StarCraft® II

We’ve read several posts of players experiencing drops in their “bonus pool,” sometimes as large as 100 points or more. This was a side effect of some bonus pool changes we made in 1.5.0 and, although the final result was intended, we originally planned for this to happen in a less visible way across several games rather than the jarring delivery some of you have faced. We apologize profusely for the scare.

Prior to 1.5.0, it was possible for a team’s earned bonus points to be higher than technically possible for the league they were in. This happened when a team earned bonus points in the Master League where more bonus points are given, and then moved out of that league. We were aware of this, but chose to allow it because we felt that instantly removing those points would be jarring. Instead, the system would not give that team any more bonus pool until they had “paid off” that excess amount. It resulted in slightly inaccurate rankings in the divisions these teams moved into, but we felt that was worth the smoother experience. Demotions are already jarring enough without also getting what looks like a large point loss.

With 1.5.0, we cleaned up the bonus pool system, and inadvertently allowed it to instantly remove those excess bonus points after a team’s next match. The change actually results in a more accurate ranking following the league move. It also does not have any effect on the skill component of a team’s ranking. However, we did not intend this change and apologize for the concern it may have caused.

Either approach leads to a correct score and rank, the new system just does it more abruptly. Going forward, this will only affect teams that haven’t played since the patch. It won’t be an issue after this season’s lock, and in future seasons.

I hope this helps to clarify things for those of you that have had serious concerns. Good luck out there!