wow M+ Invitational Proving Grounds Are Done!

[Starym 3,800]

 

We take a look at the top M+ teams before the official qualification announcements, the most common dungeons visited and more.

So, the two weeks allotted for the Proving Grounds in the Mythic + Dungeon Invitational are up and now it's time for the teams to send in their best results. Raider.io has been tracking all the top M+ runs (including Chinese server ones) and only the top two teams managed to get one +24 dungeon done, while literally all of the rest in the top 10 are +23s and +22s. The most popular dungeons visited by the top 10 are VotW (8/10), HoV (7/10), NL (7/10), BRH (6/10) CoS (6/10 teams) and EoA (6/10). The EU teams are leading the pack, with the top 5 hailing from there and the top 10 only containing 3 non-EU teams - two from the Americas and one for the Asia Pacific region. So let's take a look at the actual top 10:

(Click here for the full standings.)

Now, these are only the highest scoring teams in terms of big M+ numbers, but Blizzard seem to have left their qualification choice parameters purposefully pretty vague:

2017 World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon Invitational Official Rules  (source)

Blizzard will be examining the performance of all teams who submit their weekly dungeon scores using the above registration link. As this is an Invitational Event, Blizzard will have full discretion on choosing which teams to invite to the next stage of the event.

So, this could mean that simply finishing the highest possible M+ dungeon isn't the only criteria that will be used, as many people have mentioned how (relatively) unfair it is that the players with the highest item levels (and Mythic raiders in particular) have a huge advantage. But, if Blizzard do in fact take a look at all the submitted entries and judge them on some other criteria independent of maximum M+ completed, like player skill or innovative team setups, regardless of whether the team in question finished a much lower M+, there could be some real variety to their picks.

In any case, we'll see which of the teams get invited soon enough, as the deadline for submitting the runs is coming up in two days and the qualification announcements should be coming shortly after that. We'll be seeing 32 teams (8 from each of the 4 regions) fighting in the next stage of the Invitational, starting in September.

[Yridaa 490]

10 hours ago, Starym said:

But, if Blizzard do in fact take a look at all the submitted entries and judge them on some other criteria independent of maximum M+ completed, like player skill or innovative team setups, regardless of whether the team in question finished a much lower M+, there could be some real variety to their picks.

That's an interesting thought process, but then how do you measure performance during the event? "Yeah this team completed a +25 without using a bloodlust BUT LOOK AT THIS TEAM DOING +22 WITHOUT LEGENDARIES."

The same goes for innovation; how do you truly measure something like that and - to an extend - do this without other people copying you during the further stages in the invitational?

 

It looks to me you can only have true competition based on facts. Perhaps not clear times, but other things like avoidables dodged (Pretty much everyone at > +20 does this) or DPS done. You can't really compete with other factual numbers such as interrupts because some classes/roles have a lot more of those than others.

 

The most fair would just be a "median" of clear times between 10-20 of the best attempts per team? Weed out the best and worst RNG in terms of procs?

 

You can't really measure some other facts either such as "Most groups pulled at once" because once again, some teams have a lot more CC than others making some pulls mathematically impossible for some and effortless for others (While the "others" come with their own strengths to get a good clear time)

 

Clear times really seem to be the only factual value that is fair to compare, as these teams had a ton of time to make a team combo that fits their strengths for competition. You could still math things up for ilvl advantages (X time per Y ilvl). I'm sure the invitational competition will work similar to how PTR raid testing is done; with everyone having identical ilvls via passive buff; so I'm not concerned about that part.

 

 

The best would be to have a tournament realm exactly made for this m+ dungeon invitational, where people already start with all classes at level 110, have identical ilvls, access to all sets and legendaries, and use that to determine which team performs best, and those get invited into the invitational. That'd be the epitome of fairness in a game like this, no?

[AartS 14]

Yridaa, I think you worry too much man ;)

They will, for sure, lay out measurable rules to determine who 'wins' the invitational. The only thing 'at their descretion' is whether or not you get invited. The only reason for that sentence is to make sure Blizzard is able to invite players from (e.g. every region) instead of making it an event with players from just 1-3 guilds.

My guess, the winning rules are simple, finish fast (time). With perhaps a mechanic like the x fastest out of y runs.