This July, Great Lakes CRL proudly presents Summer Showdown 2024! While heating up for the 2024-25 season, a refreshing pit stop will keep our dedicated community cool. The Summer Showdown will have three stages: Qualifiers, Swiss, and Playoffs. Let's start by analyzing each component in the tournament structure.
Qualifiers
At Great Lakes CRL, a typical tournament consists of Qualifiers, 16 team Swiss, and Single-Elimination playoffs. Likewise, the upcoming Summer Showdown will fully support this mold.
We will divide the Qualifiers for Summer Showdown 2024 into two separate pools. First, there will be an Open Qualifier for non-member schools (schools that were not active Great Lakes Esports members during the 2023-2024 Great Lakes CRL Season); four teams from the Open Qualifier will move on to the Closed Qualifier, where the 16 teams will qualify for Swiss. Regardless of what pool teams are in, they will compete in a best-of-5 double-elimination bracket.
Qualifiers will not be live-streamed, so community members and fans can stay updated on match results by viewing our start.gg bracket on July 19th at 5:00 PM ET. We will post live results on the bracket when matches finish.
Swiss Stage
Once the qualifiers conclude, the top 16 teams will advance to the Swiss Stage. Great Lakes CRL directly draws inspiration from the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) for its version of a Swiss bracket. It encompasses the core structure RLCS employs for its Splits and Majors.
Simply put, each of the 16 teams will compete against other teams with the same record. Round 1 starts with teams ranked 1-16. The match order will be 1st seed vs. 16th seed, 2nd seed vs. 15th seed, 3rd seed vs. 14th seed, and continuing in that sequence. Upon Round 1's conclusion, eight teams will have a 1-0 record, while the other 8 hold an 0-1 record.
This Swiss-style pattern continues until a team wins or loses three series. Each series is best-of-5. If a team wins three out of five Swiss-style matches, they move into the playoffs. However, if it fails to win three out of five, it is eliminated from the Summer Showdown.
When the Swiss Stage is complete, 8 out of the 16 teams march toward playoffs. The overall performance of qualified teams will determine the distribution of the seeding. For example, the two 3-0 teams earn the 1-2 playoff seeds. Next, the three 3-1 teams obtain the 3-5 playoff seeds. The three 3-2 teams will earn the 6-8 seeds.
The Swiss Stage of a typical Great Lakes CRL tournament always carries an extra amount of craziness, and the Summer Showdown will be no different.
Community members and fans can expect to watch the Summer Showdown 2024 Swiss Stage on our Twitch channel, starting July 20th at 5:00 PM ET.
Playoffs
The final act for 2024's Summer Showdown lies within its playoff competition. As mentioned, eight advancing teams from the Swiss Stage will grace this pedestal. Much like the Swiss phase, playoff matches will follow a seeding pattern. The 1st seed will play the 8th seed, the 2nd seed vs the 7th seed, the 3rd seed will play the 6th seed, and the 4th seed will play the 5th seed.
Analyzing the playoff format, all segments (Quarter, Semi, and Grand) finals are single-elimination. One key difference is that the quarterfinals will be a best-of-5 series. Henceforth, the Semifinals and Grand Finals will hold more weight as the best-of-7 series.
In short, the playoffs contain 8 CRL teams with one goal: winning the Summer Showdown 2024. To reign victorious, teams will have to dial up particular team dynamics to get over the hump. Adaptability and resilience are a couple of characteristics teams should inherit while awaiting the Summer Showdown. Implementing these strategies will help teams feel prepared to shift into overdrive and play their best Rocket League.
Community members and fans can expect to watch the Summer Showdown 2024 Playoffs on our Twitch channel, starting July 21st at 5:00 PM ET.
Prize Pool
During Summer Showdown 2024, teams will be competing to become victorious and put the Great Lakes CRL scene on notice. Additionally, there is a $200 prize pool. The first-place team will receive $150, while the second-place team will obtain $50. This prize pool helps to raise the stakes further and ignite motivation towards the competing teams. Not only will the top 2 teams be fighting for bragging rights, but are awarded for their courageous efforts.
Colleague Partnership
We have partnered with Colleague to help usher in a new era for Great Lakes CRL. They specialize in creating rankings for CRL teams, promoting tournaments, and serving as a centerpiece of Collegiate Esports. We are excited to introduce this new partnership during the Summer Showdown 2024 and throughout our 2024-25 competitive season.
Great Lakes CRL Commissioner and Founder Brendan "Bub" Miller issued the following statement regarding Colleague's partnership:
"As the Commissioner of Great Lakes CRL, I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Colleague for the upcoming Summer Showdown 2024 and the 2024-2025 season. Colleague has been a cornerstone of Collegiate Rocket League for years, and we are excited to join forces with them. This collaboration will bring professional seeding to our events and comprehensive rankings for our teams, providing valuable insights into performance. Colleague will help build compelling storylines and enhance the overall experience for everyone involved in Great Lakes CRL. We couldn't be more excited about what we will accomplish together."
Our partnership with Colleague will change how we interpret our CRL competition at Great Lakes. Professional seeding and comprehensive rankings for all teams will help increase our production's transparency levels. It assists all parties in Great Lakes CRL with valuable insights into team performance and the creation of compelling stories. This partnership enhances our mission of prioritizing student-athletes and creating the True Collegiate Experience.
Streaming and Registration Info For Summer Showdown 2024
Once more, live qualifier results will be accessible through start.gg. Our Swiss and Playoffs live streams will be on the Great Lakes CRL Twitch Channel. For social media-related updates, follow Great Lakes CRL on X.
Lastly, registration is available at our start.gg tournament page. Further information on the Summer Showdown is on our Liquipedia page.
We are excited to embark on a new era of Great Lakes CRL that begins with Summer Showdown 2024.
Andrew Czysz Jr. is an aspiring Esports Journalist and Rocket League Commentator for Carthage College. If you like his content, follow him here.
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