World Bowl XXXXIII ~ Delaclava Not so long ago, Delaclava may have been spoken of as a relic of the older gridiron game. In a short period of time, the Phoenixes flying the rainbow gradient collected titles at the 2nd Baptism of Iron, World Bowl XIII, and World Bowl XV. The nation not only put forth some of the world’s best teams, but also helped to grow the game by hosting the 11th and 15th World Bowls and the 4th Baptism of Iron. But soon after, Delaclava shut down its borders and the Phoenixes disappeared from the field.
Yet just as quickly, the Phoenixes re-emerged with a new flag and a vengeance. They had the privilege of hosting their return at World Bowl 39, and sit at the forefront of today’s game with third-place finishes in the 41st and 42nd editions. Enthusiasm for the game is at an all-time high in southern Cyanea, and with the infrastructure still in place from just four tournaments ago, a return to Delaclava would appear to become a great success.Group Stage Format: At this time, there are 24 nations signed up. They would compete in 4 groups of 6 in a double round-robin group stage contested home-and-away. There will be daily scorinations and either 1 or 2 rest days, for 11-12 days total. The top three teams will advance to the Knockout Stage in Delaclava, with the group winners advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
No format changes will be made until signups reach 28 (or a higher multiple of 4). At that point, either double scorinations or 2/48 would be considered.
Group Stages Tiebreakers: Wins, H2H, H2H differential, overall differential. Then:
- If teams are tied after that, the above procedure will be repeated considering regulation results only, i.e. a 24-21 OT win that was 21-21 at the end of regulation will be treated as a 21-21 draw. - If two teams are still tied and breaking the tie is necessary to determine a playoff spot, the two teams will rematch for a spot.
- If three or more teams are tied and breaking the tie is necessary to determine a playoff spot, a IC coin flip will determine the advancing teams (OOC: a scorinated single round-robin).
- If any number of teams are tied and breaking the tie is necessary only for seeding, an IC coin flip will be conducted in the same manner.
Knockout Stage Format: The knockout stage is single elimination, with no third-place playoff. The group stage winners are seeded 1-4 and advance to the quarterfinals. The group stage runners-up are seeded 5-8, the third-placed teams 9-12, and those teams advance to the play-ins. The bracket will be-reseeded for the quarterfinals only, and both the Round of 12 and quarterfinals will be re-arranged so that no team will have a rematch in their first game.
Role-play: RP bonus will be cumulative and non-decaying, and applied directly into the ranking (vs. using the xkoranate RP function). A high quality of role-play will be encouraged, and points on offer for RP will be calculated so that an unranked, high-level RPer would have a comparable rank+RP to a high-ranked, inactive player by the conclusion of the tournament.
NO ROSTER PENALTY: Teams will not be given their ranking points in scorination until they have posted a roster. This severe penalty is justified for gridiron because the role of the roster is particularly important, and the lack of a roster can be a significant impediment to an opponent’s RP. Teams will be given ample time to post their roster before the tournament starts, and will be TGed when the IC thread opens and again 24 hours before the first scorination.
Scorination: xkoranate with the post-WB31 formula, IFAF overtime, xkoranate-style (additive) style modifiers. Home advantage will be applied for the group stage, and matches will ICly be home and away. Eliminations matched will take place in Delaclava and no home advantage will be applied, except for a small bonus to Delaclava directly applied to the rank+RP (if we advance to the elimination rounds).
Hosting Experience: In addition to the 11th, 15th, and 39th World Bowls and 4th Baptism of Iron, Delaclava has hosted the 55th World Cup, 44th and 46th Cups of Harmony, 72nd Baptism of Fire, 7th and 31st International Basketball Championships, 31st AOCAF Cup, and numerous other tournaments.