Re-Seeding: A Walkthrough

TL;DR: if you picked a team to win games in any part of the knockout stage that didn't make it, you can replace them with someone else. You'll get half points if they win. It makes the most sense to do this if you picked teams to advance in the bracket that didn't end up qualifying.


More details after the jump.

Here we are, the World Cup! How fun, you picked a bunch of games, and filled out a bracket. But the World Cup is crazy! You could have never predicted some of these results! Naturally, some of your bracket doesn’t line up with reality.

For example, Germany may finish second. But everyone had them finishing first! “Re-Seeding” allows you to move around each of your bracket picks to align with reality. There are two rules for how this works.

Rule #1: You can move around any of your picks to the correct slot in the bracket within each round, and still get full points for those picks.

For example: let’s say you picked Germany winning their group, and then advancing into the quarterfinals. But, if Germany finishes second in their group instead of first, it puts them in a different part of the bracket than you predicted. The Re-Seed: You can move your Germany pick to the accurate slot in the bracket where they’re playing, and you will still get a full 4 points if they win that match. (Previously referred to as an "Automatic Re-Seed")

Rule #2: Any re-seed where you change your pick entirely comes with a 50% "potential points" penalty.

Example 2: You had Argentina advancing into the quarterfinals. However, let's say Argentina fails to qualify for the knockout bracket. The Re-Seed: You can replace any Argentina wins in your bracket with anyone! Say... Croatia! However, you will only receive half the points your original team would have gotten if the replacement team advances.

This rule extends logically throughout the bracket. Anyone can re-seed their bracket to pick a new champion. However, if your re-seeded champion ends up winning, your entry only gets 8 points, instead of a full 16 you'd get if you picked that champion at the beginning.

Wrap-Up: you can move a country up or down in a round with out penalty (Rule #1, typically due to 1st and 2nd place reversals within groups). However, if an original country in your bracket is replaced (Rule #2, typically due to them not making it out of the group, or you just deciding to change it), any wins by the replacement country are subject to the 50% point penalty.

Timing: The exact seeds and Round of 16 match-ups will be finalized as each group finishes its matches from Monday thru Thursday this week. Then, the knockout stage begins on Saturday, June 30th at 10am. Your re-seed must be sent in by SATURDAY MORNING to be official!

Advanced FAQ:

Q: Is there any penalty for reseeding?
A: None! You can re-seed everything up until Saturday morning without penalty. No reason to not do it!

Q: There's a pick I've made that could still possibly happen (Germany winning the Final, for example), but I don't want them there anymore. Can I change that?
A: Yes, you can change any picks you like. But, any edited picks from your original bracket will be subject to that 50% penalty if they end up being correct.

Q: Both of my original semi-finalist teams are on the same side of the bracket. Can I leave my original bracket in place, with the hope that at least one of them will advance to net me full points?
A: Yes. Rule #1 re-seeding is not mandatory.

Q: Wait, what?
A: This is the game-theory aspect of re-seeding. For example, if you picked both Brazil & Argentina as finalists *originally*, you have the option to do nothing and leave both. This, despite the fact taht only one of them can make the final, because they're on the same side of the bracket. You would get 12 points if one of the two makes the final, but you would be unable to pick a new finalist for six points from the other side of the bracket. Brazil/Argentina would essentially be left winning a side of the bracket they're not on. This same logic applies to each round.

Q: Should I just "eat" one of my incorrect picks? (i.e. leave an incorrect pick in my bracket unchanged?) (this is the same question as the last two, just worded differently)
A: It depends on how risk averse you are. Let's say you have both Argentina and France thru to the quarterfinals in your original bracket, but now they're playing each other in the Round of 16. You could remove one or the other, and pick a winner of a different game for half points. That would be a true re-seed, giving you a potential of 6 points maximum, but a risk of 0 points. "Eating" your pick, in this case, would be leaving both France and Argentina in your quarterfinals bracket unchanged. No matter who advances, you will be guaranteed 4 points (because one of them will win that match). By "eating" the pick, you're sacrificing the opportunity to pick a winner in one of the other games that you have France/Argentina advancing from.

Feel free to ask additional questions, and I can clarify as necessary.

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