Dominion Online

All games must be played on Dominion Online, and not in paper, on Tabletop Simulator, or on other clients.

Old (Section II. Match Structure and Policies)

The League also has the following general rules for games by default:

• Games should be played on Dominion Online.

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• …

New

The League also has the following general rules for games by default:

• Games must be played on Dominion Online.

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• Games must be played on Dominion Online.
• …

Spectators

Spectators must be allowed in all tiers.

Old (Section II. Match Structure and Policies)

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• Players in tiers A, B, C, D, and E may not agree to disallow spectators.

New

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• Players may not agree to disallow spectators.

Promotions and demotions

In a 7-player division, if any player drops before completing any games, the promotion and demotions change mid-season to match those for a 6-player division.

Old (Section III. Standings)

• In any tier, players who finish in sixth or seventh place in a seven-player division, or fifth or sixth place in any other division, demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

New

• In any tier, players who finish in sixth or seventh place in a seven-player division where no player dropped before playing any games, or fifth or sixth place in any other division, demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

Taking breaks

Only seasons a player completes in full count as not being on a break.

Old (Section IV. Joining and Leaving)

1. Players returning to the League after playing in one of the past 6 seasons are placed into the tiers they would have most recently returned to, starting with the players that played most recently and with ties broken by seeding. For purposes of this priority, divisions may have up to 7 players each.
2. Players returning from before the past 6 seasons, or joining for the first time with 30 or more rated 2-player games, are placed into tiers based on their Dominion Online level. For particularly highly-rated players, divisions may have up to 7 players each.

New

1. Players returning to the League after completing one of the past 6 seasons are placed into the tiers they would have most recently returned to, starting with the players that played most recently and with ties broken by seeding. For purposes of this priority, divisions may have up to 7 players each.
2. Players returning to the League who did not complete one of the past 6 season, or are joining for the first time, are placed into tiers based on their Dominion Online level. For particularly highly-rated players, divisions may have up to 7 players each.

New moderator applications

New moderators applications shall be opened at least every 3 seasons.

Old (Section X. League Moderation)

If the following season is anticipated to have more than 10 divisions per moderator, then the League shall recruit additional moderators. New moderator applications will open week 2 of each season, allow review by the existing moderator team during week 3, and onboarding/shadowing of new moderators beginning week 4.

New

If the following season is anticipated to have more than 10 divisions per moderator, or if the League did not open applications for new moderators in either of the preceding two seasons, then the League shall open applications for additional moderators. New moderator applications will open week 2 of each season, allow review by the existing moderator team during week 3, and onboarding/shadowing of new moderators beginning week 4. When applications close, the moderators may accept none, some, or all of the applicants.

Tier sizes

Tiers A, B, C, and D must be full and cannot be reduced at the moderators’ discretion.

New (Section I. League Structure):

The moderators at their discretion may decide to leave empty divisions only in tiers E and below.

Extensions

Players in tier A may only request extensions of up to 3 days, to allow sufficient time for scheduling the championship match. Also included is a correction that all deadlines are now consistently 0:00 UTC (23:59 for clarity).

Old (Section VIII. Late Finishes):

The official deadline to report your match results is the day after the official deadline (a Monday) at 15:00 UTC, so that people from the western-most time zones can easily finish and report matches which they started playing on Sunday night.

If players are unable to finish their matches by the deadline, they must contact their moderator to request an extension for up to a week with information about when the late matches will take place. If such communication does not take place or late game results are not reported within a week of the deadline, the responsible players are considered to have dropped out mid-season, with penalties as described in the following section.

New:

Match results must be reported by 23:59 UTC of the last day of the season (note when this is in your time zone). If players are unable to finish their matches by the deadline, they must request an extension by contacting their moderator with information about when the late matches will take place. Players in tier A may request extensions of up to 3 days; players in all other tiers may request up to 7 days. If such communication does not take place or the late matches are not reported by the extension deadline for their tier, the responsible players are dropped with the penalties described in the following section.

Practice tier

The Practice tier was not renewed for Season 45.

Removed (Section I. League Structure):

In Seasons 42 and 43, there shall also be a practice tier, separate from all other tiers, for players who have played less than 30 rated 2-player games online. Players in the practice tier will be similarly grouped and seeded.

Removed (Section II. Match Structure and Policies):

For Seasons 42 and 43, games in the practice tier must be rated.

For Seasons 42 and 43, in the Practice Tier, the players pick one expansion each, and Kingdoms are generated with only cards from those expansions and the base set.

Players in the practice tier may not play games in-person or on any platform other than Dominion Online.

Players in the practice tier may not agree for games to be unrated.

Removed (Section III. Standings):

Players in the practice tier do not promote or demote automatically. Instead, these players are placed as new players in the next season.

Removed (Section IV. Joining and Leaving):

For Seasons 42 and 43, players who join and have not played in one of the past 6 seasons and have played 29 or fewer rated 2-player games shall be placed into the practice tier.

Undo rules

Clarified that “small numbers” refers to the quantity of steps allowed, not the quantity of undos allowed.

Old (Section II. Match Structure and Policies):

The League’s default is to grant undos of small numbers of non-information-revealing steps

New:

The League’s default is to at least grant all undos that are for small numbers of steps that did not reveal new game information.

Tiebreakers

Better generalized the tiebreakers for ordering players beyond first place in multiway ties.

Old (Section III. Standings):

If there is a tie within a division, apply these steps:

1. Head-to-head

• Compare the total wins earned by each player from the matches involving only the tied players.
• If one player has more wins than each other player, they win the tie.
• If all players have the same number of wins, move to step 2.
• Otherwise, repeat this step 1 with just the players who tied for most wins.

New:

If there is a tie within a division, apply these steps with the group of tied players:

1. Head-to-head

• Order the players by the total head-to-head wins each player earned from the matches involving only the group of tied players.
• Break any ties in total head-to-head wins by the total head-to-head wins each player earned from the matches involving only this new group of tied players.

Adjustment matches

Corrected the rules to match the system that was approved and implemented.

Old (Section IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season)

The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player played no games, they are removed and the remaining players play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will replace them with a player from the waiting list
• If the removed player played any games, their match results are instead simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play, and then scaling these results by the percentage of their games they actually played. Additionally, if scaling these simulations to 0% and 100% would yield different promoters or demoters, an adjustment match is needed to better decide the standings between the affected players. In an adjustment match, the players play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins.

New:

The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player played no games, they are removed and the remaining players play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will replace them with a player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player played any games, their remaining match results are instead simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play. Afterward, all the match results involving the dropped player are scaled by the percentage of their games they actually played.

At the end of the season, to account for the approximations inherent in simulated results, adjustment matches may be required to better decide the standings between players straddling a promotion or demotion boundary. To determine if an adjustment match is needed, 4 scenarios are compared:

• Scale all the dropped player’s match results by the percentage of the games the first player actually played against all dropped players.
• Round all unscaled results to the nearest 0.5, then scale all the dropped player’s match results by the percentage of the games the first player actually played against all dropped players.
• Scale all the dropped player’s match results by the percentage of the games the second player actually played against all dropped players.
• Round all unscaled results to the nearest 0.5, then scale all the dropped player’s match results by the percentage of the games the second player actually played against all dropped players.

If the 4 scenarios do not all yield the same promoter or demoter, an adjustment match is needed. In an adjustment match, the players play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. The winner is placed ahead of the loser in the final standings. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly decide the standings.

New player requirements

Players are now required to have played 10 or more rated games on Dominion Online to be eligible to join.

Old (Section IV. Joining and Leaving):

To join the League, you must join the Dominion (Card Game) Discord server: https://discord.gg/vMmmMBu. Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the League by filling out the Google form embedded in Sign up.

