Stories from RhyDin & The Rings

These will be the official rules for the Duel of Magic sport.

Table of Contents (Click to jump to post)

Duel of Magic Ranking
Mage Spells & Tournament Prizes
Record Reinstatement & Purges
The Ring of Klytus / Cycle Rankings & The Augmented The Ring of Klytus
Neophytes
The Title of Keeper & Becoming a Keeper
The Archmage and the Archmage Tournament, Forfeiture, & Saving Clause

Duel of Magic Ranking

Duelists rise in rank according to their success in their duels. Ranks are assigned according to the number of wins a duelist maintains. While the wins-only ruleset is default, there is an opt out choice for duelists wishing to experience the old Wins over Losses, abbreviated WoL, version of the game. Please inform the Duel of Magic Standings Keeper if you are interested in opting out of the lossless ruleset.

All duelists start at the rank of Apprentice. As they advance, they will gain a focus up to the maximum of three, which is achieved at Wizard. Once a duelist becomes a Mage, they will gain one of the two mage spells. When standings are posted, each duelist's focuses and extra spells will be listed by their name, along with their current record and last activity date. Standings are posted weekly before the first Sunday night of each dueling week. A duelist's rank does not change until the standings are updated, so if you gain enough wins to advance in rank on Sunday night, you will remain at your current rank until the next standings, and will not be able to use the extra focus or spell until then.
*Note: Duelists who opt out of the lossless default will gain rank by their Wins over Losses (WoL) record, not wins alone.

Mage Spells

There are two spells available to choose from upon reaching the rank of Mage: Nether Ray and Immolation. As stated in the game guide, they fit different purposes, but Magi may only hold one at a time. It is the duelists' responsibility to check the standings and notify the Standings Keeper of their spell selection, but upon so doing, the latest standings will be edited to reflect this choice as soon as it is received.

If a duelist does not choose a spell the default of Nether Ray will be chosen for them by the Standings Keeper. Basically, a duelist may not use a spell they are not listed as having. If a duelist doesn't like the spell they've chosen, they may message the Standings Keeper to change it, but only twice per cycle.

However, the two exceptions are the ranks of Archmage and Mage Emeritus. The Archmage may use both of the mage spells freely in every duel. For Magi Emeriti, they may use the mage spells on a duel by duel basis. They must verbally state before each duel which of the two mage spells they will be using, or they will not be able to use either. It's easy to forget to make this choice, so for the Emeritus's convenience, they may message the Standings Keeper to select a default mage spell. This spell will be underlined on the standings, and the Emeritus will only have to state their spell if they wish to use the one that isn't their default.

Important message for Duelists who have opted out of Lossless
If a duelist drops below the rank of Mage, they will lose their mage spell, but will regain it upon reaching Mage again.

Tournament Prizes

Special items may be distributed during events like the All Ranks Tournament or other one off events. Items may include devices that allow the user to invoke the Elemental Fury spell once per duel or to use a Mage spell during a duel. Unless otherwise noted, they may not be used in challenges or tournaments. Like the two Mage Spells, Elemental Fury may not be focused, no matter how it is used. These items will be tracked on the standings or listed in the tournament write up post in which it was awarded.

Record Reinstatement and Purges

Each Duel of Magic cycle will last nine weeks. To be considered active, duelists must have completed a regular duel (non-tournament, non-challenge) within the past three cycles, or approximately 6 months. Inactive duelists will be removed from the standings at this time. The records for retired duelists will be kept for future reinstatement. There is only one way to be reinstated: Gain an activity duel and be reinstated automatically when the official standings are updated.

Duelists who have opted out of the wins only default and chosen to use the older ranking system of WoL please read the following: At the end of each cycle a record purge will occur. The losses will be subtracted from wins and removed.

Example: if a duelist has 15 wins and 7 losses, they will have 8 wins and 0 losses at the start of the next cycle. Ties are also removed. However, any duelist with zero or fewer WoL will have their WoL reset to zero on a weekly basis. They will remain on the standings so long as they are an active member of the Duel of Magic.

