MNVL Jr Rules Handbook

The spirit of MNVL Jr is to always play if you can, and never take a forfeit win unless you absolutely must. Although not a rule, this is a standard we hope all our teams and players try to live up to!

1. League Structure

The Minnesota Varsity League - Junior High (MNVL Jr) will have a two week preseason, followed by a regular season consisting of six weeks, and a tournament for playoffs/finals. Regular season games will determine both qualifying and seeding for playoff tournaments.

The regular season will consist of one game per week as outlined below.

The default weekly game time for games are as follows:

Spring Season

Tuesday -

• 4pm: SSBU 1v1

• 5pm: Minecraft Bedwars 2v2

Thursday -

• 4pm: Mario Kart 8

• 5pm: Chess

2. Season Structure

The MN Varsity League Jr will run for two weeks of preseason, followed by six weeks of regular season, and one week of playoffs/finals. Junior finals will be an in-person LAN event.

2.1 Teams

Schools are allowed to field unlimited teams.

2.2 Divisions

MNVL Jr leagues will be sectioned into divisions of eight or more teams

Divisions will be determined by the following considerations:

1. Region/Location

2.3 State Finals Qualification

Top teams from each open league division will advance to the state finals based on regular season results. See section 3 in “General Rules” for the amount of teams that make it for each league.

2.4 Preseason

Preseason matches will function like a regular season match, in that players will still need to check-in and connect with their opponent on Leaguespot and report their scores. Results of preseason matches do NOT count towards your regular season record and do not affect qualification for the state finals. Players or teams that miss both of their scheduled preseason matches will be dropped from the league unless there is prior communication with MNVL staff and permission is given to miss the matches.

2.5 Regular Season League formats

• Swiss / Queue System Swiss

• Round Robin / Double Round Robin

Formats are determined each season based on registrations, and we send that information to all coaches before the start of the regular season.

What is a Swiss: This is a format where teams always play against another team with the same record (e.g. a 2-0 team will play against another 2-0 team). Schedules for Swiss leagues are released weekly on the day after your title’s default game time. Our queue system leagues also follow the Swiss format. Learn more about our queue system HERE

What is a Round Robin: All teams in a group play against each other one time. In a double round robin all teams play each other twice. Full season schedules for a round robin are released at the start of the season.

3. Playoffs and Finals

Playoffs will be executed as a pool play into single elimination or a double elimination playoff tournament with seeding based on regular season results, with a match for third-place. Playoff rules will be outlined in specific game rules posted in the MNVL rulebook. Teams making playoffs will be as such for the following games, unless there are less than the specified amount of teams participating in the league for that game. If there are less than the following number of teams, the tournament will be played with all participating teams with first round byes for the top seeds.

Spring Season

• Super Smash Brothers 1v1 (SSBU): Top 32 Players

• Minecraft 2v2: Top 16 Teams

• Chess: Top 16 Players

• Mario Kart 8: Top 16 Teams

(*The number of teams/players entered are subject to change based on needs or considerations by the league admin)

Titles that will be a pool play into single elimination tournament:

• Minecraft 2v2

• Mario Kart 8

Titles that will be a double elimination tournament (all others will be single elimination)

• Super Smash Brothers Ultimate (SSBU)

• Chess

3.1 Tiebreakers

Teams/Players making the playoffs will be based on seeding, which considers standings score first, then game/round differential, then head to head (if applicable), and difficulty of schedule.

Standings Score will be calculated with the following values:

• Win by Play: 4 points

• Forfeit Win: 4 points (+0 game differential)

• Bye Win: 4 points (+0 game differential)

• Tie: 2 points

• Loss by Play: 1 points

• Loss by Forfeit: 0 points

If there is a tie in both standing score and game differential, the teams have not played vs each other in the regular season, and one of the teams/players will not make playoffs and the other will (the tie is at the cutoff point), then a single tiebreaker match can be played at request of admin to see who makes it to the playoffs.