New:

To join the Dominion League, new players must complete the following steps:

1. Have a Dominion Online account with 10 or more rated 2-player games.
2. Join the Dominion (Card Game) Discord server.
3. Fill out the sign-up form for the upcoming season.

Matches with dropped players

New simulation rules for dropped players allow for results that used to voided to now have an impact on the standings.

Old (IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season):

• If the removed player played no games, they are simply removed and the remaining players play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will replace them with a player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player played fewer than 3 complete matches (each match being 6 games), the games they played are voided, and the remaining players play one fewer match.
• If the removed player played 3 or more complete matches (each match being 6 games), the games they played are retained and the games they did not play are simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play.

New:

• If the removed player played no games, they are removed and the remaining players play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will replace them with a player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player played any games, their match results are instead simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play, and then scaling these results by the percentage of their games they actually played. Additionally, if scaling these simulations to 0% and 100% would yield different promoters or demoters, an adjustment match is needed to better decide the standings between the affected players. In an adjustment match, the players play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins.

Outside help

Improved wording.

Old (II. Match Structure and Policies):

• During a game, players may not consult resources outside those maintained by the League, such as strategy articles, or otherwise attempt to gain a competitive advantage. The League hosts a list of Dominion rules and information that may be consulted privately or publicly at anytime.

New:

• During games, players may not attempt to gain a competitive advantage by consulting resources other than those maintained by League. For example, getting advice from Dominion Strategy articles or from spectators is not allowed. The allowed resources maintained by the League are available on the Dominion League Resources page and may be consulted privately or publicly at anytime.

Familiar cards

Clarified the Familiar cards are also not respected by default in games using expansions. Note it is still a rule that games without expansions cannot choose to use Familiar cards.

Old (II. Match Structure and Policies):

• For games without expansions, Familiar cards should not be respected.

New:

• Familiar cards should not be respected.

Ties

Clarify that the head-to-head tiebreaker is applied iteratively. Remove the “2nd tiebreaker” that compared the sum of wins against opponents.

Old (Section III. Standings):

In the case of a tie within a division, the player with the higher total number of points from the matches between the tied players wins. If there is still a tie:

• If the tie is between two players and affects promotions, demotions, or entry into the Championship Match, they play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly break the tie.
• If the tie is between two players and does not affect promotions, demotions, or entry into the Championship Match, the player with the higher sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match wins.
• If the tie is between three or more players, the moderators will randomly break the tie.

New:

If there is a tie within a division, apply these steps:

1. Head-to-head
   • Compare the total wins earned by each player from the matches involving only the tied players.
   • If one player has more wins than each other player, they win the tie.
   • If all players have the same number of wins, move to step 2.
   • Otherwise, repeat this step 1 with just the players who tied for most wins.
2. Promotion/demotion implications
   • If the tie affects promotions, demotions, or entry into the Championship Match, move to step 3.
   • Otherwise, all players share the rank of the best tied place.
3. Tiebreaker match
   • If the tie is between 2 players, they play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly break the tie.
   • If the tie is between three or more players, the moderators will randomly break the tie.

Allowing ties in places that don’t affect promotion or demotion creates several new situations that need to be clarified.

Players tied for 1st place are both eligible for superpromotion.

Old (Section III. Standings):

Additionally, players may be re-placed using the rules for placing new players.

New:

Additionally, players who finish in first place, or tied for first place, may be re-placed using the rules for placing new players.

Free promotions and play-in priorities depend on whether the promotion is across a doubling in tier size. Previous references to 2nd and 5th place now includes ties for those places as well.

Old (Section IV. Joining and Leaving):

1. Players who finished in second place with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion up to the next higher tier.
2. Players who finished in fifth place with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion to not demote to the next lower tier.

New:

1. If the open spot is in a tier roughly the same size as the tier below it, players who finished in (or tied for) fifth place in that tier with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion. Otherwise, players who finished in (or tied for) second place in the tier below with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion.
2. If the open spot is in a tier roughly the same size as the tier below it, players who finished in (or tied for) third place in the tier below with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion. Otherwise, players who finished in (or tied for) fifth place in that tier with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion.

Play-in matches

Play-in matches now extend down to filling open spots in tier E.

Old (Section IV. Joining and Leaving):

When multiple players are offered free promotions (as described above) to a tier with not enough open spots for all of them, that tier determines how players are chosen: For tiers A, B, and C, the moderators arrange play-in matches between those players. For all other tiers, the moderators choose the players at their discretion, taking into account time zones.

New:

When multiple players would be offered free promotions (as described above) to a tier with not enough open spots for all of them, that tier determines how players are chosen: For tiers A, B, C, D, and E the moderators arrange play-in matches between those players. For all other tiers, the moderators choose the players at their discretion, taking into account time zones.

Expansions in the practice tier

Per the Returning Form poll, an expansion restriction will be used in the practice tier.

Old (Section II Match Structure and Policies):

Except for cardlists, Kingdoms should be generated randomly with all cards either player owns, from zero to two landscapes, and no specific cards or landscapes required. No particular cards, landscapes, or expansions should be selected.

New:

Kingdoms should be generated randomly with all cards either player owns, from zero to two landscapes, and no specific cards or landscapes required. No particular cards, landscapes, or expansions should be selected. For Seasons 42 and 43, in the Practice Tier, the players pick one expansion each, and Kingdoms are generated with only cards from those expansions and the base set.

Demotions in flex divisions

5th place now never demotes in a 7-player division.

Old (Section III, Standings):

Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in any tier demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

New:

In any tier, players who finish in sixth or seventh place in a seven-player division, or fifth or sixth place in any other division, demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

English proficiency

Clarified that basic English proficiency is required.

New (Section V, Scheduling):

To communicate with league moderators and your opponents, basic English proficiency is required.

Moderators

Moderators are allowed to take single-season breaks while maintaining their status as moderators.

New (Section X, League Moderation):

League Moderators are eligible for 1-season breaks, during which they retain voting privileges and access to league mod channels to stay up-to-date with information. If more moderators want to take breaks that the moderator team can afford, priority will be given to moderators that have least recently taken breaks.

Moderators are required to moderate 5 or more divisions, and when anyone would have to moderate 10 or more, new moderators will be recruited. The new moderators application, selection, and training processes are all longer.

Old (Section X, League Moderation):

When new moderators are needed, there will be an open call posted to the Discord server the Dominion Strategy forum. Players will have at least 48 hours to submit their applications to be moderators. Once the application deadline transpires, the current moderators will have at least 48 hours to discuss the candidates before voting to choose new moderators from the applicants.

New:

Each active moderator shall moderate at least 5 divisions per season. If the following season is anticipated to have more than 10 divisions per moderator, then the League shall recruit additional moderators. New moderator applications will open week 2 of each season, allow review by the existing moderator team during week 3, and onboarding/shadowing of new moderators beginning week 4.

Superpromotions

Now anyone can superpromote, but not into a tier above E.

Old (Section III, Standings)

Additionally, players who are placed as New Players in the current season and promoted from their tier can request to be re-placed in the upcoming season as a new player, using the same stricter cutoffs used for guaranteed new player tier placements. This allows players to promote across multiple tiers, known as “superpromotions”, if a player can improve their rating significantly across a season.

New

Additionally, players may be re-placed using the rules for placing new players. This allows returning players to promote across multiple tiers, known as superpromotions, if a player can improve their rating significantly across a season. Players who would be superpromoted into tiers A, B, C, or D are instead placed into tier E.

Ties

Ties that do not affect promotion or demotion are broken by the old tiebreaker comparing wins against opponents.

Old (Section III, standings)

In the case of a tie within a division, the player with the total number of points from the matches between the tied players wins. If there is still a tie:

• If the tie is between two players, they play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly break the tie.
• If the tie is between three or more players, the moderators will randomly break the tie.

