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Official Tournament Rules

Rules are subject to change. 

 

Timeline

    • Registration opens Monday, September 15

    • Registration closes Friday, October 3

    • Matches starts: Monday, October 20

    • Matches ends: Tuesday, November 18

    • Championship Match: Tuesday, December 2

Academic Eligibility

Participants are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA to stay eligible for the tournament. EVERY progress report counts. If a participant’s GPA drops below a 2.0 GPA during the tournament, he/she will not be eligible to participate on their team until the coach can verify the GPA is back above 2.0.

Team Rosters

Each team must have 6 players on the roster. A minimum of 6 players need to play the match. 

 

Game Rules

Teams will follow Marvel Rivals Rulebook for Game Account Connections, Roster Requirements, Substitutions, Game of Record and Stoppage of Play

Match Format

 

Format Best-of-five (Bo3) games
Game Mode Competitive
Team Size 6 Players
Custom Game Type
  • Tournament Room (Top Left)
Room Settings
    • Lock Room: Checked
    • Join Access: Invitation Only
    • Spectator Access: No Spectating
    • Coach slots in the lobby can still be used to spectate.
    • Ban/Pick Settings: Tournament (Basic)
    • Format: 3 (for Bo3)
    • Pause Permissions: Yes for player and coach

     

    The match format listed above will be the standard format for all preseason, regular season matches, and playoffs.

     

    Specific Rules

    Game Mode and Map Pool

    Each match will follow the game mode order listed below with the map pool selection listed beside it.

    Teams must follow the game mode order; if an incorrect game mode is selected for a game, the game must be restarted before a GOR (Game of Record) has been established. Failure to restart the game with the proper game mode may result in action being taken against the host’s team by League Officials.

    Game Mode Map Pool
    Game 1: Domination Hell’s Heaven, Royal Palace, Birnin T’Challa, Krakoa, Celestial Husk
    Game 2: Convoy Spider-Islands, Yggdrasill Path, Midtown, Arakko
    Game 3: Convergence Symbotic Surface, Shin-Shibuya, Hall of Djalia, Central Park
    Game 4: Domination Hell’s Heaven, Royal Palace, Birnin T’Challa, Krakoa, Celestial Husk
    Game 5: Convoy Spider-Islands, Yggdrasill Path, Midtown, Arakko
    Game 6 (Tiebreaker ONLY:) Domination Hell’s Heaven, Royal Palace, Birnin T’Challa, Krakoa, Celestial Husk

     

    Map and Side Selection

    Map Selection Side Selection
    Home Team ➤ Picks map 1 Away Team ➤ Selects side
    Loser of map 1 ➤ Picks map 2 Winner of map 1 ➤ Selects side
    Loser of map 2 ➤ Picks map 3 Winner of map 2 ➤ Selects side
    Loser of map 3 ➤ Picks map 4 Winner of map 3 ➤ Selects side
    Loser of map 4 ➤ Picks map 5 Winner of map 4 ➤ Selects side

     

    Tiebreaker Protocol

    If the match is tied after game 3 is complete, an additional tiebreaker game will be played to determine the match winner.

    The current tiebreaker game mode for PlayVS matches is Domination. The chosen map will be selected at random from the current available Domination maps. To do this, the lobby owner must complete the following steps:

    • Navigate to the map selection > Competitive tab.
    • Ensure Multi-Select is checked.
    • Activate all Domination maps which include the following:   
      • Hell’s Heaven
      • Royal Palace
      • Birnin T’Challa
      • Krakoa 
      • Celestial Husk

    Selecting maps will outline them with a yellow border and checkmark.

    • Start the game and one of the domination maps will be chosen at random.

     

    Skins and Customizations

    Teams must adhere to the following rules regarding character skins and customizations:

     

    Character Skins/Cosmetics

    • All characters must be set to their default skins before the start of each match.
    • Alternate character skins or cosmetic variations are prohibited.

    Initials Warnings

    • The first time any player from a team accidentally uses a character with a skin equipped, the entire team will receive a warning. 
    • Teams are allowed to request a restart if a skin was accidentally selected.
    • Requesting a restart must take place before a game of record is established to not receive a warning.
      • If a restart was requested before establishing a game of record, teams should back out and restart the game.
      • The restarted game must be played on the same map with the same hero bans/locks as the original game.

    Matches played out to completion with skins will be counted as a game of record. The ban/lock phase must be completed before a team requests a restart for an accidental skin selection. The ban/lock phase should not be interrupted to address a skin violation.