4. Checking In and Reporting Scores

Coaches are required to check in their teams and report scores for all MNVL Jr Matches.

A team should check in all participating players for that match on the Leaguespot match page prior to starting their match. In the event that a team decides to play with a reduced player count, Leaguespot still requires you to check in a full roster. In this scenario, a team should declare on the Leaguespot match chat which players are missing before checking them in.

If both teams fail to check in to their match on the Leaguespot platform at the default time, both will receive a forfeit loss for the match. If one team is checked in and the other is not after the check-in time has expired, the team present is expected to wait 15 minutes after the start time of their match for their opponent. Once 15 minutes has expired, the absent team will receive a forfeit loss automatically through the Leaguespot platform.

Scores will be reported using the Leaguespot score reporting tool

• Coaches are expected to report scores properly and on time

• Both teams are responsible for reporting scores and saving replays/screenshots that prove their claim

• All reported matches must have a screenshot attached for the LeagueSpot platform

• Procedures on how to report scores can be found in each title’s separate rules section

• You can learn how to report your scores at https://www.mnvl.org/faq

All scores must be reported directly following the match or both teams will receive a loss.

5. Rescheduling Games

Games are NOT allowed to be rescheduled EXCEPT in the following cases:

• School holidays

• Both teams agree to play in person (in the same room)

If you need a game to be rescheduled for one of the stated reasons, have a coach contact an admin on the MNVL Discord server, request an admin through the match chat feature on Leaguespot, or email us at MNVL@wisdom.gg and we will assist you.

If teams need to reschedule their game to another time, then both coaches must agree upon a new time. Games may be rescheduled to another week, but MUST be played before the Monday of the last week of the regular season.

If a team/player drops out of MNVL Jr during the regular season, MNVL Jr reserves the right to reschedule remaining games in the league to reduce the number of forfeits that would have been caused by the dropout.

5.1 School Holidays

All leagues can reschedule their matches the week of federal and state school holidays (i.e. Thanksgiving, Spring Break, etc.).

6. Home/Away

The team shown on the left on the Leaguespot match page is the home team and the team shown on the right is the away team for that match. This is not in effect for playoffs, where teams gain home advantage based on seeding.

7. Player Eligibility

A player is any participant who plays in an official match. All players must be in 5th-8th grade and are currently enrolled in the school they are representing, and must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average to be eligible to play. Players who are homeschooled may participate for a school if they live within the defined district lines for the school district in question. Players in Elementary/High School outside of 5th-8th grade are ineligible to compete in MNVL Jr. Students over the age of 13 may compete in either MNVL or MNVL Jr., but not both simultaneously.

A player can only be rostered to one team, and play in one match per week per title, with exceptions made for matches being rescheduled from a previous week. If they play in more than one match of the same title, those matches will be null and their team will forfeit. Players can, however, play multiple titles in a season. For example, Student A can not compete or be rostered on two Rocket League teams, but can compete on one Rocket League team and one Minecraft team.

There is not a restriction on the number of teams or players that can compete from each school.

*Eligibility is subject to change at the League’s discretion, but must be communicated to all schools before any changes take effect.

7.1 Roster Changes and Substitutions

Any changes to rosters must be done at least 24 hours before the roster’s next scheduled match. Players cannot be added to a roster if their next match is within the 24 hour time period. In this case, coaches must wait until after the roster’s next scheduled match to add another player to the roster.

Substitutions are allowed as long as all players involved have been on the roster for 24 hours before the match. Substitutions can be made in between games in a series, but not during a game that is currently in play.

8. Spectators

Only the players from the two teams competing in the official MNVL Jr match are allowed in the game lobby. The one exception is if a spectator is joining to stream their team's point of view (POV) for their official school stream and the opposition is made aware. The spectator must be a listed “Manager” on the school’s Leaguespot page, and have an open mic for the entirety of the stream to prove they are not in contact with either team.

Players competing in the match may stream their own POV. Stream malfunctions do not qualify as a reason for pausing a match.

