Swiss Tournament Format

published 08/05/22

URBAN SWISS Tournament Format

This format borrows a tournament system from Chess and Esports, and allows throwers to throw more matches, but does not require a full round-robin style system. Continuing our commitment to giving all throwers a tournament experience at their level, with Urban Swiss, no one is eliminated after two losses, and everyone is guaranteed to throw 5 matches in their tournament tier. So this means more throwing, against throwers at a similar level to you! Urban Swiss gives all throwers a fair chance to progress through to the elimination stage of the tournament, as well as giving participants equally balanced matches!

How Urban Swiss Works

Throwers will be split into tiers of competitors, based on their average from their most recently completed league season (so Season 3, 2022 for most of us). Each tier of  throwers will have a random matchup for their Round 1 match in their Urban Swiss tournament tier. Matches in Urban Swiss will be best 3 of 5, with each round going to Big Axe to determine a winner in tied rounds. After the sixteen Round 1 matches have finished, the thrower tier will be split into two pools, those who won and those who lost, and then matches for Round 2 will be randomly assigned within those respective pools. After Round 2 is completed, there will be three pools of throwers: throwers who are 2-0, throwers who are 1-1 and throwers who are 0-2. Round 3 matches will be created from each of these pools, so the 2-0 throwers will have matches randomly assigned, the 1-1 throwers will have matches randomly assigned, and the 0-2 throwers will have matches randomly assigned. After Round 1, you’ll always be playing someone who is at a similar level to you, in the Urban Swiss tournament format!

Anything else?

Yes! Urban Swiss tournaments are set up so that you don’t play someone twice in the same tournament! If you threw against someone in Round 1, you won’t throw against them for the rest of the tournament! Someone will likely end the Urban Swiss tournament with an undeafted record, but unfortunately, someone else will likely end with no wins - so mentally prepare yourself for elation or desolation now!

Once we’ve finished the Urban Swiss tournament, we will run a Single Elimination tournament which will be SEEDED based off the results from the Urban Swiss tournament. So just because you went undefeated, doesn’t mean you get all the glory. Someone could still take that crown! More details will come closer to the tournament on how many will make the Single Elimination tournament.

We’ll also be adapting the IATF rules to fit the appropriate Urban Swiss tier! For the highest averaged tier, expect to be throwing on IATF Premier rules. For the lowest averaged tier, expect to be throwing on IATF Standard rules. For everyone in between, expect something in between!

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