The Ring of Klytus / Cycle Rankings

The Ring of Klytus is a powerful magical artifact that is awarded to the duelist with the most exemplary dueling performance of the cycle. All duelist are eligible to earn the Ring of Klytus. Every duelist will be listed with their win ratio on a separate page of the standings (click Cycle Rankings), which is separated into three brackets. The bottom bracket lists duelists with less than four duels. The middle bracket lists duelists with four to seven duels. The top bracket lists duelists with eight or more duels. The bracket placement takes precedence over win ratio; that means a duelist with a 25% win ratio and four duels ranks above a duelist with a 66% win ratio and three duels. The duelist with the highest ranking with a win Percentage of 50% and higher at the end of the cycle will be awarded the Ring of Klytus, and will hold it until the end of the next cycle when it is awarded again. It may be declined, though, and will thus be offered down through the top bracket until a duelist accepts it. Duelists in the middle bracket and lower bracket are not eligible to accept the Ring of Klytus.

The Ring of Klytus is not just a sign of exemplary performance, though. Any duelist who holds it will be able to use one extra focus in addition to what they already have, up to the maximum of three. However, it offers no dueling advantage to duelists of the Wizard rank or above; you cannot use a mage spell with the Ring. This is the primary reason for being able to decline the ring. The holder of the Ring of Klytus will both be stated in the news area of the standings, and italicized in the standings themselves. They will also be listed in the Duel of Magic histories for the Ring of Klytus.

Augmented The Ring of Klytus

With the completion of 4 Regulation Duels the Ring of Klytus will feed on the magical energy and become Augmented. From that point on, every win gained through regulation by the Ring of Klytus winner will be counted as Twin Wins.

Neophytes

When a duelist reaches the rank of Mage, they may seek out a duelist to mentor. This duelist will be known as a Neophyte. They may perform this search any way they wish, be it an unofficial tournament, or an arbitrary selection based on any criteria they want. They can even just pick one out of the blue. A mage may only have one initial Neophyte, but once the Neophyte makes mage rank, this entitles the mentor to take on two Neophytes thereafter. The Neophyte sub-title is functionally identical to the Ring of Klytus, with the following exception: the neophyte may not use their mentor focus during a challenge match.

The neophyte focus may stack upon the Ring of Klytus focus, but not beyond the benefit of three focuses. Once a Neophyte becomes a Mage, they are automatically released from their Mage's mentorship. When a duelist is a Neophyte, they are listed on the standings with their mentor listed beside them. The relationship is not official until it is posted on the standings. The relationship can be terminated at any time by mentor or Neophyte.

Duelists are encouraged to seek out a mentor via play or through the use of the Twilight Isle in character forums. Mentors who have chosen a Neophyte must inform the Duel of Magic staff with a reply to the Neophyte Announcements thread located in the Duel of Magic (OOC) folder.

The Title of Keeper

A Keeper is a duelist who maintains control over one of the Isle's four elemental towers, and the element associated with it. Anyone with the rank of Sorcerer or above may become a Keeper. However, unlike the titles in Swords and Fists, Keeper is not a separate rank, but a title that is added onto their current rank. Thus, Keepers will be highlighted in gold on the standings.

In order to remain a Keeper, the duelist must complete a regular (non-tournament, non-challenge) duel at least once per cycle. Activity requirements are greater for Keepers due to holding one of the only four challengeable titles in the sport. If these requirements are not met, the Keeper will be stripped of their title, and it will be offered in a tournament, usually the next All-Ranks Tournament. It is not required for the Keeper to remain at the rank of Sorcerer or above, but if they fall below the rank of Sorcerer, they are immediately rendered vulnerable to challenge without any grace period until they regain the rank of Sorcerer.

The Keepers* have an extra spell at their disposal called Elemental Fury. It is incredibly powerful, but may only be used once per duel in both regulation and challenge matches. As always, its incarnation will vary from duelist to duelist, but it will always involve the Keeper's element. They will also be listed in the Duel of Magic histories for their respective tower.

