Break’s over, TMG is back! Well, almost. We’re opening registration for our 6th season on August 15th. Our team has been hard at work setting things up and we’re excited to share with you our plans for this season.

Differences between this season and previous ones:

• Our format is changing from a rolling event schedule to a scheduled qualifier system
• Instead of cramming the season into a 3–5 month period we’ll be running TMG from September 2016 to April/May 2017
• Removed the Alumni Rule. Alumni are no longer allowed to participate in TMG matches
• Matches are now limited to 5 vs 5
• Schools do not need to submit a lineup prior to an event, rather they will double-blind their lineup in person prior to every match at a qualifier
• Registration will not close until before the final qualifier in each region
• Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Quebec (CA), Alabama, and Oklahoma are now integrated into TMG
• Entry fee is now $100 per team. This counts toward entry to the fall and spring season. Spring season will have another qualifier circuit just as the fall season does.

Qualifiers:

• Scheduled in advance of the season
• Schools can attend as many qualifiers as they want in their own region
• When a school wins a qualifier they advance to Regional Finals and can no longer attend qualifiers
• When all qualifiers are done 1 Regional Finals event for the winners will occur (mostly in November)
• Regional Finals winners won’t be playing again till January/February

Qualifiers have been set up prior to the registration period to allow for greater structure within the league. We can inform teams well in advance where they can play, tell spectators what’s upcoming with plenty of notice, and reduce stress on our team.

Most regions will run with 4 qualifiers. A school can attend as many qualifiers in their region as they want until they’ve gotten 1st place at one. Some regions, like Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic, are doing a Final 8 and taking two winners from each qualifier. Other areas, like Pennsylvania, are running three qualifiers and one of the qualifiers is worth two finals spots.

Qualifiers will take place in September and October, with August and November hosting a few. Regional Finals will take place before Thanksgiving with some exceptions. The winner will advance into the national bracket and starting January or February they will begin to play winners from other divisions. Starting in February we’ll do another round of Qualifiers and Regional Finals events.

TMG is a growing beast, we appreciate all the support and patience that people give us as we continue to build the league. If you are in a region that is not currently involved and wishes to be, please feel free to reach out to me at Matt@smash.gg with a proposal of how we can involve TMG in your area based off our new structure.

Thank you, we hope you enjoy our coming season.