Any team caught breaking these rules are subject to penalties listed in section 11.

9. Names

A player’s name in-game must match the name that they have registered for that game on their MN Varsity League Jr Leaguespot profile. All participants names or profiles are prohibited from including:

• Gang Affiliation

• Drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)

• Sexual Material

• Offensive Material

• Politically Charged Symbols/Images

• Homophobic or Racially Insensitive Material

This includes our Discord community.

10. Cheating

Any manipulation of gameplay including, but not limited to, scripts, wallhacks, aimbot, 3rd party applications, sound changes, or having another person play on an official players account during match time will be considered cheating. Any team or player caught cheating will be subject to the items outlined in section 11.

10.1 Harassment

Players and coaches are expected to abide by the MNVL Jr Code of Conduct at all times. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action as outlined in the following section.

11. Disciplinary Action

If Minnesota Varsity League Jr decides that a Player has violated any of the Rules, Minnesota Varsity League Jr may take the following disciplinary actions (as applicable):

• Verbal Warning

• Game and/or Match forfeiture

• Issuance Public warning (Verbal or written) to the Player

• Disqualification of the Player from participating in one or more Matches of the Tournament.

• Stoppage of the Player from participating in one or more future competitions hosted by Minnesota Varsity League.

• Stoppage of the School from participating in one or more future competitions hosted by Minnesota Varsity League.

If a Player is suspended/banned by MNVL Jr, they will be notified via email and/or discord. An appeal can be sent after 30 days of the initial penalty by the coach or program coordinator representing the Player. Please send all appeals via email to mnvl@wisdom.gg

12. Spirit of the Rules

Finality of Decisions. All decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules, player eligibility, scheduling and staging of the Tournaments, and penalties for misconduct, lie solely with MNVL Jr Officials, the decisions of which are final.

Amendments. MNVL Jr may update, revise, change or modify these Rules at any time in order to ensure fair play and the integrity of the league. Each Player’s participation in MNVL Jr after any update, revision, change or modification to these Rules will be deemed as acceptance by such Player of these Rules as updated, revised, changed or modified.

Note: Players are strongly encouraged to play all MNVL matches with an ethernet adapter or from the same room as their internet router if wifi is being used to ensure the best quality of matches.

1. Supported Platforms

• Nintendo Switch

2. Default Game Time and Match Length

The default game time for Super Smash Bros 1v1 is Friday at 5pm.

Matches are played as a best of 5 in the regular season and club finals tournament.

3. Game Lobby

The higher seed will create the lobby (“Online” > “Smash” > “Battle Arenas” > “Create Arena”) and provide lobby ID and Password. Official matches must use the following settings:

• Type: Host preference

• Visibility: Friends

• Format: 1-on-1

Rules:

• Style: Stock

• Stock: 3

• Time Limit: 7 minutes

• FS Meter: Off

• Damage Handicap: Off

• Items: Off and None

• Stage Hazards: Off

• Launch Rate: 1.0x

• Pausing: Off

• Score Display: Off

• Show Damage: Yes

• Rotation: Host preference

• Max Players: 2

• Stage: Choice

• Spirits: Off

• Voice Chat: Off

If the incorrect ruleset is used, the match must be restarted. If previous games were under the wrong ruleset, they are void and must be replayed.

3. Stage Selection

The stage selection process is as follows and is done throughout the match:

• Home team selects the first stage for game 1

  • The home team is listed on the left in the Leaguespot match page

• The losing player will select the next stage

• Repeat step 2 until the match is complete

4. Stages

The following stages are permitted for use in MNVL matches:

• Battlefield

• Small Battlefield

• Town & City

• Pokémon Stadium 2

• Smashville

5. Self-Destruct Finishes

In the event where the game ends due to a self-destruct move, the results screen will determine the winner of the game.

