Phase I splits the 144 Candidates into sixteen groups of nine. Each group participates in a round-robin 1-vs-1-vs-1 tournament. The four rounds are scheduled over eight days with eight groups participating in each day. Four points are earned for winning a match while two points are earned for placing second. After the four rounds, the winner of each group advances to the Regular Season.

Phase II splits the remaining 128 Candidates into sixteen brackets of eight. Each bracket participates in a single-elimination 1-vs-1 tournament. The three rounds are scheduled over four days with eight groups participating in each of the first two days, and then all groups participating in the remaining two days. The winner of each bracket advances to the Regular Season.

Phase III is a series of free-for-all-style tournaments that eliminates Candidates over the course of three Rounds. Candidates are divided into pools of eight, and voters may select up to three Candidates in each pool (arena). In Round 1, the remaining 112 Candidates are shuffled into fourteen pools. The top five Candidates in each pool, plus two more who attained the highest vote percentage (regardless of group), advance to Round 2. In Round 2, 72 Candidates are shuffled into nine pools. The top five Candidates in each pool, plus three more wildcards, advance to Round 3. In Round 3, 48 Candidates are shuffled into six pools. The top three Candidates in each pool advance to the Regular Season. The rest are eliminated from the main tournament but may appear again in exhibition matches.

Held prior to the Regular Season, the Seeding Tournament provides data about the relative strengths of the 50 Contestants. Organized into pools of 10, 5, and then 7, voters select up to two Contestants per group in each round. The matches do not have distinct winners or losers, but the performances of each Contestant over the three days of voting will affect their seeding during the Regular Season's round-robin tournament.

Members of the ISML Community are invited to contribute previews and teasers for upcoming matches.
Submissions are posted on the front page while voting takes place.
Any match occurring that day can be featured.

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