Small Earth 1v1 League Concept and RulesPlease note that these rules and the league concept have been taken with only minor adaptations from the ME promotion/relegation league, and I wish to give credit to those who are running that league for putting them together originally. For those wishing to find out more about that league, here is a link to their latest thread:
https://www.warlight.net/Forum/106960-promotionrelegation-league-season-17ConceptThe Small Earth Promotion/Relegation League is a seasonal group of round-robin Warlight tournaments, always on the “small earth” map with coin settings. At the end of each season, the top players of each group are promoted to the next group above. Bottom players are relegated to the next group below. Middle players remain in the same group.
The league is meant to appeal to players who want to see, over the course of several seasons, where their natural level of competition might take them. For new, skilled participants, this means patience in getting to the levels where they will be challenged. Hopefully, that is part of the fun. The idea is to see how quickly you can progress, how long you can stay high, or how long it takes to stop a skid.
RulesThe league is run with a balance of predictability and flexibility. Final decisions are made by the league administrator with an attempt to consider input of league players.
From season 2, the model will typically be to have the top three promote and the bottom three relegate but there are exceptions. Where there is default – a player becoming inactive or asking to bow out of the league – there can be more promotions to fill in the vacancy. Where this happens in several groups there can be a lot of shuffling. The principle, though, is to usually have at least one player from each group relegated. Several retirements mean fewer relegations and more super-promotions to keep the groups filled.
Any player inactive in 50% or more of their games during any tournament is deemed to be out of the league and can only return as a new player in the bottom group, unless they can give a valid reason for their inactivity.
Placements in a round-robin are determined by number of wins. In the event of a tie, placements are determined by head-to-head results among the tied. Occasionally, there are loops of ties that cannot be resolved by the head-to-head rule. If this is the case, ties will be broken by the following (in order of preference):
1: Overall win/loss ratio. (The total wins of each player you defeated minus the total wins of each player you lost against)
2: Tie-break tournament. (Unless such a tournament would cause lengthy delays for the league)
3: Average turn-speed (only if a tie-break tournament fails to resolve the tie, or would take to long to complete)
Anyone can join the league, members and non-members alike, simply by request in the most recent “Small Earth 1v1 Promotion/Relegation League” forum thread. New players begin in the bottom group or in an expansion group. Promotions from expansion groups depend on numbers within the new groups.
Before the beginning of each season, a summary of the movements will be announced to allow for questions or corrections. The league works most smoothly if those who wish to bow out of it let the administrator know before the new season begins instead of simply declining to play after the groups have been determined and tournaments begun.
