YOUR GUIDE TO THE FINALS MASTERS SERIES: SPLIT 2
After 2 months of intense action, we hosted our first major event. We introduced the Cashout game mode. While the format had flaws, it presented a new challenge to the players. Yappers, LRC, BURTS, and BKO fought through an intense gauntlet in the Swiss Stage to qualify for Championship Sunday. There, BURTS would make a great upper bracket run where they would eventually win the tournament and claim the first spot in the World Championship alongside BKO (BKO was the second-place finisher who also earned a spot).
Where does this leave us now? Well, let’s dive into the changes we will be pushing out for Split 2. Going into split two the main point we wanted to hammer home was consistency among teams. In doing so, we have updates to the point system, map pool, rules, and format.
POINT SYSTEM UPDATE
One fatal flaw we have with our system is that teams could be one and done; teams could participate in one qualifier and not have to worry about qualifying for other events. The original plan was for other tournament organizers to work in tandem with us where teams could compete and gain points not only from our series but others as well. This plan unfortunately fell through leaving a big hole in a crucial area: The point system. To add to what was said before, we were looking to have our 4 qualifiers, with up to 4 affiliate qualifiers counting toward a team’s qualification. This led to the one-and-done situation that we have seen today.
To address this we have rehauled our point system. Originally the point spread looked like this:
1st place = 100
2nd place = 75
3rd place = 50
4th place = 35
5th-8th = 20
9th-16th = 10
17th-32nd = 5
This system here led to a lot of problems when it came to the disparity of teams that could qualify. Going into qualifier #4, unless you were in 5th-12th place, you would need an event win to qualify for the Split 1 Masters. This appeared to discourage teams from competing in the later events (outside of other reasons). This was not the intention as we wanted teams to compete over multiple qualifiers, not only to fight to qualify for Split 1 but to earn points to qualify for Worlds as we took the top 8 teams’ scores across both splits into consideration.
With the new point spread, this should help rectify the issue:
1st place = 75
2nd place = 60
3rd place = 45
4th place = 36
5th-8th = 24
9th-16th = 18
17th-32nd = 12
(NEW) 33rd-64th = 6
We wanted to bring the points earned closer together so that all teams have a chance to qualify. This new spread also eliminates the factor of teams being one-and-done. Teams that win a qualifier will now have to play in one or two more qualifiers to guarantee their qualification (Barring any future affiliate tournaments that may be added). We also wanted to reward teams that may have had lower placement points so they felt their efforts were not wasted. The new tier not only rewards that, but even impacts a team’s chance at qualification as we will show here (Just like last split, teams that register, but do not show up/double DQ do not gain points).
Below is a diagram showing the standings for Split 1. The image on the left showcases the standings BEFORE the change. The image on the right shows the standings IF THE NEW SYSTEM was in place:
The standings will be a lot closer across the board at all positions while also rewarding teams who competed over multiple events. With the new system before qualifier #4:
4 teams would still be defending a spot in the Top 8
13 teams would have had a significantly better chance at qualifying overall (Originally only 8)
31 teams would have a shot to qualify with a tournament win (Originally, any team had a chance)
We will not be adjusting the points earned from Split 1 as it would not be fair to the teams who competed in Split 1.
MAP POOL
It was great to see all the tactics and all-star moments across the various maps in THE FINALS. The map pool will be ever-changing as new maps are added to the game. With the release of Kyoto 1568, there will be 6 maps in the official map pool of the game. For the Masters Series, we have collected every piece of data we could including map pick rates across all four qualifiers and both days of the Split 1 Masters.
Through the collection of data, we decided to keep Sys$Horizon, Monaco, and Skyway Stadium. Monaco and Skyway Stadium were our most picked maps while also being banned the least out of all the maps in the pool. Sys$Horizon is a newer addition to the game, but it was picked and banned less than Las Vegas by a value of 1 for both categories. From the data over time, we noticed that Sys$Horizon went from one of the most banned maps to one of the most played while Las Vegas began to trend the opposite way.
Going into Split Two, we are putting it to a vote of what the final two maps in the pool will be. As we have always done, we created a Google Form where you can vote for the last two maps in the pool. You can change your answers anytime before Monday, July 1st at 12 am EST/5 am BST.
You can submit your vote here:
SPLIT 1 FORMAT RETROSPECTIVE
Following the end of Split 1 Qualifiers, we announced the Cashout gamemode that will be a part of the Swiss Stage for the Split 1 Masters. This was to experiment with the format we had but also to see what was feasible for us to do in the future, not only for Split 2 but for Worlds 2024. Contrary to what many believe, we understand that cashout is the heart and soul of THE FINALS and the format we originally had planned for the Masters Series was similar to what you saw in Cashout ranked. This format was developed even before we thought about running Quick Cash (which ironically is the final round).
