Hey there /u/KardelSharpeyes,
Let me try to clear up some of the confusion for you. I will attempt to be thorough, so please forgive me if I go over information you already know.
The Basics
Each season is comprised of 2 Qualifiers; think of these 2 halves of the regular season. Each Qualifier is comprised on 3 parts: Online Open, Group Stage, Online Final.
- Online Open - Huge open elimination tournament where any team (within the specified regions) with a full roster of 3-5 players may compete for a shot at the Group Stage.
- Group Stage - The top 8 teams from the Online Open enter Groups and play round-robin format, where they are awarded standings based on their Win/Loss. At the end of Gro...