[crAzerk]

SEA Community Ladder Masters Division!



Many have signed up. Many have been waiting. And now, It's here.

SEACoL Masters Division is all set to begin as an Official SC2SEA event, with prizes sponsored by the SC2SEA store!! Do read very carefully this entire post as there is a lot of important information!

Note: The Main Division uses a seperate round robin system. This post is for the Masters Division and information on the playoffs / prizes.

Prizes

Playoffs Winner


The winner of the playoffs stage wins a free Starcraft 2 TW/KR key worth $59.90!

Masters Division League Winner
1 hr of free coaching with TGM coaches PiG / yang!

Main Division League Winner
1 hr of free coaching with TGM coaches PiG / yang!

Hot Prospect
The Main Division player who gets furthest in the playoffs stage wins free 3 month TGM subscription!

Who is this for?

• The Masters Division is targeted at the Masters League players and uses the automated ELO ladder system.
• Lower ranked league players are welcome to join but GM players are strictly not allowed. (If anyone notices a GM / ex-GM in the league inform me and I'll remove him immediately. DON'T play with them if you don't wanna lose points unnecessarily)
  + [GMs/exGMs who have been removed from the table] +

  Danosaur, derpy, TAKrunch
• There is NO player cap and there is NO total game cap.

Masters Division Format
We will be using the ELO ladder that our site has here. This is the ladder chess players use which is based on SKILL and not bonus points or activity.
Every Friday from 8-10PM AEST (subject to change) there will be stream coverage of games that are played. So come online and issue your challenges during this time period to be casted! If no games are being played, we may cast selected replays. Casters include System, crAzerk, Maynarde, Frogmite, and more!
(If you are interested to help cast too, feel free to drop me a PM) Special thanks to Veteris for helping us set up the ELO ladder!

The top 10 of the Masters Division ladder at the end of the season will qualify for the play-offs stage, along with the top 6 of the Main Division (top 4 of PD, top 2 of BSG)! Your seeding in the playoffs is determined by your placing on the ladder.
(Players who have not played any games will not be eligible for qualification)

How do I sign up and play?
Go here and click 'Join Ladder'.

Throughout the season, stay in the Battle.net chat channel 'SEACoL' whenever you're on. You can challenge players there and play your games immediately. Read further to find out exact details of how to submit your results!

+ [ More Details, Rules and Regulations] +

Challenges can be issued in a two ways - through the chat channel 'SEACoL' or via private messages / Skype
NOTE: You are only allowed to challenge an opponent within 150 ELO rating of you. This number may be changed later.
Save all your replays. They will be required at the end of the season for verification.

+ [How do I use the automated challenge system?] +

1. Challenge a player in the 'SEACoL' channel. If he is within 150 ELO points and is free to play, he HAS to accept the challenge. (This is to prevent dodging) Upon him accepting the challenge, go to the ladder page and click on his name.
2. This brings up a drop down box, click 'Challenge Player' which will send a PM to him to accept your challenge
3. The other player will have to accept the challenge first before the game starts.
4. To check your pending challenges, click on the 'Your Challenges' tab.
5. Games are all Bo1, maps to be determined between the two of you. If you both can't agree, you can start with this map pool and take turns vetoing maps until you're left with one. Lower ranked player will veto first.
   
   + [Sample Map Pool] +

   
   Tal'Darim Altar
   The Shattered Temple
   GSL Dual Sight
   Shakuras Plateau
   

How do I report my games?
Important: BOTH players have to report the result, not just the winner.

1. Once the challenge has been accepted by your opponent, on the same 'Your Challenges' page you should see an option to 'submit score now!'
2. Click it and input the score - 1 in the winner's box and 0 in the loser's box. Ignore the Proof of Screenshot. Click Submit.
3. Your opponent will have to do the exact same thing before the result is updated on the ELO table.
4. Your ELO ratings will not be updated until BOTH players have verified the score.
5. Save all your replays.