6. Sudden Death

If time expires and a sudden death is started, the player with the highest number of stocks is the winner of the match. If both players had the same amount of stocks, the player with the lower percentage wins. If both players had the same amount of stocks and the same percentage, players should execute the below scenario:

In the event where both players knock-out at the same time and initiate a sudden death, players will play a tiebreaker game on the same stage with the same characters using the official match format with the following modifications:

• Stock: 1

• Stock & Time: 3 minutes

7. Restrictions

7.1 DLC Fighters

DLC Fighters are prohibited from being used in MNVL events for the first two weeks of their release. After the two week restriction has passed a DLC Fighter will be allowed to be used in MNVL matches.

7.2 MII Fighters

Players must use a Guest Mii. If a player chooses to use a Mii Fighter, they must declare to their opponent the type and moveset listed in the format “Type XXXX” (e.g. “Gunner 1321”). Any combination of moves may be used, but any Mii Fighters that a player may want to use during a match must be created before the match begins (up to a limit of three Mii Fighters) or else they will be prohibited from doing so. Using Mii Fighters that do not follow these rules may result in a player forfeiting the game in which the illegal Mii Fighter was used.

7.3 Amiibo

All amiibo figures are prohibited from use in official matches.

7.4 Stages

Alternate forms to the stages listed in section 4 or 5 are prohibited from play in official matches.

8. Stoppage of Play

Players unplugging their controller at any time, accidentally or intentionally, will result in a forfeiture of the series. Any controller malfunctions are the player’s responsibility, and as such the MN Varsity League will not force a game/match restart should a player’s controller malfunction during a game.

In the event that a player should have internet connectivity issues that causes them to drop out of the game the game will be reset only if both players have all their starting stocks, combined have not accumulated more than 60% damage, and a minute in-game has not passed. If these conditions are not met, then the player will forfeit that game, unless their opponent agrees to a redo.

In the event where the game server is lagging (e.g. it takes much more than a second for an in-game second to pass or the smash ball loading icon is constantly appearing), the game may be reset if and only if both players consent to the reset.

9. Player Count

Matches are played as 1 versus 1, meaning that only one player may participate in the match for either side. Substitutions are not allowed.

10. Outside Communication

Players may communicate with a coach only during the ban process before the match and in between matches, not during gameplay.

11. Reporting Scores

Scores for Super Smash Bros should be reported as the stock score for each match in the series

Example:

• Match 1: 1-0

• Match 2: 2-0

• Match 3: 0-1

• Match 4: 3-0

1. Supported Platforms and Version

All official matches for MNVL will be played on PC on Minecraft Java Edition version 1.18.1, no snapshot. Version 1.9+ PVP will be used.

2. Default Game Time and Match Length

• The default game time for Minecraft 2v2 is Tuesday at 5pm.

• All matches for the regular season and playoffs will be a best of 3.

3. Players

All official MNVL matches will be 2v2 (two-player team vs another two-player team). A match must be started with both players for each team present. Should a team not have their full two player roster they may ask their opponent to play the match at a reduced player count. The opposing team (team with their full roster) will have the option to play or to take a forfeit win.

4. Game Server

All official MNVL matches will be played on the MNVL server. The MNVL server address will be given to all participants once they have registered to the league.

5. Map Selection

There will be five maps available for official MNVL matches.

• 2v2:

  • Y’s Island

  • Dragon

  • Jungle

  • Archipelago

  • Stadium

Ban Process:

- Away team will ban one map

- Home team will ban one map

- Away team will ban one map

- Home team will select which of the remaining two maps will be chosen for game 1

- The losing team of each game selects the next map for Game 2 and then Game 3, if needed

After the first game in the best of three series, all five maps are made available to be selected for Game 2 and Game 3 by the losing team. For playoffs, the higher seed will act as the home team and the lower seed will act as the away team

6. Player Disconnects

If a player disconnects before the first kill, or before the first upgrade is purchased (whichever comes first) then the game shall be restarted using the same map. If either of those events have occurred, the game will be played out. A player can rejoin after disconnecting by using the /rejoin command

7. Mods & Clients

No add-ons are allowed for official MNVL matches, and all players must use the default Minecraft client. Optifine is the only permitted mod.