*Does not apply to the Archmage. The Archmage may only use their Elemental Fury against an Elemental Keeper within a regulation match. This reflects the same reason as to why the Archmage may only use their Elemental Fury against a Keeper within the challenge match format.

The winner of the Archmage Tournament will then have a challenge match against the reigning Archmage, with the same rules as all other Keeper challenges. However, the Archmage will not be allowed to use Elemental Fury unless the challenger is another Keeper, in which case both will be able to use it for each duel. The rationale is that the Archmage already has enough of an advantage with both mage spells. The winner will be the Archmage for the next cycle, until the next Archmage Tournament.

Becoming a Keeper

There are two ways to become a Keeper: by challenge, or by victory in a tournament offering a tower.

Anyone meeting the following criteria may render challenge to a Keeper for their title:

1. Is listed on the DoM standings with the rank of Sorcerer or higher.
2. Has been an active member of the Duel of Magic for at least two weeks. This includes duelists who have returned from retirement. They must complete a regular duel to become an active member of the Duel of Magic.
3. Has not challenged in the last 30 days.
4. Has not lost a Keeper title in the last 30 days.
5. Does not already hold a Keeper title. In order to obtain a different tower, the Keeper must first retire their current title and then challenge. This does not count as losing a Keeper title.
6. Awarded a special grant to challenge for a Keeper title.

Challenges must be rendered as threads posted on the Duel of Magic corkboard. One of the Coordinators will then verify that the challenger meets the criteria. The Keeper must then respond with their acceptance within one week. A Keeper may not refuse any valid challenge. The challenger and the Keeper must then find a caller to officiate their match and agree on a date and time for it to take place. Details on caller and time/date should be posted as replies to the challenge thread.

Both duelists are expected to show up on time. In the case of either duelist being absent thirty minutes after the scheduled time, the match will be rescheduled for a date preferably within a week of the original challenge date. If the same duelist continues to be absent for two reschedules after the initial failure to appear, that duelist will lose the challenge by default. If the Keeper loses by default, the DoM Coordinators will ask another Keeper to champion the vacant Tower and duel the challenger. There is no risk to the champion's own title. If the challenger defeats the champion, the challenger gains the Keeper rank and will hold the Tower of the element for which they issued challenge. If the champion defeats the challenger, the Keeper's title of the originally challenged element will be considered vacant (i.e. held by nobody) and will likely become a tournament prize. However, the final decision regarding how the Keepership will be awarded (tournament, etc.) remains at the discretion of the DoM Coordinators.

Should a Keeper fail to accept a valid challenge within one week after validation has occurred, the Keeper will be considered in forfeit. The challenged Keeper will be stripped of their title, and the DoM Coordinators will ask another Keeper to champion the vacant Tower and duel the challenger. There is no risk to the champion's own title. If the challenger defeats the champion, the challenger gains the Keeper rank and will hold the Tower of the element for which they issued challenge. If the champion defeats the challenger, the Keeper's title of the originally challenged element will be considered vacant (i.e. held by nobody) and will likely become a tournament prize. However, the final decision regarding how the Keepership will be awarded (tournament, etc.) remains at the discretion of the DoM Coordinators.

Every Keeper challenge will be held in Best of Three format. A minimum of two and a maximum of three duels will be fought, and the duelist who wins two duels will be the winner, and thus, the holder of the title. The defending Keeper will be allowed to use Elemental Fury once each duel, and both duelists will fight at rank.

Whenever there is a new Keeper, it will be official upon the conclusion of the challenge and shall be made public notice on the public forums. In the case of a defeated Keeper, they may not utilize Elemental Fury any longer, and the new Keeper may not use Elemental Fury in regulation duels until the new standings are posted. The new or defending Keeper may also optionally have a 30-day grace period during which no challenge may be rendered against them. The day after the challenge is officially counted as Day 1 of the 30 day grace period. The grace period expires at 9:00pm (Eastern) on the 30th day. If a new Keeper waives their grace period, they are allowed to use Elemental Fury in a Keeper challenge if the challenge occurs prior to the standings being updated to reflect their status as Keeper.

