When you think of a tournament, the image of a single-elimination ladder often comes to mind: win or go home. But for those who hate the finality of one bad game, the Double Elimination Bracket is the superior format.

In a standard 4-team double elim, the team coming from the has not lost a match yet. The team coming from the Loser’s Final has lost once.

It balances competitive integrity (everyone gets a second chance) with time efficiency (you can finish the whole thing in 2-3 hours).

However, when you only have , things get a little quirky. Running a double elim bracket with a quartet of competitors is actually the purest form of the format. It guarantees every team two lives without requiring a massive time commitment.