The DDR Champions League 2023 is a remote, team-based Dance Dance Revolution tournament that invites 3-player teams to represent their arcades and geographic regions in a knockout-style tournament. DDR players of all skills and backgrounds are encouraged to sign up for the event – there will be fierce competition for everyone!
Team Formation Rules
- Each team must claim an arcade as their “home arcade” for purposes of the tournament. It is highly encouraged that teams consist of players that play primarily at their home arcade, but certainly not a requirement. If you can reasonably hop in a car and drive to play dance games with someone, you can team up for this event! Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis at staff sole discretion.
- Each arcade will be assigned to a geographic region:
- Midwest (IL, OH, MN, MI, WI, ND, SD, IN, IA, Ontario CAN)
- Northeast (NY, PA, MA, NJ, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME)
- Southeast (NC, SC, TN, FL, GA, KY, MD, VA, WV, DC, MS, AL)
- South (TX, AZ, CO, OK, NM, NE, MO, UT, KS, AR, LA)
- Northwest (Reno NV, NorCal, WA, OR, western CAN, ID, MT, WY, AK)
- South Pacific (Las Vegas, SoCal, HI)
- World (outside the continental United States)
- Certain players have been designated “Superstars”, and may not be on the same team, even if they play at the same arcade.
- Superstar selection is primarily based on recent tournament results, KAC qualifying results, and Skill Attack rating.
- Tournament staff reserve the right to invoke Superstar status to other players in the interest of competitive balance (particularly in the case of evaluating players with limited competitive history of DDR events)
- There are no limits to how many teams from any home arcade may enter the competition.
- Players may not switch teams once the event begins.
- No player may register on multiple teams.
- Teams must designate a “team captain”. The team captain will be responsible for submitting scores for their team.
- New teams may register until the qualification phase of the event has ended.
Qualifying
- The qualifying phase of the tournament will begin Monday, August 28th, and will end Sunday, September 24th at 23:59 PST.
- Qualifiers will consist of 24 charts picked by tournament staff. These may include unlockable charts on A20 PLUS, but will not include time-locked content that cannot currently be unlocked.
- The qualifiers will be grouped into two Sets, A and B. Each Set will have 12 charts, ranging from level 12 to level 18.
- Qualifying charts for both Sets will be revealed Monday, August 28th.
- Score submission restrictions during qualifying:
- Each team must submit scores for six charts from each Set as their qualifier – six from set A, six from set B, for a total of 12 charts.
- Each team member must play four charts each.
- Team captains may resubmit scores as often as they wish during the qualification period.
- Qualifying leaderboard may be viewed on our website. Note that qualifying scores are manually processed, and there may be some delay between receipt of scores and posting to the leaderboard.
- Qualifying leaderboard will go dark with one week remaining during qualifying phase – keep working on your qualifiers to maximize your placement! Tournament staff will post periodic updates through Discord and Twitter during the final week of qualifying.
Knockout Rounds Placement
- Each team will be ranked on combined EX score of their 12 qualifying songs, regardless of which qualifiers were played. Full and regional rankings will be published.
- If any teams are tied at the end of the qualification period, teams will be ranked based on the highest total Marvelous count across all twelve songs..
- If teams are still tied, the team who submitted all of their ranking scores first will be declared the winner.
- The top 16 teams will advance to the top bracket – the Champions League.
- The top two teams in each region will advance into the Champions League knockout stage.
- The top team from the “World” region will also advance to the Champions League knockout stage.
- The top 3 teams in the full rankings who did not qualify regionally will receive a “wild card” bid into the Champions League knockout stage.
- The next 16 teams will advance to the Challengers League:
- The highest-ranked team in each region (6 U.S. regions + World region) that did not advance to the Champions League will advance to the Challengers League as regional qualifiers
- The 9 highest ranked teams by EX who did not otherwise qualify for the Champions League will advance to the Challengers League as wild cards
- The next 16 teams ranked by EX (regardless of regional placement) will advance to the Contenders League
- The remaining teams who did not qualify for the Champions League knockout round will be seeded into a Swiss-style round robin competition, to be run concurrently with the other brackets.
