Team Wars Season 1 ~ 4/23 - 6/10

[Khell]

All right, I intend to do this type of thread prior to each season starting, but with the hype and excitement where it was to get this puppy rolling, I had to come up with everything on the fly. Without further ado:

This first regular season of the Team Wars (already in progress as of April 23) will come to a close on June 10th. At this time, all points accumulated by teams and mercenaries will be kept on record and the #1 team and mercenary will be crowned the regular season champions!

... That's not the end of it, of course. You didn't think I'd allow someone to walk away scot free like that, did you?

That's right! After the regular season ends, it's time for the home stretch... The season closing tournament!

The tournament will begin on June 11th and last for the week (June 11-June 17). It should be plenty of time for folks to get in their matches because of the system we'll be following, which I will outline later on in this post.

Additional information regarding the season: Teams who wish to create teams must do so at least three weeks before the start of the season ending tournament to be eligible for the tournament. Teams who do not meet this deadline will be allowed to participate in the remainder of the regular season, but will be kept out of the tournament. For reference, teams who wish to participate must create a team by May 21st.

Now for the tournament information:

Basic Information
Teams will sign up in groups of three players. This is to allow teams with the minimum number of players to participate fairly. In addition, teams who possess more than three players will be allowed to rotate as rounds proceed. However, a team's members must be locked in an hour before the matches occur.

All sets will take place in best of 7 format: all wins will be worth one point (covered below).

Tournament Format
The tournament will be run in a slightly different format than people are used to: the Swiss tournament style. This functions somewhat like Round Robin, but with a couple twists.

As in the Double Elimination tournament, teams will be seeded. The seeds will be directly taken from the season's ending point totals. The better you do, the better your placement.

For every win by a team's players, the team will earn a point for their overall tournament score. This score is used to determine the overall winner of the tournament. This also means that points are earned even in defeat, so don't give up hope!

The basic structure of the Swiss style attempts to pit teams against other teams who have performed similarly to them so far in the tournament. The upside to this is that teams are not knocked out and will be permitted to continue play. Even if you lose, you still have a chance to make a comeback and take the prize!

Because teams are pitted against others that have done similarly to them in the previous rounds, your team's next opponent will not be known until the previous round concludes.

In the event a team is knocked into "last place" during a round (they have earned the fewest points), that team will be given a bye that awards them a number of points equal to winning a set. However, this will count against you when being paired up against your future opponents as it does not count as a win. You will have to earn your way back up ladder to play against the best teams remaining.

The team who accumulates the most points through their rounds (in this tournament's case, 4) will be crowned the champion. In the case of ties, there is a tiebreaker system that I will not be using in favor of a direct tiebreaker set among teams, time permitted.

As a reward for being the best team in the land (well, at least the forum), your entire team will earn the right to a shiny Gold trophy for winning the season ending tournament! Don't rest on your previous achievements, however... The next season will be right around the corner, and those trophies aren't permanent, you see... You'll have to protect your title as the next season starts and challengers return for a second shot. Put up or shut up, as I like to say.

If there are any questions about anything covered here, please feel free to say so and I'll answer to the best of my ability. Brackets will be made available when the tournament begins in June. I will also announce the deadlines for rounds when the tournament approaches, so check back when you see the thread updated then.

[Khell]

An announcement for all teams: This week's activity will be ending early to prepare for the end of season tournament starting on Monday, June 11th. Therefore, all activity for the Team Wars should be complete by the end of Friday, June 8th if possible. If you have a schedule conflict that needs to be resolved by scheduling for Saturday, please let me know ASAP. I will be most likely creating brackets and accepting Team Lineups for the tournament on Sunday, as well as giving the more detailed outline for the week's deadlines and tournament process. Teams have not played challenges this week due to the change will not be penalized for the final week. Placements for the season will be locked in at 12:01 AM on Sunday.

List of Schedule Conflicts for Saturday
Teh Ninja Knights vs The Forsaken (Draw Battle)

[Khell]

Another quick announcement for everyone with some clarification on what I'll be needing on Sunday:

-Confirmation that your team can participate for the week
Deadlines for this week will be 2-3 days per round with 4 total rounds. I plan on having the final two rounds take place on the weekend due to the higher amount of activity and better availability between teams, but this can be extended slightly if necessary. If your team cannot field a 3 man roster for the week, I need to know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Teams will not be permitted to play with less than 3 members in each round.

-Team lineups for Round 1
I'll be asking for team lineups based on your available roster once you know your opponent and can settle on a time to play. If necessary, rounds can be played piecemeal (by setting up the matches on the forum and then playing the matches against your respective opponents as they are available), but it would be preferred if you can find a time when all 6 members of the two teams are available. It may not be possible for everyone to get together at the same time, which is why it's better if you figure this out on the first day and use the next two days to play the piecemeal fights.

THE TOURNAMENT CANNOT MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT RESULTS, SO PLEASE BE PUNCTUAL WITH DEADLINES.

If you have any questions before I post up the additional details for the tournament on Saturday, please contact me via VM/PM.