Clock Cup Season 3 Qualification is now open until December 4th 11:59 PM EST!
Scheduling/Viewing:
All matches do not have a set date due to planning in specific time zones and other logistics.
Competitors will always be notified of a match before it is live, and we will try to announce it in advance.
All matches can be viewed on our YouTube channel Clock Cup
Solving:
During an attempt, both competitors will be given a randomly generated scramble along with a draw scramble to confirm. Competitors will be trusted to scramble correctly.
A coin flip before the match will determine who goes first (see group stage/bracket procedures).
Competitors are limited to 15 seconds of inspection, we request that they time the inspection as calls for time remaining will not be issued.
The other competitor may watch the entirety of the other competitors solve.
Standard WCA penalties apply for +2s and DNFs.
The process repeats with the other competitor after the other competitors attempt is complete.
Breaks / Duration
Competitors will have the option to receive a halftime break when a total of 15 points have been rewarded. The break is approximately 5 minutes. however can be shortened if desired by both competitors in the match.
Generally, this means every match is on average around 30-45 minutes if every attempt takes a little over one minute.
Group Stage Explanation
The Group Stage of the Clock Cup is based off of the EURO 24 Group Stage format.
Competitors who qualify will be placed into 4 pots of 6 people. The pots are based off of the rankings within the qualification round, with the top 6 in one pot, the bottom 6 in another pot, and so on.
In the Group Stage Draw, the competitors will be drawn into 6 groups (Group A-F) of 4 with one competitor from each pot.
During the Group Stage, each competitor will face each other once, so a competitor will compete for at least 3 matches and there will be 6 matches in total per group.
After a match, a win will award a competitor with 3 points, and a loss with award a competitor with 0 points.
The top two competitors in each group after all matches have been completed will advance to the knockout stage. The remaining 4 spots in the Ro16 will be decided by 4 best third place competitors who did not automatically advance to the Ro16. These are referred to as the wildcards.
If there is a tie in points, the competitor with the higher solve difference will advance.
Group Stage Match Procedures
At the beginning of the match, a coin flip will determine who goes first. Whoever wins decides whether to go first or second. After the first solve, the competitors alternate. For example: If competitor A goes first during the first solve, competitor B will go first during the second solve.
The winner of each solve gains 1 point. Whoever gets to 15 points first while maintaining a 2 point lead wins.
The solve difference will still be calculated for all matches and will be shown on the results page. In the case of a tie in points on the group stage, the competitor with the higher solve difference will win.
A visual of the group stage format is provided here.
Ro16 Explanation
The draw processes are based off of the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 and Quarterfinal procedures.
After the Group Stage, there will be 6 Group Winners, 6 Group Runner-Ups, and 4 Wildcards. The competitors are ranked and placed into 2 pots of 8. Pot A will consist of the top half and Pot B will consist of the bottom half.
One competitor will be drawn from the Pot A, and another competitor will be drawn from the Pot B. The two that are drawn will be against each other in the Round of 16.
After the Round of 16 is over, the 8 remaining competitions will be placed into another Quarterfinal draw. This will be a completely randomized bracket that determines the future matchups and paths for the rest of the Clock Cup season.
The losers of the semi-finals will get to compete in a separate 3rd place playoff to determine 3rd place. This match will be the same as all of the other bracket matches.
Round of 16 Procedures
At the beginning of the match, a coin flip will determine who goes first. Whoever wins decides whether to go first or second. After the first solve, the competitors alternate. For example: If competitor A goes first during the first solve, competitor B will go next during the second solve.
The winner of each solve gains 1 point. Whoever gets to 15 points first wins. The winner of the match advances to the next round which would be (in chronological order) the quarterfinals, semi-finals, or final.
In the case of the semi-finals, the losers from both matches will compete in a separate match for 3rd place.
The final will still be a ft15 format, win by 2.