Project Storm 2026 – ITGmania Singles
Tournament Organizers	Chief Skittles & CarterTheQ
Event Organizer	VivaLaMoo
Song List	TBD – Release in June 2026
Song Pack Download	TBD – Release in June 2026
Seeding and Schedule	TBD – Pending Finalization w/ EO

RULES SUMMARY

• Manual seeding based on past performance, ITL Online/Blueshift Results, and score submission if required.
• “Snaked” seeding into 4-person pools
• Pool Match Times to be posted on Start.gg event page
• Check-in for Pool matches occurs 5 minutes before listed start time
• Late arrivals forfeit song selection. Very late/No-show results in DQ.
• Theme: Latest Simply Love version set to “Tournament Mode”
• Song pack sourced from Storm, ITL Online, and other H2H events
• Pack split in 3 divisions: LOW, MID, UPR
• Pools: 6-song “Gauntlet” matches determined by “Draw 10, Veto 4”
• Top players in each pool advance to next Pool Wave
• Overall Top 8 players advance to UPR 8-person Double Elimination Bracket
• Top 4 MID and Top 4 LOW players advance to 4-person Double Elimination Brackets
• Bracket Matches: Best 2 of 3
• Losers, Winners, and Grand Finals: Best 3 of 5
• Traditional Protect/Veto/Pad Side selection. Protected songs move to front of setlist.

DETAILED EVENT RULES

Qualifying/Seeding

There will be no on-site qualifying for Project Storm 2025 ITGmania. Entrant seeding will be determined by the TOs based on historic tournament performance and the entrant’s performance/placement in online “tech” events, such as ITL Online and Blueshift, with bias towards more recent events.

In the event a player is unable to be placed accurately based on the above criteria, the TOs will ask for additional seeding criteria, such as a submission of scores they think represent their current skill level. If the player does not have access to ITGmania, submissions from PIU/DDR/SMX may be used as an approximation of skill level.

Pools will be dictated by overall player seed, with pools in Wave 1 consisting of the 16-24 lowest seeds (pending entrant count), alternating. Pools in Wave 2 and beyond will have 16 players each.

Schedule

To ensure the tournament can comfortably finish on time and to respect the time of competitors who may be registered for multiple CEO tournaments, it is critical that competitors arrive for scheduled matches and communicate possible delays to TOs in a timely manner. 

Card draws and general match preparation will begin five (5) minutes prior to the match’s scheduled start time Competitors should be checked in at the tournament area or have communicated with a TO by this time.

If not checked in:

• 5 minutes prior to the pool start time: Card draw and song selection for the match will begin. Absent competitors will forfeit their pick and/or veto options for song selection. Their selections will be determined randomly
• By the first song of the final set in the missing player’s pool: The competitor(s) will be fully disqualified from the pool.
  

Pool schedules and match times will be posted on the Start.gg page for ITGmania Singles prior to the event. In the event of schedule slip or unusual circumstances, TOs will make every effort to promptly communicate changes to competitors.

General Tournament Rules

Song Modifier Options

Players may use any settings or modifiers available in Simply Love with the following exceptions:

• On songs labeled No CMOD, players must use either an M or X speed mod.
• The “Show Step Statistics” option is preferred and enabled by default, but can be disabled at player request.
• Mods that alter the chart’s note counts, such as “Simple” or “DisableMines”, are not allowed. 
• The “Mirror” mod is allowed, but other Turn modifiers, such as “Left” and “Shuffle”, as well as half-mirror variations “UD-Mirror” and “LR-Mirror,” are not allowed.
• Basic visual mods such as Hide Background, Screen Filter, and Mini are allowed.

Theme/Scoring

All matches will use the “Tournament Mode” functionality of the latest Simply Love build, with match results determined by EX Score.

The Blue Fantastic timing window will be set to the current standard of 15 milliseconds. Players may choose to play with the FA+ display disabled. 

Decent and Way-off Judgments, as well as D/WO Rescores, will be enabled by default. 

Pad Errors / Recalculations

If during a match a player believes that their pad is malfunctioning or misfiring, resulting in erroneous judgments, they can request a score recalculation and/or pad maintenance. 

Score recalculations are given on a case-by-case basis pending TO/volunteer observation and match results. Recalculations only apply judgments below Excellent (Greats, Decents, Way-offs and Misses). Any recalculated steps will be recalculated to a “White Fantastic”  judgment.