Champions League
- The 16 teams that qualify for the Champions League knockout round will be randomly drawn against one another to form 8 matches.
- Each regional champion will be seeded 1 through 6 (in order of qualifying EX score), and may not be drawn against one another in the round of 16.
- In subsequent rounds, any team may be drawn against any other.
- For each match in a knockout round, six songs will be randomly drawn using card draw. The card draw app used for the tournament will be the A20 PLUS Card Draw at https://ddr.tools/.
- Songs that will not be included in any card draw:
- Extra Exclusive songs
- Time-limited unlocks
- Gold cab exclusives (Golden League songs, 20th Anniversary remixes)
- Songs that debut during the tournament
- Songs not available in DDR GRAND PRIX through Arcade Play (list at the end of the rules document)
- Each team member must choose 2 songs from the main 6-song draw to play.
- Songs do not need to be played in the same set.
- Team captains are not obligated to disclose which of their team members are playing which songs.
- At the end of the round, teams will be compared on a head-to-head basis for each song.
- A song win in an individual match will result in 1 point for their team. A tie will result in 0.5 points for each team.
- 3.5 or more points in a team match will result in victory and advancement to the next round.
- In the event of a match tie (i.e. 3 points for each team), same tiebreaker rules as qualifying apply.
- Songs that will not be included in any card draw:
- Eliminated teams will be dropped into a consolation ladder to fight for ultimate rank in the DDR Champions League. Consolation will follow Swiss format.
- Level ranges and distributions for the card draws in each round are:
- Round of 16: 15-17 (30% 15, 40% 16, 30% 17)
- Round of 8: 15-18 (20% 15, 30% 16, 30% 17, 20% 18)
- Semifinal and Final: 16-19 (25% 16, 35% 17, 35% 18, 5% 19)
- If more than one 19 shows up in semi or finals, automatically reroll
- Consolation Rounds:
- Round 2: 15-18 (20% 15, 30% 16, 30% 17, 20% 18)
- Round 3: 16-18 (35% 16, 35% 17, 30% 18)
- Round 4: 16-19 (35% 16, 35% 17, 28% 18, 2% 19)
- Difficult, Expert, and Challenge charts may appear in the Champions League Knockout rounds.
- Matchups and card draws will be announced live on stream! Results of the matchups and card draws will also be posted on the website and Discord. Announcement streams will be held at 6:30 PM Pacific Standard Time on Tuesdays.
- Knockout round schedule:
- Round of 16: Tuesday September 26th through Sunday October 8th
- Round of 8: Tuesday October 10th through Sunday October 22nd
- Semi-finals: Tuesday October 24th through Sunday November 5th
- Finals: Tuesday November 7th through Sunday November 19th
- All matches will end the day listed at 23:59 Pacific Standard Time.
- Tournament results will be announced Tuesday, November 21st!
Challengers League
The Challengers League will be run in the same manner as the Champions League, with the following tweaks:
- No teams will be seeded – draw for each match will be fully randomized.
- Difficulty range for the Challengers League will be 14-17 (weights TBD).
- Difficulty range for Challengers League may be adjusted by tournament staff depending on skill range of participants.
Battle Ladder
Teams that do not qualify for the Champions League or Challengers League will advance to the Battle Ladder, which is a Swiss-style 4-round round robin pool that will run concurrently with the knockout brackets. Pairings and card draws will be posted on Tuesday evenings. Matches will be similar in nature to the knockout bracket matches, with the following tweaks:
- Initial draw of Battle Ladder matches will be completely random.
- Swiss system will be followed. Match winners will be randomly paired with match winners as able next round.
- In the event of an odd number of teams in the tournament, one random match each round will feature three teams. The best score on a song in this match will result in 2 points for their team; the second best score on a song will earn 1 point. The team with the most points will earn a match win for their team.
