The Elo Rating System: What is it? 

Named after its creator, physics professor Arpad Elo, the Elo rating system is a method for calculating relative skill levels between two opponents and is widely used in various gaming formats. In essence, this method assigns teams a starting Elo rating and employs a mathematical formula to adjust this rating as games are played and wins and losses are accumulated. As teams participate in ranked league tournament games, these ratings will be continually updated. The extent of change is directly correlated with your opponent's team rating. When teams possess similar Elo scores, they are deemed relatively equal in skill level and should have an equal chance of winning against each other. Higher-ranked teams are expected to win more often than not against lower-ranked opponents, which is reflected in the scoring system.

After each game, the winning team gains points from the losing team, thereby readjusting both teams' Elo scores. The difference between the teams' starting ratings before the game dictates the net change in Elo score after the game concludes. If a highly ranked team defeats a lower-ranked team, they earn relatively few points since they were expected to win that game. Conversely, if a lower-ranked team upsets a higher-ranked one, they experience a significant boost to their rating. Since each team's ranking is based on their opponent's Elo score, and each team's Elo score is continually changing, your score becomes a more refined and reflective measure of your team's ranking compared to a single placement score from a single tournament. Your score is updated after each game played. Elo scoring is an effective way to provide a general comparison of teams within the league.

 In standard Elo scoring, accumulating a substantial number of games is necessary to reflect an accurate Elo rating. However, recognizing that not everyone can play a large number of games in the tabletop format, we've introduced Fast Track Elo to expedite the rating process. With Fast Track Elo, one game is equivalent to the impact of 10 games in other rating systems. 

 Teams commence with a 1500 Elo rating for their first event. Every game played causes this Elo score to fluctuate. Importantly, your overall placement at the event does not affect your league Elo rankings; it is your team's performance relative to your opponent's Elo rating that determines your standings.

Team Elo ratings will be categorized into distinct ranges of scores known as Elo Ranks. This system allows teams, even those with lower ratings late in the season, to enter, defeat highly ranked teams, and quickly ascend in the Elo standings. Conversely, it presents a challenge for highly ranked teams to dominate a few tournaments and establish a significant lead in the standings.

 Elo will be soft reset from season to season.

0-1499 → 1500

1500-1799 → 1500

1800-2500 → 1800