PLAYOFFS

The Quarterfinals, for Divisions 1 through 4, start now! The format will be a best of 5 match with the higher seeded team earning the right to choose side (marines or aliens) or map first. Normal best of x rounds procedures apply afterward. Premier and Division 1 start their playoffs with the Semifinals best of 7 match. Good luck, teams!

The Quarterfinals matches have been posted for at least a week with some divisions already having several weeks to plan their matches. Please have your matches scheduled by this weekend and played by the latest, June 8th. If it's not possible to play a match within that timeframe, please contact me through Steam or PM.

A reminder that rosters are now locked for the entire league. Players that joined a team during the last week of their respective regular season may only play in matches for their team as a merc. Please keep that in mind if you need to play matches with substitutes.

COMPETITIVE MOD - THIRD ITERATION

We've had two iterations of the competitive mod this season and will play out the rest of the season with the current mod. The balance team has met and outlined a rough plan for the third iteration. Look for release to be this summer after Season 4's playoffs are complete. We've posted a changelog for your dissection here.

SUMMER PLANS

The summer time has historically been a period of inactivity in the NSL. We'd like a break between now and Season 5, but don't want the league to shutdown completely. Another Nations Cup is on the docket, along with several draft tournaments. If there are ideas for competitions you'd like to see or things we can do to pass the summer, let us know here.

AUSNS2 DRAFT TOURNAMENT

Our friends from down under, the AusNS2 League is holding a draft tournament next month. Check out the provided link for more details.

RULE CHANGE

Lastly, there's been a rule change for mid round substitutions. This applies to rule 8.i.vii. Previously, the rule was, regardless of circumstance, players were not allowed to be substituted mid round. The rule change allows players to be substituted with the incoming player receiving zero (0) personal resources. Dragon has written this new feature into the NSL mod. This will allow teams to finish a round without being short a player and prevent teams from exploiting this option.

(vii) It is the responsibility of the player to ensure that their hardware and internet connection is in a state ready to play. If a player disconnects and is unable to return, their team may substitute that player with a member from their roster or another substitute, as long as it does not violate the substitute rule. The incoming player will receive zero (0) personal resources.

Let's finish this season on a high note and have some exciting playoff games. Good luck and have fun.