Elimination Stage Matches

Overview

The Elimination Stage automaton handles Head-to-Head matches (1v1 or Team vs Team) with a sophisticated state machine that manages:

Ban phases (single or double ban rounds)
Pick phases (turn-based map selection)
Timeout system (one per team)
Best-of logic (BO7, BO9, BO11, etc.)
Tiebreaker enforcement
Score validation and win condition checking

Unlike the linear qualifier flow, elimination matches are dynamic and turn-based, requiring player interaction at each phase.

Match Flow

A typical elimination match follows this sequence:

Ban Phase

Teams alternate banning maps from the pool. The team with firstban privilege goes first.

Each team bans 2 maps (configurable)
Banned maps cannot be picked
Tiebreaker (TB1) cannot be banned

Pick Phase

Teams alternate picking maps to play. The team with firstpick privilege goes first.

Picked maps are loaded and played
Scores are tallied after each map
Picking alternates based on last pick (not based on who won)

Playing

When a map is picked:

Map is loaded with correct mods
90-second timer starts
Match begins when players ready or timer expires
Scores are extracted via regex when match finishes
Point awarded to winning team

Win Condition Check

After each map:

Check if either team reached (BestOf - 1) / 2 + 1 points
If tied at match point, automatically load tiebreaker
If win condition met, match ends

State Machine

The elimination automaton uses a complex state machine to manage the turn-based flow:

State Categories

Category	States	Description
Initialization	`Idle`	Waiting for referee to configure and start
Banning Phase	`BanPhaseStart` `WaitingForBanRed` `WaitingForBanBlue`	System enforces map bans based on configured order
Picking Phase	`PickPhaseStart` `WaitingForPickRed` `WaitingForPickBlue`	System waits for active team to select a map
Gameplay	`WaitingForStart` `Playing`	Map loaded, timer running, or match in progress
Resolution	`MatchFinished`	One team reached win condition
Interrupts	`OnTimeout` `MatchOnHold`	Timeout active or panic mode engaged

Pick and Ban Mechanics

Map Validation

When a player types a map slot (e.g., NM1, HD2), the system validates:

Map exists in the current round’s pool
Map is not already banned
Map is not already picked
Map is not TB1 (tiebreaker handled separately)

Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:518-531

Ban Phase Logic

Default configuration: 2 bans per team, alternating

FirstBan: Red
Red bans → Blue bans → Red bans → Blue bans → Pick phase starts

Bans are stored with team attribution:

bannedMaps.Add(new RoundChoice { 
    Slot = content.ToUpper(), 
    TeamColor = TeamColor.TeamRed 
});

Pick Phase Logic

Picking alternates based on lastPick (who picked last, not who won):

FirstPick: Red
Red picks → Map plays → Blue picks → Map plays → Red picks...

Pick Timer Expiration: If the timer runs out without a pick:

Opponent gets to pick for them
Picking order is not altered
Next pick returns to original alternation

Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:607-635

Tiebreaker Enforcement

When both teams reach match point:

if (pickedMaps.Count == currentMatch.Round.BestOf - 1)
{
    await PreparePick("TB1");
    pickedMaps.Add(new RoundChoice { 
        Slot = "TB1", 
        TeamColor = TeamColor.None 
    });
}

The tiebreaker is automatically loaded—no pick required. Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:804-809

Best-Of Logic

Win condition is calculated dynamically:

int pointsToWin = (currentMatch.Round.BestOf - 1) / 2 + 1;

bool redWin = matchScore[0] == pointsToWin;
bool blueWin = matchScore[1] == pointsToWin;

Best Of	Points to Win	Example Score
BO7	4	4-2, 4-3
BO9	5	5-3, 5-4
BO11	6	6-4, 6-5
BO13	7	7-5, 7-6

Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:811-826

Score Processing

Scores are extracted using regex when BanchoBot announces results:

var match = Regex.Match(content, @"^(.*) finished playing \(Score: (\d+),");

if (match.Success)
{
    string nick = match.Groups[1].Value;
    int score = int.Parse(match.Groups[2].Value);
    currentMapScores[nick] = score;
}

After “The match has finished!” is detected, scores are aggregated:

foreach (var player in currentMapScores)
{
    if (player.Key.Equals(currentMatch.TeamRed.DisplayName, ...))
        redTotal += player.Value;
    else if (player.Key.Equals(currentMatch.TeamBlue.DisplayName, ...))
        blueTotal += player.Value;
}

The team with the higher total wins the point. Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:270-289, 336-364

Double Ban Rounds

For certain rounds (e.g., semifinals, finals), a second ban phase occurs mid-match:

if (currentMatch.Round.BanRounds == 2 && pickedMaps.Count == 4)
{
    currentState = MatchState.SecondBanPhaseStart;
    // Each team bans 2 more maps
}

Workflow:

Initial ban phase (2 per team)
Play 4 maps
Second ban phase (2 per team)
Continue picking from remaining maps

The second ban phase reverses the ban order (if Red banned first initially, Blue bans first in round 2). Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:655-667, 795-800

Administrative Commands

Commands prefixed with > can be issued by the assigned referee via IRC or Discord.

Configuration Commands

Set First Pick

>firstpick [red/blue]

Sets which team picks first. Required before starting automation.Example:

>firstpick red

Set First Ban

>firstban [red/blue]

Sets which team bans first. Required before starting automation.Example:

>firstban blue

Control Commands

Start Automation

>start

Engages auto mode. Requires firstpick and firstban to be set.The system will:

Validate configuration
Enter BanPhaseStart
Begin the state machine cycle

You cannot start automation if firstpick or firstban are not configured. The bot will respond with “Properties not initialized.”

Stop Automation

>stop

Stops automation and returns manual control. The current state is preserved for resume.