New

In the case of a tie within a division, the player with the higher total number of points from the matches between the tied players wins. If there is still a tie:

• If the tie is between two players and affects promotions, demotions, or entry into the Championship Match, they play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly break the tie.
• If the tie is between two players and does not affect promotions, demotions, or entry into the Championship Match, the player with the higher sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match wins.
• If the tie is between three or more players, the moderators will randomly break the tie.

A tie in the championship is broken by playing a 7th game.

New (Section III, standings)

In the event of a tie, the players play one final game to decide the winner. If that final game results in a tie, the player who went second wins.

A few updates as a result of the Season 41 Rules Meeting.

VI. Playing Competitively

Clarifying difference between resigning vs. forfeiting.

Added (Section X, League Moderation):

To clarify the meaning of forfeit, there is a difference between resigning while playing to the best of your ability (like when you are way behind and feel there is a 0% or a very low chance to comeback), and forfeiting (which is like resigning turn 1, 2 or not playing at all).

A few updates as a result of the Season 41 Setup Meeting.

Moderator selection

Elaborated the timeframe for choosing new moderators.

Old (Section X, League Moderation):

When new or additional moderators are needed, there will be an open call posted to the forum. New moderators are chosen by a vote of the current moderator team.

New:

When new moderators are needed, there will be an open call posted to the Discord server and the Dominion Strategy forum. Players will have at least 48 hours to submit their applications to be moderators. Once the application deadline transpires, the current moderators will have at least 48 hours to discuss the candidates before voting to choose new moderators from the applicants.

Cardlists in base-only games & spectators in tier E

Cardlists are no longer permitted in games that do not use expansions, like in Automatch; spectators are now required through tier E.

Old (Section II, Match Structure and Policies):

• The disliked cards lists and banned cards lists should be respected, and the liked cards lists should not be.

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• …
• Players in tiers A, B, C, and D may not agree to disallow spectators.

New:

• For games without expansions, Familiar cards should not be respected.
• For games using expansions, the disliked cards lists and banned cards lists should be respected, and the liked cards lists should not be. For games without expansions, no cardlists should be respected.

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• …
• Games without expansions may not use Familiar cards or any cardlists.
• Players in tiers A, B, C, D, and E may not agree to disallow spectators.

Rulebooks and resources

The League will maintain those resources which players can consult at any time, including during their matches.

Old (Section II, Match Structure and Policies):

• During a game, players may not consult outside resources, such as strategy articles, or otherwise attempt to gain a competitive advantage.

New:

• During a game, players may not consult resources outside those maintained by the League, such as strategy articles, or otherwise attempt to gain a competitive advantage. The League hosts a list of Dominion rules and information that may be consulted privately or publicly at anytime.

Demotions in 7-player divisions

The last 2 places demote in 7-player divisions, instead of 3 places.

Old (Section III, Standings)

• Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in any tier demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

New:

• Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in any 6-player tier, or sixth or seventh in any 7-player tier, demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

Tier sizes and time zones

Each tier is no longer twice the size of the one before it. Time zones are now used to seed only tier E and below.

Old (Section I, League Structure)

There is a single division in tier A; 2 divisions in tier B; 4 divisions in each of tiers C and D; 8 divisions in each of tiers E, F, and G; and 16 divisions in tier H. Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on previous performance in the League, taking into account time zone in the lower tiers (D and below) and Dominion Online level for new players.

New:

There is a single division in tier A. Starting with tier B, two rules govern the size of a tier:

• The maximum number of divisions in a tier is twice the maximum for the tier above it, except every third tier which has the same number as the one above it.
• The lowest two tiers have approximately the same number of divisions.

Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on previous performance in the League, taking into account time zone in tiers E and below, and Dominion Online level for new players.

Many updates as a result of the Season 40 Rules Meeting.

Superpromotions

Updated rules for promotions and demotions, including a description of the new superpromotions.

Old (Section III, Standings):

At the end of the season, players may earn a spot in a different tier by promoting to the next higher tier or demoting to the next lower tier, based on their place in their division:

• Players who finish in first place in tiers B, C, and E promote.
• Players who finish in first or second place in tiers D, F, G, and H promote.
• Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in tiers A, B, C, D, E, F, and G demote.

New:

At the end of the season, players may earn a spot in a different tier by promoting to the next higher tier or demoting to the next lower tier, based on their place in their division.

• Players who finish in first place promote if the tier directly above has fewer divisions than the tier they are currently in.
• Players who finish in first or second place promote if the tier directly above has exactly the same number of divisions of the tier they are currently in.
• Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in any tier demote unless they are in the bottom tier, in which case they will stay in that tier.

Additionally, players who are placed as New Players in the current season and promoted from their tier can request to be re-placed in the upcoming season as a new player, using the same stricter cutoffs used for guaranteed new player tier placements. This allows players to promote across multiple tiers, known as “superpromotions”, if a player can improve their rating significantly across a season.

Flex Divisions for Highly-Rated New Players

New players can now be placed in a division high enough to warrant creating a 7-player division.

Old (Section IV, Joining and Leaving):

1. Players returning to the League after playing in one of the past 6 seasons are placed into the tiers they would have most recently returned to, starting with the players that played most recently and with ties broken by seeding. For purposes of this priority only, divisions may have up to 7 players each.
2. Players returning from before the past 6 seasons, or joining for the first time, are placed into tiers based on their Dominion Online level.

New:

1. Players returning to the League after playing in one of the past 6 seasons are placed into the tiers they would have most recently returned to, starting with the players that played most recently and with ties broken by seeding. For purposes of this priority, divisions may have up to 7 players each.
2. Players returning from before the past 6 seasons, or joining for the first time with 30 or more rated 2-player games, are placed into tiers based on their Dominion Online level. For particularly highly-rated players, divisions may have up to 7 players each. Level thresholds that would trigger this will be published in the previous season’s Newsletter.

Practice Tier (Seasons 42-43)

Seasons 42 and 43 will feature a “practice tier” for players with a small number of rated games. This will be re-examined after these trial runs.

To be inserted at the end of Section I: League Structure:

In Seasons 42 and 43, there shall also be a practice tier, separate from all other tiers, for players who have played 29 or fewer rated 2-player games online. Players in the practice tier will be similarly grouped and seeded.

Appended to the bulleted list in Section III: Standings:

Players in the practice tier do not promote or demote automatically. Instead, these players are placed as new players in the next season.

Added between paragraphs 1 and 2 in Section IV: Joining and Leaving:

For Seasons 42 and 43, players who join and have not played in one of the past 6 seasons and have played 29 or fewer rated 2-player games shall be placed into the practice tier.

Moderator Communication

A slight clarification about how moderators communicate.

Old (X. Moderation):

However, all moderators are able to assist players with any issues they face.

New:

Players should notify their moderator via Discord direct message of issues they have. Direct messages with a moderator about League matters may be shared with the other moderators for the team to resolve together.

Rewrite of Section II: Match Structure and Policies

Mainly a rearrangement, but also includes information about the practice tier and allows both players to agree to play their match with an unofficial timer.

Old:

Each player will play one match with each other player in their division. Matches consist of 6 games, with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with random starting players, and then alternating starting players manually. Each player receives 1 point for each game they won, and 0.5 points for each tie for that match.

The League standard is to play matches on Dominion Online, though you may play in-person. For games played online, spectators must be allowed for matches in tiers A, B, C, and D, and players cannot request to disallow spectators. Spectators are encouraged in other tiers, but a request by any player to disallow spectators must be honored. Players in all tiers are encouraged to turn the option to allow spectators to see their cards on and the option for players to see spectator chat off.

