ThePGstats

PGStats · @ThePGstats

7th Dec 2016 from TwitLonger

F.A.Q. for the PGR v2


Q1:What are the dates for the PGR v2 that are being taken into consideration?
A1: The dates are from the weekend of #LVLUPEXPO (May 13th, 2016) until the weekend of 2GGT ZeRo Saga (December 16th, 2016).

Q2: What is the Tier System you’ve referenced by which you label tournaments?
A2: Tier 1 is defined as Majors/Premiers where 512-2048+ people attend with over 20 PGR members present.

Tier 2 is defined as Nationals/Super Regionals where 256-512 people attend with 10 PGR members or more.

Tier 3 is defined as Regionals with 128-256 people attend with 5 PGR members or more.

Tier 4 is defined as locals where results do not count for rankings, but are otherwise noted as a part of a region's competitive environment.

The goal of the Tier System is to make it so that special circumstances differentiate a normal local from a regional.

Due to inconsistencies, we often have to treat tournaments on a case-by-case basis.

UGC and 2GGT ZeRo Saga are examples of Tier 1 tournaments that do not meet the entrant provision but provide considerably exceptional talent.

Q3: What tournaments are you categorizing as Tier 1?
A3:
- CEO 2016
- Super Smash Con 2016
- EVO 2016
- The Big House 6
- UGC Smash Open
- 2GGT ZeRo Saga

Q4: What tournaments are in Tiers 2/3/4?
A4: There are over 30 tournaments in Tiers 2 & 3 with many still being deliberated upon as we analyze brackets and determine the overall power level of the tournament. Tier 4 tournaments are simply locals and are not counted towards any of the rankings.

Q5: Why are locals not counted? I believe set X between players A and B really matters.
A5: The issue with counting locals is twofold.
First of all, keeping track of weekly results is not only tedious, but unrealistic given that there are more than 10 locals that are relative that happen each weekday. That’s about 50 brackets a week resulting in over 200 brackets a month, 1,000 brackets over a simple 5 month period. We do not have time for that especially with certain regions using smash.gg and others using challonge or a mix of 3rd party bracket tools.
Secondly, locals should be treated within the context of the local environment. Meaning, the single, 2-4 hour session that is a local should not be compared with a 2-3, multi-day event that includes extreme tests of stamina, MU knowledge, and player skill as Tier 1/2/3 tournaments often feature players one has never seen before.
Bottom line, local results should not be extrapolated and regarded on the same level as a set in round 5 of Winner’s at The Big House 6.

Q6: Why is it top 50 instead of top 100? I know plenty of good players that deserve to be on here.
A6: The issue with making a top 100 at this point in Smash 4 history is an issue that stems from both consistency and practicality.
Many argue a top 10 list beyond ZeRo is impossible. Issues of “anyone losing to anyone in the top 10” is certainly apparent in players that would theoretically exist in the 51-100 range but at a much lower skill level. The issues arise when those players in 51-100 are missing the peak results that players in the Top 50 have. Moreover, with the absence of a circuit where everyone plays everyone on a schedule, there are tons of missing interactions between players as-is that adding an additional 50 players to rank would be impractical, if not impossible.
50 is a great balance for the scale of our competitive environment as well as our activity as a community.

Q7: Who’s who on the team?
A7: The #PGstats team was originally founded between Dom (Tristate), suar (New England), and Zan (SoCal). Eventually the team grew to 6 by adding Juddy (Canada), Giant (Midwest), and Spike (MD/VA). Zan studies the meta and the trends of top players as an analyst. Juddy confirms results from the international community such as Europe, Mexico, and Japan as a statistician. Dom tracks the storylines and histories of top players as a writer. Giant designs and codes our scripts that power our research. Spike designs all of our visuals. Lastly, suar leads the team towards its goals concerning the PGR and directs the Analyst Desk initiative at tournaments.
Together we spend half of the season studying current events and preparing ourselves for research for the PGR and then the other half actually creating the PGR. Currently each PGR covers half of a year with the PGR v2 covering the second-half of 2016. PGR v3 will cover the first-half of 2017.

Q8: Is the X-Factor going to be returning on the PGR v2?
A8: Yes.
As a reminder, the X-Factor is the difference between the objective and subjective scores members on the PGR earn through their tournament results and from the survey of a panel of about 40 community leaders, top players, and TOs.
The purpose of the X-Factor is to showcase by how much, either positively or negatively, a player’s actual performance differs from their perceived performance by the community.

Q9: So are there going to be two lists as a result?
A9: No.
The only list that comprises the PGR is the objective rankings that are derived from placements and set counts. The subjective ratings by the panel are restricted only to the X-Factor.

Q10: Do bad losses and DQs count against players?
A10: The short answer is no, the long answer is also no.
Due to our focus on peak performances, all an early elimination in bracket or a DQ means is that that player did not advance to a point where they could earn a Top 8 placing while others were able to. It could also signify and upset and serve as stepping stone to an up-and-coming player.
The fact of the matter is that not many players win tournaments while many fail in doing so. Those wins at tournaments end up greatly outweighing losses due to the nature of peaks. Lastly, if a player is double-DQ’d or fails to attend a tournament, it technically counts against them; however, absences are common in our competitive environment because of lack of travel, a consistent schedule, and lack of funding so it is unrealistic to punish players for not attending every tournament. They simply end up gaining no results as opposed to gaining negative results.

Q11: What is the Analyst Desk?
A11: The Analyst Desk is an offline initiative by Unrivaled Tournament’s A/V engineer, Sage, and #PGstats’ suar. Its purpose is to improve upon Smash 4’s stream presence and esports quality by providing dynamic statistics and coverage that are reminiscent of an ESPN-level production. It will be showcased at 2GG’s ZeRo Saga on December 16 – 18. You can help in supporting it through the compendium goal found on smash.gg/2ggt

Q12: What is the purpose of these “Retrospectives” I have been seeing on social media?
A12: The Retrospectives are an effort to highlight the results of past PGR members (specifically PGR v1) in today’s light. Trends in rise/fall/absence can be observed and discussed as the season wraps up and players either have breakthroughs or break downs. It also brings attention to the players themselves and their notoriety or sometimes lack thereof.

Q13: When does the PGR v2 all release?
A13: It starts on January 3rd, 2017 with the release of 50 – 41 with the Top 10 being announced on January 13th, 2017.

Q14: Is there any way I can support #PGstats?
A14: First of all, thank you if this thought has crossed your mind – we do, in fact, appreciate it.
We hope that our efforts help this community achieve its goals while also positioning ourselves in the FGC as a community that takes esports very seriously.
In terms of support, feel free to share our content. Also, you can normalize #PGstats when it comes to talking about results and Smash esports in conversations both offline and online. Lastly, you can reach out and personally make yourself available should you want to volunteer or offer personal support!

In the end, we cannot do this without such an incredible community.

We are honored to be working for you,

The #PGstats Team

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