Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL) Winter State Finals at St. Cloud State University!
Cheer on MN high schools as they compete for to be the MNVL State Champion title in nine game titles.
WHERE
Atwood Memorial Union
St. Cloud State University
651 1st Ave S, St Cloud, MN 56301
WHEN
Friday - Saturday, March 13-14, 2026
Check-in starts at 8:00 am on both days.
The schedule and brackets will be available soon.
Streaming
Can’t attend in-person? Catch it online @ youtube.com/@mnvarsityleague
TICKET INFO
Event is free for all winter season participants and coaches.
Join us for an electrifying experience at the MNVL State Finals! Secure your tickets now to cheer on your friends and family as they compete in thrilling matches. We have options for adults and students, offering single-day passes or full-event passes to witness every epic moment of the action-packed showdown!
Ticket Prices and Online Orders will be available soon
Parking
Atwood Memorial Center is circled on the map and is the location of the MNVL State Finals. The address is 651 First Ave S, St Cloud, MN 56301. Buses can drop students off on 6th street in front of Atwood, take a left down 1st Ave and then another left onto 4th street to get to lot C on the corner of 4th Ave and 5th street. This will be the bus only parking lot.
Parking for everyone else will have a couple options. They will be able to use lot V between 8th and 9th street and 5th Ave S. Please note there are 3 different V lots all right next to each other. Street parking west of 5th Ave S is also free. Please note that you cannot park within 15 feet of the street corner, or you will get a parking ticket. If you would like to park closer, the 4th Ave parking ramp, located on 4th Ave and 6th street, is $1.50/hr. or $5.00/day and will be first come first serve.
Dining
More information will be available closer to the event.
Exclusive Merch
More information will be available closer to the event.
Don’t forget to book a hotel for finals!
Hotel Blocks are pending. More information will be available soon.
Teams are responsible for their own accommodations and arrangements.
Here is a list of hotels in the area.
Competitor Know Before You Go
Game Rulesets
Below are all the changes to the rulesets for the tournament.
Anything not listed here will follow regular season rulesets.
For the season rulesets, please click here.
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Tournament Type: Double Elimination Tournament
Teams: 16 players
Matches:
First to 2 points for all matches, including bracket reset, if needed.
Points will be awarded: loss 0 pt, draw 0.5 pt, win 1 pt.
If both players tie at 2 points, they will continue to play until a winner is decided.
Other Notes:
Unlike the season, teams will compete over a physical board.\
If a person touches a piece, they must move it.
All other rules, including time control, will be the same as the regular season: 10 minutes with a 3-second interval bonus time.
The high seed gets white first.
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Tournament Type: Pool Play/Group Stage into Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 16 teams (4 groups of 4 teams); the top team of each group will advance to the tournament
Matches:
Best of 1 (Each game is first to 8 rounds) for all pool play matches.
Best of 3 (Each game is first to 8 rounds) for all tournament matches.
Tiebreaker: If multiple teams tie in pool play.
2 Team Tie – Head to head (Between the two tied teams, whoever beat the other team will advance).
3 Team Tie – Round differential
Total points scored vs. points scored on team.
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Tournament Type: Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 8 teams
Matches:
Round 1: Best of 1.
All Other Matches: Best of 3.
Other Notes: High seed gets choice of side/color.
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Tournament Type: Pool Play/Group Stage into Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 16 teams (4 groups of 4 teams); the top team of each group will advance to the tournament
Other Rules:
All games will be played split-screen using one monitor per team.
If you wish to use headphones, please bring your own that have an AUX port. Auxiliary splitters will be provided for each switch. Bluetooth will not be allowed.
High seed makes the lobby.
Matches:
Best of 1 (4 races) for all pool play matches.
Best of 3 (8 – 12 races) for all tournament matches.
Tiebreaker: If multiple teams tie in pool play.
2 Team Tie - Head to head (Between the two tied teams, whoever beat the other team will advance).
3 Team Tie - Total score from all three matches, not including tiebreaker points.
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Tournament Type: Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 8 Teams
Matches: Best of 3 for all matches
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Tournament Type: Pool Play/Group Stage into Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 8 teams (2 groups of 4 teams); the top two teams of each group will advance to the tournament
Matches:
Best of 1 for all pool play matches.
Best of 3 for all tournament matches.
Tiebreaker: If multiple teams tie in pool play.
