- What is the Swiss format?
- Why Swiss?
- What is the Buchholz score?
- How does Swiss work specifically in the Prime League?
- Who am I playing against next?
What is the Swiss format?
The Swiss system, also called the Swiss format, is a tournament format that is used very frequently, especially in chess. The idea behind it is that you want to play a group phase when there are a large number of participants. Since this would mean that a lot of games would be necessary in a normal group phase, Swiss offers a compromise: With each match played, your team, on average, gets closer and closer to other teams at your level.
Let's take our Starter Division as an example. Before the first match, all teams have 0 points. On the first match day, all matches are randomly generated (the rank in League of Legends from the current or previous seasons is intentionally not taken into account. However, known strong teams are seeded to avoid early matches between them). Each match is played as a best-of-three series, so up to 3 points can be gained in each match.
After the first match day, all teams have 3, 2, 1 or 0 points - depending on how they finished on the first match day. Now the special feature of the Swiss format comes into play: instead of rolling the dice to determine the second match day, as in a normal group phase, a complex algorithm is used. The basic principle is: teams with the same number of points play against each other, if possible. Exceptions occur, for example, if there is an odd number of teams with the same number of points. Apart from these few exceptions, the matches are determined in exactly the same way. On all subsequent match days they are created in the same way, so that the playing strength of the individual teams is reflected in the table over a longer period of time. Finally, the normal group phase is shortened to just the "relevant" matches, without losing any competitive integrity.
Why Swiss?
We use Swiss in two places: in the starter division and in the calibration phase. It is easy to see why Swiss is particularly well suited here. In the calibration phase, for example, there is a large, three-digit number of participants and ultimately we are not looking for one or two winners, but rather want to sort all teams into divisions later according to their playing strength. This is also the case in the starter division. This is where the advantage over a single or double knockout round becomes clear - there is no luck in the Swiss draw. Even if you get slightly weaker opponents at the beginning, you will get increasingly stronger opponents over time. At the same time, teams that had particularly strong opponents at the beginning still have more chances to reach a top position. Even if you lose two, three or four times, you are not eliminated. This is not necessarily the case in a knockout round.
The advantage over a group phase is also obvious. With potentially several hundred teams, a large group is hardly possible, as this would mean hundreds of matches (minus 1) per team. Dividing into small groups again brings up the issue of luck or bad luck in the draw.
What is the Buchholz score?
It is clear that with many teams and relatively few matches, many teams will end up with the same number of points. How do you solve the problem? The answer is: the Buchholz score. In short, a team's Buchholz score is the sum of its opponents' points. If you have played against many strong teams that also ended up with a lot of points, the Buchholz score is higher (and therefore better) than if you have played against weaker teams. This means that if you play against strong opponents and have the same number of points as a team that has played against weaker teams, you have an advantage. The Buchholz score is already taken into account when calculating the matches.
How exactly does Swiss work in the Prime League?
Calibration phase
The calibration phase takes place at the end of the registration phase and is played in the Swiss format for the reasons mentioned above. Its role is that of a mini pre-season - all teams below Division 5 can take part and, depending on their performance, will potentially be assigned to a higher division. Please note that a bad result in the calibration phase will not assign you to a lower division than the one you have otherwise qualified for.
In the calibration phase, up to five rounds are played on two afternoons each. As soon as all matches in a round have ended, the next round can be created with new matchups. Even if you lose for the 3rd or 4th time, it is still worth continuing to play. Every point more can ultimately be decisive for a higher ranking. In addition, the matches should become increasingly interesting. If you're extremely strong, you'll gradually face opponents who are more of your skill level, which should lead to closer matches. The same goes for newer teams. It can be frustrating to be clearly defeated by players who have thousands of more hours of League of Legends under their belt. But the same applies to you: things should get more interesting in the later rounds.
Starter Division
We have also opted for the Swiss format in the Starter Division. The main reason for this is that the skill differences in the Starter Division can potentially be very large. The aim here is also to sort the participating teams into the various divisions for the following season according to their level of play.
The next match day is calculated and announced every Monday. All teams then have time from Tuesday to Sunday to play their match. The whole thing runs for seven weeks, which means that each team has seven matches. You will then be placed in a division that is appropriate for you for the following season of the Prime League, based on your result.
Who do I play against next?
In the Starter Division, the next match day is always created on Monday, probably in the late afternoon or early evening. On the one hand, we want to ensure that all possible protests from the previous week can be thoroughly checked. On the other hand, all matches must be completed in order to create the matches for the following week.
In the calibration phase, the next round is created as soon as all matches from the previous round have been completed.
Do you have any detailed questions or is something still unclear? Just write us a support ticket.