Rules

The goal is to win, but it is the goal that is important, not the winning. The foremost rule governing the league is to have a commitment to fostering an open and welcome atmosphere, a place for people to play Pauper for the love of Pauper.

Players compete at regular weekly locals at affiliated stores (i.e. Pauper Friday Night Magic). Everyone is automatically entered into the league just by playing at an affiliated store – no additional entry required.

Participants can check the standings and individual statistics. All players receive an Elo rating based on their performance.

Points

League points are awarded at each weekly event.

3 points are earned per match win, and 1 point per draw. A bye counts as a match win (3 points). If a participant drops partway through an event, they keep the points they earned up to that point.

Bonus: One additional point is earned for each additional store you visit each month. (e.g., Chandra plays at three different stores in one month and goes 3-0-0 each time. Chandra would earn 29 points: 9 match wins × 3 points = 27, plus 2 bonus points for playing at additional stores)

Only the first three rounds contribute to league points. If the store runs more rounds, these will not award league points. Extra rounds only count for the store’s event, but they may affect Elo ratings.

Only each players' ten strongest performances over the season counts towards their league points total. Each event counts as a single performance. Participants may play as much as they like, but outings past the tenth will only count if they improve their score. Therefore the highest possible score (before multi-store bonuses) is 90.

Tiebreakers for league ranking:

  1. Total attendance (all nights played, not just the ten strongest)
  2. OMW% (opponent match win percentage)
  3. Number of weekly trophies

The Invitational

Each league runs three months, with a 16-seat invitational to determine the final league winner! The top 16 players by rank get an invite. If an invite is declined, it will pass to the next-highest ranked player. Seating for the invitational will be randomized, but the higher seeded player will always win the die roll.

  • Rules will be enforced at REL Competitive.
  • The format will be 5 rounds of swiss followed by a cut to top 4.
  • Proxies will not be allowed.
  • The tentative date of the Invitational is April 4, 2027.