8. Anti-Cheat

If a player is found to use any type of cheating program, software, bug exploit, or anything deemed to give them an unfair advantage they will be subject to forfeit all matches played up to that point in the season and will be banned from participating in any future MNVL matches or tournaments.

9. Minecraft Game Day Procedures

As part of the MNVL Minecraft Bedwars season you will need to add the MNVL multiplayer server. The server address will be given to your coach and can be found at the top of the Minecraft league page in Leaguespot.

Once on the server follow these steps to set up and play your match:

1. Create a party of your teammates by using the “/party invite” command and typing or selecting the name of your teammates (For example: /party invite thundermcfadden11)

   1. They will have to click accept or type “/party accept” to join

2. Once you have a full party, communicate with the opposing team using the server chat function or the Leaguespot chat function

   1. The away team bans one map, and the home team selects one of the remaining two maps to play

   2. Each map has 5 copies (e.g. Jungle1, Jungle2, Jungle3…). Coordinate with your opponents to choose a specific numbered version of the map that is not being currently used by any other teams.

      1. If all instances of a map are being used, please wait until one is available. You should not play on a different map unless both teams agree.

3. Once you have decided the map, both captains must queue for that particular map using the NPCs at the edge of the lobby.

   1. Click Map selector and choose the selected map to queue into it

4. Once all players are loaded into the map, a countdown will start. Once it reaches zero, the match will begin and players will spawn at their base

5. Make sure to save a screenshot once the game is complete as you will need it when reporting your results.

10. Sudden Death and Tiebreaker

Sudden death occurs six minutes after the last emerald generator upgrade. In sudden death, both teams' beds are destroyed and players fight until one team is eliminated. If after 12 minutes both teams are still alive, the match will end. In this case the tie will be resolved by both teams choosing a single player as a representative, and those two players will battle in a 1v1. This will take place in the MNVL Gym Arena as a best of 1 to determine the victor. All arena armor and items are available for use in the tiebreaker.

11. Anti Griefing Clause

The intentional use of exploits, bugs, or using features on the MNVL server in a way that they are not intended is considered griefing. Instances of griefing will be subject to league penalties as outlined in General Rules section 11. The severity of the penalty will be based on the following factors:

• Effect on gameplay

• Subject matter

• Previous offenses

• Motive

12. Tactical Pauses

Teams are allowed one tactical pause in between matches, but not during a match. This pause may last up to 3 minutes per team. Pauses must be declared to the opposing team both when they begin and when the pause expires.

13. Outside Communication

Teams may have communication with a coach only before matches begin, and in between games in a series. Coaches may not speak to their team while they are actively in the game.

14. Reporting Scores

Scores for Minecraft should be reported as a 1 for the winner in each match in the series

• Example:

  • Match 1: 1-0

  • Match 2: 0-1

  • Match 3: 0-1

Note: Players are strongly encouraged to play all MNVL matches with an ethernet adapter or from the same room as their internet router if wifi is being used to ensure the best quality of matches.

1. Supported Platforms

• Nintendo Switch

2. Default Game Time & Match Length

• The default game time for Mario Kart 2v2 is Tuesday at 4pm.

• Each game in a match will consist of 4 total races

• Each match will be played as a best of three game series (for a maximum total of 12 races) in all regular season matches, playoffs, and finals.

3. Game Lobby

• 150cc Race

• Teams On

• Normal Items

• No COM

• All Vehicles

• 4 Races

• Auto/Smart Steering and Auto Forward are allowed to be on

4. Map Selection

All maps are playable for official MNVL matches.

Each team will choose a map and the game will randomly select one of the maps for that round. Once a map has been raced on, it can not be re-selected or used later in the match. Meaning if one team selected Star Road and it was chosen for the first map to race on. Star Road can not be selected again for the duration of the entire match.