- Card draw level ranges and weights for this phase TBD.
- At the end of the tournament, the teams with the best 4-match win percentages in the Battle Ladder will be recognized. Ties will be broken by team song win percentages.
Helpful Hints
- Scores must be submitted through the Google Form! Team captains should bookmark this link in their browser of choice.
- Clearly show player handle, money score, full song name, and EX score in score submission pics. Tournament staff will make every effort to alert team captains of potential issues with score submissions, but will not be held accountable for any unclear score submission pics.
- Manage your time! Team captains will be responsible for getting their scores in on time, and teams are subject to disqualification for late/non-submission. Tournament staff reserve the right to allow late submissions 24 hours past the submission deadline in extenuating circumstances only.
- Communicate with your team members often! This format requires strategy and self-evaluation skills – think about what your team members’ relative strengths and weaknesses are, and plan accordingly.
- You can play the songs in your match as often as you like – submit them when you’re ready but be mindful of submission deadlines!
Other Notes
- This event is for DDR A20 PLUS, DDR A3, and DDR GRAND PRIX. Songs eligible for selection in this event will be common to all three versions of the game.
- Stepmania and other DDR simulation software will not be allowed.
- News about the tournament will be distributed primarily through the Discord server and official Twitter account. It is strongly encouraged that players join the Discord server to stay current with the event.
- Staff reserve the right to ask for video proof of scores. Players that cannot provide video proof when asked may have their scores rejected. Plan accordingly.
- Above all, treat people with kindness. Don’t act disrespectfully or hatefully towards anyone. This tournament will be an inclusive space for all competitors, and abusive behavior will not be tolerated. Players entering the tournament are expected to abide by the Rhythm Game Code of Conduct. Bans from the tournament are at staff discretion.
Staff
Please reach out to one of us with any questions you have about the tournament, or if you run into any issues!
| Staff | Twitter handle | Discord handle |
| Captain Carbon | @capt_carbon | captaincarbon |
| Sega Jeanasis | @Sega_Jeanasis | sega_jeanasis |
| EvilDave | @EvilDave219 | evildave |
| Tiza | @TizaTryhards | tiza |
| Sapphron | @SapphronVEVO | sapphronxd |
Superstars
Superstar Criteria:
- Top 3 at DDR Storm 2023, Mistake on the Lake 4 and Last Card
- Top 12 final placement at upbeat 2023
- Top 10 North America, East JP and West JP during 9th KAC qualifying
- Top Korean qualifier during 9th KAC qualifying
- KAC Finalist during 9th or 10th KAC
- Skill Attack of 1600 or better as of 8/1/2023.
- In addition to the above criteria, KIO, FRANCO, DIMO, SPENCER, DR.D, and GRADY are designated Superstars by tournament staff.
To reiterate, tournament staff reserve the right to invoke Superstar status to other players in the interest of competitive balance (particularly in the case of limited competitive history within DDR events).
Champions League Superstars are:
| KRONO | KEVBO | TY | CHUNKA | DR.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAT8 | BOGO | KAZE.573 | MARQQQ | NOTTYDDR |
| CHRS4LFE | SQUID | HARUJUN | ITGALEX | 如月千早P |
| TWIX | STRETCH | EVILDAVE | DVOGAN | RE-ERA |
| NOBARBEN | BLUEBSTR | O4MA. | ZEROWOLF | UN-LIM |
| HO4-KETI | TRICAL-Y | HIBIKI | NAYU | KIO |
| YOSHIMIZ | DIS | YUDAI | RSS | FRANCO |
| RINON | FEFEMZ | KITUNE | HADES | DIMO |
| BLSTOISE | MAMURU3 | TAKASKE- | りえ | SPENCER |
| AURORA.R | GRADY |
Ineligible Songs
This is the list of songs in DDR A20 PLUS that do not appear in DDR GRAND PRIX due to licensing issues, and thus ineligible to be drawn as part of this event.
