With the new Collins Rating System (CRS) taking over, a lot of axe throwers want to know how exactly ratings will be calculated. So, in service to you and anyone else who wants to know, we’ve dug deep to investigate all the information provided by the National Axe Throwing Federation (NATF) regarding the subject – and here’s what we’ve found:
Base Score
The Collins Rating System is an unbiased, mathematical algorithm that determines a player’s abilities by comparing them to the abilities of other competitive players. Every player begins his or her career with a base score of 1450, which will go up or down after each match. However, the system itself is more complex than simply awarding points to the winners of all matches, with losers losing points.
Hypothetical Rankings
To prevent serious swings in ratings, all new players are given a “hypothetical ranking” when they first join a league. For the first 28 games they play, they are considered “rookies,” meaning their opponents won’t see any changes to their rankings whether they win or lose the match. However, a rookie’s rating will still change depending on their wins and losses, and the caliber of their opponent, allowing the algorithm to determine their most accurate Collins Rating.
Gaining/Losing Points
As previously stated, the Collins Rating System is a lot more complex than those that simply award points to winners and detract points from losers. Instead, the amount of points a player can win depends on the rank of their opponent and the number of rounds won against them. For instance, if you win against another player with a much higher ranking than you, you’re awarded a lot more points. Contrarily, if you win against someone who is ranked much lower than you, you may only get a few points. Just keep in mind, if the person is ranked very far below you, you likely won’t get any points at all, and you may even lose points despite your win. For players who are ranked evenly, only a few points may be granted to the winner, meaning the greater the challenge the greater the reward!
Multipliers
The type of competition players are in will also determine the number of points awarded at the end. Playoff matches, high profile tournaments, Regionals, and the NATC all have different multipliers in play to help players earn even more points per win based on the weight of the competition. Just remember, these multipliers swing both ways. Losing too many matches in an important game could potentially hurt your Collins Rating.
Ready To Join A League?
If you’re ready to join an NATF sanctioned league and get your name and Collins Rating on the board, you’ve got to make your way over to Minnesota Axe. We’re the only sanctioned axe throwing arena in the entire state, and we’d be happy to have you represent us as you work your way through the ranks!