Competitive Formats

THE GAMEMODES

Six purpose-built competitive Minecraft formats. Every mode is designed for 3 starters + 2 substitutes. No fillers — every player has a role.

Roster Format

3 starters.
2 subs.

Every team registers exactly 5 players. 3 starters take the field each match; the 2 substitutes can be swapped between maps during official events. Substitutes are full team members — they participate in scrims, Ladder play, and Rising.

In Rising and Regionals, substitutions may only happen between maps, not mid-game.

⚔️
Starter
🛡️
Starter
🏹
Starter
👤
Sub
👤
Sub

3 starters + 2 substitutes = 1 registered team

All Formats

Six modes. One goal.

01
Flagship Mode
Crystal Wars

Destroy all three enemy crystals to win. Protect your own. The ultimate test of team coordination, build mechanics, and PvP skill.

Format
3v3 · Best of 3
Map size
Medium (150×150)
Time limit
20 minutes
Used in
All stages & events

Each team spawns with 3 End Crystals placed on obsidian pillars within their base. The crystals are protected by a 60-second grace period at the start of each map. Teams gather resources, build defenses, craft gear, and plan their assault. First team to destroy all 3 enemy crystals wins the map. If time expires, the team with more crystals remaining wins.

Crystals cannot be moved once placed — only destroyed.
Grace period: first 60 seconds, no PvP or crystal attacks allowed.
Respawn after 10 seconds. You drop your entire inventory on death.
Nether and End dimensions disabled — overworld only.
TNT cannon building is allowed and a core meta mechanic.
⚔️ Duelist
🏗️ Builder / Engineer
📦 Support / Supplier
02
Attack & Defend
Fortress Siege

One team defends a fortress. One team assaults it. Both roles rotate every round.

Format
3v3 · 2 rounds
Time limit
8 min per round
Used in
Rising · Regionals

Attackers must breach the fortress and capture the glowing Beacon at its core. Defenders spawn inside with full gear and must prevent the capture. After Round 1, roles swap. Faster capture time wins — or the team that actually captures when the other didn't.

Defenders cannot leave the fortress walls during defense.
Attackers have a set siege kit — no resource gathering.
Beacon capture requires standing on it for 5 uninterrupted seconds.
🔨 Breacher
🛡️ Anchor Defender
🏹 Sniper / Archer
03
Economy Mode
Resource Rush

Mine fast, craft smart, gear up, eliminate. The zone shrinks — adapt or die.

Format
3v3 · Single map
Time limit
15 minutes
Used in
Events · Wildcard

Teams start with basic tools. A world border slowly shrinks every 3 minutes. Players mine, smelt, and craft their own gear in real time. Kill players to loot their inventory. Last team standing wins, or whoever has more combined armor durability when time expires.

No pre-built structures — natural terrain only.
Zone damage: 2 hearts per second outside the border.
One life. No respawns. 2v3 is still winnable.
⛏️ Miner
🔧 Crafter
⚔️ Fighter / Rusher
04
Objectives Mode
Monument Race

Collect three unique monument blocks and place them in your team's frame. First to complete wins.

Format
3v3 · Best of 3
Time limit
25 minutes
Used in
Regionals · Events

Three unique monument blocks are scattered and locked behind challenges — mine a specific ore vein, kill a mid-map boss mob, or craft a specific item. Teams race to collect all three and place them while disrupting the enemy. High strategy, high conflict at objectives.

Monument blocks can be stolen from a placed enemy frame.
Mid-map boss spawns at 10 minutes — killing it drops a monument block.
Respawn allowed with a 15s cooldown and full inventory drop.
🗺️ Scout / Runner
⚔️ Fighter
🧱 Base Guard
05
Speed Mode
Bridge Wars

Build bridges across the void to reach and score in the enemy goal. Fast, chaotic, precise.

Format
3v3 · First to 5
Time limit
12 minutes
Used in
Ladder · Rising

Teams build across a void map to reach the enemy island and score by entering the enemy goal portal. Knock players into the void to remove them temporarily. First team to score 5 points wins the map. Build fast, defend your island, and pressure the enemy goal simultaneously.

Void death: 8 second respawn, return to your island, keep inventory.
Scoring counts only if your team's bridge is intact when you score.
Bridges can be broken — defending your bridge is as critical as bridging.
🏗️ Bridger
⚔️ Fighter / Bridge Breaker
🏠 Island Defender
06
Tactical Mode
Shadow Hunt

One team hides. One team hunts. Roles flip. A psychological game unlike anything else.

Format
3v3 · 2 rounds
Time limit
6 min per round
Used in
Events · Tiebreaker

Shadows disguise as a random placed mob from a selection pool. Hunters must identify and eliminate all three Shadows before time runs out. Shadows win by surviving the timer. After Round 1, roles swap. Used as a tiebreaker at major events — one of the most mentally intense modes in Nexus.

Shadows can move, sprint, and attack — but reveal their true form when hitting.
Hunters have a compass that points toward the nearest Shadow.
Shadows respawn once if eliminated — Hunters do not.
👁️ Hunter Lead
🕵️ Flanker
🎭 Shadow / Decoy
Mode Rotation

Which modes, when?

Different stages of the competitive pipeline use different mode rotations. Mastering all six gives you the edge.

Ladder
Crystal Wars · Bridge Wars
Rising & Regionals
Crystal Wars · Fortress Siege · Bridge Wars
Summits & Championship
All 6 modes · Tiebreaker: Shadow Hunt