Arcane Tourneys Competition Rules

01Purpose

Arcane Tourneys operates independent community competitions governed by these rules, the event-specific rules page, and the Code of Conduct.

Where an event page and this page disagree, the event page governs for that event. Entering an Arcane Tourneys competition means you accept these rules, the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.

02Event Information

Every event publishes the following on its own event page before registration closes. Values vary by event; nothing on this page overrides them.

If a game title is named for an event, the following applies.

03Eligibility

• Participants must meet the age and regional eligibility requirements posted for the event.
• Participants must provide accurate gamer tag, Discord, team and contact details.
• Organizers may verify eligibility before participation or before any award is issued.
• One person may compete for only one team per event unless expressly approved in writing.
• Players are responsible for maintaining access to their own game account and platform account.
• Players must not share account passwords, authentication codes, or account credentials with Arcane Tourneys staff.

04Team Roster Rules

• Roster size. Each event publishes a minimum and maximum roster size on its event page. Teams outside that range are not eligible to compete.
• Roster lock. Rosters lock at the deadline published on the event page. After lock, changes require organizer approval.
• Substitutes. Substitutes must be listed on the roster before roster lock. An event may limit how many substitutes a team may name and when a substitute may enter.
• Undisclosed substitutions are prohibited. Every person who plays must be the person listed on the roster for that slot.
• One team per event. A player may not compete on more than one team in the same event.
• Team names and logos must not infringe third-party rights, and must not contain hateful, sexual, illegal, impersonating or misleading content. Organizers may require a name or logo to be changed before a team competes.

05Competition Format

Each event uses an independently administered multi-match, points-based competition format. Event scoring, tiebreakers, match count, map/mode details, and verification procedures are listed on the event page and may vary by event.

Arcane Tourneys uses an independently administered multi-match, points-based competition format. Placement and verified in-match performance are scored under the rules published for each event.

24/7 ranked competitions

MP 1v1, Warzone 1v1, and Warzone 2v2 kill races currently award leaderboard points only. There is no entry fee, prize, wager, or payout attached to these matches.

• Each mode has its own leaderboard. The Overall leaderboard combines points earned across all three modes.
• Players start at 500 points per mode. Overall starts at 500 once and adds the net gains and losses across all modes; entering another mode does not award extra Overall points. Equally rated opponents play for +10 points for a win or −10 for a loss. A forfeit deducts 15 points from each forfeiting player. Cancelled matches change no points; disputes remain pending until resolved.
• Opponent strength adjusts the 10-point base by a 0.5–1.5× multiplier. Each started 100-point rating gap changes the multiplier by 0.1, up to five steps. Against a stronger opponent, a win earns +11 to +15 and a loss deducts 5 to 9; against a weaker opponent, a win earns +5 to +9 and a loss deducts 11 to 15. For example, facing an opponent rated 150 higher means +12 for a win or −8 for a loss.
• The bot locks each side’s average mode rating and point stakes when the match is created and shows them in the private match card. In 2v2, both teammates receive the same point change. A win by forfeit earns the normal locked win reward; the forfeiting side loses 15 per player. Point totals can go below zero.
• On September 27, 2026, all completed 24/7 ranked results were recalculated under this system, replaying the verified results in completion order to reconstruct opponent ratings. Existing wins, losses, kills, and ratings are unchanged. Ranking ties are broken by rating, wins, kills, then fewer losses. Tournament scoring is separate and unchanged.
• The bot randomly selects either side to host with equal probability and creates private text and voice rooms for the participants and staff.
• Every participant must stream the match, follow all published rules, and save a usable VOD for review.
• Both captains must independently submit each player's kills and a clear scoreboard screenshot.
• Every player must save the full VOD. Staff may request it for a dispute or audit. Failure to provide a requested VOD is an automatic forfeit.
• Matching submissions are verified automatically. A mismatch is paused for staff review and does not update the leaderboard until resolved.
• A captain may forfeit. If one side violates the rules, the compliant opposing side may receive the match win; a player cannot benefit from their own violation.
• Evidence is copied to a private staff archive before temporary match channels are deleted.

Cosmetic seasons and community awards

• Arcane seasons follow the official Call of Duty seasonal calendar. The current race is aligned with Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 06, which launched September 17, 2026. A new cosmetic race begins when the next Call of Duty season begins. Each season starts at 500 cosmetic season points and tracks verified ranked point changes during that season. Lifetime ranked points, ratings, and records are never reset by a season rollover.
• Five verified matches qualify a player for a season tier: Initiate, Ember (550), Forged (625), Ascendant (725), or Arcane (900). Tier roles, podium honors, and weekly awards grant no competitive advantage, extra points, or staff permissions.
• Weekly awards recognize the biggest net climb (at least five verified matches), the best upset against a higher-rated opponent in a played match, and the community’s clip choice. Voting runs Monday through Sunday in the server’s Eastern time schedule. Each eligible member may submit one clip and cast one changeable vote per week; self-votes are not allowed and ties share the award. Clips must be the submitting player’s and follow the code of conduct. Staff may remove invalid entries.
• Repeated one-sided matchups and repeated forfeits may trigger private staff review. A pattern flag is not proof of cheating and does not automatically change points, results, or access.

