When we launched regional Halo esports in January 2017, we felt confident that our focus on local teams was something that would be well received in the community. The rich history of local events in the early days of Halo made it natural to focus on a regional league. While we felt optimistic a regional league would be embraced, we were surprised by just how enthusiastic the support is for the PBL. We are committed to continue to build regional Halo competitions. We are thrilled to have support from BattlePro and True Game Fans Network to offer a total 2018 Winter North American Championship series prize pool of $7,000. Here is a rough timeline for the road to the championship. Times could shift slightly but this is the plan. As soon as possible we will be releasing the full set of rules for the regular season and championship.
REGULAR SEASON Preseason starts today, October 23. Teams will have until January to finalize rosters. Regular Season starts on February 11th. During the regular season teams will play each other team in their conference twice. Regular season matches are BO5. CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION The team with the best record from the regular season will be crowned Conference Champion. Conference Champs go immediately to the Championship round. The team with the worst record at the end of the season is eliminated from postseason play. Qualification Tournament The 2nd and 3rd place teams from each conference are put together in a seeded bracket. Seeding is based on performance in conference play and the overall strength of the conference. Therefore, it is possible for a team that place 3rd in one conference to be seeded higher than a 2nd place team from another conference. The tournament is single elimination. The top four teams go on to meet the four conference champions.
First round of the qualification tournament is BO5. Remaining rounds are BO7 Championship Tournament Teams are seeded based on performance through the Qualification Tournament and strength of the team’s conference. The tournament is single elimination.
First round of the qualification tournament is BO5. Remaining rounds are BO7
PRIZE POOL Conference Champions - $400 Conference Runner-up - $100 North American Champions - $4000 North American Runner-up - $1000
FORFEITS In the past the PBL has been very flexible around match start times. We have been willing to delay starts to help ensure matches happen. However, we now have to be much less lenient due to obligations we have with our sponsors.
GETTING ON A TEAM The PBL is truly a regionally based league. That means you need to live in the region of the team. Regions can be made up of neighboring states.
Most teams have leadership in place. If you are interested in getting on a team we can connect you to the team manager. PBL Franchise teams have eight roster spots so that there are subs available if needed.
Challenge Matches - If you believe that you have a team that can beat the current roster of your local franchise, most teams give the opportunity to challenge for control of the team. The PBL wants to encourage players to work together in a region to find the best eight players for the roster. Sometimes that means being willing to step aside for a more skilled player to ensure your region has the best possible team.
Existing Orgs - It is possible for existing org squads to represent in the PBL. However, the branding of the team is that of the PBL Franchise. If you are interested in discussing this more, reach out to us at info@battleleague.com.
HCS Players - While we want to have the highest level of talent possible on PBL regional teams, the PBL is an experience of Amateur talent. We believe this is something needed for competitive Halo to grow. For this reason, we have decided to exclude players who are competing on pro teams. The last HCS championship will deterrmine the pro teams. Any team in the championship bracket will be considered a “Pro” team. If you feel like this is an unfair exclusion in your case, you can appeal to PBL Player Relations.