A duel is the smallest unit of competition Clutchat runs: two players, one game, one result. It needs no organizer, no sign-up period and no bracket, which makes it the format members actually use on a quiet weeknight. Because every duel is reported by both players, the rating it produces is a record both sides agreed to. Duels are global across Clutchat: they are not a per-server feature, so no server has to switch them on and none can switch them off.

Starting a duel

Two commands start a duel, and both take the game you are playing: /duel challenge for a named opponent, and /duel find for matchmaking.

Challenge someone: Name a member and they receive the challenge to accept or decline. Direct challenges have a rating-gap limit: if the two of you are too far apart, the bot will suggest the queue instead, which keeps strong players from farming much weaker ones.
Join the queue: /duel find puts you in the matchmaking queue for that game and shows who is already waiting. When another player is waiting, the two of you are paired.

You can only be in one open duel at a time, and so can your opponent. If they are busy, the bot says so rather than stacking challenges up. The Cancel button on your queue or challenge message takes you out of the queue or withdraws a challenge nobody has accepted yet.

Playing it

Once a duel is accepted, both players are told who they are playing and the duel is live. Set up the match in your game however you normally would — a custom room, a private lobby, a friendly match. If you need to pass on a room code or agree on a map, /duel say relays a message to your opponent’s DMs, so you do not need to add each other as friends first.

A duel has a two-hour play window from the moment it starts. Players often report later than that, and late reports are accepted, but a duel that nobody reports for a full day past its window expires: neither side scores, and both players are free to start a new one.

Reporting the result

When the match is over, each player reports from the buttons in their DM — “I won” or “I lost”.
If the two reports agree, the duel is resolved immediately and both ratings update.
If both players claim the win, the duel is marked disputed and does not count: neither rating moves and neither player scores. Both of you are free to start another duel straight away, with the same opponent or someone new.

Tip: agree on the rules first

Settle the mode, the map and best of one or best of three before you start. Most disputes come from two players playing different matches in their heads, and a disputed duel is a result neither of you gets to keep.

How the rating moves

Duel ratings work on the same principle as chess ratings: the change depends on who you beat. Beating a higher-rated opponent moves you up a lot; beating a much lower-rated one moves you very little; losing to someone below you costs more than losing to someone above you. Over enough duels the rating converges on how well you actually play, which is why it is used for matchmaking and why it is a reasonable input when an organizer is seeding a tournament.

A rating is only as good as the matches behind it. A handful of duels says little; a few dozen against a range of opponents says a lot. The duel record, not just the number, is visible to other members.

Looking back

/duel history lists the last 25 duels for you or for any member you name.
Pick any duel from the menu under /duel history to see its full detail.
Duels also appear in /player logs and count towards a member’s profile and Clutch Card.

Good habits for servers

Pin a short note in your duel channel saying how duels are played in your community — which mode, which map, best of one or best of three — so both players start from the same assumptions.
Remind members that a disputed duel does not count for either side, so honest reports are the quickest way for both players to climb.
Encourage the queue. It produces fairer pairings than members picking opponents, and it is the quickest way for a new member to get a first result.

1v1 duels with ratings