RULES, SCORING & GAMES
RULES
All of our contests follow the same basic rules as followed:
The Player starts by picking 9 different Stocks/Cryptos depending on which financial markets are applicable to a particular contest, with the Picks being broken down into 3 tiers. Our tiers are a proprietary based system that acts like MoonLeague's version of a "Salary Cap" from the Daily Fantasy Sports World that would place the top Stocks/Cryptos in tier "A". Tier "B" would be more average performing Stocks/Cryptos and tier "C" Stocks/Cryptos would be considered the most volatile of picks. The player is required to make 2 Picks from tier "A", then 3 Picks from tier "B", and finish with 4 Picks from tier "C" (9 total picks per player).
To start each contest we take a snapshot of the entire market at the beginning of each contest for a reference price starting point for each of the Player's Picks. The percentage gains or losses are calculated in Real Time based on that starting snapshot. In the case of a "Trade", once the new pick is made a snapshot is taken of that Pick's current price for an accurate percentage gain or loss for that particular Pick's scoring purpose.
All MoonLeague contests are currently being played on these markets:
- US Stocks
- ETFs
- Crypto
- World Markets
SCORING
Base Scoring
Your score is the average of all your Picks' percentage gains/losses, rounded to the 5th decimal point. "Show Me the Money" contests are scored the same way on percentages — we just add a numerical monetary value for the mode's purpose, but EVERY GAME IS SCORED BASED ON THE SAME PERCENTAGE MODEL.
Zero-Exclusion Rule
If a Pick finishes a contest or is traded when its real-time percentage is at a True 0.00% (no movement from entry price, after all penalties and multipliers), that Pick is excluded from the scoring average. Your score is calculated as:
SUM(all non-zero pick scores) ÷ COUNT(picks where score ≠ 0.00%)
Scoring Example
| Selection | Tier | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pick #1 | A | +3.56% |
| Pick #2 | A | +2.78% |
| Pick #3 | B | -1.67% |
| Pick #4 | B | -0.78% |
| Pick #5 | B | +3.12% |
| Pick #6 | C | +0.56% |
| Pick #7 | C | +2.43% |
| Pick #8 | C | -1.54% |
| Pick #9 | C | +0.93% |
| Total | +9.39% |
Trading Example
| Trade | Tier | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Player trades Pick #3 "B" to make Pick #10 | B | +1.43% |
| Player trades Pick #8 "C" to make Pick #11 | C | +1.78% |
| Player trades Pick #1 "A" to make Pick #12 | A | -2.01% |
| Player trades Pick #10 "B" to make Pick #13 | B | 0.00% |
| Player trades Pick #13 "B" to make Pick #14 | B | +4.38% |
| Total | +5.58% |
Original 9 Picks +9.39% + 5 Traded picks +5.58% = +14.97%
14.97% ÷ 13 (# of selections not including 0.00% scores) = +1.15%
Note: Pick #13 finished at 0.00% and is excluded from the count (14 total picks minus 1 zero = 13 scored picks).
GAME TYPES
1. Day Trader
This is our base Game Type. A player can switch out any selection at any time with another selection of their choice, as long as it comes from the same tier as the selection being switched out. Scoring is a cumulative average: the total of all Picks' percentage gains/losses added together and divided by the total number of scored selections (excluding 0.00% picks), rounded to the 5th decimal point.
2. Show Me the Money (SMTM)
All players receive a set amount of theoretical "MoonLeague Dollars" (e.g. $100K) and use that to purchase Stocks/Crypto of their choosing (IN GAME ONLY) using Real Time financial market prices. The contestant with the most money at the end of the tournament wins. You are still required to have 9 separate picks from the proper tiers. Each pick requires a "Holding" amount with a minimum percentage of your total balance. Players have a "Bank Reserve" to allocate money to different picks during the contest. SMTM has no trade limits — you can swap as many times as you want.
GAME STYLES
Standard
The base Game Style where users compete for the biggest percentage gains (Day Trader) or dollar gains (SMTM) compared to all other Players.
