Deadlock can penalize disconnects pretty quickly, and repeated abandons can lead to temporary bans plus low-priority matchmaking. Public forum posts from Deadlock players describe a system where being disconnected for more than 3 minutes triggers a penalty, and repeated cases can escalate to bans of several hours or even up to 1 day, with low-priority queue added on top.

What usually triggers it

  • Staying disconnected for more than a few minutes.
  • Repeated disconnects across multiple matches.
  • Leaving after a crash or restart if the match still counts as an abandon.
  • Accidental abandon behavior that stacks penalties over time.

What players are reporting

  • A 6-hour ban after a disconnect.
  • A 24-hour ban after multiple disconnects or prior penalties.
  • Low-priority matchmaking after repeated abandons.

Why it happens

The system is meant to stop people from quitting matches and ruining games for everyone else, but players also say it can punish unstable internet or crashes pretty harshly. Some forum posts also note that disconnects in unstable games can stack up into surprisingly long bans.

If this happened to you

  • Reconnect as fast as possible if the game lets you.
  • Avoid queueing again until your connection is stable.
  • Check for repeated disconnects, because the penalties seem to escalate.
  • If you think it was a bug or false penalty, your best bet is to document the match and report it through the game’s support/community channels.

If you want, I can also turn this into a short forum-style post or a cleaner “Quick Scoop” version.