As we inch closer to our Summer Showdown 2024 event at Great Lakes CRL, we would like to inform our Community Members, Staff, and Teams about updates to our rulebook. Below is a list of rules that have been either modified or newly added.
All the rules seen below will be implemented starting with Summer Showdown 2024 and leading into the 2024-25 Season.
Rule 3.1.2 / Rule 3.1.3 [Servers]: In the Qualifiers, all Games are played at DFH Stadium unless agreed upon by both parties. All Great Lakes Collegiate Rocket League series will be played in standard maps. In all other stages of the Tournament, the map rotation will be chosen from the standard arenas by Tournament Administrators at their sole discretion. For broadcasted Matches, Teams may request to avoid an arena due to performance issues and are required to submit a detailed request to Tournament Administrators no less than 24 hours before the Match start time. The Tournament Administrators reserve the right to reject for any reason, in their sole discretion, any request made by Teams to avoid an arena.
What was changed?
With the introduction of US Central servers, teams can choose that server or continue to utilize US East. If teams do not meet an agreement, US East is the default server.
Why was this rule changed?
With the addition of US-Central servers, we are allowing teams to pick which server works best for them.
Rule 3.2.1 [Hosting and Team Colors]: Tournament Administrators will specify which Team is blue and which Team is orange. In the Qualifiers, Minors, Majors, and LAN Championship, Teams will be instructed on how to host the Match. A tournament administrator will host all broadcasted matches of the Tournament. Additionally, players are to use the lobby information provided by start.gg to create or join a Great Lakes CRL match. If this procedure is not used, the results will be void.
What was changed?
To ensure Match Officials can operate, there is a central place for lobby info on start.gg. If teams do not use start.gg info, their games will NOT count, and they will be forced to restart their Match.
Why was this rule changed?
Centralized information is implemented to avoid confusion among Tournament Administrators, Match Officials, and the Production Team. This aims to prohibit inappropriate conduct and scattered communication during our competitions.
Rule 3.2.4 [Game Start]: Players may not join their designated side until three Players from each Team have joined the Game and a Great Lakes CRL Match Official is present. Additionally, no round in a tournament, except for qualifiers, is to start play until all games from the previous round have been completed.
What was changed?
Teams can not start the next round until the previous round is completed.
Why was this rule changed?
To ensure the highest quality event and align with our stream schedule, we aim to maintain fairness by providing all teams with equal opportunities to advance based on their performance without overlapping or confusion during any competition stage.
Rule 3.2.6 [Reporting Scores Revision]: During all stages, after a Match is completed, the winning Team must submit the Match result to start.gg. The losing Team must also confirm the Match results. The Captain of each Team is responsible for saving the replay file for every Match played. These replay files must be made available upon request by the tournament staff in case of disputed results. If a Team disputes a Match claiming a win and submits proof of its claim, the other Team must submit proof of its claim to avoid an automatic forfeit. Any Teams or Players found to have submitted false or doctored results will be subject to disciplinary action as further described in Section 8.2. Failure to provide proof of a game will result in forfeiture of the game in question. If neither Team has evidence of a completed game, the game in question will be considered null, and teams will be required to replay the game.
What was changed?
The Captain of each Team is responsible for recording and saving replay files during competitions and tournaments. These replay files must be available upon request of Tournament Staff to dispute results if applicable. If a team disputes a claim that they won a match, both teams must submit proof of their claim to avoid an automatic forfeit.
Why was this rule changed?
With the introduction of stat tracking in Summer Showdown and the 2024-25 Season, we require replays to accurately record statistics for each Team, their players, and our Production Staff.
Rule 3.3.2 [Rosters]: Teams may only use Players on their roster for a Match. Rosters must contain a minimum of three (3) Players and up to two (2) designated reserve Players who may be used as an alternate ("Designated Reserve Player"). Rosters may also include a Manager or a Coach who does not play in Tournament Matches. An individual may not be listed as a "starter" on multiple rosters. An individual may also not play for more than one roster in any Great Lakes CRL event.
What was changed?
An individual may not be listed as a "starter" on multiple rosters. An individual may also not play for more than one roster in any Great Lakes CRL event.
Why was this rule changed?
This change was implemented to avoid "roster hopping" and promote fairness in our competitions. Teams can have a "starter" on one roster who doubles as a substitute for another roster, but players are NOT allowed to play for both rosters in a single event.
Rule 3.3.3 [Roster Submission]:Â In adherence to the regulations, rosters are to be frozen at the onset of every Great Lakes CRL Split, commencing from the initiation of the Split's inaugural qualifier until the culmination of the Split's Major event. Alterations to rosters are permissible solely during the intervals between Splits, except in extreme circumstances where tournament administrators may exercise discretion.
What was changed?
Teams must submit their rosters before a competition, such as the Fall Minor 1 and Spring Minor 1 in a given season.
Why was this rule changed?
To avoid last-minute confusion by Tournament Staff, the roster must be submitted at the start of each competition.
Rule 5.1.3 [Academic Status]: Players must (a) be enrolled full-time (by the requirements of their accredited two- or four-year college, university, or post-secondary vocational-technical school in the Great Lakes Region), (b) maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA or similar, which can be evidenced by an official or unofficial school transcript, and (c) are a traditional student, in each case (items (a), (b), (c)), for the semester during which the Tournament is held. Suppose a student-athlete cannot take online courses to continue their education. In that case, they will send an official report from their academic advisor to tournament staff to submit an appeal for (c). Additionally, if a student-athlete has a medical condition that prevents them from taking in-person classes, that must be submitted to tournament staff to appeal (c).
What was changed?
Players must be enrolled in at least three in-person credit hours.
Why was this rule changed?
We are implementing the full extent of the true collegiate experience, which includes taking at least 3 in-person credit hours at the request of multiple competing schools.
Rule 8.1.3 [Added Rule]: According to Great Lakes Esports rules, all individuals must report any incidents they witness promptly or are involved in the designated Tickets channel. Reports submitted via direct messages to staff members will not be acknowledged or acted upon. To be considered valid, reports must be submitted within a maximum timeframe of 3 days following the occurrence of the incident. Any reports received beyond this stipulated period will not be entertained or considered.
What was changed?
Everything about this rule is new to the Great Lakes CRL Rulebook.
Why was this rule changed?
To conform to the procedure used by the Rule Enforcement Committee (REC), any incident must be submitted within 72 hours of the incident. This ensures that the REC can make proper judgments on time.
With these rule changes going into effect soon, we want to remind Community Members that they can look forward to Summer Showdown 2024. Sixteen teams will battle between July 19 and July 21 to reveal the best Rocket League team in the Great Lakes Region.
Summer Showdown begins with Qualifiers on Friday, July 19, at 5:00 PM EST. Next, a 16-team Swiss Bracket will occur on Saturday, July 20, at 5:00 PM EST. Lastly, the Playoffs close out the Summer Showdown on Sunday, July 21, at 5:00 PM EST.
Qualifiers will NOT be live-streamed, but results are accurately tracked through our start.gg page. The 16-team Swiss and Playoffs will be live-streamed directly on the Great Lakes CRL Twitch channel.
For more information regarding Summer Showdown 2024, visit our Liquipedia page and catch up with our dedicated blog, thoroughly covering the tournament structure.
We are excited to add a fresh coat of paint to our rulebook and ensure competition at Great Lakes CRL is as fair and transparent as possible. Follow Great Lakes CRL on X to stay informed about future updates.
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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