September Community Cup
October 3 and 4, 2026 · September qualification · US$200 winner's prize
Official Rules · Last updated: 18 September 2026
1. Who is running this
FableBrawl, run by Nick Huber, PO Box 325, 1110 East El Camino, Sunnyvale, CA 94085. Questions: hello@fablebrawl.com. This tournament is not sponsored, endorsed, or run by Discord, Twitch, Google, or Apple.
2. Who can enter
- You must be 18 or older on 3 October 2026.
- You need a FableBrawl account in good standing, created before the qualifying cutoff.
- You need Discord, so you can check in.
- Void where prohibited or restricted by law. You are responsible for knowing whether skill-based prize competitions are allowed where you live.
- Not open to anyone who has worked on FableBrawl, or to their immediate family or household.
3. How to qualify
Reach a FableBrawl rating of 4,000 or higher in ranked play by midnight Pacific Time at the end of September 30, 2026. This is . Qualification uses the September season, which began September 1 at midnight PT. Ranked play is free.
Everyone who reaches 4,000 in the September season by the cutoff qualifies. There is no cap on qualifiers and no invitation step.
Once you reach 4,000, a later rating drop does not remove your qualification. We freeze the qualifying roster at the cutoff. Rating gained afterwards does not count. Your rating at the cutoff still determines seeding and rating tiebreakers.
4. Confirming your seat
Every qualifier must confirm by direct message before the deadline in the Discord announcement. Send:
- Your exact FableBrawl account name
- The email on that account, so we can verify you own it
- Your Discord username
- Your preferred Day 1 flight, EU or US, and confirmation you can attend Day 2 if you advance
- Confirmation you have read and agree to these rules
- Your Twitch profile if you plan to stream, optional
Send your email by DM only. Never post it publicly. We use it once to confirm you own the account. We do not publish it, add it to any mailing list, or share it with anyone.
A qualifier who does not confirm by the deadline gives up their place.
5. Schedule and check-in
All times below are Pacific Time, PDT, UTC−7.
| Stage | Date | Start | Calendar window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1, EU flight | Saturday, October 3 | 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM PT | |
| Day 1, US flight | Saturday, October 3 | 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM PT | |
| Day 2, top 8 final | Sunday, October 4 | 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM PT |
Play in one Day 1 flight. Check-in deadlines and lobby assignments will be announced in Discord before the event. If you miss your flight's check-in deadline, your seat goes to the highest-rated alternate who is present. The calendar windows are planned durations. Play may run longer.
6. Day 1 flights and advancement
Games are ordinary eight-player FableBrawl matches. They do not change anyone's ranked rating. Each flight may use multiple lobbies, seeded by rating from the September cutoff snapshot.
Every lobby seats eight human players. We never fill a tournament seat with AI. Each flight is topped up to a multiple of eight by inviting alternates, the highest-rated available players below 4,000 at the cutoff, in rating order. Alternates are full participants and may win.
Each Day 1 lobby plays three games, scored using the placement points in section 7. The four highest-scoring players from each flight advance to Day 2. Scores are compared across all lobbies in that flight. Four EU-flight players and four US-flight players make the eight-player final.
If players are tied for the last advancing place, the tie goes to most first-place finishes, then best single finish, then higher rating at the cutoff.
7. The final, and how someone wins
The top four from each Day 1 flight play in one eight-player lobby on October 4. Final points start at zero. Games are played back to back. Each game scores:
| Place | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Points add up across games. Once you reach 16 points you are on match point.
To win the tournament you must win a game while already on match point. Reaching 16 in the same game you win does not count. You must start that game on match point and then take first place. So the champion always wins the final game played.
Games continue until someone does that. Most tournaments should finish in four to six games. If nobody has won after twenty games, the player with the most points wins; if that is tied, the tie goes to most first-place finishes, then to the best single finish, then to a one-game playoff.
If a player disconnects, the game carries on and AI plays their seat. A game that cannot be finished because of a server fault is replayed. We decide, in good faith, whether a game counts.
8. Prize
- US$200 to the winner, paid by PayPal unless the winner chooses the rollover option below.
- The winner may choose to roll their tournament winnings into the next month's tournament prize pool instead of receiving payment. This is optional and happens only if the winner chooses it.
- There is no second-place or participation prize.
- If the winner chooses payment, it is paid within 30 days of the tournament, once we have confirmed the winner's identity and PayPal address.
- Apart from the optional rollover above, the prize cannot be transferred or swapped for anything else. If we cannot pay by PayPal, we may pay another way of the same value.
- The winner is responsible for any taxes owed on the prize.
- If we cannot reach the winner within 30 days, we may award the prize to the runner-up.
9. Conduct
The FableBrawl Terms of Service apply throughout. In particular: no cheating, no automated play, no exploiting bugs, no second accounts, no arranging results with another player, and no harassment. Streaming your own play is welcome.
We may disqualify a player, in good faith, for breaking these rules or the Terms of Service. A disqualified winner forfeits the prize.
10. Recording and privacy
Tournament games are recorded like any other FableBrawl game, and final boards from this event may later be used as opponents for the game's AI. That is shown in the lobby before play starts. By entering you agree we may publish your FableBrawl player name, your Discord username, and your results. We will not publish your email address. Our Privacy Policy covers the rest.
11. Changes and cancellation
We may change these rules, reschedule, or cancel if we have to because of a server fault, too few qualifiers, or anything outside our control. Changes will be posted here and announced in Discord before play begins. If we cancel before any game is played, no prize is awarded.
12. Governing law
These rules are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.