There are three official Knockout competitions online every week. These are fun events and all skill levels are welcome! Many who play the Knockouts also play SmurfsCup, so we'll include those times as well.

Twice a month, on Tuesdays:
20:00 CET - SmurfsCup Valley

Fridays:
20:00 CET - Hypeboys Endurance Cup
21:00 CET - MX Lagoon Cup

Saturdays:
20:00 CET - SmurfsCup Canyon
21:30 CET - TMX/MX Knockouts

The best place to see the current TM2 KO start times in your local timezone is by visiting ManiaCalendar.com.

Please note: Start times for the evening MX Knockout changes based on when Europe changes to and from Summer Time. The times posted here are current as of when this post was last edited (see bottom of the post). The competitions are currently on Summer Time.


The rules are simple in concept.

• Competitions are played in Rounds with one warmup and one single round.
  
• We're using a selection of maps built specifically for the KO. The idea is to play untrained on maps, however, since maps are limited, an advantage can be gained by participating in multiple KOs.
  
• At the end of each race any who did not finish are eliminated (KO'd).
  
• If everyone finishes the round, then the last placed position is eliminated.
  
• Eliminated players and players who join late are forced to spectate live rounds, but may play during warmups.
  
• Play continues until one player is left. They are thus the winner.

You must be on the server before the KO begins. However, late joiners are welcome to stay on server, play warmups, spectate live rounds, and chat... as long as they're not distracting to the drivers.


Rule 1: Arrive on time
You can't join the Knockout if you arrive late. You are eligible to join during the warmup of Round 1, but once the round starts, the player slots are locked. There is no exceptions to this rule. We can't have rules for one person and different rules for someone who may not be so well known.

Rule 2: Environment and author balance
At the start of the Knockout, the admin shuffles the map pool. We will not skip maps based on environment, or the author, having been selected 'too often'. To ensure new submissions are played, we do queue newly added maps first, and then the shuffled maps will proceed to be played normally.

Rule 3: Elimination
At the end of each map, the last placed driver, or all those who do not finish the race, are forced into spectate mode. This is the whole idea of the Knockout. Once you placed last, you are out of the remaining races until there is a single player left, the winner.

Rule 4: Number of rounds
We try to keep the knockouts around 20-25 rounds. If there are fewer players, fewer rounds will be played.

Rule 5: Number of KOs
Once the player count reaches a limit, extra KOs may be introduced. A dynamic KO system will ensure that the number of KOs increase towards the middle and decrease towards the end of the event. For an in-depth explanation of how the KOs are calculated, click here.

Rule 6: Loss of connection
In the case of a disconnection, the script will put you back in if you don't miss any rounds and rejoin before the round ends. You should see a message in-game signaling you rejoined in time. However, if this fails, we are not obliged to force you back in. The reason for this is that the Knockout has many people taking part and we cannot keep track of all the different players who are still in the Knockout or not.

Rule 7: Server or script crash
If the game server or the knockout script stop working, the knockout may, depending on how far into the Knockout we are,

1. restart with all players reinstated, or

2. resume with remaining players reinstated

Rule 8: Player retirement
If a player accidentally retires, their run will count as DNF with a KO following up.

Rule 9: Shortcuts
Generally, shortcuts are not allowed. We do our best to ensure maps are cut free. But if you encounter a map that has a shortcut, please report it to the host. The map will be reviewed.

Do not drive a shortcut during a live round, or you may be forcibly knocked out by the host. Shortcuts are problematic because they give players familiar with them an unfair advantage.

Note that intended shortcuts are an exception to this rule. Usually they're one of the following:
- Well signed alternate routes (rare).
- Small shortcuts across corners without straying far from the route.
- Alternate finishes that are clearly visible, but may be missed during warmup or during an initial run.

Rule 10: Unsuitable tracks
We try our best to test and ensure all tracks are suitable for use in the Knockout. But should you play a map which you think is really not suited, then please tell us about it in the #weekly-knockouts channel on MX Discord. We will not skip maps during the Knockout based on track suitability. Any issues of that kind should be discussed after the KO to be resolved for the next knockout, not the current knockout.

Rule 11: No player substitutions
Sometimes players have to leave early before they're knocked out. Occasionally they ask if another player in spectator mode can take their place. However, to keep things fair, there will be no player substitutions.

Rule 12: Author/Driver tracks
For the final 4 races (so once there is only 5 drivers left), any track which is made by one of the remaining participating drivers will be skipped by the admin.

Rules outlined by MrA and Mikey. Modifications by eyebo and Voyager006.

Typical Knockout Settings
Game Mode: Rounds, 1 round, Warmup: Yes (TA)
Game Mode: TimeAttack, Time: 1:45, Warmup: No


For a full list of all the map groups, and important details about building for the Knockouts...
Check this topic: Knockout Map Building