For games played online, the table should have the following settings by default, any of which both players can mutually agree to change before the game:

• The disliked cards lists and banned cards lists should be respected, and the liked cards lists should not be. Except for the foregoing, Kingdoms should be generated randomly with all cards either player owns, from zero to two landscapes, and no specific cards or landscapes required.
• The game should be unrated.
• The victory point counter should be used.

A playing session is a series of one or more games between the same two players. A match may be played over one or more playing sessions. During an individual session, players may not adjust their cardlists unless mutually agreed upon. For the purpose of this rule, any consecutive games played between the same two players with less than 24 hours between them are considered to be part of the same session.

The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day, but this is not required. When scheduling, keep in mind that a matches typically take 1.5–2 hours. After completing a match one of the players should post the result (via Google forms sent to each player at the start of the season) as soon as possible. If less than 6 games are played, the result of those games just played should be submitted in the same fashion. Multiple reports between the same two players will add to the full score.

We recognize that players from different backgrounds have different opinions on which undos, if any, should be allowed when playing Dominion. Therefore, players can choose any policy on what undos they will allow, as long as they announce it to their opponent ahead of time. In the absence of such an announcement, they will be expected to follow the default policy for the League, which is to grant undos of small numbers of non-information-revealing steps.

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Each player plays one match against each other player in their division. A match is 6 games with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with a random starting player, and then alternating the starting player.

Matches may be played over one or more playing sessions. A playing session is a series of one or more games between the same two players. For the purpose of this rule, any consecutive games played between the same two players with less than 24 hours between them are considered to be part of the same session. The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day in a single playing session, but this is not required.

The League also has the following general rules for games by default:

• Games should be played on Dominion Online.
• There is no official timer in Dominion Online, and games should not use a timer.
• During a game, players may not consult outside resources, such as strategy articles, or otherwise attempt to gain a competitive advantage.

For games played online, players should set the following Advanced Options by default:

• Spectators should be allowed.
• “Players can see spectator chat” should be off.
• The disliked cards lists and banned cards lists should be respected, and the liked cards lists should not be.
• The game should not use extra Menagerie cards.
• The game should be unrated. For Seasons 42 and 43, games in the practice tier must be rated.
• The victory point counter should be used.
• Except for cardlists, Kingdoms should be generated randomly with all cards either player owns, from zero to two landscapes, and no specific cards or landscapes required. No particular cards, landscapes, or expansions should be selected.

All these defaults may be changed between games by mutual agreement of the players except:

• Players in the practice tier may not play games in-person or on any platform other than Dominion Online.
• Players in tiers A, B, C, and D may not agree to disallow spectators.
• Cardlists may only be changed between playing sessions.
• Players in the practice tier may not agree for games to be unrated.
• Players agreeing to use an unofficial timer must agree on all timer settings and how to handle any glitches or lag.

The League recognizes players from different backgrounds may have different opinions on which undos, if any, should be allowed during a game. The League’s default is to grant undos of small numbers of non-information-revealing steps. A player can choose a different policy regarding which undos they will allow, so long as they announce it to their opponent before the game.

After each playing session, one of the players should submit the result of that playing session as soon as possible using the Results form linked in their division’s Discord channel. Players receive 1 point for each game they win and 0.5 points for each game they tie (note that, per Dominion rules, a player wins a game with tied VP scores if they took fewer turns). If the match is played across multiple sessions, only submit the games just played, and the system will add the multiple submissions together.

Presence of website!

Changes to Rules and Regulations
Replaced all instances of:

in the latest Signups post: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?board=60.0

to:

in the latest Signups post: https://dominionleague.org/sign-ups.html

Changes to IV. Joining and Leaving
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Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the League by replying to the latest Signups post: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?board=60.0.

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Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the League by filling out the Google form embedded in the latest Signups post: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?board=60.0. You may only participate in the League once per season. You may switch your Dominion Online or Discord account at any time by letting your moderator know, but you may not join the League additional times using other accounts.

Changes to I. League Structure
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Each League season lasts for 6 weeks, and is followed by a 2 week break. Players are divided into groups of at most 6 players. Groups are arranged in tiered divisions. There is a single A division, 2 B divisions, 4 C divisions, 8 D divisions, up to 16 E divisions, and up to 32 F divisions. Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on previous performance in the League, taking into account time zone in the lower tiers (D, E, and F) and Dominion Online level for new players.

At the end of the season the players with 1st place ranks promote to the next level, while players ranked 5th or 6th place demote. E division demotions (to F) will possibly be more lenient depending on the number of players.

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Each League season lasts 6 weeks, and is followed by a 2-week break. Players are divided into groups of approximately 6 players. Groups are arranged in tiered divisions. There is a single division in tier A; 2 divisions in tier B; 4 divisions in each of tiers C and D; 8 divisions in each of tiers E, F, and G; and 16 divisions in tier H. Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on previous performance in the League, taking into account time zone in the lower tiers (D and below) and Dominion Online level for new players. At the end of each season, some players promote or demote based on the standings (see section III).

Changes to III. Standings
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At the end of the season, players may earn a spot in a different tier by promoting to the next higher tier or demoting to the next lower tier, based on their place in their division:

• Players who finish in first place in tiers B, C, D, E, and F promote.
• Players who finish in fifth place or sixth place in tiers A, B, C, and D demote.
• Players who finish in sixth place in tier E demote.

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At the end of the season, players may earn a spot in a different tier by promoting to the next higher tier or demoting to the next lower tier, based on their place in their division:

• Players who finish in first place in tiers B, C, and E promote.
• Players who finish in first or second place in tiers D, F, G, and H promote.
• Players who finish in fifth or sixth place in tiers A, B, C, D, E, F, and G demote.

Changes to III. Standings
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Ties are broken in the following order.

1. Number of total points from matches between the tied players
2. The sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match.
3. If 2 players are still tied after the 2nd tiebreaker in a position with promotion or demotion consequences, they play a playoff match of 2 games. Each player starts once. If the players are tied after 2 games, they play one final game with random starting player in which player 2 wins ties. A player may choose not to play the playoff match, and thereby concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player will demote or not promote. If neither player responds promptly or both players respond but cannot arrange a match in the required time, moderators will flip a coin. If more than 2 players are tied after the 2nd tiebreaker, moderators will randomly order them.

At the end of the season, players who place 1st in their groups will promote to the next higher division, and players who place 5th and 6th will demote to the next lower division. For instance, the players who place 5th and 6th in the A group will demote to the B division, and the players who place first in B1 and B2 groups will promote to the A division to take their places. We might possibly be more lenient in the lower divisions depending on overall numbers.

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In the case of a tie within a division, the player with the total number of points from the matches between the tied players wins. If there is still a tie:

• If the tie is between two players, they play a 2-game match with each player starting one of the games. If the players are tied after those 2 games, they play one final game with a random player starting. If there is still a tie, the player that went second in the last game wins. A player who does not wish to play this match may concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player concedes by default. If neither player responds promptly or both respond but cannot arrange the match in the required time, the moderators will randomly break the tie.
• If the tie is between three or more players, the moderators will randomly break the tie.

At the end of the season, players may earn a spot in a different tier by promoting to the next higher tier or demoting to the next lower tier, based on their place in their division:

• Players who finish in first place in tiers B, C, D, E, and F promote.
• Players who finish in fifth place or sixth place in tiers A, B, C, and D demote.
• Players who finish in sixth place in tier E demote.

Changes to IV. Joining and Leaving
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To join the League, you must join the Dominion (Card Game) Discord server. To join the Dominion Discord server follow this link: https://discord.gg/jeN2sAB

Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the League here: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?board=60.0

You’re not required to own any cards in order to sign up, and who owns what will not have any influence on how players are placed into groups. When a player joins for the first time, they are placed in a division based on the availability of spots and their level on the Dominion Online Leaderboard. At the end of each season, players must indicate if they intend to stay in the League, or leave for the next season. You will not automatically re-enter the next season without specifying your preference. Please indicate whether you intend to return for the next season or not in your division’s scheduling thread before the end of the season.