2 Team Tie – Head to head (Between the two tied teams, whoever beat the other team will advance).
3 Team Tie – Teams will move to an Arena 1v1 duel following normal season rules.
One representative from each team will be chosen to participate in the Arena 1v1. The same student can be chosen for all duel matches, or a different student can be used for each duel match.
The bottom two seeded teams will duel first. Then, the winner of that match will duel the high seed. The winner of that match will advance to the tournament.
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Tournament Type: Pool Play/Group Stage into Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 16 teams (4 groups of 4 teams); the top team of each group will advance to the tournament
Matches:
Best of 3 for all pool play matches.
Best of 5 for all tournament matches.
Tiebreaker: If multiple teams tie in pool play.
2 Team Tie – Head to head (Between the two tied teams, whoever beat the other team will advance).
3 Team Tie – Game Differential, then total goal differential.
Game Differential
+2 points: 2-0
+1 points: 2-1
-1 points: 1-2
-2 points: 0-2
Goal Differential:
Total goals scored vs. goals scored on team.
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Tournament Type: Double Elimination Tournament
Teams: 32 players
Matches: Best of 5 for all matches, including bracket reset if needed
Other Notes: The high seed will be the home team and follow the stage selection process. The high seed also announces their character first for game 1.
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VALORANT
Tournament Type: Single Elimination Tournament
Teams: 8 teams
Matches:
Best of 1 for all matches except the championship and 3rd place match.
Best of 3 for the championship and 3rd place match.
Other Notes: High seed is home seed.
Map Selection:
For all matches except the championship and 3rd place match, map selection will follow the season rules
For the championship and third place game, the home team (High Seed) chooses if they want to be Team A or Team B and they will follow the below process.
Team B bans 1 map
Team A bans 1 map
Team B selects Map 1
Team A selects attack/defense for Map 1
Team A selects Map 2
Team B selects attack/defense for Map 2
Team A bans
Team B selects Map 3
Team A selects attack/defense for Map 3
Equipment
Setups:
The tournament venue will provide all PC setups, including a mouse, mousepad, keyboard, and headset.
What Should I Bring:
Peripherals: Mouse and Keyboard (headsets will be provided; personal headsets will not be allowed)
Controller: Players must bring their own controller(s), as MVVL will not provide any controllers on-site. If a player brings a controller, ensure the controller's cord is also brought. Bluetooth connections are not permitted.
KNOW YOUR SETTINGS so that you can get prepared quickly before your match.
Students should be ready to set up all the equipment they bring promptly. They cannot download custom drivers/etc. All outside equipment will be inspected by MVVL staff before use in tournament play.
Please make sure you label all equipment with contact information!
**Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart Competitors**
All competitors MUST bring their own switch with a docking station, power cord, and desired controllers. If you are participating in Mario Kart, the Switch MUST have access to online play. One switch per team is needed. If you would like to use a headset, please also make sure to bring one with an AUX port.
Account Information
No backup accounts will be available.
Students must have access to their own accounts or school accounts and use them during the competition.
Players must have their account information ready to log in at match time.
MVVL recommends that all students test their logins before attending the tournament and bring their phone for any two-factor verification when logging in. For all titles, players should be prepared to alter any settings/key bindings they’ll need (in-game) if they are not carried over from their primary account. We recommend taking a picture of your settings page for future reference.
Chess: Chess will not be held online at the State Tournament. Physical boards will be used. MVVL will provide all chessboards and clocks.
Fortnite: Players will need their Epic Games Login Information.
League of Legends: Players will need their Riot ID Login Information.
Mario Kart: No login is needed; however, the students should know the controller scheme and be able to create it quickly.
Marvel Rivals: Players will need their account login information from their platform. That might be Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, or PlayStation. Regardless of the platform a player uses, they will log into the Epic Games Launcher. Epic Games Launcher supports logins from Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, or PlayStation accounts.
Minecraft Bed Wars: Players will need their Microsoft Account Login information that owns Minecraft Java.
Rocket League: Players will need their Epic Games Login Information. Console players must make an Epic Games account and link it to their console account. Follow this guide to this: https://www.rocketleague.com/activate/
Super Smash Bros Ultimate: No login is needed; however, the students should know the controller scheme and be able to create it quickly.
VALORANT: Players will need their Riot ID Login Information.