| era (nostalmix) | 4th Mix |
| Holic | 4th Mix |
| .59 | 4th Mix |
| CAN’T STOP FALLIN’ IN LOVE ~speed mix~ | 5th Mix |
| DXY! | 5th Mix |
| Electro Tuned (the SubS Mix) | 5th Mix |
| AFRONOVA (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| BRILLIANT 2U (KOG G3 MIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| B4U (B4 ZA BEAT MIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| DROP OUT (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| SEXY PLANET (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| STILL IN MY HEART (MOMO MIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| SUPER STAR (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| WILD RUSH (FROM NONSTOP MEGAMIX) | DDRMAX2 |
| Colors ~for EXTREME~ | EXTREME |
| Heaven is a ’57 metallic gray ~gimmix~ | EXTREME |
| SO IN LOVE | EXTREME |
| sync (EXTREME version) | EXTREME |
| Baile Le Samba | SuperNOVA |
| MARIA (I believe…) | SuperNOVA |
| MAX 300 (Super-Max-Me Mix) | SuperNOVA |
| Monkey Punk | SuperNOVA |
| Polovtsian Dances and Chorus | SuperNOVA |
| SEDUCTION | SuperNOVA |
| Star Gate Heaven | SuperNOVA |
| TIERRA BUENA | SuperNOVA |
| You gotta move it (feat. Julie Rugaard) | SuperNOVA |
| Star Gate Heaven (FUTURE LOVE Mix) | SuperNOVA 2 |
| Trust -Dance Dance Revolution mix- | SuperNOVA 2 |
| Flourish | DDR X |
| Till the lonely’s gone | DDR X |
| 30 Lives (Up-Up-Down-Down-Dance Mix) | DDR X |
| decade | DDR X2 |
| Rescue me | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| BRILLIANT 2U (AKBK MIX) | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| COME BACK TO MY HEART | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| KEEP ON MOVIN’ (Y&Co. DJ BOSS remix) | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| PARANOiA (kskst mix) | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| PUT YOUR FAITH IN ME (DA’s Twinkly Disco Remix) | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| TRIP MACHINE (xac nanoglide mix) | DDR X3 vs 2nd Mix |
| ずっとみつめていて (Ryu☆Remix) | DDR 2013 |
| ACROSS WORLD | DDR 2013 |
| JOKER | DDR 2013 |
| Starry HEAVEN | DDR 2013 |
| THE REASON | DDR 2013 |
| 朝色の紙飛行機 | DDR 2014 |
| 妖隠し -あやかしかくし- | DDR 2014 |
| 幻想系世界修復少女 | DDR 2014 |
| セツナトリップ | DDR 2014 |
| ドキドキ☆流星トラップガール!! | DDR 2014 |
| はなまるぴっぴはよいこだけ | DDR 2014 |
| バンブーソード・ガール | DDR 2014 |
| ホメ猫☆センセーション | DDR 2014 |
| ミライプリズム | DDR 2014 |
| ラクガキスト | DDR 2014 |
| Go↓Go↑Girls&Boys! | DDR 2014 |
| Idola | DDR 2014 |
| M.A.Y.U. | DDR 2014 |
| POSSESSION(EDP Live Mix) | DDR 2014 |
| Scarlet Moon | DDR 2014 |
| second spring storm | DDR 2014 |
| Struggle | DDR 2014 |
| 天ノ弱 | DDR A |
| いーあるふぁんくらぶ | DDR A |
| イーディーエム・ジャンパーズ | DDR A |
| 色は匂へど散りぬるを | DDR A |
| エイリアンエイリアン | DDR A |
| おねがいダーリン | DDR A |
| きゅん×きゅんばっきゅん☆LOVE | DDR A |
| 君氏危うくも近うよれ | DDR A |
| 幸せになれる隠しコマンドがあるらしい | DDR A |
| 千年ノ理 | DDR A |
| 脳漿炸裂ガール | DDR A |
| チルノのパーフェクトさんすう教室(EDM REMIX) | DDR A |
| 初音ミクの消失 | DDR A |
| 恋時雨 | DDR A |
