Hi everyone! Welcome to the PlayVS Cup - We wish you the best of luck competing in this year's event. We'll use this space to highlight the most important rules & instructions to ensure your match goes as smoothly as possible. Win or lose, we want the process to be clear.
General
Match Day Support
Our live chat has been deactivated for the time being. We appreciate your patience in advance while our team works to address any issues with matches. Should this guide not provide the answers you need, please do the following:
Email support@playvs.com with the following information:
Esport Title:
Team Name [Your Team vs. Opponent]:
Concern with your match:
Send your question in the Coach's Discord channel: https://discord.gg/playvs
This will be your fastest way to get an answer during a live match.
Coach Availability
Coaches are required to be available in some capacity for all PlayVS Cup matches. If you are the main point of contact and, for any reason, are not available, please designate another member of your administration to fill in for you.
To ensure you are available for the match, we strongly encourage you to send a message in all of your matches. This is great for sportsmanship, as well as ensuring that everyone is ready to compete.
If you are available, but your Team Captain is managing the match, here is a short message you can copy & paste:
Hi there! I am around if needed, but my Team Captain, FIRSTNAME, will be managing the match today. Best of luck to both teams!
Connected Accounts
For Marvel Rivals, VALORANT, Rocket League and Splatoon™ 3, all accounts must be connected and match the account being used in-game.
Due to platform connections, Rocket League in-game account names do not have to match. Account names can be confirmed after the match is completed, as needed.
For Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe & Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate, accounts are not required to be connected.
For Street Fighter 6, the account being used for competition must be connected.
Grace Period
All matches are scheduled for 2:00 PM Pacific Time. This means:
Messaging with the intent to compete must be sent in Match Lobby Chat by 2:15 PM Pacific Time.
Teams that do not send ANY messages in either All Chat or Coach Chat before 2:15 PM Pacific Time are subject to forfeit.
Match setup must begin by 2:30 PM Pacific Time.
Teams must be actively communicating and setting up the match at the end of the grace period.
Teams are not required to have a full roster to participate. Matches can begin with less than the minimum so long as their opponent is not forced to match their team size. For example:
A Marvel Rivals match starts at 2:00 PM. Messages are sent before 2:15 PM stating they need to use the grace period.
At 2:30 PM, 5 players are available, with one player on the way.
The match should begin with Game 1 as a 5v6.
The 6th player arrives in the middle of Game 1, but is not allowed to join.
Once Game 1 has ended, the 6th player can join the lobby for Game 2 and onward.
Match Disputes & Behavior Reports
Once your match has completed, you will see the option to submit a match dispute for any issues that occurred or may still be ongoing.
Disputes related to account information will not be reviewed. If accounts do not match, or there are concerns, you are not required to play the match.
Note that if matches are held up and the accounts are confirmed, the match would need to be played, or a coin flip will be issued to determine a winner.
Matches halted due to player or coach behavior will be reviewed within 24 hours to determine a ruling.
We will continue to work towards this being a safe space for all members of our community to compete. If a team member infringes on this in any way through rulebook or code of conduct violations, the player/team/school may be removed from the competition. Win or lose, please remain respectful.
Reschedules
Matches, by default, can be rescheduled up to 28 hours after the scheduled match time.
Matches can be played earlier at any time.
Matches needing to be rescheduled past the 28 hours can be arranged by:
Getting a firm agreement on the date & time (including time zone) of the match in PlayVS match chat.
Email support@playvs.com with the match information to request the reschedule.
Communications
Teams that do not communicate in match chat are subject to match penalties. As these are the most important matches of the year, we expect coaches & captains to be available and communicate within 5-10 minutes should any issues occur during a match.
Play from Home
Teams can play remotely from home or another location unless otherwise specified by their school or athletic director.
Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe
Connection Issues
If you cannot connect to your opponent or are experiencing significant latency that impacts your competitive experience, do the following:
Have the Away team host the lobby.
If that does not resolve the issue, attempt to reschedule.
If that does not work, run a connection test on your Nintendo Switch devices.
