roster. It was an error on our part, but it happened all the same. We will address the issue in a more concrete manner for CL9.
All this being said, we aim to create all tournaments within 1-2 days and send invites based on the line-ups submitted. The tournaments will begin on June 15, 11 PM PST. If you have any changes which meet this rule, please send a PM to ChrisCMU/MotD and we will incorporate it as long as they are sent in before June 14th(assuming your replacement is going to join within a day).
I would also like to reiterate that this is not an individual decision. Everyone on the panel agrees with it and thinks is the best way forward.