Available spots that are created when players leave the League will be filled with players in the following order:

1. Players who left the League after a prior season within the last year (up to six seasons before the new one) are inserted at the level they previously earned.
2. Players who are joining for the first time, or who we were unable to place based on criteria #1 will be inserted into remaining openings by their rating on the Dominion Online leaderboard.
3. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 2nd are promoted.
4. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 5th skip demotion.

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To join the League, you must join the Dominion (Card Game) Discord server: https://discord.gg/jeN2sAB. Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the League by replying to the latest Signups post: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?board=60.0. You do not need to purchase a subscription to Dominion Online, and Dominion Online subscriptions have no bearing on players’ tiers, divisions, or seeding.

At the end of each season, players who want to return for the following season must fill out the Returning form linked in their division’s Discord channel, otherwise by default they will leave the League. The following priorities are used, in order, to fill the open spots created by players who leave:

1. Players returning to the League after playing in one of the past 6 seasons are placed into the tiers they would have most recently returned to, starting with the players that played most recently and with ties broken by seeding. For purposes of this priority only, divisions may have up to 7 players each.
2. Players returning from before the past 6 seasons, or joining for the first time, are placed into tiers based on their Dominion Online level.
3. Players who finished in second place with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion up to the next higher tier.
4. Players who finished in fifth place with a high score in the previous season are offered a free promotion to not demote to the next lower tier.

When multiple players are offered free promotions (as described above) to a tier with not enough open spots for all of them, that tier determines how players are chosen: For tiers A, B, and C, the moderators arrange play-in matches between those players. For all other tiers, the moderators choose the players at their discretion, taking into account time zones.

During a season, the moderators may, at their discretion, fill new open spots from a waiting list.

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Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on level on the Shuffle IT client (dominion.games), with time zone taken into account in the lower divisions (D, E, and F).

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Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on previous performance in the League, taking into account time zone in the lower tiers (D, E, and F) and Dominion Online level for new players.

Changes to II. Match Structure and Policies
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The League standard is to play games on Dominion Online with VP tracking enabled on randomly generated kingdoms using all cards that either player owns (the default on dominion.games, no matter who hosts the table). These standards should be followed for all games unless both players agree to alternate arrangements. Games may be played without VP tracking, in person, with only a limited set of expansions, particular kingdom cards you want practice with, etc., but both players must consent. If you wish to make arrangements that differ from the League standard, you should make this clear to your opponent when scheduling your match. Spectators must be allowed for all matches in Divisions A-D. Spectators for matches in Divisions E and F are encouraged, but if you or your opponent request to disallow spectators you must honor that request. You are encouraged but not required to allow spectators to see your cards.

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The League standard is to play matches on Dominion Online, though you may play in-person. For games played online, spectators must be allowed for matches in tiers A, B, C, and D, and players cannot request to disallow spectators. Spectators are encouraged in other tiers, but a request by any player to disallow spectators must be honored. Players in all tiers are encouraged to turn the option to allow spectators to see their cards on and the option for players to see spectator chat off.

For games played online, the table should have the following settings by default, any of which both players can mutually agree to change before the game:

• The disliked cards lists and banned cards lists should be respected, and the liked cards lists should not be. Except for the foregoing, Kingdoms should be generated randomly with all cards either player owns, from zero to two landscapes, and no specific cards or landscapes required.
• The game should be unrated.
• The victory point counter should be used.

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A playing session is a series of one or more games between the same two players. A match may be played over one or more playing sessions. During an individual session, players may not adjust their cardlists unless mutually agreed upon. For the purpose of this rule, any consecutive games played between the same two players with less than 24 hours between them are considered to be part of the same session.

Changes to IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season
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The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will seek to replace them with another player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player has played fewer than 3 complete matches (18 games), any games they played are voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer match.
• If the removed player has played at least 3 complete matches (18 games), the results will be retained in the standings. In addition, so as not to compare any players with different numbers of games played, any unplayed games with dropped players will be simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play. The dropped player is then considered ineligible and finishes below all other players, including possible demotion in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

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The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player played no games, they are simply removed and the remaining players play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will replace them with a player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player played fewer than 3 complete matches (each match being 6 games), the games they played are voided, and the remaining players play one fewer match.
• If the removed player played 3 or more complete matches (each match being 6 games), the games they played are retained and the games they did not play are simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League seasons. Dropped players finish last place in their division and will demote, which may affect their placement in subsequent seasons they return to. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes), the ban period and demotion penalty may be reduced or eliminated at the moderators’ discretion.

Changes to II. Match Structure and Policies
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II. Match Structure

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II. Match Structure and Policies

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We recognize that players from different backgrounds have different opinions on which undos, if any, should be allowed when playing Dominion. Therefore, players can choose any policy on what undos they will allow, as long as they announce it to their opponent ahead of time. In the absence of such an announcement, they will be expected to follow the default policy for the League, which is to grant undos of small numbers of non-information-revealing steps.

Changes to III. Standings
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Ties are broken in the following order.

1. Number of total points from matches between the tied players
2. The sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match.
3. Coin Flip

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Ties are broken in the following order.

1. Number of total points from matches between the tied players 2.The sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match.
2. If 2 players are still tied after the 2nd tiebreaker in a position with promotion or demotion consequences, they play a playoff match of 2 games. Each player starts once. If the players are tied after 2 games, they play one final game with random starting player in which player 2 wins ties. A player may choose not to play the playoff match, and thereby concede. If one player fails to respond promptly or is unable to play, that player will demote or not promote. If neither player responds promptly or both players respond but cannot arrange a match in the required time, moderators will flip a coin. If more than 2 players are tied after the 2nd tiebreaker, moderators will randomly order them.

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In addition, the top two finishers in the A1 division will play a second 6-game match to determine the Champion for the Dominion League for that season. For the purposes of determining the Champion (and only those purposes), the results of this match will be added to the results of the season, including updates to tiebreakers. The match date and time should be determined by the two players well in advance to allow for the moderator team to find a commentator team. Even if the outcome of the match is settled before the sixth game, all six should be played out for the purpose of spectator entertainment.

Changes to X. League Moderation
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When new or additional moderators are needed, there will be an open call posted to the forum. New moderators are chosen by a vote of the current moderator team.

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If you ever take issue with a decision made by the moderator team, feel free to reach out to us and we will discuss it at the next moderator meeting (one meeting each season).

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Whenever the moderators gather for an official meeting at which rules may change (at least once per season), the agenda of the meeting and the outcome of any votes, including the number dissenting, will be made public within a week of the meeting.

Changes to XI. Amendments
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XI. Amendments

These rules can be amended for future seasons by a majority vote of the moderators. All such changes will be posted to the Changelog with an explanation of the change taking place. Exceptions to rules for the current season may be granted if and only if the moderators and all directly affected players agree to the exception.

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X. League Moderation

The League is moderated by a group of players whose role is to ensure the League runs smoothly. Moderators are allowed, but not required, to play in the League. Moderators are assigned divisions (never a division in the same tier they play in) to be the primary point of contact for those divisions. Their responsibilities include checking up on players who have fallen behind and removing those who are non-responsive for a considerable period of time. However, all moderators are able to assist players with any issues they face.

League moderators are also responsible for adjudicating any disputed rules infractions. If a moderator decision needs to be made that affects the outcome of a game, the players should finish the game and the player who requested the decision may protest the game by contacting their moderator with a description of what occurred and the game number. The moderator team will review the game and make a ruling by a majority vote whether the game results stand or that the game must be replayed.