5. Players and Scoring

Points are determined by the Game, and winners and losers are determined by the Game. There are no outside additional points.

6. Restrictions

1. Miis and Amiibos are allowed in competitive play.

2. All vehicle configurations are allowed.

3. Any new karts, tracks, or characters released once the season starts can be used. Admin can modify the allowed vehicles/maps with written notice to the league (on the MNVL Discord server)

7. Stoppage of Play

In the event that a player disconnects during a race, the current race will be paused for up to 5 minutes while you wait for the player to reconnect. After the disconnected player rejoins, then the match will continue. If the disconnected player hasn’t rejoined five minutes after pausing, then the match will continue and that player can rejoin when able. If they still have not connected by the end of the race, the next race shall be played without the disconnected player.

8. Players

Matches are played as a 2 vs 2 with players on each team controlling their own cars, which amounts to a total of four cars in each race.

Both teams must provide 2 players at the beginning of the first game, and 1 for each game following (unless the team with more players present agrees to play the match with a player advantage). During a game, if a team has 2 players intentionally disconnect from the match at the same time, that team will forfeit the remainder of the match to the opposing team. If a team does not have 1 or more players for additional games in the series, then they will forfeit the remainder of the match.

9. Outside Communication

Players may communicate with a coach only before the match begins and in between games in the series, but not during gameplay.

10. Tactical Pauses

Teams are allowed one tactical pause between matches in the series, but not when a game is actively being played. This pause may last up to 3 minutes per team. Pauses must be declared to the opposing team both when they begin and when the pause expires.

11. Reporting Scores

Scores for Mario Kart should be reported as the total team score for each team as is presented by the in game scoring feature

• Example:

  • Match 1: 91 - 62

12. Tiebreaker

If a Tie does occur based upon points, then 1 more race must be done, the team with the higher amount of points after the race is the winner. Each team will choose a map and the game will randomly select one of the maps for the final race. Maps already selected earlier in the match cannot be chosen for a tiebreaker.

1. Platforms
All official matches for MNVL will be played on Chess.com. You must have a username and profile created on Chess.com to compete. Chess.com supports the following platforms:

• PC

• Mobile App

2. Default Game Time & Match Length

• Default game time is Thursdays at 5pm.

• All matches for the regular season and finals will be a best of 3 style format, where the first player to reach 2 points wins the match. A win will be worth 1 point, and a draw is worth 0.5 points. If players are tied at 2 points, tiebreaker games will take place and the first player to win a game will win the series. The home team will decide which side to play for the first tie-breaker, and then side choice will alternate for any further tie-breaker matches.
  

  3. Players
  All official MNVL matches will be one player vs one player. Any instance of an outside influence or more than one player competing for a side will be determined as cheating and will be subject to consequences depending on the severity of the offense, and if any previous offenses have occurred. Consequences will be immediate forfeiture of the match, as well as the possibility for personal suspension from the league or school-wide suspension from the league (this will be voted on by all coordinators in the league).
  
  4. Game Lobby
  The home team/player will make the lobby and challenge the away team/player. All official MNVL matches must be played with the following settings:

• Time: 5|5 Min

• Type: Standard

• Rated: Off

5. Sides
The home team/player will have selection of side (White or Black) for the first match of the series. After the first match has been played, the losing player will have side selection for the following match.

6. Stoppage of Play
If a player disconnects, they will have the remaining time left on their clock to reconnect and play. Should their time run out while disconnected, they will forfeit the match.

7. Tactical Pauses

Teams are allowed one tactical pause in between matches, but not during a match. This pause may last up to 3 minutes per team. Pauses must be declared to the opposing team both when they begin and when the pause expires.

8. Outside Communication
Players may communicate with a coach only before the match and in between matches, not during gameplay.

9. Reporting Scores
Scores for Chess should be reported as a 1-0 for a win and a 1-1 for a tie.

• Example:

  • Match 1: 1-0

  • Match 2: 0-1

  • Match 3: 1-1

  • Match 4: 1-0