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Mario Kart 8 Rules

The rules contained on this page only cover this specific game, please review the IEA General Competition Rules for information covering all official tournaments.

1. Verbiage

  1. Match: A match is referring to the overall competition including all races
  2. Series: Series refers to an individual set of four races

2. Anti-Cheat

No additional anti-cheat is required for official matches.

3. Match Procedure

  • Matches are Best-of-three (Bo3) Grand Prixs (12 races) during regular season
    • Ties are broken by:
      • One (1) additional race will be played to determine that game's winner.
      • Repeat this process as many times as needed if races continue to end in a tie.
  • Tournament matches are Best-of-three (Bo3), with the championship round being a Best-of-five (Bo5).
    • Ties are broken in the same manner as above.
  • In the event that a team uses Smart Steering, that team will forfeit the series, unless both coaches agree to a restart

3.1. Supported Platforms

  • Nintendo Switch™

3.2. Game Lobby

Match lobbies will be hosted in the "Friends" mode by the home team. The lobby host must use the IEA LeagueOS match chat to add members of the Away Team to their Nintendo friends list.

  • Online Play
    • Friends
      • Create Room
        • Rules
          • Mode: 150CC Race
          • Teams: Team Game
          • Items: Normal Items
          • Round Time: N/A
          • No COM
          • Vehicles: All Vehicles
          • Smart steering: Off

3.3. 3.3. Team Names

The home team creating the lobby will need to set the names for the two teams participating in the match. Each team name should be either the club's name or the school's name.

  • The Home Team will be the Red Team
  • The Away Team will be the Blue Team.

3.4. Course Selection & Match Procedure

  • All players select "Random" from the track list
    • If a player does not select "Random" and that chosen track is selected, all players must head back to the lobby and restart the course selection process.
  • Once a race is completed, all players return to the game lobby and select "Random" again to decide the next course.
    • Repeat this step until all races are recorded

4. Tournament Rules

4.1. Game Connections

All teams taking part in the IEA Mario Kart 8 season are required to have a Nintendo Account for the tournament they’re participating in connected to their LeagueOS account in the form of a game connection; this should be connected to the coach’s LeagueOS account.

In the event that a team is playing from home, each player will be required to have their Nintendo Account connected to their individual LeagueOS profile. All game connection information shown on a team’s roster must match with the accounts in game. Players using different accounts or those not officially on the roster are prohibited from playing in matches. Only one account connection is allowed per game, the use of alternate accounts is prohibited. All account connections are prohibited from being changed after the team has participated in its first match of the regular season.

If a player’s name does not match what is shown on their roster, please reach out to an IEA Administrator through the LeagueOS match chat platform for assistance while the game is still being played. Name discrepancy reports will not be accepted after a match has been completed.

4.2. Match Streaming

A team may broadcast their matches online provided both teams have agreed to the broadcast, and all necessary permissions have been provided. It is up to each individual coach to communicate their team’s ability to participate in such a broadcast.

4.2.1. Spectators

At the moment there is no ability for a third party to spectate private matches.

4.3. Playoff Qualification

Teams must compete in and complete 50% of their Regular Season matches in order to be considered for playoff qualification. Teams who do not meet this requirement will be removed from qualification consideration regardless of their final record.

4.3.1. State Finals

There will not be an in-person state finals for Mario Kart 8. There will be an online Middle School State tournament after regular season play has concluded.

4.3.2. Unplayed Matches

Any match or queue that a team misses or does not complete will result in the match being counted as a loss against the team's record at the end of the regular season.

  • Coaches may reschedule matches if circumstances prevent them from playing.
    • Both coaches must agree to a rescheduled match.
    • A date must be set at the time of the rescheduling. Failure to do so will result in a No Contest (0-0 tie) for the match.
    • Any rescheduled matches must be reported to an IEA Administrator within one (1) day of the original scheduled match.

4.4. Playoff Qualification Tiebreakers

The tiebreaker system will be run as a tiered protocol that will be used if multiple teams finish the regular season with the same overall record.

  1. Wins. (Forfeit wins and bye wins are scored as a full series undefeated win)
  2. Head-to-head record. (If the two tied teams have played each other, their match record against each other is compared)
  3. Overall game win percentage. (e.g. winning a match 3-0 is better than 3-2)
  4. Higher opponents’ game win percentage. (e.g. it is better to beat an opponent who consistently won 3-0 than 3-2)
  5. Fewer forfeit losses.
  6. Fewer bye wins.
  7. The team which had a higher number of wins before their first loss.
  8. If the first loss is received after the same number of wins, then the team which lost to the stronger opponent (as defined by game win percentage) will be ranked higher.

5. Restrictions

There are currently no restrictions in place.

6. Rosters

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe team rosters require a minimum of 4 players, and a maximum of 8 players (4 starters and 4 substitute players). Rosters that do not meet or exceed the required number of players will not be allowed to participate in official matches until their roster size meets the set requirements.

6.1. Substitutes

Player substitutions are prohibited once a series has started.

  • A player may be substituted in between series. All substitutions must be communicated to the opposing team’s coach.

7. Coaching

  • Coaches are allowed as long as they are registered as a coach on the team. Coaches are not permitted to play.
  • Coaches are not allowed to talk during active play.
    • Active play begins as soon as the first map selection begins, and ends when the final score is posted.
  • Coaching is allowed between series.
  • If using voice chat, coaches are permitted to be un-deafened, but mic must be software muted.

8. Conflict Resolution

  • IEA encourages you to attempt to resolve all conflicts with the opposing team
  • If your attempts at resolving the conflict have been unsuccessful, please reach out to IEA via the LeagueOS sute to explain your situation and we will settle the matter for you.
  • Have screen shots or replays when possible.
  • All IEA rulings on disputes are final and may not be appealed.

Nintendo is not a sponsor of or affiliated with this tournament.

Terms for participating in and viewing Community Tournaments using Nintendo Games https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/63454