If you ever take issue with a decision made by the moderator team, feel free to reach out to us and we will discuss it at the next moderator meeting (one meeting each season).

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VII. Respectfulness

Players are expected to treat one another with respect at all times. Examples of poor conduct include swearing at another player or otherwise harassing them, excessively complaining about luck, rage-quitting and leaving a scheduled match, intentional slow-playing, or unexpectedly changing pre-match arrangements (such as undo usage).

If another player acts abusively towards you, you should contact your moderator as soon as possible. You are encouraged to provide screenshots of game chats or forum/discord messages as evidence.

Depending on the severity of the offense, violating this rule may result in a warning, a ban of one or more seasons, or a permanent ban from the League.

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Players are expected to treat one another with respect at all times. Examples of poor conduct include swearing at another player or otherwise harassing them, excessively complaining about luck, rage-quitting and leaving a scheduled match, intentional slow-playing, or unexpectedly changing pre-match arrangements (such as undo usage). Player usernames also must not be offensive.

If another player acts disrespectfully towards you, you should contact your moderator as soon as possible. You are encouraged to provide screenshots of game chats or forum/Discord messages as evidence. If you find a username to be offensive, contact your moderator.

Violations of this rule will be adjudicated by a majority decision of the moderators. Depending on the severity of the offense, violating this rule may result in a warning, a ban of one or more seasons, or a permanent ban from the League. If your username is offensive, you will be told to change it prior to joining the League or before the next season begins.

In VII. Respectfulness:

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Players are expected to treat one another with respect at all times. Examples of poor conduct include swearing at another player or otherwise harassing them, excessively complaining about luck, rage-quitting and leaving a scheduled match, or intentional slow-playing.

We wanted something added about undoing. Changed to:

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Players are expected to treat one another with respect at all times. Examples of poor conduct include swearing at another player or otherwise harassing them, excessively complaining about luck, rage-quitting and leaving a scheduled match, intentional slow-playing, or unexpectedly changing pre-match arrangements (such as undo usage).

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VIII. Late Finish Penalties The official deadline to report your match results is the day after the official deadline (a Monday) at 15:00 UTC, so that people from the western-most time zones can easily finish and report matches which they started playing on Sunday night.

Players who are responsible for finishing their games late in two consecutive seasons they play will get their overall score reduced by 1. This penalty will only count for the own total and own average score and not for the calculation of any tiebreakers. Responsibility is determined by the group moderator, and any players who believe their opponents are responsible for the delay should send their moderator all relevant communications for evaluation.

If late game results are not reported within a week of the deadline, the responsible players are considered to have dropped out mid-season, with more severe penalties as described in the following section.

We are eliminating the penalty but putting another rule in place, so changed to:

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VIII. Late Finishes The official deadline to report your match results is the day after the official deadline (a Monday) at 15:00 UTC, so that people from the western-most time zones can easily finish and report matches which they started playing on Sunday night.

If players are unable to finish their matches by the deadline, they must contact their moderator to request an extension for up to a week with information about when the late matches will take place. If such communication does not take place or late game results are not reported within a week of the deadline, the responsible players are considered to have dropped out mid-season, with penalties as described in the following section.

From II. Match Structure:

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The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day, but this is not required. When scheduling, keep in mind that a matches typically take 1.5-2 hours. After completing a match one of the players should post the result (via Google forms sent to each player at the start of the season) as soon as possible. If a match is started, but not completed, the partial result, including the number of times each player has gone first should be posted in the Partial Results thread. When the match is completed, the partial result should be removed.

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The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day, but this is not required. When scheduling, keep in mind that a matches typically take 1.5-2 hours. After completing a match one of the players should post the result (via Google forms sent to each player at the start of the season) as soon as possible. If less than 6 games are played, the result of those games just played should be submitted in the same fashion. Multiple reports between the same two players will add to the full score.

Remove the bolded is

Quote From: Old Rules

II. Match Structure

Each player will play one match with each other player in their division. Matches consist of 6 games, with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with random starting players, and then alternating starting players manually. Each player is receives 1 point for each game they won, and 0.5 points for each tie for that match.

Quote From: New Rules

II. Match Structure

Each player will play one match with each other player in their division. Matches consist of 6 games, with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with random starting players, and then alternating starting players manually. Each player receives 1 point for each game they won, and 0.5 points for each tie for that match.

Quote From: Old Rules

II. Match Structure

Each player will play one match with each other player in their division. Matches consist of 6 games, with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with random starting players, and then alternating starting players manually. Each player is receives 1 point for each game they won, and 0.5 points for each tie for that match.

The League standard is to play games on Dominion Online with VP tracking enabled on randomly generated kingdoms using all cards that either player owns (the default on dominion.games, no matter who hosts the table). These standards should be followed for all games unless both players agree to alternate arrangements. Games may be played without VP tracking, in person, with only a limited set of expansions, particular kingdom cards you want practice with, etc., but both players must consent. If you wish to make arrangements that differ from the League standard, you should make this clear to your opponent when scheduling your match.

The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day, but this is not required. When scheduling, keep in mind that a matches typically take 1.5-2 hours. After completing a match one of the players should post the result (via Google forms sent to each player at the start of the season) as soon as possible. If a match is started, but not completed, the partial result, including the number of times each player has gone first should be posted in the Partial Results thread. When the match is completed, the partial result should be removed. change in bold

Quote From: New Rules

II. Match Structure

Each player will play one match with each other player in their division. Matches consist of 6 games, with each player going first 3 times. The League recommends playing the first game with random starting players, and then alternating starting players manually. Each player is receives 1 point for each game they won, and 0.5 points for each tie for that match.

The League standard is to play games on Dominion Online with VP tracking enabled on randomly generated kingdoms using all cards that either player owns (the default on dominion.games, no matter who hosts the table). These standards should be followed for all games unless both players agree to alternate arrangements. Games may be played without VP tracking, in person, with only a limited set of expansions, particular kingdom cards you want practice with, etc., but both players must consent. If you wish to make arrangements that differ from the League standard, you should make this clear to your opponent when scheduling your match. Spectators must be allowed for all matches in Divisions A-D. Spectators for matches in Divisions E and F are encouraged, but if you or your opponent request to disallow spectators you must honor that request. You are encouraged but not required to allow spectators to see your cards.

The League suggests completing all 6 games of a match on the same day, but this is not required. When scheduling, keep in mind that a matches typically take 1.5-2 hours. After completing a match one of the players should post the result (via Google forms sent to each player at the start of the season) as soon as possible. If a match is started, but not completed, the partial result, including the number of times each player has gone first should be posted in the Partial Results thread. When the match is completed, the partial result should be removed.

Deleted Section VIII. Incomplete Games:

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VIII. Incomplete Games

If a game unexpectedly ends because either Dominion Online breaks down or one of the players accidentally disconnects (internet connection lost, computer crashes, …) please use the following guidelines.

