The format glossary covers every term a viewer will hear on the broadcast. Bo1 means best-of-one; the match ends after the first map. Bo3 means best-of-three; the match ends when one team wins two maps. Bo5 means best-of-five; the match ends when one team wins three maps. Single elim, double elim, GSL, Swiss and round robin are the five main tournament formats. Side selection decides which team starts on the attacking side versus the defending side. Economy phase determines what weapons and utility each player can afford for the next round. Lower bracket reset gives the lower bracket team a second chance in double-elim finals. Map veto is the pre-match process where each side bans maps until the pool narrows. The glossary below links to deeper explainers where one exists.
The format glossary covers every term a viewer will hear on the broadcast. Bo1 means best-of-one; the match ends after the first map. Bo3 means best-of-three; the match ends when one team wins two maps. Bo5 means best-of-five; the match ends when one team wins three maps. Single elim, double elim, GSL, Swiss and round robin are the five main tournament formats. Side selection decides which team starts on the attacking side versus the defending side. Economy phase determines what weapons and utility each player can afford for the next round. Lower bracket reset gives the lower bracket team a second chance in double-elim finals. Map veto is the pre-match process where each side bans maps until the pool narrows. The glossary below links to deeper explainers where one exists.
The editorial standard applies across the site. The verification note attached to each entry lists the source page the data was drawn from. We do not fabricate placement, roster composition, dates, scores, brackets or player data. Where a figure is pending publication by the league, the entry says so explicitly and does not invent one.
For viewers who want to read more, the related hubs linked below cover the same topic from different angles. The tournament index pairs with the match schedule to surface the format primer for each event. The team directory pairs with the player profiles to surface the current roster for each team. The news desk pairs with the guides to surface the editorial standard for each story.
Every figure on the site links back to a verified source: the league page, the org's official announcement, or the developer's patch post. Where a figure is pending publication, the entry says so.
Each format below uses a worked example from week 38. The format primer shows the round layout, the typical stage and the broadcast block length.
One bracket, no second chance. The shortest format. Bo3 from the quarterfinals onward; Bo5 in the finals. The round layout reads top to bottom; the winner is the team at the bottom of the bracket after the grand final. Atlas Cup playoff (week 39) is the worked example.
Upper + lower bracket. The most matches per cycle. Bo3 throughout; Bo5 in the grand final with a one-map advantage for the upper bracket team. Northern Open playoff (week 38–40) is the worked example.
Two groups of four with an opening and a decider match, then cross into a single-elim playoff. Bo2 / Bo3 format. The round layout reads group by group; the winner is the team that wins the grand final. Continental Swiss group stage (week 39) is the worked example.
Re-pair teams with the same record each round. Bo1 / Bo3 format. Three wins advance; three losses end the run. The round layout reads round by round; the pairings update after every result. Mediterranean Open (week 40) is the worked example for round robin.
Bo1 means best-of-one. The match ends after the first map. Bo1 rounds run fast — typically 30 to 45 minutes from the buy phase to the post-match interview. Bo1 rounds are common in Swiss stages where the round count matters more than the per-match depth.
Bo3 means best-of-three. The match ends when one team wins two maps. Bo3 rounds run longer — typically 90 to 150 minutes across the full map series, with breaks between maps for caster analysis and player setup. Bo3 rounds are common in group stages and most playoff rounds.
Bo5 means best-of-five. The match ends when one team wins three maps. Bo5 rounds run the longest — typically three to four hours end-to-end, especially when the map series extends to 3-2. Bo5 rounds are reserved for grand finals and select major events.
The format glossary covers every term a viewer will hear on the broadcast. Where a term has multiple meanings across games, the glossary notes the variation. The glossary links to deeper explainers on the bracket explainer page and the map veto process page. The glossary is the public reference for the editorial standard on format literacy.
Five references for viewers who want to read the format glossary in detail, learn the bracket explainer and understand the map veto process.
Five formats, five round layouts. Worked examples from week 38 covering single elimination, double elimination, GSL groups, Swiss and round robin.
How the map veto works. Ban-ban-pick with a worked example from week 37, including side selection and the order that decides who picks first.
Every event on the competitive circuit, indexed by format and region. Format primers for each tournament card.
Today's matches, listed by start time in UTC. The match card carries the format, the stage and the verified broadcast link.
A three-step path from first bracket to first grand final, written for adult viewers new to esports.
The editorial desk covers format literacy the same way it covers every other editorial subject: cite the source, do not invent figures, and mark pending entries explicitly. The desk reads the league's published glossary after every cycle close and updates the format glossary on the guides index page. The desk does not infer glossary entries from a single broadcast; the entry must reflect the league's published glossary across the cycle.
Where the league has published a partial glossary entry — for example, a side bias figure that has not yet been published — the format glossary lists the published portion and marks the rest as pending. The desk does not estimate the missing portion. The desk does not run rumors. The desk does not paraphrase quotes from caster desks.
The desk publishes the format primer for every term on the format glossary page. The format primer covers the plain-language definition, the worked example and the deeper explainer link. The primer is editorial copy, not a citation; the desk reads the league's published glossary and the developer's patch post together to write the primer.
Where the format includes a map veto process, the desk publishes the veto order on the map veto process page. The veto order is the operational schedule for the match. The desk reads the league's published veto history and the developer's patch post together to write the veto read.
Where the format includes a side selection choice, the desk publishes the side bias figures on the games page. The side bias figures refresh after every major patch. The desk does not infer side bias from a single match; the figure must reflect the league's published match history across the cycle.
The format glossary is the public reference for format literacy. The bracket explainer is the starting point for new viewers. The map veto process page is the operational schedule for the match. Together, the three references are the operational map for the competitive circuit. The desk does not duplicate the references; the desk links to the references from the tournament card and the match card.