Tournament Match Format

Global Match Rules

All match scheduling and communication must be conducted in UTC timezone.

Match Schedule

Requirement Details
Match Window Friday 23:59 UTC - Monday 23:59 UTC
Timezone All scheduling in UTC, teams responsible for conversions
Default Times Based on teams’ time zones
Rescheduling Deadline Before Thursday 23:59 UTC of match week

Rescheduling Process

If you wish to change your assigned time:

  1. Contact the opposing team captain
  2. Agree on a new time within the match window
  3. Submit your request in #scheduling with:
    • Current match time
    • Requested new time
    • Confirmation from both teams
  4. Wait for staff confirmation

Teams should attempt to reschedule as early as possible to ensure referee availability.

Match Preparation

Before Match Start

Time Action
15 minutes before Referee pings team captains on Discord
5 minutes before Referee creates lobby and invites captains
Until start Captains must invite their team members

Captain Substitution

If a captain cannot attend:

  • Notify referee in advance
  • Designate a replacement captain
  • Provide replacement’s username

Late Penalties

Teams not having 4 players in lobby by start time face penalties:

Time Late Penalty
2 minutes Forfeit warmup
5 minutes Forfeit protect and bans
10 minutes Match forfeit

No-Show Resolution

If neither team has enough players:

  1. Teams must attempt to find a new time that works for both teams
  2. If scheduling issues arise:
    • Contact RaiRei (Internal Affairs) as early as possible
    • Staff will help mediate and find a solution
  3. If no resolution can be found even with staff intervention:
    • Staff will decide whether to:
      • Determine the winner by !roll, or
      • Issue a forced forfeit based on the situation
    • This decision will consider each team’s communication and scheduling efforts

Pick/Ban Process

Submissions

  • Captains must submit protect/ban decisions
  • Any team member may submit picks during their team’s turn
    • Team captain can override a team member’s pick if:
      1. The referee hasn’t set the new map in the lobby yet
      2. The captain suggests the new pick before the referee sets the map
    • Late overrides will not be accepted to prevent timer abuse
  • Missed pick timer results in:
    • First offense: Warning
    • Further offenses: Pick goes to opponent team
  • Mispicks cannot be corrected after pick timer ends

Map Timers

  • 120 seconds for protect/ban/pick decisions
  • 120 seconds preparation time between maps
  • Timers are enforced based on IRC view (exceptions made for Bancho issues)

Timeouts

Each team has one 120-second timeout usable either:

  1. During Pick Timer
    • Request before 90-second pick timer ends
    • Extends pick timer by 120 seconds
    • Must submit pick before extended timer ends
  2. During Map Preparation
    • Request before 120-second preparation timer ends
    • Adds 120 seconds preparation time
    • Must be ready when extended timer ends
  • One timeout per team per match
  • No timeouts during tiebreaker (180-second break given instead)

Match Rules

FreeMod Maps

Teams must have specific mod combinations:

  • One player with any mod combination
  • One player with Hidden
  • One player with HardRock
  • One player must use either a difficulty-increasing mod/combination or EZ mod/combination

Tiebreaker

  • All players must use NoFail mod
  • FreeMod rules apply but mod usage is optional
  • 180-second break before tiebreaker begins

Score Ties

If teams achieve the same score:

  • Map is replayed
  • Teams must use the same roster for replay

Technical Issues

During a Map

  • Within first 30 seconds:
    • Team may request referee to abort
    • Same players must play the replay
    • Exception: If a player cannot reconnect to osu!, team may substitute
  • After 30 seconds:
    • Player receives a score of 0
    • Unless acceptable proof of score can be provided
  • Note: 30-second guideline is flexible based on referee discretion

Abort Limits

  • Each team allowed one abort per match
  • Further disconnections will not result in aborts

Acceptable Proof of Score

Score proof can be provided in these ways:

  1. Official Stream Footage
    • Last visible score will be used
  2. Player POV Recording
    • Must show entire play including results screen
    • E.g., Twitch stream VOD
  3. Screenshots
    • Must be taken with osu!’s screenshot function (Shift + F12)
    • Must be hosted on osu.ppy.sh
  4. Phone Recording
    • Must show the play/score
    • Must show current date/time (via alt-tab or Windows key + D)

Staff reserve the right to reject any proof deemed illegitimate.