1. Discuss the game together with your opponent. Was the game completely open, or was either player ahead? And if there was a lead, was it small, significant or almost insurmountable?
2. Based on the players assessment of the game, you may chose one of the following options:
   • If you decide game was even or the lead was small, simply replay the game.
   • If you decide one player had a strong lead, report this game as 0.75-0.25 in favor of the leading player.
   • If you decide one player had a very significant lead, then that player should be awarded a win for that game.
3. We know that arbitrating this process with your opponent may be scary. Determining the state of a Dominion match is not a very scientific process especially when the players that have to make these decisions are competing. An ideal result is not possible when disconnects are involved, and there is no expectation of a perfect outcome. The purpose of this process is to give clear guidelines for players to adhere to when resolving the situation. If you really feel like you were ahead, and your opponent feels the same, then you are entitled to some equity and this process attempts to provide that.
4. Please know that in coming to an agreement may require one player to lose some equity. E.g. If you estimate there you have a 5% chance to win a game, then resigning it due to a disconnect may not feel great because you have given up a chance you had to win that game. It’s still the most fair option, because 5% is a lot closer to nothing than to 25%. We do not allow match results more precise than 0.75/0.25 because estimating win chances in these situations is very imprecise.
5. If you and your opponent cannot come to an agreement about the game state, you can chose to defer the decision to your group moderator. Your moderator won’t enjoy making this decision for you, so please make every possible effort to come to an agreement with your opponent. Both players should post their thoughts on the game state in their group’s thread and which result they think is best before sending a message to the group moderator. Make only one post with your opinion. There will not be any extended discussion about the game. The group moderator will make a decision based on the players statements and their own evaluation of the game. This decision could be a win/loss, replay, tie, or 0.75/0.25.

Quote From: New Rules

VII. Respectfulness

Players are expected to treat one another with respect at all times. Examples of poor conduct include swearing at another player or otherwise harassing them, excessively complaining about luck, rage-quitting and leaving a scheduled match, or intentional slow-playing.

If another player acts abusively towards you, you should contact your moderator as soon as possible. You are encouraged to provide screenshots of game chats or forum/discord messages as evidence.

Depending on the severity of the offense, violating this rule may result in a warning, a ban of one or more seasons, or a permanent ban from the League.

(Numbering of later sections was modified appropriately.)

Quote From: Old Rules

IV. Joining, and Leaving

You’re not required to own any cards in order to sign up, and who owns what will not have any influence on how players are placed into groups. When a player joins for the first time, they are placed in a division based on the availability of spots and their level on the Dominion Online Leaderboard. At the end of each season, players must indicate if they intend to stay in the league, or leave for the next season. You will not automatically re-enter the next season without specifying your preference. Please indicate whether you intend to return for the next season or not in your division’s scheduling thread before the end of the season.

Available spots that are created when players leave the league will be filled with players in the following order: Players who left the league after a prior season within the last year (up to six seasons before the new one) are inserted at the level they previously earned. Players who are joining for the first time, or who we were unable to place based on criteria #1 will be inserted into remaining openings by their rating on the Dominion Online leaderboard. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 2nd are promoted. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 5th skip demotion.

Quote From: New Rules

IV. Joining, and Leaving

To join the league, you must join the Dominion (Card Game) Discord server. To join the Dominion Discord server follow this link: https://discord.gg/jeN2sAB

Once you have joined the Discord Server you may sign up to join the league here: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=19133.msg774101#msg774101

You’re not required to own any cards in order to sign up, and who owns what will not have any influence on how players are placed into groups. When a player joins for the first time, they are placed in a division based on the availability of spots and their level on the Dominion Online Leaderboard. At the end of each season, players must indicate if they intend to stay in the league, or leave for the next season. You will not automatically re-enter the next season without specifying your preference. Please indicate whether you intend to return for the next season or not in your division’s scheduling thread before the end of the season.

Available spots that are created when players leave the league will be filled with players in the following order: Players who left the league after a prior season within the last year (up to six seasons before the new one) are inserted at the level they previously earned. Players who are joining for the first time, or who we were unable to place based on criteria #1 will be inserted into remaining openings by their rating on the Dominion Online leaderboard. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 2nd are promoted. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 5th skip demotion.

Quote From: Old Rules

V. Scheduling

A suggested schedule will be posted in your group’s scheduling thread with a specific player to play each week. There is no requirement to follow the suggested schedule, but it is recommended not to fall behind the one match per week pace. Each group will be assigned a league moderator. If you have any scheduling issues, or if your opponent does not show up for a scheduled match, please inform your moderator.

If you are placed in a group with a player you are close friends with, please schedule your match as early as possible in the season to eliminate any temptation for collusion. You can also inform a league moderator if you anticipate this type of issue and the League will make an effort to place you in separate groups.

Quote From: New Rules

V. Scheduling

A suggested schedule will be posted in your group’s Discord channel with a specific player to play each week. There is no requirement to follow the suggested schedule, but it is recommended not to fall behind the one match per week pace. Each group will be assigned a league moderator. If you have any scheduling issues, or if your opponent does not show up for a scheduled match, please inform your moderator.

If you are placed in a group with a player you are close friends with, please schedule your match as early as possible in the season to eliminate any temptation for collusion. You can also inform a league moderator if you anticipate this type of issue and the League will make an effort to place you in separate groups.

Based on something that actually happened (and affected the winner of a division!), we’ve decided to clarify the rule about when players’ remaining matches are “simulated.” Three complete matches are not directly necessary, just the corresponding number of games.

Quote From: Old Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season

Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they played and failed to play can have a significant impact on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will seek to replace them with another player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player has played fewer than 3 complete matches, any games they played are voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer match.
• If the removed player has played at least 3 complete matches, the results will be retained in the standings. In addition, so as not to compare any players with different numbers of games played, any unplayed games with dropped players will be simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play. The dropped player is then considered ineligible and finishes below all other players, including possible demotion in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

Quote From: New Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season

Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they played and failed to play can have a significant impact on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will seek to replace them with another player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player has played fewer than 3 complete matches (18 games), any games they played are voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer match.
• If the removed player has played at least 3 complete matches (18 games), the results will be retained in the standings. In addition, so as not to compare any players with different numbers of games played, any unplayed games with dropped players will be simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play. The dropped player is then considered ineligible and finishes below all other players, including possible demotion in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

I finally got around to updating the rules on dropping players mid-season as we voted on last week.

Quote From: Old Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season

Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they played and failed to play can have a significant impact on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer game.
• If the removed player has played exactly 1 match, the match result is voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer game.
• If the removed player has played more than 1 match, the results will be retained in the standings unless there are other reasons to void those results (e.g. if there is evidence suggesting that the dropped player purposefully threw games prior to dropping). However, the players who are dropped are then ineligible and finish below all other players, which often means they would demote in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

Quote From: New Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season

Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they played and failed to play can have a significant impact on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer match. If possible, the moderators will seek to replace them with another player from the waiting list.
• If the removed player has played fewer than 3 complete matches, any games they played are voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer match.
• If the removed player has played at least 3 complete matches, the results will be retained in the standings. In addition, so as not to compare any players with different numbers of games played, any unplayed games with dropped players will be simulated by averaging the average winning percentage of the dropped player and the average losing percentage of their opponent in all games they did play. The dropped player is then considered ineligible and finishes below all other players, including possible demotion in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

volfied caught a part of the rules that was under the old “F is the new E” thinking… there is still demotion and promotion between E and F like any other pair. (We might want to consider creating a beginners G division at some point…)

Quote From: Old Rules

III. Standings

During the season, the standings for each group will be automatically updated as players complete matches. The players in each group will be ranked based on the average number of points they have received in each match. Ties are broken in the following order.

1. Number of total points from matches between the tied players
2. The sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match.
3. Coin Flip

At the end of the season, players who place 1st in their groups will promote to the next higher division, and players who place 5th and 6th will demote to the next lower division. (e.g. the players who place 5th and 6th in the A group will demote to the B division, and the players who place first in B1 and B2 groups will promote to the A division to take their places.) Players in the F division, are not required to promote to the E division unless they wish to; similarly, Players in the E division will not demote to F unless they wish to. (However, the League may require a player to promote from F or remain in the E group if the player’s ability is not in line with the F division.)

