Knick Catan League2026 Season · Classic

How Catan Stats Works

ELO, Crown, Heater, eligibility & game rules

THE SHORT VERSION

Everyone starts at 1000 ELO. Win and finish ahead of stronger players to climb; sit out and you lose 25/week. Each month, the top-rated eligible player takes the Crown and the biggest gainer takes the Heater.

How ELO Works

Your rating rises and falls with every game

  • • Everyone starts at 1000 ELO.
  • • After each game, ELO moves based on finish placement vs. opponents' ratings.
  • • Beating higher-rated players gains more; losing to lower-rated players loses more.
  • • Ratings never drop below the floor of 1000.

Illustrative example

Before game

Player A — 1120

Player B — 1050

After A wins

Player A +18

Player B -18

Numbers shown are an example, not a guaranteed fixed result.

The Crown

Highest rated eligible player at month's end

The Crown goes to the eligible player holding the highest ELO when the calendar month ends. It's a month-end snapshot, not the live #1.

Month-end highest ELO 5-game minimumFinalized at month close

The Heater

Biggest ELO gain during the month

The Heater rewards momentum: the eligible player who gained the most ELO across games played that month (first to last game).

Most ELO gained 5-game minimumLive race vs official winner

Monthly Eligibility

The 5-game rule

0–4 games

  • ✓ Shows in Monthly Standings
  • ✗ Not eligible for Crown
  • ✗ Not eligible for Heater

5+ games

  • ✓ Shows in Monthly Standings
  • ✓ Eligible for Crown
  • ✓ Eligible for Heater

The monthly standings show the live race. The official Crown & Heater are only final once the month completes.

Inactivity Penalty

Show up or lose ground

  • • Play zero games in a completed Monday–Sunday (UTC) week → lose 25 ELO.
  • • Floor-aware: if you're between 1000 and 1025, only the room above the floor is taken.
  • • Leftover penalty is discarded — debt never carries forward.

Mini example (floor = 1000)

1010→1000(−10, not −25)

Placement & Ties

How finish positions are assigned

Normal

11st place
22nd place
33rd place
44th place

Tie for 1st

11st place
11st place
33rd place
44th place

Tied players share the lowest position in the tie group; the next player skips ahead. A valid game needs exactly one player in 1st.

Game Requirements

What makes a valid game

3–8 players

No 2-player games

Map required

Valid for the mode

5–25 win VP

Victory point target

No duplicates

Each player once

One 1st place

A winner is required

VP ≥ 0

Valid for each player

Quick Reference

Starting ELO

1000

ELO floor

1000

Monthly min

5

games for awards

Inactivity

-25

per missed week

Players

3–8

per game

Map

Req

required