We've decided to go with a pools format, as well as 8 slots, all being SV.
We would've liked to include some of our older generations, but there were valid concerns over what format would work best with that. Formats that weren't 4 SV slots + 1 of every SS - ADV oldgen arbitrarily removed oldgens with no real reason as to why we should prioritize certain oldgens over others, with too many possible configurations. As for the issue with the 4 SV slots + 1 of every SS - ADV oldgen format, the barrier of entry for oldgens is higher and that immeditaly puts regions lacking strong oldgen players behind, something that has already been noticeable in past iterations. 10 slots just makes that problem worse, as we've had to deal with merges before - adding 2 more slots is bound to create more unnatural teams that go against the spirit of a World Cup. Our oldgens are highlighted in PUPL, and we're planning on potentially adding a third team tour with more focus on oldgens and less SV to have a contrast with PUWC.
As for why we're going with the pools format, we simply want to try it out after going with a mix of pools + weeks in the past. Pools generally work very well in world cup, and also allow every team to face off slots of every region, helping with balancing a bit more. If people don't like this change though, we'll go back to how we did it before.
Lastly, signups thread will be up shortly. Regions and captains will be decided a week in. Also this'll have a custom!
We would've liked to include some of our older generations, but there were valid concerns over what format would work best with that. Formats that weren't 4 SV slots + 1 of every SS - ADV oldgen arbitrarily removed oldgens with no real reason as to why we should prioritize certain oldgens over others, with too many possible configurations. As for the issue with the 4 SV slots + 1 of every SS - ADV oldgen format, the barrier of entry for oldgens is higher and that immeditaly puts regions lacking strong oldgen players behind, something that has already been noticeable in past iterations. 10 slots just makes that problem worse, as we've had to deal with merges before - adding 2 more slots is bound to create more unnatural teams that go against the spirit of a World Cup. Our oldgens are highlighted in PUPL, and we're planning on potentially adding a third team tour with more focus on oldgens and less SV to have a contrast with PUWC.
As for why we're going with the pools format, we simply want to try it out after going with a mix of pools + weeks in the past. Pools generally work very well in world cup, and also allow every team to face off slots of every region, helping with balancing a bit more. If people don't like this change though, we'll go back to how we did it before.
Lastly, signups thread will be up shortly. Regions and captains will be decided a week in. Also this'll have a custom!