Understanding Advancement & Wildcard Qualification

MARC Association
Apr 12
2 min read

Updated: Apr 13

Following the announcement of teams advancing to the STVE X MARC International Open Championship from the three LOM events, we would like to provide further clarification on the advancement system and wildcard qualifications.

As MARC continues to grow globally, the qualification process is designed not only to reward competition results, but also to recognize engineering excellence, innovation, and overall team performance.

Advancement & Wildcard System

For MARC 2026, qualification is determined through a priority-based advancement system, where both competition rankings and special awards (wildcards) are considered.

In addition to standard placements (ex. winning alliances or top rankings), teams may also qualify through Special Awards, which serve as Wildcard Qualifications. These awards recognize:

Engineering quality and execution
Strategic gameplay
Innovation and creativity
Team presentation and overall performance

These wildcard pathways ensure that high-potential teams are recognized beyond match results alone.

LOM Wildcard Awards (League of Mecha-Clash)

For the LOM category, the following awards grant Wildcard Qualification eligibility:

Excellence Award
Strategy Award
Rookie Award
Ambassador Award

These awards are given based on judging performance (minimum score requirements apply), not just match outcomes.

Fair Qualification & Redistribution Logic

To maintain fairness and maximize opportunities:

If a team earns multiple qualifications, they will retain the highest-priority slot.
The vacated slot is then passed down to the next eligible team based on ranking order.

This means that in some cases:

Teams may qualify through both ranking and wildcard awards, but only one slot is counted
Additional advancement opportunities are then redistributed to other high-performing teams

This system ensures that more teams are given the chance to advance, while still maintaining competitive integrity.

Why Some Teams Advanced

As a result of this structure, some teams advanced through:

Direct competitive performance (Top Rankings)
Wildcard qualifications (Special Awards)
Redistributed slots from overlapping qualifications

For the full list of advancing teams and their qualification types,

please refer to:👉 https://www.marc-association.org/post/road-to-marc-international-open

Across All MARC Categories

This advancement and wildcard system applies not only to LOM, but also to:

Task Master (TM) – combining scoring performance and control excellence
Rising Pioneers (RP) – evaluating innovation, project quality, and real-world application

Each category follows a structured priority system to ensure that both performance and potential are recognized.

Moving Toward the International Stage

MARC is not just about winning matches —it is about identifying teams that demonstrate true capability, innovation, and future potential.

We look forward to seeing all qualified teams continue their journey at the STVE X MARC International Open Championship in Taiwan this May.

Stay tuned as we move closer to the global stage.