We understand that a lot of people want to run Cashout for the entirety of the series. There are various reasons why that is a path we chose not to go down. The first reason is there is a lot of support for the current system in place. We understand that Quick Cash is not the most flattering mode to watch on broadcast, but we have had discussions with many players and they prefer the current format instead of cashout, stating that there was a “lack of skill” with the last cashout being the most important one.
The second reason is the lack of a forced streamer mode in custom games. One problem we had in past tournaments was teams gathering together to target one team specifically to get them out of a tournament. This is not because of in-game situations or tactics, but more because they have a vendetta against said team. Now obviously even without the streamer mode, you can tell who is who based on character cosmetics and such, but that is more skillful in the sense you have to do research. Looking at the scoreboard to know who is what team color in-game to grief them is not fair play and that was our biggest concern. Obviously, in THE FINALS you will have to target certain teams because you will not qualify or get a better placement in-game. The difference is that this is a natural way to play the game because it is based on in-game situations while the concern listed above is not.
The third and biggest reason why we chose to forgo the Cashout gamemode for qualifiers is that Breakout Esports is a small team that does not have consistent staffing for events. To run cashout in a format that would work, we would need a lot more help when it comes to the backend of running the tournaments. Considering that we could get upwards of 60+ teams, we could have 15+ games running at the same time. And in a tournament setting with multiple teams, you wouldn’t want to run single elimination as you want to give teams as many chances as possible to qualify. That is why we chose to limit Cashout to only the Majors and Worlds. Not because we dislike the gamemode, but because it is something that we cannot handle at this moment.
OFFICIAL SPLIT 2 FORMAT
We have had a lot of people reaching out asking about the format for Split 2. We have already established the format that we will be using for qualifiers, which will remain unchanged.
OPEN QUALIFIER FORMAT
Game Mode: Quick Cash
Teams: 2 Teams of 3 (3v3)
Double Elimination
All Matches Best of 3 (First to win 2 maps)
If you are the higher-seeded team
EU --> Europe Servers Map 1
NA --> North America Servers Map 1
Lower Seeded Team gets their respective Server for Map 2
The third map will be played on the Higher Seeds server
SPLIT 2 MASTERS FORMAT
Now, going into the Split 2 Masters, this is where we will see some change. Just like we introduced Cashout into the last Masters, we will be bringing it back for the second time. The format will be the same as Split 1 with a few changes
Swiss Stage
The Swiss Stage is essentially double elimination where the first four teams to place top 2 in their groups twice will move on (2-0 and 2-1). Here is an example using the Swiss Stage from Split 1
We will be using the same format as last time but we will be changing the point spread a bit. We took into consideration the feedback from Split 1 for decreasing the amount of maps to be played. We weighed the pros and cons after going through VODs and looking at data and found it to be more beneficial for teams if more maps were to be played. We will keep the rotation at 5 maps. This allows for momentum shifts to happen and for teams to make comebacks over time which leads to more exciting matches (Allows a team to warm up over time).
Game Mode: Cashout
Teams: 4 Teams of 3 (3v3v3v3)
Opening map chosen by BES staff
Swiss Round 1: TBD
Swiss Round 2: TBD
Swiss Round 3: TBD
The following maps are chosen by the 1st place team on the prior map
i.e. Map 1 winner --> Map 2 /// Map 2 winner--> Map 3, etc.
The winner cannot choose a prior map until 2 map rotations have passed
Map 1 until Map 4 /// Map 2 until Map 5
Now the point spread will change a bit. Similar to the spread for qualifiers, we found that the disparity was too great and caused teams to fall behind without a chance to come back. We will be adopting the Point Spread from Embark that was used in Twitch Rivals.
1st Place = 10 (was 15)
2nd Place = 7 (was 11)
3rd Place = 5 (was 7)
4th Place = 4 (was 3)
We will still award teams points based on kills. EVERY 3 KILLS (rounded down) will give a team a kill point. With this, it adds a new way for teams to potentially make a comeback while still keeping the original theme of the game.
PLAYOFF STAGE
The Playoff Stage also known as Championship Sunday is the icing on the cake for the competitors to prove they are the best. It is also a chance to claim 1 of 2 open slots for the World Championship. Championship Sunday will follow the same format as the Open Qualifiers. The only difference is that the Grand Final will be a Best of 5.
Note: If a team has already qualified through the Split 1 Masters (Top 2 finish) and places top 2 in Split 2, another spot will be opened for qualification through the global leaderboard.
RULESET UPDATES
Through Split 1 our rules were confusing to players and were not very strong. Going into Split 2 we are looking to both strengthen the ruleset and give them more clarity for the players. The white text contains new additions to the rule, Pink text is the original text.
