SFCCL Season 3 Rules
By signing up for season 3 of the SFCCL, every member has given their commitment to for the next 6 months at most. The 3rd season will begin in July 2011 and end no later than December 2011. For some, their season could be as short as one month depending on how fast they play their scheduled matches. This new system provides plenty of flexibility for all types of players from the most active to the most time-challenged. If this new system proves popular, a 4th season from January to June 2012 will be scheduled. All members will have to re-signup for a 4th season.
All Members are still required to use 2 different fighters: This is a rule that dates back to the first season of the league, but is still in use this season. Primarily, it offers every member to play as two different characters and will minimize the number of changes made during the season. A member is likely to change or improve with a specific character and then may want to add them to the league. With 2 fighters already in play, changes will be less likely compared to only using one fighter.
All league matches are best 2 out of 3 five-round matches unless noted.
All Members are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to add as many league members to their PSN Friends List. While there is no way to enforce this rule, it is strongly recommended every member add as many members to their Friends List, especially those in their own conference. This will allow for better and faster communication among members trying to meet up to play their matches.
30 Members grouped by Location: To help members play their matches, the league is now split into two Conferences (Western (Blue) and Eastern (Red)). With only 15 members in each conference, matching up with your opponents will give you the chance to play two matches each time, one with each of your fighters. The 15 members in each conference will have one of their fighters in each of their conference's divisions, thus, eliminating the possibility of mirror-matches until the Final Four. The top 8 fighters in each of the 4 divisions will advance to the season-ending tournament (playoffs) known as Super Brawl. The season is over for all other fighters that do not qualify for the tournament. When matching up, if you only want to play one of your fighter's matches first, that is acceptable. Just remember to meet up with the member to play the secondary match at a later date.
Regular Season Schedule (14 matches): All fighters will have their own 14-match schedule posted at the beginning of the season. Each member can take their own pace at playing their matches. The regular season is scheduled to take place between July 15th and November 18th (total of 18 weeks to meet up with 14 opponents). Some may choose to play their main fighter's matches first, and then play their secondary fighter's matches later. Some members may play their all of their matches early in the season, and some may play late in the season. The open schedule allows for both. If the majority of the matches are completed earlier than expected, additional matches may be added to lengthen the regular season.
Season-Ending Playoffs / Tournament (Super Brawl III):The top 8 fighters in each of the four divisions will advance to the season-ending tournament. The single elimination tournament will begin on November 19th or sooner if possible. The winning fighter advances to the next round. The final match will crown the Grand Champion for the season. This final match is a best 3 out of 5 five-round match. At the end of the season, in case of a tie among fighter's records, the winner of the head-to-head match will advance. For ties between 3 or more fighters, the fighter to complete all of their matches first advances.
No New Members during the season. The one major disadvantage of this new system is the lack of room for new members once the season begins. We can't have a new member come into the middle of the season because someone else dropped out. That would cause havoc since it could mean throwing out already played matches against the departing member or possibly having one member with a shorter schedule due to their joining late. Or even worse...a combination of two members records to complete a full season, which isn't fair to the new member. If a member must leave the league, they would have to forfeit all of their unplayed matches. This would give every fighter in a division a "false" win and shorten the number of matches. It also artificially increases the chance of your fighter making the tournament because another fighter is out of the season. So please take seriously my request for your full 6-month commitment, even if your season ends sooner.
Limited Change of Fighters:A member can still change their fighter during the season, but changes will be limited. For this 3rd season, a member may change each of their fighters only one time during the season. All played matches will still count towards the new fighter's overall. No played matches can be replayed. And obviously, you can't change a fighter's division. You can only play the remaining matches on your schedule. The wins and losses of the previous fighter will remain part of the new fighter's record. No penalty for changing fighters prior to the season beginning.
New Webpages for Regions, Members Lounge, Standings, & Schedules: Full schedules, tables, results, and division standings will be posted under their appropriate Region (Americas or European) & updated as results come in similar to the season-ending tournament. Look for weekly blogs that list all the results as they come in. The Members Lounge (formerly called the Members Database) will contain interesting and useful data for members of each region regarding themselves and their opponents. This will also be the location for the Bulletin Board, a place where notes will be posted regarding a member's availability as necessary.
Special Live Events: Since we will no longer be using a champion and contenders system, the popular Special Live Events and Prize Matches will also change. Since we won't have a ranking system next season, winners of an event will no longer be able to choose their Prize Matches. Instead, the winners of the 3 live events planned for the season will receive an additional "win" for each of their division fighters for 1st place, and a single "win" for one of their division fighters for the Runner-Up. What this extra "win" does is obviously improve your winning percentage, and thus, your chances of making the season-ending playoffs/tournament. Normal tie-breaker rules will have the winner of the head-to-head matchup going ahead of the other fighter. Therefore, winning these live events is still important as they could push your fighter(s) into the playoffs or possibly into a higher seed, thus avoiding the tie-breaker rules above.
