MSEL 2021 Spring Survival Guide

WHEN DOES THE SEASON START?

Below, you will find the key dates for our Spring Major season. Dates are subject to change based on the impact of coronavirus on schools across the country.

• Registration: 2/1/2021 - 5/2/2021
• Preseasion: 3/1/2021 - 3/7/2021
• 8 Week Season: 3/8/2021 - 5/2/2021
• 1 Week Playoffs: 5/7/2021 - 5/16/2021
• Championships: 5/17/2021 - 5/23/2021

WHO CAN PLAY AND HOW DO I GET STARTED?

The 2021 MSEL Spring tournament is open to all US Middle Schools and their students who have registered a team with MSEL. 

1. Create a Team: If this is your school’s first season, you will need to register a team. Visit this link and fill out the registration form for a school official. Make sure that you register with your school email address. (If you are a returning team please skip down to step 4)
2. Create a New Gmail Account: Once your team has been approved, you will need to create a new gmail account to attach to your school’s account. You can change the email tied to your account by clicking on your name in the upper right corner of the page and selecting "Settings". On your settings page change the shown email to your new gmail address and press save.
   
3. Team Approval: After your team has been approved, your Regional Customer Success Associate will contact you to guide you through the next steps in creating your team. Fill out the spreadsheet they provide with how many student accounts your team will need for the tournament.
   
4. Connect your games. Students will need to set up game connections in order to be added to rosters. From your Dashboard select.“Connect Games” on the left menu bar and then click the “Add Game Connection” button. From the popup window, select the game you wish to add from the dropdown menu and enter the screen name you use (please include the numbers included in your Friend Code for Nintendo Switch games). Make sure to do this for every game you wish to participate in.
   
   
5. Create a Roster:  From your Team Dashboard, select the “Roster” button on the top of the page. From this page you will be able to edit any existing rosters, or create new ones by clicking the “Create New” button. Name your roster, making sure to include your school name (example: Middleton Rocket League), select which game the roster is going to be playing from the drop down menu and click on the “Add Members” button. Keep in mind that only members with the correct game connections will appear on the “Available Members” list on the popup screen.
   
   
6. Assign Battle Passes: From your team dashboard click on the “Battle Pass Inventory'' button. On your Battle Pass Inventory screen, you will be able to see how many passes you have available and how many have been assigned. Click the “Assign” button to be taken to the Assign Passes page. Here, you will be able to assign or revoke passes to any/all players who are on your team. All players on a roster must have a Battle Pass assigned to them in order to register for a tournament. Need help purchasing a Battle Pass? Check out this article on our knowledge base. This example shows an HSEL Battle Pass, but please make sure that you are purchasing a Battle Pass for MSEL and not HSEL.
   
   
7. Register Your Roster for a Tournament: From your dashboard, click "Tournaments" on the left menu bar and then "Competitions" from the drop down menu. Here you will see tournaments for HSEL, MSEL and Generation Esports. Use the search bar to search for MSEL, to view all available MSEL tournaments. Once you have found the correct tournament, click on the image. From this page, click on the drop down and select the roster you just made and click "Register." Now you're ready to play!
   
   

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES FOR THIS SEASON?

Trophies and swag boxes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners for each game. 

WHEN DO WE PLAY OUR MATCHES?

MSEL participants will use our queue system for their weekly matches. On the scheduled game day, teams will have the option of queuing for their match at 5pm EST or 8pm EST for all games except Fortnite and Minecraft.

*Fortnite matches will be played at 7pm EST every Friday
**Minecraft will be played at 5pm in your local time zone every Wednesday

What if we miss a game?

If you miss a match don’t worry! You will be given 2 make up matches just in case you miss a couple of weeks. You can find the schedule for when make up matches will be played below. Makeup round will be held during Weeks 7 and 8 of the Regular Season. Each make up queue will be available at 7pm EST each day. 

Week 7 Makeup Schedule

Week 8 Makeup Schedule

WHAT IS THE QUEUE SYSTEM?

Our queue system is very similar to queue systems that have become standard in many online games. The big difference is we offer queue windows for each competition so teachers and teams can be aware of when to have their teams ready. For example, if you play Rocket League and your team is available to play Thursday at 5pm EST, you’ll join the 5:00 PM queue window anytime from 5:00 PM until 5:15 PM. At 5:15 PM, all teams in the queue will be assigned their opponent and then you’ll all be automatically sent to your match page where you can chat with your team and opponent in one place. From there the designated home team will create the game lobby, you will play your match, and then come back to the platform to report your score.

Each week of competition, teams will choose to play their match at 5pm EST or 8pm EST on their game day. Once a team selects their time, all participating members will join a queue lobby and queue up for their match. Your team will be matched against an opponent 15 minutes after the hour (5:15pm EST, or 8:15pm EST). Once the teams are matched against each other, the communication will begin in Match Chat, with the match starting shortly thereafter. After the game is played, the winner of the game must report the match outcome. You can read the full rundown here.

HOW CAN WE GET IN CONTACT WITH OUR OPPONENT?

All team admins or coaches will need to utilize the Match Chat feature on the Match Page to communicate with their opponents. Once your queue “pops” for your weekly match, you will be able to contact your opponent directly through your match page. 

HOW DO WE REPORT SCORES/FORFEITS?

To report scores or forfeits, click on the match from your dashboard and scroll to the section called, “Report Match Score.” If the match was forfeited, click the “win by forfeit” box under the winning team’s name. Once you submit, you will be able to see who reported the score. Match scores and forfeits must be reported as soon as your match has finished.

HOW CAN WE REPORT RULE BREAKS OR TOXIC BEHAVIOR?

For fastest support with rule violations, toxic behavior, or match disputes, please submit a match dispute ticket along with any evidence you have to support your claim.

WHAT ARE THE MATCH SETTINGS/RULES FOR X GAME?

You will find match settings and rules for each game in the link below.

MSEL Match Settings & Rules

What if we don’t register in time?

Don’t worry, if you don’t get signed up in time you can always contact us HERE and we can work with you to get your teams into the tournaments!

WHAT KINDS OF MATERIALS DO I NEED FOR MY CLUB OR ESPORTS PROGRAM?

We’ve created a few templates coaches and admins can use to help structure their esports program. Below you will find said templates which can be used or modified to fit each program’s specific needs.

Code of Conduct

Parental Consent Form

Student By Laws

Our partner, Varsity Esports Foundation, has launched the Esports Education Network, providing you with valuable courses to teach you about esports and how to start a club at your school.

What is Esports?

How to Start a School Esports Club?