DISCONNECTS
A match can be restarted if a player disconnects within FIVE minutes of the action phase (Phase after the class selection phase)
If a disconnect occurs BEFORE 5 minutes pass in the action phase, the affected team can call for a REHOST
If a disconnect happens AFTER the first objective is completed (Cashout Timer), BOTH TEAMS must agree to a REHOST
If the player cannot reconnect, they must wait until the next map
Teams can only rehost ONCE per map
(Second Disconnect on a map) Teams must play out the rest of that map without the affected player or forfeit the map
(NEW) SCORING:
If the cashout is 90% complete (1m 48s) and a disconnect occurs, the team that has control of the cashout:
WITHOUT the DC automatically gets the score UNLESS the other team is contesting the objective
WITH the DC will get the score ONLY IF the other team is dead and is unable to contest the objective
ROSTERS
ROSTER LOCK:
Going into split 2 we have opted to not enforce a roster lock. Additionally, we have decided to remove the rule requiring 2 players from the original roster to be on the team to maintain their points going into split 2. If teams are found to be abusing this rule change (i.e. Trying to get multiple teams in the Major by sharing players), they could be subject to forfeiture of all points earned in Split 2 and potentially banned from the Major (Split 2 Masters).
(NEW) DEAD TEAM CLAUSE:
This clause is a new rule we are implementing to stop teams from sharing players as stated above. If all 3 starters on one team (excluding rostered substitutes) are found to be playing on other teams, that original team will forfeit all points and be removed from the Masters Series.
Additionally, in the clause teams that have qualified for the Masters or World Championship and only have 1-2 remaining players (The listed Captain) will be reached out to via the BES Staff. That team can only compete if:
Two players from the original roster MUST be listed on the roster and be verbally present in the discord
At a minimum, One of the two original players is REQUIRED to compete in the event
The captain within a week must notify BES Staff of the additional players that will compete on the roster
The captain can ask for an extension on time if needed
This is to prevent teams from making last-minute changes before events and to help protect players who helped contribute to the roster’s success.
GAMEPLAY
HEAVY CLASS CLAUSE:
Teams are allowed to run a maximum of ONE Heavy class
Teams found to be running more than one Heavy will be subject to forfeiture of a map (originally was a forced replay of the map)
If a team is found to have run the class again at ANY time during the tournament, they will be disqualified from the tournament
Going into Split 2, the Ban on having more than one heavy in a team composition will still be present. We also wanted to make sure that the rule is properly reinforced similar to other rules that we have in place. At the midseason (in between Open Qualifier #2 and #3), a poll will be released to ask the competitive community if they would like the ban to be lifted on double/triple heavy class.
LOADOUT CLAUSE:
Teams are not allowed to change loadouts/classes during the gameplay
Teams found to have violated the rule will be subject to forfeiture of a map
Teams, however, are allowed to change loadouts/classes in between maps
This rule will still be enforced as in the ranked gamemode (Cashout tournament) you are unable to change loadouts at any point during the gamemode except in between maps
(REMOVED) STALLING CLAUSE (3v3 QUICK CASH):
Teams cannot stall until the match timer completes
Stalling is, but is not limited to
Holding a cash vault for more than ONE minute after it completes its windup phase/a cashout's completion after the deposit
Happens before OR after a team scores the first cash drop
When a team "farms" the other team for kills before inserting a vault into the cashout
Stalling is NOT
Wiping a team before inserting the vault into the cashout
An engagement/team fight that takes place before the deposit of the vault into cashout
Setting up for the defense of the Cashout (Maximum ONE minute including rotation time)
Ruling subject to change in the future
This rule was created based on questions and concerns from teams early on in the Masters Series. The original intent behind the rule was to prevent teams from stalling out the match timer after scoring once. This would give every team a chance to fight and overturn a match. If one team is dominant, as was shown in the past, the match should end relatively quickly, if both teams are of the same skill level, the matches may take longer. Overall this ruling has created intense moments during gameplay and forced teams to fight each other as they find ways to secure a vault and insert it into the cashout. While there has been some controversy outside of the Breakout Esports circle for this ruling, there have been little to no negative responses from those who have competed in the series.
During the Split 1 Masters, we experimented with the rule of not being in play with the highest tier. Since we see no visible difference in play, we will be removing the rule from play for the split 2 qualifiers as we continue to monitor the competitive scene.
OUTTAKES
Overall we hope everyone enjoys the competition to come in Split 2 of the Masters Series. It has been a fun experience so far for us here at Breakout Esports and we love chatting and bantering with the players. We are looking forward to more exciting moments and big plays. Registration for Qualifier #1 opens tomorrow at 1 pm EST/6 pm BST! Now get out there and take your claim to fame!
