Phase Types

Constructed phases are the standard tournament mode where each match is played 1 vs 1. Players bring pre-built decks. Four phase types are available:

Swiss

The Swiss system pairs players with similar records against each other. No player is eliminated — everyone plays every round. After all rounds, players are ranked by match points and tiebreakers.

• Round 1: Players are paired randomly.
• Round 2+: Players with the same (or similar) number of points are paired together.
• The system avoids rematches — two players should not face each other twice.
• If there is an odd number of players, one player receives a bye (an automatic win without playing).

Single Elimination

A bracket where each match eliminates the loser. Players are seeded based on their standings from the previous phase (or randomly if it is the first phase). The bracket follows standard seeding: the #1 seed faces the lowest seed, #2 faces the second lowest, and so on.

Double Elimination

Similar to single elimination, but a player must lose twice to be eliminated:

• Winners Bracket — Players who have not lost yet.
• Losers Bracket — Players who have lost once. Losing again means elimination.
• Grand Final — Winners bracket champion vs losers bracket champion. If the losers bracket champion wins, a Bracket Reset occurs for the decisive match.

Round Robin

Every player plays against every other player exactly once. The schedule is generated using the Berger method (Circle method), ensuring a balanced and fair schedule. Best for smaller groups.

Booster Draft is a format where players open booster packs, pick cards one at a time, and build a deck from the cards they drafted. Players sit in pods (usually 8 players), and the draft and play happen within or across these pods.

Pod Formation

• Optimal (MTR Compliant) — The platform automatically calculates the best pod sizes to maximize pods of 8 players, following Magic Tournament Rules. Pods range from 6 to 10 players.
• Fixed Size — All pods have exactly the same number of players. The last pod gets any remaining players.

Draft Steps

1. Pods — The organizer generates pods. Players are assigned seats within their pod. A building timer starts (default: 30 minutes).
2. Rounds — After the build phase, matches are generated. In inside-pod mode, players only face opponents from the same pod. In cross-pod mode, pairings work like standard Swiss across all pods.

Pairing Scope

• Inside-Pod — Round 1 pairs players sitting across from each other. Round 2 uses bracket-style advancement if there are clear winners. Further rounds use Swiss pairing within each pod.
• Cross-Pod — Standard Swiss pairing across all players, ignoring pod boundaries.

Draft Admin Tools

• Generate Pods — Create pods from enrolled players.
• Clear Pods — Remove all pods and start over.
• Move Player — Move a player from one pod to another.
• Swap Seats — Swap seat positions within a pod.
• Shuffle Pod / All Pods — Randomize seat assignments.
• Print Pods — Print pod seating charts for display.
• Building Seating — Generate table assignments for the deck building phase.

Multiplayer phases are designed for games where 3 to 5 players sit at the same table (pod) and play together. Commonly used for Commander (Magic: The Gathering).

Pod Size

The organizer sets a target pod size (3, 4, or 5 players). The system forms pods as close to this size as possible. Uneven player counts may result in slightly smaller or larger pods.

Seat Balancing

In multiplayer games, seating position matters. The Seat Balancer optimizes seat assignments:

• The highest-seeded player in each pod is always Seat A.
• Remaining seats maximize diversity — players who sat next to each other before are separated.

Result Reporting

After a pod finishes, results are reported. Each player is marked as won, lost, or drawn. With self-reporting, one player reports and others confirm.

Multiplayer Admin Tools

• Shuffle Seats — Re-randomize seat assignments in a pod.
• Shuffle All Seats — Re-randomize seats in all pods for the round.
• Swap Player — Move a player between pods.
• Remove Player — Remove a player from a pod.
• Add Player — Add an unpaired player to a pod.
• Create Pod — Manually create a new pod in the round.
• Assign Bye — Give a bye to a specific player.
• Move to Bye — Move a player from a pod to a bye.
• Remove Bye — Cancel a player's bye.
• Match Slips — Print match slips for multiplayer pods.
• Export — Export pairings as CSV.

Multiplayer Elimination (Top Cut)

After Swiss rounds, the top players advance to an elimination bracket. Snake seeding creates balanced pods. Each round, the winner of each pod advances until a champion is determined. Valid cut sizes: 4, 10, 13, 16, 40, 64.