GCS2 is a fully live tournament in September 2018, this is the process by which competitors can qualify.
There will be four 32-player Qualification Tournaments over two months, through which eight GCS2 competitors shall emerge.
The below model allows eight players an exciting chance to compete in the GCS2 Live Tournament.
| Qualifier | Condition | Date Decided |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winner of Barbarossa | 17th June |
| 2 | Winner of Citadel | 1st July |
| 3 | Winner of Overlord | 15th July |
| 4 | Winner of Bagration | 29th July |
| 5 | 1st most Qualification Points | 29th July |
| 6 | 2nd most Qualification Points | 29th July |
| 7 | 3rd most Qualification Points | 29th July |
| 8 | Benefactor vote based on next 3 players on points | 31st July |
Notes:
Once a player has qualified they cannot compete in further Qualification Tournaments.
See standings/results - to see where the players stand with regards to GCS2 points.
Should any player be in a 'safe' position on points after Quali Tourney 3 and mathematically confirmed to finish in the top three on points they will qualify for GCS2 and be removed from the process.
If there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd on GCS2 points there will be a Bo3 showdown to establish who the place belongs to. This will be played at the earliest available time for both players.
The benefactor is enabled for all benefactors that donate $40 or more. It is a vote based on the three players that are 4th, 5th, and 6th on GCS2 points. The vote will have the following words at the top of the vote to encourage voting based on performance and not on personal preference.
"Please vote for the 8th qualifier for GCS2 based on the following three players that have earned high GCS2 points without qualifying directly.
Please base your decision based on your opinion of:
- Skill shown in GCS2 tournament combat.
- Competitive spirit and courage shown on the battlefield.
- The most "deserved" player at the finals based on how well they fought.
Try not to base your vote on personal preference and popularity."
Doing well in GCS2 Qualifying Tournaments without winning them outright earns you Qualification Points, which will place you in a league table, ultimately from which 4 competitors shall be chosen.
| Position Finished | Points Earned | (Stage Reached) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Automatic Qualification | (Final) | |
| 2nd | 12 points | (Final) | |
| 3rd | 9 points | (3rd Place Playoff) | |
| 4th | 6 points | (3rd Place Playoff) | |
| 5th - 8th | 3 points | (Quarter Finals) | |
| 9th - 16th | 1 point | (Round of 16) | |
| 1st | 1 point | (Wildcard Playoff Final) | |
The seeding system for GCS2 qualifying ended up being calculated using a purpose built system using an array of methods - see this spread sheet for further details. Alternatively you can watch this Seeding Reveal video.
There will be 40% seeding adjustments following each qualifying tournament, based on the performance in the last one. Please see this adjustments sheet to show how seeds are affected.
Players not making the 32 player cutoff for the first two Qualification Tournaments will have the chance to compete for wildcards guaranteeing entry into the next Qualification Tournaments.
This will affect entries as follows:
| Event | No. of Ranked Entries | No. Wildcard Entries | Wildcards awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarossa | 32 | 0 | 2 |
| Citadel | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| Overlord | 31 | 1 | 1 |
| Bagration | 31 | 1 | 0 |
Note:
For Barbarossa the wildcard winner got seed 28 in the next tourney and one GCS2 qualification point. The runner up got seed 32 only.
For the next two tournaments the wildcard winner will gain seed 32 in the next tourney and one point.
Note: This system was nerfed following player and fan feedback. There are still the 4 wildcards available but they're spread out over the tournaments.
Unfortunately, there are practical limits on how many non-European players can be funded to travel to GCS2. This changes based on how much is raised in total, it will be finalised on the last day of qualifiers on 29th July. The first non-European players to qualify will be funded.
| Budget $ | Non-Euro players funded | Budgetary Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 5,999 | 1st | Plane travel up to 12% of total budget |
| 6,000 - 9,999 | 1st and 2nd | Plane travel up to 12% of total budget (combined) |
| 10,000+ | All | Fully funded or as much as possible. |
Regions:
Non-Europe is everything outside of what is geographically considered Europe, Western Russia is counted within Europe for these purposes. Please see the below map for clarity:
Notes:
- Players winning qualification tournaments outright take precedence over qualification points.
- If there is dead heat on points between two non-Euro players a Bo3 playoff will occur.
- VISAs and other issues are primarily the player's responsibilities.
Self-funded Players
If any non-Euro players want to fund their own travel in advance of qualification tournaments (advance-booking etc.) and they fail at qualification they are guaranteed free entry to the event as a spectator provided they compete in at least two qualifier tournaments.
They will also have chances to play in show matches in front of a live audience. These players need to make their intentions known to the tournament organisers before qualifiers begin. If a self-funded player qualifies they will be reimbursed a portion of their travel costs.
There will be one sign up period for the entirety of GCS2. Signups open on the 29th April and close on the 20th May.
The following conditions must be met in order for a player to be eligible to play in the GCS2 Qualification Tournament system:
- An average 1v1 Automatch rank across the player's top Allied and Axis faction of 150 or below.
- To be playing on their primary account, verifiable in Steam and through other measures.
- Over 10 completed 1v1 Automatch games May 1st - May 20th. These games need to be played on the player's highest Axis and Allied factions for each player, at least 5 on each, or 10 total. We will check this against a database that collects data from Automatch.
- As of 9th May we request that all players seeking to enter GCS2 cease activity on any smurf accounts in automatch. We need a level playing field to ensure that automatch ranks are as accurate as possible, please play on your main account only in the build up to qualification seeding.