Arcane Tourneys competitions are designed and administered independently. Warzone Resurgence events may use scoring modeled on the publicly available 2026 COD:WRS Championship format. Using a similar scoring method does not imply affiliation, authorization, sponsorship, or endorsement.

06Scoring and Tiebreakers

Each event publishes its full scoring values on the event page before registration closes. Scoring is not changed once an event has begun, except as described in Rule Changes.

2026 COD:WRS-style Resurgence scoring

Unless an event page announces another format, Arcane Tourneys Resurgence events use trios and calculate each map as total verified team eliminations multiplied by final placement:

• 1st place: 1.6x
• 2nd through 5th: 1.4x
• 6th through 10th: 1.2x
• 11th through 16th: 1.0x

For Match Point finals, the default threshold is 150 points. A trio reaching the threshold during a map becomes eligible starting with the following map. An eligible trio wins the event by placing first in a later map.

Tiebreaker order

Unless the event page states otherwise, ties are broken in this order:

1. Most total verified eliminations across all maps
2. Highest team elimination count in a single map
3. Best placement in a single map
4. Highest individual elimination count in a single map
5. Organizer ruling based on verified match records if still tied

Verification

Only staff-verified results count toward standings. Each registered trio receives a private Discord result room visible only to that squad and tournament staff. After every map, a rostered player must use /submit_map in that room and provide:

• The official map number and the squad's final placement
• Each rostered player's kills and deaths for that map
• One clear, unedited in-game scoreboard screenshot

The submission remains pending until staff compares the manual entry with the screenshot. Rejected entries must be corrected and resubmitted. Only approved maps update standings, player kills, records, and K/D. Teams should keep their own evidence for every match.

07Check-In and Attendance

• Check-in window. The check-in window opens and closes at the times published on the event page. Teams must check in within that window to be placed in the bracket.
• Late check-in. A team that checks in after the window closes may be admitted only if the event has not started and organizer capacity allows. Admission is not guaranteed.
• No-shows. A team that has not checked in and is not present at the scheduled start may be marked absent and removed from the event standings.
• Communication. Teams are responsible for joining the designated Discord channel for the event and following the instructions posted there.
• Player-side problems. Staff cannot guarantee recovery from player hardware, network, game-server, console, or platform problems.

08Competitive Integrity

The following are prohibited in all Arcane Tourneys competitions:

• Cheats, hacks, scripts, bots, exploit tools, unauthorized macros, or modded lobbies
• Account sharing, boosting, or competing on an account that is not your own
• Teaming, collusion, or deliberately boosting another team's score
• Stream sniping
• Intentional disconnections or match manipulation
• Submitting false evidence or altered results
• Bribery
• Harassment, doxxing, or threats
• Evading a suspension, including by using another account or identity
• Impersonating staff or another player
• Using a false identity or an ineligible account
• Interfering with broadcasts, Discord channels, brackets, score records, or event administration

If you intend to file a dispute, preserve your video clips and screenshots first. Evidence is far easier to act on than recollection.

Arcane Tourneys may investigate suspected violations using match records, participant submissions, publicly available streams or clips, Discord communications related to the event, and other relevant evidence.

09Disqualification and Appeals

Where a violation is established, Arcane Tourneys may take one or more of the following actions, proportionate to the violation:

• Warning
• Score adjustment
• Match forfeiture
• Removal from an event
• Suspension from future events
• Permanent ban from Arcane Tourneys events

Decisions are based on the evidence reviewed. Arcane Tourneys describes decisions in factual terms and does not publish accusations about participants.

Appeals

A participant may appeal a decision through the private support channel within 30 minutes of the decision, or within the window stated on the event page. An appeal should include the match, the decision being appealed, and any supporting evidence. The final decision is made after evidence review.

10Technical Issues

• Teams must arrive with functioning hardware, accounts, game access, internet connection and communication setup.
• Where a widespread platform, game or server outage affects an event, organizers may pause, extend the check-in window, replay a match, or reschedule, depending on how many participants are affected.
• Arcane Tourneys may delay, reschedule, modify, or cancel an event where needed for competitive integrity, participant safety, technical failure, force majeure, or circumstances outside the organizer's control.
• Event-specific communications posted in the Arcane Tourneys Discord announcements channel are authoritative for that event.

11Participant Content and Broadcast Permission

By participating, you grant Arcane Tourneys a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to record, reproduce, edit, display, distribute, and promote your tournament-related gamer tag, team name, team logo, gameplay captured during the event, voice communications used in the event broadcast, and voluntarily submitted clips or screenshots, solely in connection with operating, broadcasting, documenting, and promoting Arcane Tourneys events.

Participants confirm that they have the rights needed to submit any team name, logo, clip, image, music-free video, or other content provided to Arcane Tourneys.

Do not submit content you do not have the rights to, including copyrighted music in a submitted video.

12Rule Changes

Rules will not be materially changed after an event begins except where a change is necessary to address a technical failure, security issue, safety concern, game update, legal requirement, or competitive-integrity issue. Any material change will be announced through the official Arcane Tourneys communication channel.

"Official Arcane Tourneys communication channel" means the announcements channel in the Arcane Tourneys Discord server. The word "official" here describes only Arcane Tourneys' own channel and implies no third-party authorization.