THE 2024 DrMC Vs Championship rules
Overview
In 1990, Nintendo capitalized on the runaway success of Tetris by releasing a new puzzle game, Dr. Mario. The two games were similar in that randomized puzzle pieces fell from the top of a narrow playfield and had to be strategically placed by the player to succeed. But Dr. Mario changed the focus from player vs the inevitable to player vs player. The goal in Dr. Mario is to be the first player to clear their playfield of dancing viruses while your opponent can slow your progress by pulling off combination chains. THE DrMC wants to bring together the best Dr. Mario players around and determine who is the best!
Format
The 2024 DrMC will take place on Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd at the TORG Gaming Expo in Columbus, Ohio. The qualifying rounds will take place on Saturday, November 2nd from around 10am through 5pm, and the playoffs will take place on Sunday, November 3rd.
Pre-Registration
New for 2024, we invite players to pre-register for their first qualifying pool. We will provide the link to the pre-registration form on the DrMC and TORG social media pages, as well as the DrMC Discord. Tournament staff will work to ensure talent will be evenly distributed among the qualifying pools. Players will be given an approximate time for their assigned pool before the tournament and will need to wait until a slot opens up in later pools if they do not check in at their assigned time.
Qualifying Round (Pool System)
The qualifying rounds will be made up of pools of 8 players each, where players will compete in a round robin format (7 total games). Players who go undefeated in pool play will automatically qualify for Sunday’s bracket and will not be permitted to requalify.
A Dr. Mario match usually consists of a best 3-out-of-5 game format, but due to time constraints, the qualifying rounds of THE DrMC will be single game matches. The qualifying rounds of THE DrMC will use Level 11/MED Speed (48 viruses) settings.
Immunity Pool
Returning from 2023, the first qualifying pool on Saturday morning will be an invite-only immunity pool. 8 players who have won a DrMC regional in the 2024 season, along with the 2023 DrMC World Champion, will be invited to compete in pool play at level 14/HI speed. Any players in this pool who finish with a winning record will automatically qualify and will be rewarded with a top seed in Sunday’s bracket, with the winner of the pool given the number 1 seed. It is mathematically possible for as many as 7 players and as few as 1 player to qualify with this format. Players who do not finish the immunity pool with a winning record will be permitted to requalify in regular pool play. This immunity pool will kick off the tournament with some of the best players in the DrMC competing against one another on stage.
Win totals
Players who win all 7 games (crowns) in their qualifying pool will automatically earn a spot in Sunday’s bracket. They will receive seeds directly below players who qualified in the immunity pool. Players who lose one or more crowns in qualifying play are invited to requalify if they like, but 1) it is likely a record of 6-1 or 5-2 will be enough to qualify at-large, and 2) players who have yet to qualify will be given preference over players making a subsequent qualifying attempt. We anticipate a large number of players participating and want to ensure everyone is given at least one qualifying attempt.
At-Large Qualifiers
At the conclusion of the final pool on Saturday, all immunity pool qualifiers and undefeated players in regular pool play will be guaranteed a slot in the 48-player championship bracket. Any slots remaining will be awarded to players by their winning percentage, number of attempts, and seeding points earned in pool play.
Seeding points
There will likely be several ties in winning percentage across the pools when determining the at-large players and determining the seeds for the playoff bracket. To break ties in the formation of the bracket, THE DrMC will use a simple point system based on the number of viruses remaining at the end of each match.
At the end of each match, the players will inform the judge the winner of the match, as well as the number of viruses the winning player and losing player have remaining on their playfield. The winning player will earn 2 points for every virus they destroy and 1 point for every virus remaining on their opponent’s playfield while the losing player will earn 1 point for every virus they destroy. Failure to report this information to the judge will result in both players losing seeding points for that match as the score will be recorded as 48/48, the same score we use to record forfeits. The seeding point system used over the course of several matches is intended to determine which players are finishing their playfields the fastest while giving partial credit to players who lose a match with only a handful of viruses left on their playfield.
Bracket Seeding
Sunday’s 48-player bracket will be seeded as follows:
Immunity Pool qualifiers
Undefeated regular pool players (1 attempt)
Undefeated regular pool players (multiple attempts)
Regular pool players with a 6-1 record (1 attempt)
Regular pool players with a 6-1 record (multiple attempts)
Regular pool players with a 5-2 record (1 attempt)
Regular pool players with a 5-2 record (multiple attempts)
Immunity pool qualifiers will be ranked/seeded first by their record, then in the case of a ties their head-to-head result will be the first tie breaker, then seeding points will be used as a final tie breaker.
Regular pool qualifiers will be ranked/seeded by their record, number of attempts, then seeding points. If a player has multiple qualifying attempts, their best performance will be accepted.
NOTE - in case there is heavy player traffic, the staff reserves the right to automatically qualify players with a 6-1 record and not allow further attempts. The DrMC staff wants to ensure everyone in attendance is able to try to qualify.
Playoffs
The final bracket will be announced at the conclusion of the qualifying period around 5pm on Saturday, November 2nd. The championship bracket will be played on Sunday, November 3rd. The 48 player bracket will be divided into eight 6-player sub-brackets. Players in each sub-bracket will be given a call time for Sunday, and each sub-bracket will play their round 0, round 1, and round 2 matches consecutively. At the conclusion of each sub-bracket the surviving player will be in the DrMC top 8. The top 8 will be given a call time around 2pm on Sunday and the final 3 rounds will be played to decide the DrMC championship. The championship bracket will be a single elimination format in traditional Dr. Mario best-3-out-of-5 matches, and will be played at Level 14/HI speed.
Fees/Prizes
There will be no entry fee for THE DrMC. Players who have qualified in the immunity pool or have gone undefeated in their regular pool may not requalify. Players who have made a qualifying attempt may only requalify if there are no players in the tournament area waiting to make their first attempt.
The TORG Gaming Expo has graciously sponsored the $2,000 prize pool for THE DrMC.
1st place - $1000
2nd place - $500
Semi Finalists - $250
There will also be a Matcherino where viewers can donate additional money to the prize pool. If the Matcherino reaches certain goals, we will expand the prize pool to more players.
Equipment
THE DrMC tournament organizers will provide consoles, cartridges, and monitors for the tournament. Players may bring their own standard-issue first-party NES controllers. If a player does not bring their own controller, THE DrMC will bring plenty for players to use. The Hi-Definition consoles used on stage require first party NES controllers only. Players should report any controller malfunctions during the first minute of play and a new controller can be provided.
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Stand-up Tournament Stations
THE DrMC can trace its origins and legacy back to the Nintendo World Championships. Players at the NWC in 1990, 1994, 2015 and 2017 stood while qualifying and also stood while competing on stage during their respective grand finals in front of large audiences. We strongly encourage our players to follow the example of the players of the past and stand while playing their bracket matches on stage. If a player must sit, the DrMC will have stools available on request. This seating option will keep players above the height of the audience. TORG expo will provide folding chairs for the audience, and these folding chairs are not permitted in the stage area. Folding chairs will be provided in the off-stream qualifying stations.
Etc…
Tournament organizers have the final say on any disputes that may come up during the competition. Tournament organizers may also modify this ruleset to fix unforeseen issues that may arise during the competition. Players who cheat, misbehave, or break any rule of The TORG Gaming Expo or the Greater Columbus Convention Center may be disqualified at the discretion of tournament organizers or TORG staff.
