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'''Bracket manipulation''' refers to any behavior by any player in a tournament with the intent to manipulate the progression or alter the result of a tournament bracket, usually performed in collusion with other players for financial gain. This is typically done by a player [[sandbagging|intentionally losing a match]] in [[pool]]s or in [[double elimination|winners bracket]]. | '''Bracket manipulation''' refers to any behavior by any player in a tournament with the intent to manipulate the progression or alter the result of a tournament bracket, usually performed in collusion with other players for financial gain. This is typically done by a player [[sandbagging|intentionally losing a match]] in [[pool]]s or in [[double elimination|winners bracket]]. | ||
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*Collaboration with other player(s) to win more money between themselves. May include specifically collaborating to eliminate another player. | *Collaboration with other player(s) to win more money between themselves. May include specifically collaborating to eliminate another player. | ||
*A player wants to stop playing in the tournament for whatever reason, but still wants to win money. | *A player wants to stop playing in the tournament for whatever reason, but still wants to win money. | ||
*A player is set to play against a friend of theirs in pools or in | *A player is set to play against a friend of theirs in pools or in the winner bracket, and wants to help their friend make the tournament bracket/place higher in the tournament. | ||
==Types of bracket manipulation== | ==Types of bracket manipulation== | ||
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===Self altering progression=== | ===Self altering progression=== | ||
This is when a player acting on their own accord intentionally loses a set and enters the loser bracket before they legitimately lose and enter the loser bracket naturally. This is a very risky tactic, as the manipulating player could have underrated a player they're set to play against in losers and/or | This is when a player acting on their own accord intentionally loses a set and enters the loser bracket before they legitimately lose and enter the loser bracket naturally. This is a very risky tactic, as the manipulating player could have underrated a player they're set to play against in losers and/or unforseen the character that player was going to use against them, resulting in an earlier elimination and lower overall placing. Additionally, upsets can occur in tournaments, and the manipulating player can mispredict the result of future matches, resulting in them playing a player in the loser bracket they intentionally entered losers early to avoid playing. This type of bracket manipulation is more apt to occur in [[bracket pool]]s than in actual tournament brackets. Due to their much smaller size, having greater variety in player skill, and the goal being to obtain a minimum placing to advance (where then a player's performance in their bracket pool has minimal effect on their actual bracket progression), the situation of intentionally entering losers early being beneficial in overall tournament progression is more common in bracket pools. | ||
===Inflating a friend's placing=== | ===Inflating a friend's placing=== | ||
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===Splitting=== | ===Splitting=== | ||
This is when 2 or more players collaborate and make an agreement for 1 or more of them to intentionally lose a match, while in return getting monetary compensation (typically via "splitting" of the players' tournament winnings). This often occurs in the finals of a tournament, where 1 or more of the finalists wants to stop playing and will thus make an offer with the other player(s) to split, enticing them on the idea that they'll get more money than if they were to play it out and lose, without having to put in the effort of trying to beat their opponent. | |||
A more complicated form of splitting can involve the collaboration to specifically eliminate a third player. There may be a third player in the bracket that one of the players plays poorly against, while another player they're facing performs more favorably against. So to secure a higher placing and a higher payout, the player makes an agreement to split their prize money with the other player, who will then throw their set, and face off against the threatening player in the losers bracket to knock them out of the tournament. For example: | A more complicated form of splitting can involve the collaboration to specifically eliminate a third player. There may be a third player in the bracket that one of the players plays poorly against, while another player they're facing performs more favorably against. So to secure a higher placing and a higher payout, the player makes an agreement to split their prize money with the other player, who will then throw their set, and face off against the threatening player in the losers bracket to knock them out of the tournament. For example: | ||
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4. Smasher E ($25) | 4. Smasher E ($25) | ||
While Smasher B gets a higher placement in this scenario, | While Smasher B gets a higher placement in this scenario, he earns less money. And Smasher A, having been eliminated by Smasher C before the final four, earns nothing. | ||
==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
Bracket manipulation, while | Bracket manipulation, while a practical method to place higher in tournament and earn more money in a tournament as demonstrated above, is extremely controversial in the Smash community. Many players see it as immoral, as it interferes with the bracket progression of other players. As seen in the above scenario, Smasher C is prevented from placing high enough to earn money by having to face Smasher B sooner than he would have if the manipulation didn't occur. Bracket manipulation is also seen to harm the competitive integrity of a tournament, as it disrupts the natural progression of the tournament, and skews the tournament results from showing who the best players really were (as not every match was played to win). Splitting in particular is very controversial, as detractors see it as watering down the event for spectators as the players splitting will not give it their all in their set. | ||
Bracket manipulation, while generally looked down upon, has some who defend it. In regards to intentionally losing to help a friend, defenders will claim that one should prioritise "being a friend" | Bracket manipulation, while generally looked down upon, has some who defend it. In regards to intentionally losing to help a friend, defenders will claim that one should prioritise "being a friend", rather than competitive integrity. In regards to players splitting in finals, defenders will claim that it's the players' money, and as such it's their right to do what they want with it, as well as the players' right to perform however they want. In regards to a third player's tournament progress being disrupted from other players bracket manipulating, defenders will claim that the third player would have advanced anyway if they "played better". | ||
Despite the small amount of defenders, the majority of the Smash community is against bracket manipulation, and TOs will generally punish players that are caught splitting or manipulating the bracket in any other way. | |||
==Major incidents of bracket manipulation== | ==Major incidents of bracket manipulation== | ||
*The most notorious incident of splitting in competitive Smash was between {{Sm|Mew2King}} and {{Sm|ADHD}} at [[MLG DC 2010]] | *The most notorious incident of splitting in competitive Smash was between {{Sm|Mew2King}} and {{Sm|ADHD}} at [[MLG DC 2010]]. This resulted in both players being disqualified and banned from participating in the rest of the 2010 MLG ''[[Brawl]]'' circuit. This event is said to have damage the reputation of the competitive Smash community, as two of the best players should be model representatives of the community, and not be caught partaking in underhand activities. This incident is cited as a major reason for MLG dropping ''Brawl'' after the 2010 circuit. | ||
*At [[Pound V]], there were reported cases of players | *At [[Pound V]], there were reported cases of high level players in pools dropping a set to a friend in the same pool as them to help them make the bracket. The most notorious of these was {{Sm|ADHD}} intentionally dropping a set to {{Sm|Doom}} in his pool, which allowed Doom to make the bracket, while in turn preventing {{Sm|D1AOS}} from advancing, the player who would have advanced instead of Doom had ADHD defeated Doom as expected. This caused a large debate on whether one should "be a friend" and willingly bracket manipulate to help their friend place higher, or if one should should maintain competitive integrity and sportsmanship, thus treating their friend as any other opponent. This was the primary focus of the Pound 5 results thread until {{Sm|Plank}} revealed that he wouldn't be paying out the winners. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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*[[MLG]] | *[[MLG]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Tournaments]] |