TOs reserve the right to deny a score recalculation based on excessive rescores or “form errors” as well as pad performance in other matches.

If a resolution cannot be reached, or if a score recalculation would put the result of the match into question, players may be requested to replay the song that resulted in the score recalculation following pad maintenance, or to play an additional “replacement” song.

Disclaimer: It can be very difficult for TOs to determine if a false judgment is due to pad malfunction or player error. Every practical effort will be made to ensure that tournament pads are working in optimum condition before and during the tournament. Benefit of the doubt will be given whenever it is practical, but the TOs ultimately reserve the right to deny a score recalculation or song replay for any reason.

Substances on Pad

Out of respect for equipment providers and other competitors, no substances (i.e. baby powder) are to be applied directly on the pads. If you wish to use baby powder, etc., you may apply them to your footwear off the pad. Players may request the pads to be cleaned by a TO or volunteer at any time.

Song Pack

The song pack used for ITGmania Singles will be composed primarily of: 

• Returning songs from previous Storm events 
• New and returning songs from the ITL Online event series (prioritizing newer iterations)
• Selections from other recent ITGmania tournaments/events.

The pack will be split into three “divisions” designated LOW, MID, and UPR based on song difficulty and complexity. Based on event progression and Pool Wave, only songs from a given division will be used in each match.

Each division will have overlap with “adjacent” divisions; for example, songs labelled [LOW/MID] will be used in both LOW and MID division matches. Each pack division will consist of an equal number of total songs available.

DIVISION	SONGS USED	POOL WAVES
LOW	[LOW] and [LOW/MID]	Waves 1 & 2
MID	[LOW/MID], [MID], [MID/UPR]	Waves 3 & 4
UPR	[MID/UPR], [UPR]	Waves 5 & 6

Stage 1 – Gauntlet Pools

The first stage of the event will be a series of “gauntlet” matches. Players will be seeded into pools consisting of 4 players each. Each of these 4-player pools will play a 6-song set (a “gauntlet”), with the final player ranking in each pool determined by total “wins” and “losses” relative to the other pool participants across all songs. Please do not advance past the score screen until a TO or volunteer has recorded your scores!

Wins and Losses are determined on a “per song” basis based on EX% score. The overall W/L ratios will be determined once all songs have been played. Ties will award “winning” points to the tying players. 

By default, the Top 1 or 2 ranked players (depending on Wave) in each pool will advance to the next pool wave. The number of advancing players may be adjusted at the TOs’ discretion based on schedule and time availability.

TWO-SONG SCORING EXAMPLE

PLAYER	SONG 1 EX%	WINS	SONG 2 EX%	WINS	TOTAL WINS	RANK
A	95%	3	95%	3	6	1st
B	94%	2	92%	0	2	3rd
C	93%	1	95%	3	4	2nd
D	92%	0	93%	1	1	4th

Song Selection and Match Format

[NOTE: The song selection process for Pool matches MAY change prior to the event. This is the expected process at the time of writing. TOs will promptly communicate any changes.]

To determine the “gauntlet” set, 10 songs will be randomly selected (“drawn”) from the song pack (using only the pack divisions pertinent to the given Pool Wave). This initial draw will be visible to all pool players.

Starting with the lowest seed, each player, in ascending seed order, will choose one song from the draw to veto. Vetoed songs will be removed from the set list.

After all players have given their vetoes, the remaining 6 songs will be announced in the order of play. Players will then split off into pairs (pending setup availability) and play each of the remaining songs in the order chosen in a continuous “gauntlet” set. Scores for each player will be recorded following each song.

Prior to beginning each “gauntlet,” all players will be allowed one warm-up song for each player pair.

Players will be allowed two minutes between song plays. This will not be strictly enforced unless it is determined that excess time is being lost between songs. 

Players may not change the order in which songs will be played. Songs will be played in order shown on the draw screen following player vetoes.

[NOTE: For pools with greater than 4 players, the number of songs drawn will be (# of Players + 6), to ensure the final set will still consist of 6 songs.]

Tiebreakers

In the event of a tie on a single song, both players will be awarded “wins” based on the higher value of their tied placement. (In a tie for first place, both players receive three points, in a tie for second place, both players receive two points, etc.) The wins/points awarded to other players are not changed.

