Playoffs are the ultimate test of your Premier prowess. Read on to see what it takes to qualify and win.
Qualifying for Playoff Tournaments
Earn at least 600 Premier Score to qualify for playoffs. While standings have no bearing on playoff qualification (so ties don't matter!) teams with higher Premier Scores will have better seeding in the tournament.
Playoff Brackets
All teams within a division that qualify for playoffs are matched into a bracket and play until there is one winning team. A tournament bracket can have up to 8 teams, but may start with as few as 2 depending on who queues up at the designated time.
If your team loses even once in a tournament, you're eliminated. If your team misses the tournament queue window, you will not be able to participate in the tournament.
Contender and Invite Divisions
Since Playoffs for these divisions can take place across multiple days, teams in Contender or Invite can see the date and time of their rounds in their brackets, along with who they’re queued up against.
Map pick-and-ban system
Map pick and ban is only available in tournament matches. During map pick and bans, teams take turns banning maps. All members on the team can vote on which map to ban, and the party leader locks in the team's choice. The process alternates between teams until a map is chosen. The team that did not choose the map then gets to choose if they'd like to attack or defend.
Substitutes
Teams in the Contender and Invite divisions can sub players in and out between Playoff matches, provided all players are already in the Roster at the time the Playoff tournament starts. Once Playoffs begin, Rosters are locked until the end of that Stage.
As for divisions up to Elite, we do not currently support subs during tournaments. The 5 players that queue up for the first match of the tournament will be locked in for the rest of the matches in that tournament.
Tournament Matches
Playoff matches are in Best of 1 format, which means teams compete in single matches until they are eliminated or reach the finals. The duration of the tournament depends on the team’s division:
Open to Elite Divisions
Matches are played consecutively in one day. You have at least a 5 minute rest period between tournament matches (you may end up waiting longer if your match is complete and you're waiting on your upcoming opponent's match to finish). The current score of matches in progress is displayed on the bracket, which can help you estimate how much time you may have before your next match starts.
Contender and Invite Divisions
Matches are played over the course of multiple days. You have access to your team’s schedule at the beginning of the Playoff tournament, so you can organize what to do with your rest time between tournament matches. Rounds may take place at different times within the same day or on consecutive dates. You are notified of the upcoming Round 15 minutes before your next match.
Tournament results
Standings show playoff results as playoff tournaments finish and lock in 24 hours after playoffs end.
Have Other Questions About Premier?
Check out the Premier Guide for more information.
