Standings & Playoffs

• The regular season consists of 8 weeks of round-robin play
• Each team plays one match per week against a different opponent
• Maps are assigned weekly by league staff on a set rotation
• All matches are played between Friday and Sunday of the assigned match week

In Search & Destroy, ties are rare due to the win-by-2 rule with a 4-round extension. If a match is still tied after the maximum 26 rounds, the result stands as a tie and both teams receive 1 point.

• No-show forfeit - A forfeit win is worth 1 point and is recorded 12-0. Forfeit rounds do not count toward round differential.
• Cheating overturn - A match overturned for cheating is a full win (3 points), recorded 12-0 (10-0 for each playoff map). Those rounds count toward round differential.

If two or more teams are tied on points at the end of the regular season, the following tiebreakers are applied in order until the tie is resolved:

• The top teams in the standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs
• The number of playoff spots depends on the total number of teams in the division (typically top 4 or top 8)
• Seeding is determined by final regular season standings (including tiebreakers)
• All rostered players must meet the playoff eligibility requirements (see Roster & Eligibility)

• Playoffs are a single-elimination bracket
• Bracket size scales with division size: 4-team bracket (semifinal + final) or 8-team bracket (quarterfinal + semifinal + final)
• An optional third-place match may be played between semifinal losers, announced before playoffs begin
• The higher seed in each matchup receives home advantage (hosts the lobby and picks starting side)
• Every playoff match is a series of up to three maps

During the regular season, maps are assigned by league staff. In the playoffs, the two captains choose the maps. The full map pool is published on the Game Settings page each season. There are no map bans for Maps 1 and 2.

• Map 1 - The higher seed picks.
• Map 2 - The lower seed picks. It must be a different map from Map 1.
• Map 3 (only if needed) - Before the spin, each team removes one map from the eligible list (regular-season maps not yet played in this series). Map 3 is then chosen at random from the maps that remain.
• No repeats - No map is played twice in a series. Maps 1, 2 and 3 are always three different maps.

If a captain does not make a pick or removal by the deadline, administration may assign the map.

• Rosters are fully locked from Week 9 through the conclusion of playoffs
• No roster additions, drops, or changes of any kind are permitted during this period
• Only players who meet the playoff eligibility requirements may compete (on roster by Week 6 and played in 2+ regular season matches)
• Teams that cannot field 5 eligible players for a playoff match forfeit that match

• Maps 1 and 2 - First to 10 rounds, win by 2, with a maximum of 4 overtime rounds. A map tied 11-11 after overtime stands as a tie.
• After two maps - A team that wins both maps wins the series. A team that wins one map and ties the other wins the series.
• Map 3 (tiebreaker) - Played only when the first two maps split 1-1 or both end tied. It is played to a winner, win by 2, with no overtime cap.

Seeding and final standings determine eligibility for end-of-season recognition, including accolades, Hall of Champions induction, and other awards. Details on specific awards are announced each season.