[h1]Get ready for RCS Season 6![/h1] Following the record-shattering attendance of [url=https://smash.gg/tournament/riptide-3/details]Riptide[/url] and the recent announcement of [url=https://smash.gg/tournament/riptide-3/details]Genesis 8[/url], we are ecstatic to announce the newest Rivals Championship Series installment! Season 6 of the RCS will bring back monthly Online Majors, but will also mark the return of live events with our first hybrid season. Join us as we celebrate Rivals in even more regions on our biggest stages yet! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/10071875/c5b94e56cef65393e5a562b99c4d23e3b40de3f4.png[/img] [i]We're going workshop steam punk for Season 6![/i] [h2]Format and Schedule[/h2] Despite the tough year [url=https://smash.gg/league/rivals-championship-series-season-5/details]last season[/url] was a fantastic success thanks to our community, breaking attendance records on multiple occasions during an exclusively online season set on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving into Season 6, we have seen local events slowly emerge with the increasing accessibility of vaccines. Keeping this in mind, we are bringing the North American RCS back to in-person majors on three separate occasions in conjunction with four unique online majors. With a live finals event planned this year, we are also bringing back flight vouchers for the Top 4 North American league point holders at the conclusion of our December online event. North American players who top the leader board during the regular season will be given a complimentary flight to our Finals at [url=https://smash.gg/tournament/genesis-8/details]Genesis 8[/url]. For our friends in Europe and Australia, the top point holder from each region will be awarded 500 USD for their accomplishments. [h2]Here is our official schedule:[/h2] [list] [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/riptide-3/details]Riptide[/url] (Registration Cap Reached) - September 10-12,2021 - Sandusky, OH (NA) [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/rcs-season-6-hot-springs/details]Hot Springs Major[/url] (Registration OPEN) - September 18, 2021 - Online (NA) [*]Hot Springs Major (EU/AU Registration TBA) - September 2021 - Online (EU/AU) [*]Melody Major (Registration TBA) - October 2021 - Online (NA/EU/AU) [*]Unannounced Live Event - November 2021 - TBA (NA) [*]Fireworks Major (Registration TBA) - November 2021 - Online (NA/EU/AU) [*]Crystal Major (Registration TBA) - December 2021 - Online (NA/EU/AU) [*]EU/AU Regional Finals (Registration TBA) - January 2022 - Online (EU/AU) [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/genesis-8/details]RCS Finals at Genesis 8[/url] (Registration OPEN) - January 28-30, 2022 - San Jose, CA (NA) [/list] [i]More information regarding events in Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia can be found below.[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/10071875/4a2046b51ddb6e1ea00921a074c14fd5bf9a04be.jpg[/img] [h2]Regional Finals and Opt-In Events[/h2] We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing battle, with some areas struggling to return to a sense of normalcy more than others. In order to accommodate regions affected by event uncertainty and travel restrictions, we are introducing regional online finals for Europe and Australia. Each finals event will feature uncapped shop goals to allow players to fund their own scenes directly. In addition to our new finals events, we have a brand new Opt-In system for local events in Europe and Australia, and online events for the emerging regions of South America and Asia. [h3]For Europe and Australia:[/h3] As local events return in a safe and functional manner, tournament organizers will be able to apply for RCS prize support for their events. Events added through our Opt-In system will receive prize support but will not give players league points in order to prevent unfair advantages on the leader boards. [h3]For South America and Asia:[/h3] South America and Asia will both have opportunities to receive DLC support on par with the other regions. Tournament organizers from each region will be allowed to apply for one event every month, starting in September, to receive new and older RCS exclusive skin rewards. Sub-regions that are unable to compete in certain events, such as Brazil, can contact [url=https://twitter.com/SBSarizona]SBS[/url] or [url=https://twitter.com/Etalus]Etalus[/url] to ensure that they can have their own tournaments included. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/10071875/a094d43dc008780dfaab94a2ab9fa8a24373494d.png[/img] [h2]Monthly Themes[/h2] Elemental themed months are returning from Season 5 with a fun twist! Starting in September, each month leading up to our January finals will have a special theme based on characters from the upcoming Workshop Character Pack that will affect how the community interacts with the series including special bundles from our upcoming shop, a chance to acquire brand new and previously retired RCS DLC skins, and even unique prize opportunities for competitors participating in each major. When each month's major event comes around, we highly encourage players to record every character used on their tournament runs. The highest placing competitor to exclusively use rivals matching the month's elemental theme will receive an item from the Season 6 RCS shop. If a player happens to WIN the monthly major using only Rivals matching the month's elemental theme, they will be awarded a voucher from us for a custom controller by our friends at Controller Chaos. [h2]Season 6 Reward Structure[/h2] As mentioned above, there will be special rewards for the highest placing player(s) using only rivals matching each month's elemental theme, but that's not all. Each month's online event will have a dedicated prize pool and each finals event will have an uncapped prize pool, all funded by our shop. On the DLC front, we are happy to introduce brand new skins (TBA) for participants of each online major. Offline events will also feature pot bonus compendium goals and new themed skins! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/10071875/4944712e8ef3a03d67cea450f8e9d40dcf9438ac.gif[/img] [h2]Season 6 Rankings[/h2] For those curious about how our yearly rankings will be weighed, players looking to qualify for the Season 6 Top 50 will need to enter a minimum of 3 RCS events. We understand that there may be some hesitancy for players to mix online and offline events together, so players will only be ranked according to their placements at their best three events of Season 6 (player matchups may still be considered for all events). [h2]Links![/h2] This post has a lot of information to digest, so please refer to all relevant links for event pages! Stay tuned in the weeks to come for more RCS news as we lead up to the start of the season this September! [list] [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/riptide-3/details]Riptide (Registration Cap Reached)[/url] [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/rcs-season-6-hot-springs/details]September's Hot Springs Major[/url] (NA) [*][url=https://smash.gg/tournament/genesis-8/details]RCS Finals at Genesis 8[/url] [/list] Registration is now OPEN for our September online event and for Genesis 8!