Seeing how
League rules are being revamped, I think this is the perfect time to introduce our suggested rules for future tournaments.
A short history; we have been working on these rule changes since Vindilos became a TO. Since then, it has been tweaked multiple times with the feedback of TOs and other helpful people (PlayerOa, Wyand).
My goal with these new rules is to represent the real state of how tournaments actually go. If you notice anything that would be difficult to consistently follow, or something unnecessary or something that we do differently, please tell us.
0. General Information0.1 - Tournament LengthTournaments can be two to four hours long, depending on various factors (speed of used decks, amount of players, tournament type, game errors).
0.2 - Deck StorageYou can store your decks with the
MyDecks tool to easily access them later.
1. Joining1.1 - Entering the TournamentTo join a tournament, you must have a valid game account and an introduction post
here.
Enter the Tournament Room in
Blab chat before the tournament starts. To find the Tournament Room, click the
Rooms button in the upper left corner of the main chatroom.
1.1.1 - Knowledge CheckIf this is your first tournament, you have to pass the Knowledge Check to participate. To do so, send a forum message to the Tournament Organizers (TOs) with your answers to the Knowledge Check questions below.
Do not post the answers in any topic! The Knowledge Check is passed when you correctly answer all questions.
If you get an answer wrong, you can try again until you get it right.
1.2 - Four Player MinimumSingle elimination tournaments need 6 or more participants. If a tournament has less than 6 participants, the tournament changes to round robin. If less than 4 people show up, the tournament is cancelled.
1.3 - Tournament Special RulesAll tournaments have special rules. If these special rules are in conflict with any of the rules on this page, the special rules apply. Special rules are announced in
the current tournament's respective topic.
If a card is banned by the special rules but another legal card can generate this banned card during the games, you can freely use the generated card.
2. Getting Ready2.1 - Making Sure the Rules Haven't Been UpdatedSometimes the TOs change the rules before starting the tournament. This is why it's always a good idea to make sure the tournament rules haven't been updated.
2.2 - Building DecksAn automatic loss is given to anyone who uses a rule-breaking deck (AKA illegal deck), regardless of the outcome of the game. This only applies to the game where the illegal deck was used.
2.3 - Before the Tournament StartsTo participate, you must arrive before the TO announces the beginning of the tournament in chat, usually right after the tournament countdown reaches 0.
To know when the tournament starts, check the
tournament's page or the
monthly schedule.
3. Tournament StartsNote: All time limits mentioned below are approximations. We cannot require our players to always start a timer, but they do need to act within a reasonable time frame.
3.1 - Finding an OpponentCheck the brackets to find your next opponent. You have
5 minutes to start the duel with your opponent (after the start of the tournament was announced, or after your opponent finished his previous match). If your opponent does not start the game with you within that time limit, tell the TO that the other player is not responding. Depending on the situation, the TO gives a time limit for your opponent. If the time runs out and your opponent is not ready, your opponent gets an autoloss for the current game and a new countdown starts.
3.2 - Best-of-ThreeA match consists of 2 or 3 individual duels (AKA games).
The player who first wins 2 duels is the winner of the round.Note: In case of Double Elimination and Round Robin, players are
not eliminated after their first loss.
3.3 - Deck Legality CheckBefore (or during, or right after) the duel with your opponent, you can ask him to save the exact deck he used. If your opponent asks you to save your deck, you must accept it. After the match has ended, you can ask him to show either you or the TO his decks for a legality check.
If you miss doing so and later it turns out that you lost against an illegal deck, you won't have the chance to change the results any more.3.4 - Changing Your DeckYou are allowed to change your deck between games, but make sure you stick to the time limits mentioned in Rule 3.1.
3.5 - DisconnectionsIf you and your opponent get disconnected during a game, you should finish the game against your opponent's AI if possible. If you are winning,
take a screenshot of the final turn.
If both players claim to have won, but only one of them has a picture of it, the player with the picture wins.Screenshots different from the final turn (for example, images of the victory screen) may not be accepted.
If both players have a valid screenshot, the duel is restarted.
3.5.1 - The AI is GoneIf one of the players cannot finish the game against the AI because of a game bug, the duel is restarted.
3.5.2 - DesyncWhen obvious game glitches interfere with the duel, take a screenshot of the glitches and finish the duel. If the screenshot is convincing and the player requests a redo, the duel is restarted.
3.5.3 - RestartsWhen a duel is restarted, the time limits in Rule 3.1 are restarted too.
Players are not allowed to change their decks when a duel is restarted. Restarts can be avoided if both players agree on a clear winner.
If a duel would be restarted for the second time, contact a TO instead. From there, the TO will decide how to continue.
3.6 - After 30 Minutes PassIf a match goes on for more than 30 minutes, the involved players should finish their ongoing duel and report the status of their match to the TO. Depending on the situation, the TO might decide to finish the match either normally, with
Sudden Death, or with a coin toss.
3.7 - Posting Match ResultsThe winner of the match must post the results in the tournament's thread as soon as possible. When posting results, use a simple format like one of the following:
Billy: 2
Johnny: 1 | or | Billy 2 - 1 Johnny |
4. Other Rules4.1 - Pay Attention to ChatYou are expected to answer the TO's questions and pay attention to announcements in chat. Not responding to the TO within a reasonable time limit may result in disqualification from the tournament. To know when you are contacted, turn on chat notifications.
4.2 - CheatingCheating is against the rules. If you get caught cheating, you automatically lose and will be
banned indefinitely from all Elements community PvP and PvE events. The following actions are considered cheating: entering a tournament under two separate accounts (Person A joining as Person A
and Person B), using an illegal deck on purpose, using a different deck during a restart, forging a fake screenshot, faking a disconnection to restart a duel.
4.3 - Posting About TournamentsDo not publicly discuss the metagame or decks for the upcoming tournament. Also do not talk about tournament decks or your opponent's strategies while the tournament is still in progress. If you think there is an overpowered card or strategy that should be banned, contact the TOs before the tournament. Feel free to discuss these topics privately or after the tournament has ended.
4.4 - Help and RulingsAsk us if you have any questions or concerns.
During a tournament, a TO can make a different ruling than what's mentioned in the rules if the situation calls for it.
This is the end of the suggested rules.
I have a few concerns right now, which I want the players to share their opinions about.
- Should it be necessary for new players to have an introduction post? This makes it harder to invite new players on the spot from Kongregate chat. The advantage of this rule is to make sure someone has a forum account and knows how to create posts.
- In Rule 3.1, are 5 minutes enough between games or should they be raised to 10? Nowadays, people only speedbuild. For serious decks, I sometimes find myself to need 10 minutes to avoid making a sloppy deck.
- Should Rule 4.3 be changed or removed? People have recently began to talk about the meta before or during the game. I do not want to keep any rule that we do not strictly enforce, so if the playerbase wants to keep this rule, we will do our best to enforce this rule more than in the past.