Bloodbath
Same layout and picking rules as Standard, but the objective is reversed — the player with the biggest losses wins. A player with -2.3% would be ahead of a player with +2.3%. Tiers are adjusted so "A" tier contains selections with the largest expected losses.
BATTLE MODE
Battle Mode is an add-on that can be combined with any Game Type (Day Trader or SMTM) and any Game Style (Standard or Bloodbath). In Battle Mode, players can interact and directly impact another player's score using battle actions, TIPs, and BLOCKERs.
Battle Actions (Penalties)
Players can place these pre-determined penalty actions on an opponent's Picks to impact their score in Real Time:
| Battle Action | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Crazy CEO | -1% |
| Bad Publicity | -1% |
| Crooked Books | -2% |
| SEC Audit | -2% |
| Congress Action | -3% |
Multiple penalties can stack on the same Pick. For example, if your Bitcoin is at +3.6% and an opponent plays "Crazy CEO" (-1%), your Bitcoin score becomes +2.6%. If another opponent plays "SEC Audit" (-2%) on the same Pick, it drops to +0.6%.
TIP (3X Multiplier)
The TIP is your power play. Place a TIP on any of your picks to amplify its impact on your score. A TIP triples what's working and softens what isn't.
- If the pick is going in your favor, the TIP TRIPLES the score (×3)
- If the pick is going against you, the TIP SOFTENS the hit by cutting it to one-third (÷3)
- The TIP updates in real time as the market moves
- If a TIPped pick lands on exactly 0.00%, standard zero rules apply and it is not counted in your scoring average
- The TIP multiplier is applied AFTER all battle action penalties are calculated
- TIPs do NOT block battle actions — opponents can still place penalties on a TIP'd Pick
- If you trade a TIP'd Pick, the TIP is consumed (used up). It is not returned to your TIP pool
Strategy Tips
OFFENSIVE PLAY: TIP your strongest pick to triple your gains and pull ahead.
DEFENSIVE PLAY: In a tough spot? TIP a losing pick to cut its damage to one-third. This is especially useful in no-trade games where you're stuck with a bad pick.
TIMING MATTERS: The TIP amplifies whatever your pick is doing right now. Watch the market and TIP at the right moment.
TIP Scoring Example (Standard Mode)
Pick is at +4.00% with a -1% penalty (Crazy CEO):
- Raw score: +4.00%
- Apply penalty: 4.00% + (-1%) = +3.00%
- Apply TIP (positive in Standard, so ×3): 3.00% × 3 = +9.00%
TIP Scoring Example (Bloodbath Mode)
Pick is at -2.50% with a -2% penalty (Crooked Books):
- Raw score: -2.50%
- Apply penalty: -2.50% + (-2%) = -4.50%
- Apply TIP (negative in Bloodbath, so ×3): -4.50% × 3 = -13.50%
BLOCKER (Preemptive Defense)
A BLOCKER is a preemptive action you place on one of your own Picks to prevent opponents from placing battle actions on that Pick. Each player gets up to 3 BLOCKERs per game depending on game rules.
- BLOCKERs stay active until the Pick is traded or the contest ends.
- If a BLOCKED Pick is traded, the BLOCKER is dissolved (not returned to your pool).
- BLOCKERs only prevent battle action penalties — they do not affect TIPs.
Order of Operations
For each Pick, scoring is calculated in this exact order:
- Raw Score: ((Current Price - Start Price) / Start Price) × 100
- Apply Penalties: Add all battle action penalties (they stack additively)
- Apply TIP: If TIP'd, apply the 3X multiplier based on game mode
What Happens When You Trade
When you swap a Pick for a new selection:
- The old Pick's score at trade time is locked into your history.
- If the Pick had a TIP, it is consumed (deleted, not returned).
- All battle action penalties on that Pick are dissolved (removed).
- Any active BLOCKER on that Pick is dissolved (not returned).
- The new Pick starts completely clean at 0.00% with a fresh price snapshot.
- Trades must stay within the same tier (A→A, B→B, C→C).