Game Guide · 1v1 Head-to-Head

1v1 Head-to-Head

The draft, weaponized. You and an opponent alternate picks from the same player pool, snake-draft style, on a timer — then both lineups play the same simulated season and only one of you survives the comparison.

The formats

How a match works

  1. Matchmaking pairs you with an opponent and assigns draft order.
  2. Snake draft: picks alternate and reverse each round (1-2-2-1), so going second means back-to-back picks. Every pick is on a turn timer — stall and the pick is skipped.
  3. The sim decides it. Both lineups run the season; the better record takes the match. Results feed a rating so wins against stronger opponents count for more.
  4. Every pick is on the record. In live matches the server witnesses each pick as it's made. Quit on purpose and it's a loss (your opponent takes the win). Lose your connection mid-draft and the match finishes without you — your remaining picks are auto-drafted best-available, the season sims run, and the result counts for both players. So a drop can still win you the match, but it can never dodge a loss. A connection that fails before both players have picked is a no contest: no rating change for anyone. Repeatedly dropping out of live matches also earns a temporary timeout from live matchmaking — bots stay available.

Tips that are actually true

Positional scarcity is the whole game. When one elite goalie is on the board and you both need one, that pick is worth more than a marginally better skater. Count the pool before you spend a pick on depth you could get later.
The snake turn is a weapon. Back-to-back picks let you take both halves of a scarce pair — plan your double before it arrives.
Never let the timer pick for you. A skipped turn is strictly worse than any legal pick you could have made.