RULES of MMM
- Combatants are arranged in a four division, single elimination tournament.
- SAME & DIFFERENT Division: These are animals from very different lineages and can have similar traits because they have similar adaptations for types of lifestyles-such as traits for digging or gliding from tree to tree. This division celebrates Convergent Evolution
- ONLY ONES Division: Lonely branches of the evolutionary tree, this division features species that are the last or only living species of their Genus.
- ROOTS & RELICTS Division: Species that have endured for millions of years mostly unchanged or in a remnant population. Also pro-tip, check your nearest dictionary to learn the difference between relic & RELICT.
- TUXEDO STYLE Division: Mammals that are "monochromatic" one color- species that are shades of grey all the way from snow to sable. These species may be black and white, but who will end up...RED ALL OVER?!
- Combatants have assigned seeds 1-16, with “1” being the best-ranked combatant and “16” being the worst-ranked combatant in the Division.
- A single individual at peak “combat” condition represents their species as combatant - for some species this may be a male or female, depending on the natural history.
- Keep season in mind - March is Spring in the Northern hemisphere & Autumn in the Southern hemisphere. Combatant condition & priorities may vary with season, depending on the natural history.
- The combatants are considered as encountering each other on a field of battle:
- Rounds 1, 2, & 3 the better/lower seeded combatant has Home Habitat Advantage. The worse/higher-seeded combatant is the visitor, unless the combatants live in the same habitat
- Rounds 4, 5, & 6 (the Elite Trait, the Final Roar, & the Championship), the field of battle is randomized among 4 possible habitats.
- SEA CAVE: rocky caverns that may be inundated from the tide or fully submerged by oceans levels.
- GEOTHERMAL WETLANDS: created by hot water flowing from thermal streams, hot springs and geysers.
- SKY ISLANDS: isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments.
- TEMPERATE BROADLEAF FOREST: forests with deciduous trees dominant, distinct seasons, & distinct forest levels of canopy, understory, shrub, and ground.
- To “win” a battle, a combatant has to be holding the field of battle at the end of the encounter. Withdrawing from the encounter, fleeing, or total knock out (carnage) count as a defeat.
HOW BATTLE OUTCOMES ARE DETERMINED:
- A team of scientists research the combatants and their habitats and estimate probability that combatant A wins vs. combatant B wins within the specific habitat of the encounter.
- Attributes considered in estimating battle outcome include weaponry, armor, body mass, speed, fight style, physiology, attitude and motivation.
- From that probability estimation, a random number generator (RNG) determines the outcome of the encounter and which combatant advances in the tournament. The use of the RNG allows for the possibility, if not the probability, of UPSETS (a worse ranked combatant defeating a better ranked combatant).
SCORING THE TOURNAMENT:
Participants fill out their brackets with their choices for the winners for each bout. Scoring occurs at the end of the tournament, points allocated as follows:
- Wild Card = 1 point
- Round 1 = 1 point each
- Round 2 = 2 points each
- Round 3 = 3 points each
- Round 4 = 5 points each
- Round 5 = 8 points each
- Champion= 13 points
