So here we are, down almost to the end of the regular season, so it's time to talk playoffs. The Goodson-Dobkowitz Cup is up for grabs one more time, which means we need to talk about how we're handing it out.
There are a few changes from last season, all of which I'll explain, but the main one is this: we're no longer handing out points/cash/whatever for playoff performance. Just like any sports league, this is all about the Cup, anything else is just a distraction. So make sure you're on the top of your game and ready to go the distance.
Who gets to fight for the Cup, you may ask? Well, that brings us to our next change. While we're no longer handing out points and cash FROM the playoffs, points and cash awarded in the regular season will boost some players on their way INTO the playoffs. Specifically, the following players will not only qualify, but also earn a one-round bye:
> The top two players in total MP
> The two players next highest in game points
> The two players next highest in cash
Those six players will go directly into the Round of 16. But if you're not one of those six, you can still take part if:
> You've played at least 75% of all games (19 out of 25)
> You won at least one game this season
> You are one of the Elite Eight from last season (Kev347, Punchboard91, SuperSweeper, Cephas, vadernader, Wayoshi, Flerbert419, PriceFan985)
Any players who qualify by these methods will battle it out in our "Best of the Rest" qualifying round to open up the GDC playoffs.
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Our tentative schedule for the GDC Playoffs is as follows:
May 12 (#7935K - Mother's Day Special) May 11 (#7934K - Friday is spoiled out) - "Best of the Rest" Qualifying Round - all players in the second tier of qualifications may play in this round. The top 10 players from this game will advance to the Round of 16.
May 19 (#7945K - Dream Car Week) - Round of 16 - the top 10 players from the qualifier plus the six players who qualified based on their regular-season performance will take part in this round. The eight best scores from this round will advance to the next round.
May 26 (#7954K) - Originally scheduled for the Round of 8, but now no game due to spoilers from a taping report.
June 2 (#7965K) - Round of 8 - the eight remaining players will take part, with the four best scores moving on to the GDC Finals.
(Rescheduled from May 26 due to spoiler-related cancellation.)June 16 (#7985K) - Championship Game - the final four players take on one final game for the Cup, with the winner taking it all... because we only have one Cup.
(Rescheduled from June 2 due to spoiler-related cancellation.)June 23 (#7763K) - emergency reserve game - to be used in case of another spoiler-related cancellation
(June 9 is technically a viable game day, but I will be unable to be online for that entire week due to travel. If there is literally no other option, I may make arrangements for an emergency fill-in host, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.)If, at any point, more players would be in an advancing position than would normally be entitled to do so due to unbreakable ties, then all tied players shall advance. The next round will still be cut to the number it was intended for (so say if 11 players make it out of the Round of 16, the next round still cuts to four as planned). In the event of a tie for the championship, the host reserves the right to use one of the reserve dates for a sudden-death showdown if they have not already been used, or to declare co-champions.