Playoffs
The top 10 of the Masters Division ladder at the end of the season will qualify for the play-offs stage, along with the top 6 of the Main Division (top 4 of PD, top 2 of BSG)!
Your seeding in the playoffs is determined by your placing on the ladder. You basically want to get as high a ranking in the league table as possible. (Any ties will be settled by head-to-head records or at the discretion of the admins)
Play format is Bo3 all the way to finals, which will be Bo5. Map pool will be announced later.
Exact date/time is also to be determined, but most likely will be on a Friday/Saturday evening (to avoid clashes with other site events)

When does the season end?
This is determined by the progress of the Main Division. Masters Division will end on the midnight of the date stated for the last round of the Main Division! (E.g. if final deadline for the last round in Main Division is 25th Dec, then Masters Division will be closed at the end of the day of 25th Dec)

Rules and Regulations

• If any disconnects occur within the first two minutes of game-play, the match will be replayed. However if the disconnect occurs after two minutes of game-time, the game can be replayed if both players agree to it. If not, the replay must be submitted to crAzerk who will decide if the game is replayed or a win is awarded to a player.
• Any disputes will be handled by crAzerk after reviewing all associated replays.
• Any inappropriate behaviour will result in a disqualification.
• Players must have their own SEA account, playing on a friend's is not allowed
• Players must play the race they registered as and are not allowed to switch races. If a player wishes to choose their match-ups, they must notify me before season commences. (ie. TvP, TvZ, ZvT). If for some reason you want to switch race mid-tournament, you must complete your week's games as well as the next, and only use your new race the following week.
• A win is awarded 20 points, a loss 10 points, a draw is replayed. A no-show without valid reason results in 0 points. Two round no-shows result in expulsion from the league. (only applicable for Main Division)
• Grandmasters League players are not allowed in the Masters Division. If you're Grandmasters in NA and Masters in SEA you are NOT allowed too.
• Cheating is strictly prohibited. Anyone found to be smurfing/streamcheating/maphacking or cheating in any way will be autodisqualified and banned from future ladders.
• For any disputes, the admin (crAzerk) will make the final decision.
• By joining this league you are agreeing to all of the rules and regulations stated here as well as to any modifications to it.

FAQ

1) Can I join the Masters Division if I'm already in the Main Division?
Yes, but not at the expense of your Main Division games. If you join and you miss any of your Main Division games, you will be immediately removed from the Masters Division.

2) What if I qualify for playoffs in both Masters/Main Division?
The next eligible candidate in the Masters Division is considered. (i.e. you will qualify via Main Division)

3) Is there a cap to how many games I can play?
No! You can play as many games as you want.

4) What if my opponent refuses to play or reports an incorrect score?
Report any disputes to me via PM. Players found to be blatantly dodging will be disqualified.

5) How does ELO work?

+ Show +

The bigger the point differential between you and your opponent, the more points will be exchanged. The amount of points the winner wins is equal to the number of points the loser loses.
E.G. A has 1000 points, B has 1000 points, if A wins and gains 20 points, B will lose 20 points, (A = 1020, B = 980)
A has 1000 points, B has 1200 points, if A wins and gains 50 points, B will lose 50 points, (A=1050, B=1150)

For a thorough explanation, you can go here.
Or a sample of one of my test runs on how the scoring works:

+ Show +

A vs B
Starting: 1002 vs 998
(A wins) 1019 vs 981 (+17, -17)
(A wins) 1033 vs 967 ( +14, -14)
(A wins) 1045 vs 955 ( +12, -12)
(A wins) 1055 vs 945 (+10, -10)
(B wins) 1029 vs 971 (-26, +26)
As you can see, the bigger the point differential between A and B, the more points are exchanged.

+ [TLDR] +

Play more, challenge higher rated opponents and win, don't lose.

6) Can I drop out of GM to join this league?
No. Only players who have never been GM can join the Masters Division. Players who are found to have been GMs will be removed from the ladder immediately.

7) What if I join the league while I'm in Masters League, but during the progress of the season I get promoted to GM?
You will be allowed to stay in the league. If you improve enough to get to GM it's not really your fault. FAQ #6 is just to prevent GMs who merely are inactive for a week or so (and hence accumulate bonus pool and get kicked out) from joining.

For any further questions, do post a reply in this thread and I will answer it ASAP, but please read the FAQ first.