Update on ESEA Season 40 - Everything you need to know!

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GAMEDOCK ESEA Season 40 Updates

We’re nearing the end of the Season 39 Playoffs and as such, majority of the changes we’ve implemented at Gamedock will start taking effect. In this post I’ll explain these changes as clearly as I can to avoid any misunderstandings and to answer majority of the questions that have been directed at me the last few weeks.

SEASON 39 QUALIFIER
Intermediate currently consists of 16 active teams while Open consists of 32 active teams. These teams need to be divided into 3 divisions based on their league standings as well as the results of the Qualifying Season. The divisions are as follows:

Main - 10 teams
Intermediate - 12 teams
Open - Unlimited teams

The teams that qualified for the Intermediate playoffs (8 teams) will be promoted directly into the Main division for Season 40. The next 4 teams (9th to 12th) will play a Qualifying Season for the final 2 spots in the Main division. That leaves 6 teams in the Intermediate division (16 - 10 = 6) which means that we need to promote 6 teams from Open to reach the required 12 teams in Intermediate.

The teams that qualified for the Open Playoffs semi-finals (4 teams) will be promoted directly into the Intermediate division for Season 40. The next 4 teams (5th to 8th) will play a Qualifying Season for the final 2 spots in the Intermediate division. The remaining teams will form part of the Open division in Season 40.

The Qualifying season will take place between the 1st - 13th of January. I realise that this window is not ideal but these matches will have to be completed prior to the start of Season 40 which is scheduled to begin mid-January. Therefore, the format will be Single Elimination BO3. We will try our best to accommodate everyone during this holiday period but we cannot make any guarantees. The following teams will participate:

Intermediate - Rage Quit - dfeKt, Symbiosis Gaming, ClutchKings & VicimusGG
Open - SyThic Esports, Digital Anarchy, NiBBLE Haze & obscurity_-

Season 40 League Progression
Season 40 will be the first season that features a Relegation season, which takes place after each regular season. The winner of each division (Intermediate & Open) will be directly promoted to the next division. The loser of each division (Main & Intermediate) will be directly demoted to the previous division. Each Relegation season will consist of 6 teams playing a Double Elimination BO3 format. The Relegation structure is as follows:

7th, 8th, 9th of Main VS 2nd, 3rd, 4th of Intermediate
9th, 10th, 11th of Intermediate VS 2nd, 3rd, 4th of Open

With each passing season the divisions will become more balanced. This will only increase the competition in each division and will result in sustainable growth within our scene. Please note that these rules are subject to change in the event where teams disband resulting in additional promotions or demotions. There may also be scenarios where newly formed high-level teams are auto-birthed into certain divisions based on the discretion of the ESEA staff. In the unlikely event that this does occur, it will never be at the expense of another team.


League Fees
The league fees will be increased slightly to ensure that the prize pools for each division remains competitive. The fees for Season 40 are as follows:

Main - $30 per player
Intermediate - $15 per player
Open - Free

Upon first glance, it looks like a lot of money. However, it’s a small price to pay to be able to compete over a 3-month period for a prize pool north of R130 000 each season. The teams in Main generally represent organizations that should be able to cover the increased fees. It’s worth noting that any teams finishing in the top 6 of their division will effectively be covering their league fees.

Clubs
The PRO and ADV club divisions will continue as they have for the past season. We’ve had an incredible amount of activity in the PRO division, so let’s keep it up! We will be implementing a vouch system for PRO division where 25 players can nominate or approve a player outside of PRO division. This will allow promising up-and-coming players that do not meet the general requirements for PRO to still participate in the division. We will also be introducing a minimum game requirement for PRO division prizes to be paid out in full.

The ADV division hasn’t really taken off despite monetary incentives. We will continue to monitor the interest of players to determine its feasibility. Majority of pug games are currently played on Southern Lions. Our platforms offer slightly different services but we’re both here to create opportunities for growth, not to eliminate each other. Players are encouraged to utilize both platforms to develop themselves and promote competitiveness.

Players are encouraged to reach out if you have any questions regarding the league or the clubs. I can be reached on Twitter DM or the Gamedock Discord server - https://discord.gg/P9eh2bD

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