Invoke Timeout

>timeout

Referee-initiated timeout (doesn’t consume player timeout quota). Pauses the match indefinitely until manually resumed.To resume, the referee types any command or waits for the system to auto-resume after the countdown.

Utility Commands

Invite Players

>invite

Invites both team captains to the lobby:

!mp invite {TeamRed}
!mp invite {TeamBlue}

Show Map Status

>maps

Displays current match state:

Bans: NM1, HD2, HR1, DT2 | Picks: NM3, HD1, HR2
Available maps: NM2, NM4, DT1, FM1, FM2, TB1
Timeouts available: Red: true | Blue: false

Manually Set Map

>setmap [slot]

Manually loads a specific map with mods. Can only be used when automaton is idle.Example:

>setmap HD2

Loads the second HardRock map with mods HD NF and starts a 90-second timer.

Force Close

>finish

Forces lobby closure. Being phased out—use /endref instead.

Player Commands

Players interact with the automation by typing in IRC chat:

Pick and Ban

During their turn, players type the map slot:

NM1
HD2
HR3
DT1
FM2

The system validates and processes the input automatically.

Timeout Request

Players can request a timeout:

!timeout

Timeout Rules:

Each team gets one timeout per match
Can be called during ban phase, pick phase, or while waiting for start
Timeout lasts for a fixed duration (configurable timer)
System tracks usage via redTimeoutRequest and blueTimeoutRequest flags

Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:569-602

Timeout requests are validated against the sender’s team. If a team already used their timeout, subsequent requests are ignored.

Room Settings

Elimination rooms use TeamVs mode with ScoreV2 and 3 slots (1 per team + referee):

!mp set 2 3 3

TeamMode: 2 (TeamVs)
WinCondition: 3 (ScoreV2)
Slots: 3

Safety and Logging

Discord Thread Integration

Every elimination match gets its own Discord thread:

All IRC messages mirrored in real-time
Pick/ban history logged
Score updates posted automatically
Win condition announcements

Manual IRC Access

On match start, the bot provides the IRC join command:

Join this match via an IRC app with this command:
- /join #mp_987654321

Use this if:

The server disconnects
Manual intervention is required during panic
You want to observe the match directly

Panic Protocol

See Panic Protocol for emergency override procedures.

Best Practices

Pre-Match Configuration

Verify both teams are correctly assigned in database
Confirm map pool is loaded for the round
Determine first pick/ban (coin flip, higher seed, etc.)
Set >firstpick and >firstban before starting

During Match

Use >invite to bring players into lobby
Ensure both teams are in correct slots (Red vs Blue)
Start automation with >start
Monitor Discord thread for disputes or technical issues
Use !panic if anything goes wrong
Use >maps to check current match status

Post-Match

Wait for win condition (state reaches MatchFinished)
Verify final score in Discord thread
Use /endref [match-id] to save picks, bans, and MP link
Archive thread for future reference

Never use !mp close before /endref. Closing the lobby early prevents the system from saving picks, bans, and the MP link ID to the database.

Technical Details

State Transition Logic

The state machine is event-driven, triggered by:

Player chat input (map slot during pick/ban)
BanchoBot messages (“All players are ready”, “Countdown finished”, “The match has finished”)
Admin commands (>start, >stop, >timeout)
Panic triggers (!panic, >panic_over)

Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:564-845

Data Persistence

On /endref, the following are saved:

await db.MatchRooms
    .Where(m => m.Id == matchId)
    .ExecuteUpdateAsync(s => s
        .SetProperty(m => m.MpLinkId, mpLinkId)
        .SetProperty(m => m.PickedMaps, pickedMaps) 
        .SetProperty(m => m.BannedMaps, bannedMaps)
        .SetProperty(m => m.EndTime, DateTime.UtcNow)
    );

This ensures picks, bans, and match history are permanently stored. Source reference: AutoRefEliminationStage.cs:174-183

Get Started

Core Concepts

Match Management

Discord Commands

Deployment

Overview

Match Flow

State Machine

State Categories

Pick and Ban Mechanics

Map Validation

Ban Phase Logic

Pick Phase Logic

Tiebreaker Enforcement

Best-Of Logic

Score Processing

Double Ban Rounds

Administrative Commands

Configuration Commands

Control Commands

Utility Commands

Player Commands

Pick and Ban

Timeout Request

Room Settings

Safety and Logging

Discord Thread Integration

Manual IRC Access

Panic Protocol

Best Practices

Technical Details

State Transition Logic

Data Persistence

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Match Management

Discord Commands

Deployment

​Overview

​Match Flow

​State Machine

​State Categories

​Pick and Ban Mechanics

​Map Validation

​Ban Phase Logic

​Pick Phase Logic

​Tiebreaker Enforcement

​Best-Of Logic

​Score Processing

​Double Ban Rounds

​Administrative Commands

​Configuration Commands

​Control Commands

​Utility Commands

​Player Commands

​Pick and Ban

​Timeout Request

​Room Settings

​Safety and Logging

​Discord Thread Integration

​Manual IRC Access

​Panic Protocol

​Best Practices

​Technical Details

​State Transition Logic

​Data Persistence

​Related Documentation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Match Flow

State Machine

State Categories

Pick and Ban Mechanics

Map Validation

Ban Phase Logic

Pick Phase Logic

Tiebreaker Enforcement

Best-Of Logic

Score Processing

Double Ban Rounds

Administrative Commands

Configuration Commands

Control Commands

Utility Commands

Player Commands

Pick and Ban

Timeout Request

Room Settings

Safety and Logging

Discord Thread Integration

Manual IRC Access

Panic Protocol

Best Practices

Technical Details

State Transition Logic

Data Persistence

Related Documentation