Ladder Leagues
Run multi-division seasons with Elo ratings, automatic promotion and relegation, inactivity decay, and spares.
A ladder league is a structured, multi-division competitive season. Players or teams are placed into tiered divisions — Div A at the top, then Div B, Div C, and so on. You compete against others in your own division, and at the end of each cycle the top performers move up while the bottom move down.
The result: every division stays competitive, and there's always something to play for — whether you're chasing a promotion or fighting to hold your spot.
If you've ever run king-of-the-court with a clipboard, ladder leagues are the same idea — winners move up, losers move down — but with real multi-division structure, Elo ratings instead of streak counting, and no paperwork.
Start here
- What is a ladder league? — the big picture and the vocabulary.
- Individual vs team mode — the one decision to get right before you start.
- Divisions and tiers — how the structure is laid out.
The season loop
- Promotion and relegation — how a cycle moves players between divisions.
- Start ratings when you move — what rating you get when you change divisions.
- Inactivity decay — what happens to your standing when you miss sessions.
- Spares and cross-division play — filling in up or down a division.
- Running a cycle — the organizer's step-by-step.
- What is a ladder league? The big picture — divisions, cycles, ratings, and what makes a ladder different from a one-off mixer.
- Individual vs team mode Whether you rate each player or each fixed partnership — the one setup decision that shapes the whole league.
- Divisions and tiers How divisions are stacked into tiers, how ratings stay isolated per division, and how players are seeded.
- Promotion and relegation How a cycle ranks each division, picks who moves up and down, and transfers them between tiers.
- Start ratings when you move What rating you get when a cycle promotes or relegates you — the "swap" rule that keeps divisions balanced.
- Inactivity decay How missing sessions lowers your visible standing without erasing your real rating — and how it snaps back instantly.
- Spares and cross-division play What happens when a player fills in for a higher or lower division — and the auto-promotion rule for sparing up.
- Running a cycle The organizer's step-by-step for triggering promotion and relegation when a round of play is done.