Discussion of the format and rules for the upcoming Third Tournament of Elements.

I propose discussing in this thread everything related to the upcoming Third TE Championship.

Tournament rules and restrictions:

1. Games are played on the latest official version of the game. Currently – HoMM V: Tribes of the East 3.1, this tournament uses the Tournament Edition mod. By default, the game is played on the Ubi server. By mutual agreement, the game can be played via Hamachi, Remobo, COMODO EasyVPN, GameRanger, and similar programs.

2. Game links and settings.

3. Since the game has an autosave – it is recommended to save once every 3 days.

4. Each round is given a week +4 days. The round starts every Friday.

5. Three Templates and 7 pairs of factions for opponents will be announced before the round. The first-named player starts the template pick, the second-named player starts the faction pair pick. They take turns picking, one template or faction at a time. To determine color, after the pick, you can contact the judges, other players, or decide on your own. With the agreement of both players, it is allowed to change the pick system; in this case (the reason for the system change must be stated in the report).

More details about the pick!!!!
Point one.
Each player picks a template, the first-named player starts.

Point two.
Each player picks a pair (three times total) in turn, the second-named player starts. Until only one pair remains!

Point three (the most difficult).
To determine your color – "flip a coin." You can ask any judge, any player, or flip it yourselves.

Important: the colors in a faction pair are known in advance – the first faction is red, the second is blue.

Important: determining which color you will play is only possible by flipping a coin! The entire pick is initially aimed at determining the specific pair on a specific template!

6. The use of any bugs, undocumented features, cheat codes, as well as unofficial programs and modifications is prohibited, except for the TE mod itself (and programs that create virtual networks).

7. In case of a disconnection or game crash, the last game autosave is loaded. Players are obliged to exactly repeat all their moves up to the moment of the disconnection or game crash. In case of a disconnection or crash on the first day of the game, heroes are randomly re-assigned.

8. In battles between players, a stalemate situation may arise (when neither player can win). In this situation, the attacking side must retreat or surrender (at their discretion). If the Shackles of War artifact is involved in the battle, then in the event of a stalemate, the battle should be finished in AutoCombat mode.

9. Each player has the right to one restart with a map regeneration no later than the second day (the end of a day is considered pressing the end-turn button, regardless of whether the opponent has finished their current turn or not). After the restart, the factions are set again to those the players picked. In the case of a technical restart (simultaneous turn break on day 1 or desync, etc.), the factions remain for the next generation. The hero is random.

10. "Red-rush" is prohibited, i.e., attacking as red on the first day of the week with bought growth (red player can attack on the first day, but without buying growth).

11. Any joining of neutrals is prohibited; as an exception, neutrals that have joined can be sacrificed in a pit or sold on the market.

12. It is forbidden to use the movement spell "Astral Gate" to jump from any zone into the opponent's starting zone if the portal/garrison connecting them has not been broken through. It is also forbidden to use the movement spell "Astral Gate" to jump into the opponent's adjacent zone and run into the opponent's starting zone on the same turn.

13. It is forbidden to press wait on Krag's first strike in battles against the opponent's heroes; it is allowed against neutrals.

14. It is allowed to postpone a round by up to 2 weeks (notify the judges). No more than one third of all games in the tournament can be postponed. If a game is not played by the end of the round and the judges have not been notified, a technical loss is awarded. Two technical losses and the player is automatically disqualified from the tournament. It is not recommended to postpone the last round.

15. A win awards three points, a draw one point.

16. Attention! LOADS ARE PROHIBITED in this tournament!!
Exception: both players have reached a mutual agreement on the number of loads. If, despite reaching an agreement on the number of loads, the players have disagreements about the outcome of the game (win/loss) due to loads, the tournament judges reserve the right to decide the outcome of the game.