In all challenge duels and all tournament duels, there can not be a tie. If there is no duelist with a full point lead by round 15, the duel will continue until there is a proper victor.

The Archmage and the Archmage Tournament

Archmage is a unique title and rank, considered to be the top title in the Duel of Magic. There may only be one Archmage at a time. The Archmage is also the Celestial Keeper, with control over the Citadel of Stars. The Archmage is the Keeper of "Quintessence," the essence of magic itself. It is usually manifested as stars, but other manifestations can occur, and are welcome.

As the Archmage is also a Keeper, all rules pertaining to Keepers apply to Archmage, with a few exceptions. The Archmage is not challengeable via normal means, and can only be challenged by the winner of the Archmage Tournament. The Archmage must stay at 15 WoL or above, otherwise they must duel and defeat three duelers of Mage/Emeritus rank (selected by the DoM Coordinator and/or Assistant Coordinator) within a reasonable period of time. (Availability of duelers and referees will help the DoM staff to determine this period of time, which will be publicly posted on the Message Boards). Should the Archmage lose any of the three matches, he or she will be demoted and fall to a rank in accordance with their Wins over Losses record. The Archmage rank will then remain vacant until the next Archmage Tournament where it shall be awarded to the victor of the tournament. If the Archmage defeats all three opponents, the Archmage will retain the rank of Archmage for the remainder of the cycle. However, if the Archmage is still below 15 WoL at the time of the next Archmage tournament, they will not be allowed to defend the rank of Archmage. The rank and title will be granted to the victor of the Archmage tournament.

The Archmage Tournament will take place in the final week of every cycle. It is a special tournament where only those ranked Magi and above may enter. The winner will challenge the Archmage for the title. As another exception to the Keeper rules as they apply to the Archmage, current Keepers can challenge if they win the Archmage Tournament. The current Archmage may not enter the Archmage Tournament. If for any reason there is no current Archmage, then the winner of the Archmage Tournament will automatically become the new Archmage.

The winner of the Archmage Tournament will then have a challenge match against the reigning Archmage, with the same rules as all other Keeper challenges. However, the Archmage will not be allowed to use Elemental Fury unless the challenger is another Keeper, in which case both will be able to use it for each duel. The rationale is that the Archmage already has enough of an advantage with both mage spells. The winner will be the Archmage for the next cycle, until the next Archmage Tournament.

In the case of an elemental Keeper winning an Archmage challenge match, the elemental tower will become vacant and shall be awarded via tournament.


Duel Forfeiture

Duel forfeiture is permitted under the following circumstances:
Incorrectly issued duels/challenges including sport or room code
Opponent has been absent for more than 15 minutes
Technical difficulties preventing the completion of the duel
Out of character personal emergencies requiring immediate attention that prevent a duel from being completed in a timely manner

If a duel is forfeited, please complete the duel forfeiture request via the Nexus Guide bot and DM a member of the Duel of Magic staff so they can be aware of it for the standings.

At this time, duel forfeiture is not permitted for in-character reasoning due to the potential for it to be abused or used to circumvent other Duel of Magic rules. As staff may not be available and on hand to make in the moment rulings for every in character instance that may occur, no in-character forfeits are permitted in order to avoid any sense of impropriety, unfairness, or other issues that arise from making situational specific judgements.

Repeated forfeits may be actionable.

For situations that occur outside of the above outlined parameters, please reach out to a Duel of Magic staff member for assistance.


Saving Clause

Any dispute that is not clearly covered under the preceding rules shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Duel of Magic Coordinator. This judgment shall be considered final and may only be overturned by the Board.

Change Log:
Updates to the official Duel of Magic Rules can be found here.