Quote From: New Rules

III. Standings

During the season, the standings for each group will be automatically updated as players complete matches. The players in each group will be ranked based on the average number of points they have received in each match. Ties are broken in the following order:

1. Number of total points from matches between the tied players
2. The sum of the number of points received in each match multiplied by the total score of the opponent from that match.
3. Coin Flip

At the end of the season, players who place 1st in their groups will promote to the next higher division, and players who place 5th and 6th will demote to the next lower division. For instance, the players who place 5th and 6th in the A group will demote to the B division, and the players who place first in B1 and B2 groups will promote to the A division to take their places. We might possibly be more lenient in the lower divisions depending on overall numbers.

Fixed mistaken wording regarding the way expansions work on Dominion Online:

Quote From: Old Rules

II. Match Structure

[…]

The League standard is to play games on Dominion Online with VP tracking enabled with the player who owns the most cards hosting randomly generated kingdoms. These standards should be followed for all games unless both players agree to alternate arrangements. (Games may be played without VP tracking, in person, with modified kingdom selection options, ect., but both players must consent.) If you wish to make arrangements that differ from the league standard, you should make this clear to your opponent when scheduling your match.

Quote From: New Rules

II. Match Structure

[…]

The League standard is to play games on Dominion Online with VP tracking enabled on randomly generated kingdoms using all cards that either player owns (the default on dominion.games, no matter who hosts the table). These standards should be followed for all games unless both players agree to alternate arrangements. Games may be played without VP tracking, in person, with only a limited set of expansions, particular kingdom cards you want practice with, etc., but both players must consent. If you wish to make arrangements that differ from the League standard, you should make this clear to your opponent when scheduling your match.

Updated the rules on old players returning: Now they have to be returning from a season in the past year.

Quote From: Old Rules

IV. Joining, and Leaving

You’re not required to own any cards in order to sign up, and who owns what will not have any influence on how players are placed into groups. When a player joins for the first time, they are placed in a division based on the availability of spots and their level on the Dominion Online Leaderboard. At the end of each season, players must indicate if they intend to stay in the league, or leave for the next season. You will not automatically re-enter the next season without specifying your preference. Please indicate whether you intend to return for the next season or not in your division’s scheduling thread before the end of the season.

Available spots that are created when players leave the league will be filled with players in the following order:

1. Players who left the league after a prior season are inserted at the level they previously earned.
2. Players who are joining for the first time, or who we were unable to place based on criteria #1 will be inserted into groups as best as possible based on their rating on the Dominion Online leaderboard.
3. Promoting the player or players who had the best score in their division among those who placed 2nd.
4. Skipping demotion of the player or players who had the best score in their division among those who placed 5th.

Quote From: New Rules

IV. Joining, and Leaving

You’re not required to own any cards in order to sign up, and who owns what will not have any influence on how players are placed into groups. When a player joins for the first time, they are placed in a division based on the availability of spots and their level on the Dominion Online Leaderboard. At the end of each season, players must indicate if they intend to stay in the league, or leave for the next season. You will not automatically re-enter the next season without specifying your preference. Please indicate whether you intend to return for the next season or not in your division’s scheduling thread before the end of the season.

Available spots that are created when players leave the league will be filled with players in the following order:

1. Players who left the league after a prior season within the last year (up to six seasons before the new one) are inserted at the level they previously earned.
2. Players who are joining for the first time, or who we were unable to place based on criteria #1 will be inserted into remaining openings by their rating on the Dominion Online leaderboard.
3. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 2nd are promoted.
4. The player or players who had the best score(s) in their division among those who placed 5th skip demotion.

Changes for Season 27:

• Updating group language to reflect the new size of the league and time zone-based divisions at the lower levels.
• Explicitly spelling out penalties and deadlines for late finishes and mid-season drops.

Quote From: Old Rules

I. League Structure

Each League season lasts for 6 weeks, and is followed by a 2 week break. Players are divided into groups of at most 6 players. Groups are arranged in tiered divisions. Groups are created by seeding them based on their level on the Shuffle IT client. There is a single A group and two B groups. C, D and E divisions have a maximum of 4, 8, and 16 groups, respectively, but may have fewer groups depending on the number of players available. There is also an F division available for beginner players.

At the end of the season the players with 1st place ranks promote to the next level, while players ranked 5th or 6th place demote.

Quote From: New Rules

I. League Structure

Each League season lasts for 6 weeks, and is followed by a 2 week break. Players are divided into groups of at most 6 players. Groups are arranged in tiered divisions. There is a single A division, 2 B divisions, 4 C divisions, 8 D divisions, up to 16 E divisions, and up to 32 F divisions. Divisions are determined by a seeding algorithm depending on level on the Shuffle IT client (dominion.games), with time zone taken into account in the lower divisions (D, E, and F).

At the end of the season the players with 1st place ranks promote to the next level, while players ranked 5th or 6th place demote. E division demotions (to F) will possibly be more lenient depending on the number of players.

Quote From: Old Rules

VIII. Penalities

Players who finish late in two consecutive seasons they play will get their overall score reduced by 1. This penalty will only count for the own total and own average score and not for the calculation of tie breakers of oneself or other players. The official deadline to meet is Monday (the day after the official deadline), 15:00 UTC, so that people from the US west coast and Alaska can finish matches easily which they started playing on Sunday night.

Quote from: New Rules

VIII. Late Finish Penalties

The official deadline to report your match results is the day after the official deadline (a Monday) at 15:00 UTC, so that people from the western-most time zones can easily finish and report matches which they started playing on Sunday night.

Players who are responsible for finishing their games late in two consecutive seasons they play will get their overall score reduced by 1. This penalty will only count for the own total and own average score and not for the calculation of any tiebreakers. Responsibility is determined by the group moderator, and any players who believe their opponents are responsible for the delay should send their moderator all relevant communications for evaluation.

If late game results are not reported within a week of the deadline, the responsible players are considered to have dropped out mid-season, with more severe penalties as described in the following section.

Quote From: Old Rules

VIII. Penalities

Players who finish late in two consecutive seasons they play will get their overall score reduced by 1. This penalty will only count for the own total and own average score and not for the calculation of tie breakers of oneself or other players. The official deadline to meet is Monday (the day after the official deadline), 15:00 UTC, so that people from the US west coast and Alaska can finish matches easily which they started playing on Sunday night.

Quote from: Old Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season

Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and are have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they have played and have failed to play can have significant impacts on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer game.
• If the removed player has played exactly 1 match, the match result is voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer game.
• If they’ve played more than 1 match the results will be retained in the standings unless there are other reasons to void those results (e.g. If there is evidence suggesting that the dropped player purposefully threw games prior to dropping. This very rarely happens and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The group moderator will have the final decision such a situation.)

Players who become inactive and are removed by the moderating team will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player needs to drop from the league for personal reasons, they should inform their moderator as promptly as possible. If a player is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or scheduling issues) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.

Quote from: New Rules

IX. Dropping Players Mid-Season Players dropping out during the season have a significant negative impact on their group. Unfortunately, some must drop out, or become inactive and have to be removed by the moderators. It is difficult to deal with matches that have been played by a player who has dropped because the matches they played and failed to play can have a significant impact on the group standings. The following rules are used for dropped players:

• If the removed player has not played any matches, they are simply removed and the remaining players in the group will play one fewer game.
• If the removed player has played exactly 1 match, the match result is voided, and the remaining players will play one fewer game.
• If the removed player has played more than 1 match, the results will be retained in the standings unless there are other reasons to void those results (e.g. if there is evidence suggesting that the dropped player purposefully threw games prior to dropping). However, the players who are dropped are then ineligible and finish below all other players, which often means they would demote in any subsequent season in which they might return.

Players who drop mid-season will be banned from participation in the next 2 League Seasons. If a player drops out within the first week of the season or is in good standing with the League (i.e. has played in prior seasons without drops or late finishes) the ban period may be reduced or eliminated per the moderating team’s discretion.