How Our Rankings Work: The Elo System Explained

Our leaderboards use the Elo rating system, a popular method from the world of competitive chess and esports. Think of it not just as a score, but as a dynamic measure of your team's skill level relative to everyone else.

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The Basics: Every team starts with a base score (e.g., 1200 Elo). When you win a match, you gain Elo points from your opponent. When you lose, you give points to them. The key is that the number of points exchanged depends on the rating difference between the two teams.

Match Scenarios Explained

• Beating a Higher-Ranked Team (An Upset): This is the most rewarding type of win. You'll gain a large number of Elo points for achieving an unexpected victory.
• Losing to a Higher-Ranked Team (Expected Outcome): There is little penalty for losing to a top-ranked team. The system expected them to win, so you will only lose a small number of Elo points.
• Beating a Lower-Ranked Team (Expected Outcome): Since you were favored to win, you will gain a small number of Elo points. This keeps the rankings accurate without giving you a huge boost for an easy match.
• Losing to a Lower-Ranked Team (An Upset): This is the most punishing loss. Because you were heavily favored, losing to an underdog will cost you a significant number of Elo points.

In short, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the reward. This system provides a much more accurate picture of a team's true skill than a simple win-loss record.