Take a screenshot of the results (two or four screenshots in total)
Send those screenshots to support@playvs.com with your team name, how your device is connected to the internet (ethernet, wifi, hotspot, etc.), and clearly state which image belongs to which device.
Send a message in the match lobby chat once you have sent your email.
Once league officials have reviewed the match chat and screenshots from both teams, a winner will be determined and stated clearly in the match lobby chat by a league official.
If you do not submit screenshots of your internet connection test, that part of the investigation will not occur, and league officials will rule on the match based on match lobby chat.
Rules - Six Races per Game
Same as the playoff ruleset, teams will race 6 races per game.
Tiebreakers
At the end of the six races, if the overall score is tied, then one (1) additional race will be played to determine the winner.
Marvel Rivals
Costumes & Skins
Matches will not be stopped for using non-default skins or cosmetics. Concerns around the selected skin, MVP animation, etc., may be submitted as a behavior report once the match is completed.
Devil Dinosaur Allowed
The latest hero, Devil Dinosaur, is eligible for use in PlayVS Cup matches.
Pausing / Technical Issues
If you are actively securing an objective or engaging in a teamfight, the match should not be paused for any reason. Once the objective is secured or the teamfight has concluded, a pause for technical issues may occur. A 1v1/2v2 fight away from objectives would not prevent a pause.
Please use your best judgment when pausing. Repeated pauses that impact the player experience are subject to rulings by league officials.
Rocket League
Disconnected Player/Team
If a player or team disconnects at the beginning of a game before the kickoff occurs, then the game can be reset.
If a player or team disconnects after kickoff, then the game will continue.
If both teams agree to a reset outside of the parameters above, league officials would allow that to occur, and the results of the game in which the disconnect occurred would be disregarded.
Custom Lobbies
If custom lobbies are used, then in-game names may not match. Concerns around in-game names for Rocket League can be submitted to support@playvs.com, to which league officials will confirm.
Rocket League matches should not be paused for game account connections.
Splatoon™ 3
Incorrect Match Assistant Selections
If a team incorrectly selects an option in the match assistant, state that immediately in PlayVS Match Chat and request a reset. Games or matches completed without acknowledging or raising this concern will not be reviewed, and their results will be final.
Street Fighter 6
Connection Issues
Incorrect Match Assistant Selections
If a team incorrectly selects an option in the match assistant, state that immediately in PlayVS Match Chat and request a reset. Games or matches completed without acknowledging or raising this concern will not be reviewed, and their results will be final.
Substitutions
Once the initial three players are locked in for the match during the Confirm Roster step, those three players must be competing. Non-competing players may not sub in or hand the controller off to another player to compete in their place.
Emergencies must be stated in the match lobby chat for a league official to review.
Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate
Connection Issues
If you cannot connect to your opponent or are experiencing significant latency that impacts your competitive experience, do the following:
Have the Away team host the lobby.
If that does not resolve the issue, attempt to reschedule.
If that does not work, run a connection test on your Nintendo Switch device.
Take a screenshot of the results.
Send those screenshots to support@playvs.com with your team name, how your device is connected to the internet (ethernet, wifi, hotspot, etc.), and clearly state which image belongs to which device.
Send a message in the match lobby chat once you have sent your email.
Once league officials have reviewed the match chat and screenshots from both teams, a winner will be determined and stated clearly in the match lobby chat by a league official.
If you do not submit screenshots of your internet connection test, that part of the investigation will not occur, and league officials will rule on the match based on match lobby chat.
Incorrect Match Assistant Selections
If a team incorrectly selects an option in the match assistant, state that immediately in PlayVS Match Chat and request a reset. Games or matches completed without acknowledging or raising this concern will not be reviewed, and their results will be final.
Substitutions
Once the initial three players are locked in for the match during the Confirm Roster step, those three players must be competing. Non-competing players may not sub in or hand the controller off to another player to compete in their place.
Emergencies must be stated in the match lobby chat for a league official to review.
VALORANT
Map Updates
Ascent is IN, and Bind is OUT - We have updated the rules to reflect the latest competition rotation. No more map changes will occur mid-tournament.
Miks Allowed
The latest agent, Miks, is eligible for use in PlayVS Cup matches.