All Members are still required to use 2 different fighters: This is a rule that dates back to the first season of the league, but is still in use this season. Primarily, it offers every member to play as two different characters and will minimize the number of changes made during the season. A member is likely to change or improve with a specific character and then may want to add them to the league. With 2 fighters already in play, changes will be less likely compared to only using one fighter.
All league matches are best 2 out of 3 five-round matches unless noted.
All Members are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to add as many league members to their PSN Friends List. While there is no way to enforce this rule, it is strongly recommended every member add as many members to their Friends List, especially those in their own conference. This will allow for better and faster communication among members trying to meet up to play their matches.
30 Members grouped by Location: To help members play their matches, the league is now split into two Conferences (Western (Blue) and Eastern (Red)). With only 15 members in each conference, matching up with your opponents will give you the chance to play two matches each time, one with each of your fighters. The 15 members in each conference will have one of their fighters in each of their conference's divisions, thus, eliminating the possibility of mirror-matches until the Final Four. The top 8 fighters in each of the 4 divisions will advance to the season-ending tournament (playoffs) known as Super Brawl. The season is over for all other fighters that do not qualify for the tournament. When matching up, if you only want to play one of your fighter's matches first, that is acceptable. Just remember to meet up with the member to play the secondary match at a later date.
Regular Season Schedule (14 matches): All fighters will have their own 14-match schedule posted at the beginning of the season. Each member can take their own pace at playing their matches. The regular season is scheduled to take place between July 15th and November 18th (total of 18 weeks to meet up with 14 opponents). Some may choose to play their main fighter's matches first, and then play their secondary fighter's matches later. Some members may play their all of their matches early in the season, and some may play late in the season. The open schedule allows for both. If the majority of the matches are completed earlier than expected, additional matches may be added to lengthen the regular season.
Season-Ending Playoffs / Tournament (Super Brawl III):The top 8 fighters in each of the four divisions will advance to the season-ending tournament. The single elimination tournament will begin on November 19th or sooner if possible. The winning fighter advances to the next round. The final match will crown the Grand Champion for the season. This final match is a best 3 out of 5 five-round match. At the end of the season, in case of a tie among fighter's records, the winner of the head-to-head match will advance. For ties between 3 or more fighters, the fighter to complete all of their matches first advances.
No New Members during the season. The one major disadvantage of this new system is the lack of room for new members once the season begins. We can't have a new member come into the middle of the season because someone else dropped out. That would cause havoc since it could mean throwing out already played matches against the departing member or possibly having one member with a shorter schedule due to their joining late. Or even worse...a combination of two members records to complete a full season, which isn't fair to the new member. If a member must leave the league, they would have to forfeit all of their unplayed matches. This would give every fighter in a division a "false" win and shorten the number of matches. It also artificially increases the chance of your fighter making the tournament because another fighter is out of the season. So please take seriously my request for your full 6-month commitment, even if your season ends sooner.
Limited Change of Fighters:A member can still change their fighter during the season, but changes will be limited. For this 3rd season, a member may change each of their fighters only one time during the season. All played matches will still count towards the new fighter's overall. No played matches can be replayed. And obviously, you can't change a fighter's division. You can only play the remaining matches on your schedule. The wins and losses of the previous fighter will remain part of the new fighter's record. No penalty for changing fighters prior to the season beginning.
New Webpages for Regions, Members Lounge, Standings, & Schedules: Full schedules, tables, results, and division standings will be posted under their appropriate Region (Americas or European) & updated as results come in similar to the season-ending tournament. Look for weekly blogs that list all the results as they come in. The Members Lounge (formerly called the Members Database) will contain interesting and useful data for members of each region regarding themselves and their opponents. This will also be the location for the Bulletin Board, a place where notes will be posted regarding a member's availability as necessary.
Special Live Events: Since we will no longer be using a champion and contenders system, the popular Special Live Events and Prize Matches will also change. Since we won't have a ranking system next season, winners of an event will no longer be able to choose their Prize Matches. Instead, the winners of the 3 live events planned for the season will receive an additional "win" for each of their division fighters for 1st place, and a single "win" for one of their division fighters for the Runner-Up. What this extra "win" does is obviously improve your winning percentage, and thus, your chances of making the season-ending playoffs/tournament. Normal tie-breaker rules will have the winner of the head-to-head matchup going ahead of the other fighter. Therefore, winning these live events is still important as they could push your fighter(s) into the playoffs or possibly into a higher seed, thus avoiding the tie-breaker rules above.