HSEL Fall Major '23 Tournament Overview

This article explains the key dates, times, game information, and more for the HSEL Fall Major '23 competition. Please ensure that all team members are aware of the HSEL GENERAL TOURNAMENT RULES before registration. Please see the HSEL Registration Guide for more details on signing up. 

Key Dates

What's New?

• Two new events alongside the Major: HSEL Premier and HSEL Training Grounds. 
• More games will feature divisional play, meaning there will be more tournament winners!
  • The most popular games will be divided into four regional divisions 
  • The next set of games will be divided into two conference-based divisions
• New tournaments: Rocket League 2v2, Apex Legends TDM, Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe, Splatoon™ 3, and Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate!
• The qualification process for HSEL Nationals has been adjusted to accommodate the various HSEL Major and HSEL Premier structures.

Game Information

• High School Esports League Major tournaments use an internal matchmaking queue system. 
• Games in bold are completely free to compete and do not require the purchase of a battle pass. 

*Cross-platform play enabled.

Divisions

There are three types of divisional play within the HSEL Fall Major:

• Regional divisions: our most popular games are divided into four regional competitions. 
• Conference-based divisions: these games are divided into two conference-based divisions: Atlantic (Eastern & Central time zones) and Pacific (Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii time zones)
• Nationwide competitions: these games feature a single, nationwide division.

Note: Regional or conference-based divisions will not feature cross-divisional play until HSEL Nationals.

Tournament Format

Queue Times

HSEL Major tournaments use an internal matchmaking queue system to create matches. Please note that queue times will follow the daylight/standard time changes throughout the year.

Queue Times (Regional Tournaments)

*Excluding Brawlhalla, which will only have three queue times in the Central and South regions. 

Queue Times (Conference or Nationwide Tournaments)

Makeup Windows

Makeup windows are changing! "Week 7" (11/13 - 11/17) will be "Makeup Week". Match days and queue times will remain consistent with all days & times listed above. Competitors will be able to utilize multiple queue windows if needed during makeup week.

Playoff Schedule

Click here to view the playoff schedule for Champ & Gold brackets. 

• The bracket sizes below are the current minimum totals and could expand if there is significant participation in a tournament. Gold bracket sizes will be determined by midseason. 
• Default Match Times  
  • (Regional) - East 4:00 pm ET | Central & South 4:00 pm CT | West 4:30 pm PT
  • (Conference) - Atlantic 5:00 pm ET | Pacific 4:30 pm PT
  • (Nationwide) - 8:00 pm ET
• Note: schedule is subject to change if the minimum bracket sizes are adjusted due to season participation. 

*No players will be eliminated round-to-round in Minecraft. The winner will be determined after the culmination of all 3 rounds. Minecraft will still use the queue system. Please see the Minecraft Troubleshooting Guide to ensure players are properly set up to compete. 

Playoffs 101

• Playoffs/finals are manually seeded; players will not use the queue system*.
  • *Minecraft will still use the queue system. 
• You may only reschedule a playoff match if you meet all of the following criteria: 
  
  • Your competitor agrees to the new time in the match chat on the Generation Esports platform.
  • You notify and receive approval from HSEL admins for the new time here.
  • The match score is reported before midnight Pacific Standard Time the day prior to the next round (i.e. reschedules must not impede the bracket from advancing).
    
  • Finals matches cannot be rescheduled.
  • Your opponent must agree to the rescheduled time in match chat on the Generation Esports platform or the default time will remain.
• The 3rd Place finals will occur on the same day as the tournament's Champ bracket finals match. 
• Per HSEL General Competition Rule 2.8.4: "Roster changes may be made at any point during or in-between seasons except during the time a team has queued for their match, during live matches, or once the playoffs have begun. Roster changes are prohibited for single-player and partnered (duo) game tournaments." 
• In the case an emergency substitute is needed, the Team Administrator must reach out to competition@highschoolesportsleague.com to request permission. 
  • If you have not heard back after 24 hours of making an emergency substitute request, please contact support here. 

How to Qualify

• A roster/player must:
  • Play at least 5 matches in order to be eligible for playoff qualification.
  • End the season at a high enough leaderboard placement (see tiebreakers below). 
  • Note: Any unplayed regular-season matches will be counted as a loss against the player's/roster's record at the end of the regular season, per rule 2.11.7.1.
• The tiebreaker system will be run as a tiered protocol that will be used if multiple teams finish the regular season with the same overall record, pursuant to rule 2.11.8.1: 
  
  1. Wins. (Forfeit wins and bye wins are scored as a 0-0 win)
  2. Head-to-head record. (If the two tied teams have played each other, their match record against each other is compared)
  3. Overall game-win percentage. (e.g. winning a match 3-0 is better than 3-2)
  4. Valorant, CS:GO, and R6 only: Round differential. (A team with 15 rounds won and 10 rounds lost will have a round differential of +5 for that match. A higher positive value is better)
  5. Higher opponents’ game-win percentage. (e.g. it is better to beat an opponent who consistently won 3-0 than 3-2)
  6. Fewer forfeit losses.
  7. Fewer bye wins.
  8. The team which had a higher number of wins before their first loss.
  9. If the first loss is received after the same number of wins, then the team which lost to the stronger opponent (as defined by game win percentage) will be ranked higher.

Fall Major Prizing

HSEL Nationals

The qualification process for HSEL Nationals is dependent on division and whether or not the game in question has a Premier tier. See below: 

• Regional (Rocket League, VALORANT)
  • The Major regional champion (Champ brackets only) will be granted a spot in the HSEL Nationals Wild Card bracket once the team admin accepts the opt-in invitation. Winning the Wild Card bracket will secure that team/player a spot in Nationals. 
  • Brawlhalla top "X" from each regional playoff will receive invites to the Spring '24 Premier season, the most direct path to Nationals. 
• Conference (Atlantic & Pacific) 
  • The top 3 from each conference (6 per season) will qualify for HSEL Nationals (12 total). 
• Nationwide
  • The top 4 from a season (Fall or Spring) will qualify for HSEL Nationals (8 total). 
• The following tournaments will not have a Nationals event for the '23 - '24 school year
  • Apex Legends TDM
  • Rocket League 2v2

Additional Information 

• Click here for information on HSEL Training Grounds
• Click here for information on HSEL Premier
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