BASIC INFORMATION

The MetaGoal Cup is a new game mode introduced in the second season of MetaGoal. All players can participate in a three-phase tournament and earn points by winning matches. Players will face off against each other, and the player with a higher rating has a greater chance of winning and earning more points. The tournament will run on a daily basis, similar to a "World Cup" every day, and rewards will be given out at the end of the season (TBA).

Time: The pre-season will start on January 18th and the official start of Season 2 will begin on February 1st, 2023.
How to join: Participation is easy, simply join the game and you will be automatically enrolled in the MetaGoal Cup game mode, which can be accessed through the Event page.

MECHANICS

The MetaGoal Cup consists of Preliminary Stage, Qualification Stage, and Main Tournament Stage. The MetaGoal Cup is designed to have one tournament a day, and the mechanics is like that of the World Cup. It is open to all players and the joining is automatic.

The new feature “Pump-Ups” has been added to increase match result unpredictability.

Preliminary Stage:

Who are eligible: It is open to all players and the joining is automatic.

1. Players with the top 20% ratings will be advanced to the qualifying round bypassing the preliminary round. Top-rating players will receive a notification confirming their eligibility.

2. The preliminary stage will have 2 rounds of matches with opponents facing off. Losers will be eliminated. Players who win both rounds will advance to the qualifying stage, which accounts for 20% of all participating players.
   Qualifying Stage:
   Who are eligible: Direct promotion players and Preliminary stage winners, a total of 40% of all players.

3. Players will face off against each other, losers are eliminated and winners proceed to the next match until 32 players are selected.

4. The 32 winners will proceed to the Main Tournament Stage.

5. The players who are given a bye move on directly to the next round of matches.

Main Tournament Stage:

Who are eligible: 32 winners from the qualifying stage.
Upon entering the main tournament phase, typical World Cup rules are followed and divided into two stages - group stage and the knockout stage.

Group stage:

1. The 32 players are divided to 8 groups randomly, with 4 in each group.

2. The single round-robin format is used in the group stage, and the top two players in each group will advance to the knockout stage based on their points.

3. If the points are tied, then the goal difference will be looked at, followed by goals scored, and then a random draw if all other possibilities have been exhausted.

Knockout stage:

The knockout round uses a single-knockout format: Top 16 -> Top 8 -> Top 4-> Final.

Pump-Ups:

This new feature allows players to give their rating a boost, making matches even more unpredictable.

Who are eligible: All players

Players are given 10 Pump-Ups every day which can be used in Qualifying Stage and Main Tournament Stage. Applying Pump-Up can boost your rating or earn more points in a limited time. Check the following to see how it works.

Match Timeline

Preliminary Stage：      UTC 1: 00 - 2: 00 (1 hour)
Qualifying Stage： UTC 3: 00 - 4: 00 (1 hour)
Main Tournament：
Group of 32：          UTC 6: 00 - 7: 00 (1 hour)
Top 16： UTC 8: 00 - 9: 00 (1 hour)
Top 8： UTC 10: 00 - 11: 00 (1 hour)
Top 4： UTC 12: 00 - 13: 00 (1 hour)
Third place playoff： UTC 14: 00
Final： UTC 15: 00

RANKING RULES

Earning Points:

Points are earned based on players' achievements in the MetaGoal Cup, which are determined by points from the Preliminary stage, as well as rankings from the main tournament.

1. Entering the Preliminary Stage earns 1 point.

2. Each win in the Preliminary Stage earns 1 point and 0 for a bye.

3. Ranking points for Main Tournament see below table:

Ranking Based on Points:

1. Players are ranked according to the number of points they have, the more points the higher rank.

2. If players have the same number of points, they will be ranked based on how many times they have won the 1st place, with players that have won more 1st places being ranked higher.

3. In cases where players have the same number of 1st places, their historical performance in the tournament will be taken into consideration. Players that have had better historical performances (such as reaching the round of 16 vs. just making it to the group stage) will be given higher rankings.

SUMMARY

We are thrilled to launch the new game mode and keep on improving it! We welcome all feedback to our Discord, so don't hesitate to reach out with your thoughts and suggestions. Join us in the MetaGoal cup for Season 2 and have an amazing time playing the new game. Our team is dedicated to providing continuous support and listening carefully to your recommendations – together, let’s make this season even more special than the last!

Play MetaGoal HERE. See you in Season 2!

MetaGoal Team