[Steve Ketron]

I know that I have said that MARC is going back to the standard W-L-T SEEDING SYSTEM. However after consulting with several members of the MARC Staff, I am rescinding that statement and making a final decision to stick with the original seeding system for this years game. One of my advising members said it best and I am copying and pasting it here:

"The goal, if there was to be a change in seeding, is to somehow make it more desirable to go after a 5-3 win rather than deliberately losing 0-20 in a 6v0 game. I've looked at tweaking the formula, using different additive or multiplicative factors for a win, lots of things. The best algorithm I can come up with is keeping the winner's seeding the same, but giving the loser the average of the winning and losing score. But that depends on being able to hack the field system, or create a new ranking system.
A side issue is scoring for the opponents to increase your seeding score (while you still win). There's nothing much any system that is based on coopertition can do about that. If the losing alliance score is a benefit to the winning alliance, there will be the incentive to score for the opponents no matter what the system.

I wouldn't like to go to a straight W/T/L system. That gives equal weighting to a 1-0 win and a 11-10 win. Clearly the latter should be rewarded more. The coopertition bonus did that."

As for the alliance selection, we will be going with 4 team alliances, 1-8, 8-1, 1-8 and every alliance partner has to play in at least one elimination match.

Thank you Jack, Lisa, Gary and the rest of the reffing crew for your inputs into this decision. Game changing rules will be posted soon.