Hey guys, as you may have seen, we're running a Bracket Challenge for the upcoming MCS live event. You can find all the details on the Bracket Challenge page, but one important component is the bracket scoring system that determines the leaderboard rankings and prizes. The goal of this post is to break it down so that anyone interested can follow along with how their bracket is being scored.

Keep in mind these general guidelines:

  • You get by far the most points for correctly predicting the winner of a match.
  • You can earn additional points based on how closely you predict the point differential of a match.
  • You can earn additional points based on how closely you predict the winning and losing scores.
  • Matches that occur in later rounds of the tournament can award more points than matches that appear earlier in the tournament.

Now let's get into the exact math:

  • Predicting the correct winner of a tournament match is worth 2,000 points.
  • Predicting the correct winning margin of a tournament match is worth up to 100 points. The point value is determined by calculating the difference between the predicted winning margin and the actual winning margin, multiplying that value by 10, and subtracting that value from 100. A negative result is treated as 0.
  • Predicting the correct score of the match, regardless of winner, is worth up to 100 points. The point value is determined by calculating the difference between the predicted winning score and the actual winning score, multiplying that value by 5, and subtracting that value from 50. A negative result is treated as 0. The process is repeated in the same manner for the losing score. The point value results for both the winning score and losing score are then added together.
  • Matches in each round beyond the first receive a multiplicative bonus to the total points earned for that match. Round 2 matches receive a 10% bonus, Round 3 matches receive a 20% bonus, etc. The number of points earned for a given match are increased by the round's percentage. Any fractional points after a bonus is applied are truncated before being factored into the bracket's total score.
  • A bracket's total score is the sum of the points awarded for each of its match predictions.

Now that you understand the scoring system, best of luck to you as you fill out your bracket!