Hello everyone, EL Council have an interesting format proposal that some may have heard of, and we'd like people's views about it. Below are some graphics with some explanation underneath; both the concept and art goes to @Shyga :
Basically:
- We'd like to have every division split into 2 groups or conferences where teams play each other for some weeks to determine group standings.
- From these 2 groups, the top team advances to a further round and the other teams play a deciding match (the quarterfinal) to get to that stage.
- Both sides of the bracket will then play out until the winners of each side meet in the grand final.
We believe that this format gives teams more to play for while at the same time attempting to balance out skill gaps more. Feedback from the league's on-site have shown that this format may suit some needs, with the regular complaints being that teams feel they have nothing to play for by the half-way point of the division, or they're eliminated really early and have to sit for months to finish - with this, all teams get the chance to make brackets, while still rewarding first place for finishing in the top position.
As you can see with the graphics, our idea would take slightly shorter length than the traditional format with playoffs, with the 6 team division example being 10 weeks compared to the 12 or more weeks it may take. This could be a benefit in many ways:
- It could be used so staff have an extra bit of time in the off-season
- It could be used as a buffer so a delay in a week is covered instead of clashing with a future season
- It allows us to take in to account any known time zone clashes and/or internationally recognised holidays, because we'd have a few more weeks we could deem to postpone all matches for (the last season, for example, we had Christmas cause some issues because we simply didn't have as much of a window).
We as a league want to try some exciting formats to shake up how seasons are played, and thus it's important for as many people as possible to give views here. If you're a leader of a team and you know your members haven't seen this yet, please spread the message. Every vote and view matters here, we're listening, and will actively respond to answer any questions people may have.
Thank you for reading this essay, again feel free to give your views and vote on the poll.
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