     

    Repeat Violations

    • Each team can restart 1 time per match without penalty.
    • If a team needs to restart a game more than 1 time due to an accidental skin selection, the offending team will be issued a game loss.

     

    Player Equipment

    Equipment

    Each player on the starting roster must have access to school-provided equipment or must be permitted by the school to provide their own equipment in the following categories:

    • PC, PS5, PS4, or Xbox X|S
    • Compatible controller, or mouse and keyboard (for PC)
    • Stable internet connection

    Consoles and Ximming

    Ximming is a term used to describe the usage of mouse and keyboard on consoles without detection through the help of a XIM device. This enables console players to use prohibited devices instead of a controller to gain a competitive advantage.

    The use of this in Marvel Rivals is strictly prohibited and bannable as per NetEase. Any players found to be ximming will be subject to penalties by PlayVS officials.

     

    Match Process

    Match Days

    Every Monday or Tuesday, starting on October 20 and ending on November 18. Each team will play 1-2 matches per week.

    Match Lengths

    Matches are played as a best of 3 in the Qualifying Tournament and best of 5 for the Championship. Format is subject to change based on how many teams are participating and scheduling after-school and evening match times.

    Pre-Match Setup

    Teams must adhere to section 6.2 Pre-Match Setup in the league’s Competition Rulebook as they prepare to join their match.

     

    Match Setup

    Teams will follow Marvel Rivals Match Instructions for lobby creation setup and joining the game lobby.

     

    Confirm Lobby Settings and Map Selection

    1. Ensure players are on their appropriate teams.
    2. No spectators are in the spectator slots.
      • Any spectators must be in the coach slots to ensure that they can only watch their specific team.
    3. Confirm the following Room Settings:
      • Spectator Access: No Spectating
      • Ban/Pick Settings: Tournament (Basic)
    4. Confirm that the correct map is selected for the upcoming round.

     

    Lobby Management

    At all times, the home team is in charge of managing the lobby, including moving players, assigning sides, and selecting the correct game mode and maps.

     

    Ban-Lock Process

    Once all twelve players have reported to the official game lobby, one member of each team will confirm readiness for the ban-lock process using in-game chat. Once both teams confirm readiness, the room owner will start the game.

     

    Clicking Start will take all participants to the ban-lock process, where team leaders (person at the top of their respective team’s side of the lobby) will take turns banning and locking heroes. Locking a hero prevents them from being banned later. The process proceeds in-game as follows:

     

     

    Ban Phase #1 Lock Phase #1 Ban Phase #2 Lock Phase #2 Ban Phase #3
    1. Right Team Left Team Right Team Left Team Right Team
    2. Left Team Right Team Left Team Right Team Left Team

     

     

    Missed bans/picks will result in no hero being selected, resulting in the team losing the ban/pick.

     

    After the ban-lock process is complete, up to six (6) total heroes will be removed from play depending on the number of heroes banned. Each team will then pick their heroes and enter the match.

     

    Match FAQ

    Follow 3.3 Match FAQ of the Marvel Rivals Rulebook regarding Spectating and In-Game Content Updates

     

    Post-Match Process

     

    Results

    If the match is completed using the PlayVS Match Assistant tool, in-game statistics and results will be recorded at each game’s conclusion.

    In the event that the PlayVS Match Assistant cannot be used, statistics will not be tracked, and the match results must be submitted manually within 1 hour of match completion. Players should take screenshots of the match results and share those with their coaches and upload into DUSD’s DUEL Match Results shared drive. 

    In the event of an error, coaches must contact PlayVS directly.

    Behavior Policy

    The use of hateful, offensive, profane, or vulgar language is not allowed during or in relation to the Downey Unified Esports Tournament. This includes public and private conversations in the chat room, profiles, feedback section, discussion boards, and more.

     

    Cheating Policy

    No additional anti-cheat client is required for official matches. Any cheating of any form will result in immediate disqualification of the player and team involved. It is the responsibility of the team captain to make sure anyone on the team is not cheating. 

     

    Breach of Rules (Foul Language and Offensive Behavior) 

    • Cursing, rude gestures, and offensive (toxic) behavior will not be tolerated. 
    • Any player may submit video recorded evidence of toxic behavior for review.
    • First violation will result in a warning and notification to the school’s faculty advisor(s). 
    • Second violation will result in a match forfeit and notification to the school’s faculty advisor(s). 
    • Third violation will result in the entire team being disqualified from the tournament.