| 恋のパズルマジック | DDR A |
| ハッピーシンセサイザ | DDR A |
| しゃかりきリレーション | DDR A |
| 闘え！ダダンダーンＶ | DDR A |
| ハルイチバン | DDR A |
| 向日葵サンセット | DDR A |
| 無頼ック自己ライザー | DDR A |
| プレインエイジア -PHQ remix- | DDR A |
| 魔理沙は大変なものを盗んでいきました | DDR A |
| ロールプレイングゲーム | DDR A |
| 炉心融解 | DDR A |
| ロストワンの号哭 | DDR A |
| Bad Apple!! feat.nomico | DDR A |
| Determination | DDR A |
| DREAMING-ING!! | DDR A |
| Far east nightbird kors k Remix -DDR edit ver- | DDR A |
| Grip & Break down !! | DDR A |
| Grip & Break down !! | DDR A |
| invisible rain | DDR A |
| Jewelry days | DDR A |
| Smiling Passion | DDR A |
| SUN² SUMMER STEP! | DDR A |
| The Night Away(MK Remix) | DDR A |
| Twin memories W | DDR A |
| 腐れ外道とチョコレゐト | DDR A20 |
| 最終鬼畜妹フランドール・S | DDR A20 |
| すきなことだけでいいです | DDR A20 |
| タイガーランペイジ | DDR A20 |
| 毒占欲 | DDR A20 |
| ナイト・オブ・ナイツ (Ryu☆Remix) | DDR A20 |
| 妄想感傷代償連盟 | DDR A20 |
| ライアーダンス | DDR A20 |
| 令和 | DDR A20 |
| Alone | DDR A20 |
| BUTTERFLY (20th Anniversary Mix) | DDR A20 |
| CARTOON HEROES (20th Anniversary Mix) | DDR A20 |
| Clarity | DDR A20 |
| HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW (20th Anniversary Mix) | DDR A20 |
| I’m an Albatraoz | DDR A20 |
| LONG TRAIN RUNNIN’ (20th Anniversary Mix) | DDR A20 |
| New Rules | DDR A20 |
| No Tears Left to Cry | DDR A20 |
| Party Rock Anthem | DDR A20 |
| Play Hard | DDR A20 |
| SKY HIGH (20th Anniversary Mix) | DDR A20 |
| Something Just Like This (Alesso Remix) | DDR A20 |
| アリスサイド・キャスリング | DDR A20 PLUS |
| イノセントバイブル | DDR A20 PLUS |
| ウソツキ横丁は雨模様 | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 御伽噺に幕切れを | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 逆さま♥シンデレラパレード | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 至上のラトゥーリア | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 追憶のアリア | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 花は折りたし梢は高し | DDR A20 PLUS |
| ハラショー！おにぎりサーカス団☆ | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 叛逆のディスパレート | DDR A20 PLUS |
| BRIDAL FESTIVAL !!! | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Red Cape Theorem | DDR A20 PLUS |
| ROOM | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 恋 | DDR A20 PLUS |
| サイカ | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 雑草魂なめんなよ！ | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 思想犯 | DDR A20 PLUS |
| シル・ヴ・プレジデント | DDR A20 PLUS |
| スカイクラッドの観測者 | DDR A20 PLUS |
| テレキャスタービーボーイ | DDR A20 PLUS |
| なだめスかし Negotiation | DDR A20 PLUS |
| 春を告げる | DDR A20 PLUS |
| ロキ(w/緒方恵美) | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Crazy Hot | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Feidie | DDR A20 PLUS |
| GUILTY DIAMONDS | DDR A20 PLUS |
| I believe what you said | DDR A20 PLUS |
| No Life Queen [DJ Command Remix] | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Realize | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Seize The Day | DDR A20 PLUS |
| SHINY DAYS | DDR A20 PLUS |
| Together Going My Way | DDR A20 PLUS |