User:Whackyasshackysack/ECS Season 4

Esports Championship Series Season 4, also known as ECS Season 4, was an online Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition organized by FACEIT. Two ten-team leagues, one in North America and one in Europe, were played in a double round-robin format in the second half of 2017. The top four teams in each league qualified for the finals, played on LAN in Cancun, Mexico from December 15, 2017 to December 17, 2017.

Format
Each league was played in a double round-robin format, with each team playing each other team twice in succession. Teams are ranked by wins, followed by round differential (not including rounds played in overtime.) The top four teams in each league advanced to the LAN finals in Cancun, while the bottom two were not invited to Season 5, instead having to qualify through the Season 5 Challenger Cup.

The participants besides those that had earned their place through performance in the previous season were determined through a promotion tournament. The teams that finished last and second-to-last during Season 3 played against the top two finishers in the 8-team ECS Development League.

Both regions had their own version of the ECS Development League over the month of September. Teams played each other in a format similar to that of the ECS proper, but with one exception: While in ECS, maps are considered individually, in the ECS Development League, the set of maps played between two teams is considered as a whole, with a win given to a team that wins both maps it played against its opposition, and a tie being awarded otherwise.

The LAN finals began with a group stage, with two groups of four played in a double-elimination format. The opening matches and winners' math in each group were played as a best-of-one; the remainder were played as best-of-threes. The top two teams from each group advanced to the playoffs, organized as a single-elimination, best-of-three bracket.

Development League
Before a promotion tournament was held, each region decided the teams that would challenge the relegated teams for their spots in ECS through the ECS Development League. Spots in the Development Leagues themselves were decided through a mixture of invites and open qualifiers.

Europe

 * 🇰🇿 Gambit Esports (Invited)
 * Heroic (Invited)
 * North (Invited)
 * 🇹🇷 Space Soldiers (Invited)
 * Tricked Esport (Qualifier)
 * Fragsters (Qualifier)
 * Team LDLC.com (Qualifier)
 * 🇵🇱 Team Kinguin (Qualifier)

North America

 * 🇺🇸 compLexity Gaming (Invited)
 * 🇺🇸 Misfits (Invited)
 * 🇨🇦 Rise Nation (Invited)
 * 🇧🇷 Tempo Storm (Invited)
 * 🇺🇸 ex-Denial eSports (Qualifier)
 * 🇨🇦 FRENCH CANADIANS (Qualifier)
 * 🇺🇸 Splyce (Qualifier)
 * 🇺🇸 Rudy's Players Club (Qualifier)