At the end of each pool, if there are two or more players who have the same overall W/L ratio, final rank will be determined by total average EX% across all songs. If there are any ties after this determination, a single song random will be drawn from the hardest selectable tier. All tying players will play the drawn song, with final results based on EX% of that song. This will be repeated as needed to determine pool placements.

Stage 2 – Double Elimination

Stage 2 of the tournament will consist of Double Elimination brackets composed of 1-on-1 matches. The overall Top 8 players will be placed in an 8-person bracket for UPR division, each entering with a 0-0 record (That is, all start on “Winners Side” of the bracket). In addition, the Top 4 players from Pool Wave 2 and the Top 4 players from Pool Wave 4 will be placed in 4-person brackets for LOW and MID division, respectively.

Card Draw Format

During DE Bracket Matches, song choice will be determined by a traditional card draw system. Each bracket will use only the songs available in their given division.

Standard matches in the Double Elimination Brackets will consist of 5-card song draws in a “Best of 3” format. 

Losers’ Finals, Winners’ Finals, and Grand Finals will all consist of  7-card song draws in a “Best of 5” format. 

During the Grand Finals, if the player from the Losers’ bracket wins the first set they will cause a “bracket reset”. A second set will then be played between the two finalists to determine the Grand Champion.

Before songs are drawn, the higher seeded player will choose between song protect order, song veto order, and pad side preference. After the higher seeded player has made their choice, the lower seeded player may decide between the remaining two options.  The higher seeded player will then decide on the last remaining option.

Example of Pick/Veto Selection after Set Veto:
Player 1 is Higher seed of Players 1 and 2

1. Player 1 chooses to protect a song second (Protect Order)
2. Player 2 chooses to veto a song second (Veto Order)
3. Player 1 chooses P1 side (Pad side)
4. The card draw is as follows:
   1. Drop Pop Candy, Egg Dealer, The Floor is Lava, Clairvoyance, Self Destruct
5. Player 2 protects Drop Pop Candy
   1. Drop Pop Candy becomes the first song in the set
6. Player 1 protects Self Destruct
   1. Self Destruct becomes the second song in the set 
7. Player 1 vetoes Egg Dealer
8. Player 2 vetoes The Floor is Lava
9. Player 1 plays on P1 pad, Player 2 plays on P2 pad
10. The song order for the set is Drop Pop Candy, Self Destruct, and Clairvoyance.

Tiebreakers

Once the final song of the drawn set has been played, if neither player has a record “2 of 3” (as opposed to non winning results such as: 1-1-1, 1-0-2, 0-1-2), a single additional song will be drawn from the respective pack division and played. The winner will be determined by the highest EX score on the tiebreaker song. This process will be repeated if further tiebreakers are needed.

Warm-Ups

Two hours prior to the start of UPR Double Elimination matches, at least one tournament machine will be available for players in the DE bracket to freely warm up. Spectators and players who are not in the DE bracket will be requested to refrain from using the tournament machines during this time.

Pads will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Players will be expected to respect each other and allow each player to warm up as needed – Players suspected of “hogging” a pad or cabinet during warm-up will be asked to share the available time with others. It is ultimately the players’ responsibility to arrive at the venue with enough time to properly prepare for matches.

Warm-Up time for LOW and MID division brackets will be allowed based on machine availability and schedule/time available prior to matches beginning.

Prior to card draw for a given match, players will be allowed one final warm-up song, if they desire.

Payouts

Reward amounts given as percentage of total prize pool:

UPR Division Grand Champion: 50%

UPR Division Runner-Up: 25%

UPR Division 3rd Place: 15%

MID Division Champion: 5%

LOW Division Champion: 5%

Final Notes

If at any point a player:

1. behaves in a manner deemed unnecessarily unsportsmanlike,
2. verbally or physically harasses or assaults someone else,
3. intentionally interferes with a match in-progress,
4. damages venue property through maliciousness or blatant negligence,
5. or engages in any similarly malicious behavior,

That player will be immediately disqualified from the tournament and subject to ejection from the venue at the discretion of Event Staff. “Event Staff” includes but is not limited to Project Storm TOs, CEO staff, and venue staff/security.

Link to source Google Doc here.