Template:Isml 2021 prelims

Round 1
All characters from each division are divided into 3 groups with at least 40 members each.


 * Characters are "seeded" in serpentine order based on the following:
 * Direct invites are seeded first, and will be ordered by their final positions in ISML 2020. Seasonal winners are put last and will be arranged based on inter-seasonal finish
 * The remaining characters are ordered by nomination rankings.
 * Approval voting (vote whoever you like).
 * Results will be used as seedings for the next round

Female
Cells are colored for ease of viewing, and do not necessarily indicate a character's status.

Round 2
Format:


 * All characters are re-seeded based on their positions in Round 1 (tiebreakers: Nomination rank > VP)
 * 12 groups
 * At least 10 members each
 * Limited voting format (you can only vote 3 players maximum per group).

Female
Cells are colored for ease of viewing, and do not necessarily indicate a character's status.

Rankings
After the preliminary rounds are finished, all characters will be ranked based on the following criteria, which will double as seeds for the regular season's first group stage:
 * Lower average rank points (ARP)
 * Divide each character's rank by the number of characters in their group.
 * For Round 2, multiply the character's divided rank by 4
 * Add Round 1 and 2's values together to get the final ARP value
 * Higher Nomination votes
 * Higher cumulative vote points (CVP) earned in the preliminary round

Only the top 72 contestants will advance to the regular season, and the remaining characters will be eliminated.