WCS2016 Update: Repechage, Open Category and Finals Demystified

We're still in the progress of coming up with the livestream recap, but let's cover the World Championship 2016 parts that was announced, which was swiftly put into the official WCS2016 website the next day. We have information on the after-area-match antics and the final showdown.

Repechage (敗者復活戦) aka "Phoenix Frames" (不死鳥枠)

For those who passed the Preliminary Round in the Area Match but did not emerge as the area representative (that leaves only 3 Donders per area), there is this one last chance to strive for a slot in the Finals! For the week of June 17~22 (technically system stops accepting scores at June 23 01:29), these failed Donders are asked to play 10 designated songs (4 of which are unannounced as of now) and submit the results to Donder Hiroba, and the one with the highest total best scores will emerge rebirthing from the ashes and into the WCS2016 Finals. The "Phoenix Frames" results will be announced at June 23 07:00. In case of ties at the first place, they have two more days (June 24 07:00~June 26 01:29) to play 19 designated songs (4 unannounced yet) to break the tie (yes, all of them). If tie is still not broken then the WCS2016 Finals slot will be left vacant.

The "Phoenix Frames" ask for Shin-uchi and Shin-uchi only in modifiers, and you have to set them yourselves or else they won't count. Participants have to enter in the Donder Hiroba, and cannot duplicate entries with the Finals Frame Battle/"Open Category" below.

Repechage/"Phoenix Frames" page

Finals Frame Battle (出場枠争奪戦) aka "Open Category" (無差別級)

And for those who do not qualify for the repechage above, you also have this other online tournament to still try for your hand at a spot at the Finals. This tournament itself also splits into Preliminary and Final rounds:

• Preliminary Round (June 7 07:00~June 16 01:29): Participants play all 12 designated songs and the top 15 in total best scores emerge to the Final Round. Finalists to be announced June 16 07:00.
• Final Round (June 17 07:00~June 23 01:29): Finalists play all 10 designated songs (4 unannounced yet) and the ultimate top scorer here snatches the place to the WCS2016 Finals. Results to be announced June 23 07:00.
• Tiebreaker (if only ties at first place, June 24 07:00~June 26 01:29): Tied participants play all 19 designated songs to break the tie. If tie is still not broken then the WCS2016 Finals slot will be left vacant.

In the "Open Category" it also ask participants to set the modifiers by themselves to be Shin-uchi and Shin-uchi only. Again Donders should enter in the Donder Hiroba, and cannot duplicate entries with the Repechage/"Phoenix Frames" below.

Finals Frame Battle/"Open Category" page

World Championship 2016 Finals
The final showdown for WCS2016 will happen on July 17 at the BNEI headquarters (not the Future Lab anymore, if you remember they moved), where the 33 finalists (2 from elementary-under, 21 Japanese and 7 Asian area representatives, 2 from online tournaments, and one Tenkaichi Otogesai 2015 champion) will clash together to decide the best Donder in the world greater Asian region as of 2016.

The day will run like this image depicts:

• Preliminary Round 1: the 32 "normal" finalists will be put in 8 groups of four, and plays score attack within the group with four "Entry Songs"* as submitted by each one of the group. Highest total scorer of each group emerges.
  (* "Entry Songs" are designated by each player beforehand, and can be from the whole White ver. song list minus some block-outs like unlockables, ones that has Sou-uchi/DP on Oni and Japan-exclusives)
• Preliminary Round 2: the 8 emergents plus the Tenkaichi Otogesai champion plays a larger-scale score attack with two songs (to be announced) and the best four emerges to the Final Tournament.
• Final Tournament: the champion and runners-up are decided in a tournament run, where the song for each face-off is decided on the day and announced just beforehand.

While it seems to be just a spectacle-fest, there is something you can do to sway the process of the match: the grouping of Preliminary Round 1 will be put up for  voting in an upcoming Taiko Team livestream in mid-July. As with last year's, live audience recruitment and livestreaming on NicoLive are also being pondered and planned as of this writing.

WCS2016 Finals page