A cup, step by step

From TOURNAMENTS on the main menu to a bracket played out: every screen and every setting of a cup, with its picture.

A cup takes a minute to make: a form, a link sent to friends, and the game does the rest. Here is every screen on the way, from the main menu to a bracket played out to its champion. Making or joining a cup needs an account (sign in from the War Council or Settings); anyone with its link may look at it.

Open TOURNAMENTS

The main menu, with TOURNAMENTS ringed in gold — The main menu: **TOURNAMENTS**, under PLAY.

My cups: the Create a cup button ringed, the Open a cup field and four cups — **My cups**: create one, open one by its link, and the cups you organise or play in.

Create a cup opens the form below. You may organise 3 cups and play in 5 at once.
Open a cup takes a cup’s link or its code: a friend’s, to join it.
Each of your cups says how far it has gone and whether you organise it or play in it, then your next match, your rival and PLAY when it is yours to play; a finished cup names its champion.

The form: the cup

The top of the form: Name, I play in it, Format, Players, Rules, Each match, Each round and Empty seats — The cup’s name, its format and the rules of every match.

The cup

Name	3 to 40 characters. Its players and anyone with its link read it, so it passes the game’s word filter.
I play in it	Ticked (the default), you take a seat like the others; unticked, you only organise.
Format	Knockout: the loser of each match is out. League: 3 to 8 players, everyone plays everyone once (The league).
Players (knockout)	Up to 4, 8 and 16 seats.
Rules	The rule level of every match: Level 1 · Basics to Level 5 · Full war, the last by default.
Each match	Best of 1, or best of 3: the first to win two games goes on.
Each round	1 day to 7 days to play it (3 days by default): the round’s deadline.
Empty seats	Byes (their rival goes straight on), or a bot: Bot-Easy, Bot-Normal and Bot-Hard (Bots in the empty seats).

The form: the map

The Map box: a random map, a seed, a published map, and Another map for some rounds open on the semi-finals and the final — The cup’s map, and **Another map for some rounds** opened.

A random map, drawn when the cup starts (the default).
A seed: its number and its size, Small or Medium.
A published map: its link from the Maps page; over the game, Choose a map… picks it there.
Another map for some rounds gives each round a row: the cup’s map, or another for that round (the final on a map of its own, say).

A map vote picked: five rows of maps, each with Remove, then Add a map and the vetoes each — **A map vote**: the pool and the vetoes each player has.

Or a map vote: a pool of 3 to 7 maps (Add a map, Remove), each a random map, a seed or a published map, and the vetoes each player has. Each match’s two players veto, then pick, in its room: Maps and the map vote.

The form: the start and live

The Start box with a time set, the Wilds, Live for spectators with its delay, Listed on the LIVE screen, and Create the cup — When it starts, the Wilds, live, and **Create the cup**.

The start and live

By itself when the last seat is taken	Ticked by default: the cup starts the moment it is full.
Or at a time	Up to 30 days ahead. Short of players then, it starts as soon as enough are in. You may always start it yourself.
The Wilds	Lairs and their monsters in every match (The wilds).
Live for spectators	On by default: anyone with the cup’s link may watch its matches, behind the players (Watching live). Every player accepts it when joining.
Live delay	30 s, 1 min, 3 min, 5 min or 10 min behind (3 minutes by default).
Listed on the LIVE screen	Off by default. Ticked, everyone in the game finds its live matches, its name and its players.

Create the cup, and its page opens, waiting for its players.

A new cup of 4 with 3 players: its rules, its link with Copy the link, Start the cup (3/4), Cancel the cup, the live settings and the players’ board with a free seat — The cup waiting for its players: the link to send, and **Start the cup**.

Its page says its rules in a line, and shows its link: Copy the link and send it to your friends. They open it, sign in and press Join this cup.
Each player who joins takes a place on the board; you may Remove one before the start. A free seat waits for the next.
Start the cup counts the players in. A knockout starts with more than half its seats (3 of 4, 5 of 8, 9 of 16), a league with 3 players or more.
The live settings stay yours while it runs: turn live off, list it on the LIVE screen, lengthen the delay.
Cancel the cup ends it for everyone.

The draw

A cup of 4 just drawn: two semi-finals with their deadlines, and the final to come — Started: the bracket is drawn.

At the start the server draws the seats and the bracket (The knockout). Every match of the first round opens at once, with its round’s deadline; the next rounds wait for theirs. Each player now sees PLAY on the cup, in My cups and on the War Council’s cup card.

Playing the matches

A cup under way: its link, and PLAY your quarter-final 3 ringed beside Withdraw and Cancel the cup — **PLAY** your match, at the top of the cup’s page.

PLAY opens the match’s room; your rival comes in with theirs, and the battle is fought as any other. Only the two of you may sit there, and the game reports who won: nobody types a result.

A knockout of 8 under way: three quarter-finals won, crowned and scored, one still to play with Agree a time, the semi-finals filling — The bracket fills as matches are won.

A won match sends its winner to the next round: 👑 marks them, and the numbers count the games.
A match still to play says its deadline. A semi-final waits for the round before, and opens once both its players are known.
Agree a time on your match proposes when to play it.

Agree a time: two times proposed to the rival, and Send the times — Up to three times for your rival to pick from.

Your rival accepts one with a click, or proposes others: Times and deadlines.

The champion

A finished cup: its rules and the banner naming who wins the cup — Finished: the cup names its champion.

A knockout of 8 played out: four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final, each with its winner crowned — The whole bracket, from the quarter-finals to the final.

Once the final is won the cup is finished: its page and My cups name the champion, the board marks them, and every game stays in its players’ match history with the cup and the round.

Tip: A league goes the same way, with a table instead of a bracket: The league.