Marble League

The **Marble League** (formerly known as the **MarbleLympics**) is an annual tournament where marbles from different teams compete against each other in a number of different sports events. It is run by Jelle Bakker with Jelle's Marble Runs. The JMRC previously aided in the running of the competition before disbandment, having been succeeded by the JMA. So far, there have been seven editions of the Marble League and a one-off Marble League Winter Special. All competitors are 16 mm in diameter.

## History

The Marble League was started in 2016. It grew out of the Knikkegen Marble League, a marble sports competition started by Jelle Bakker. In 2013, the KML grew in popularity due to appearing in a viral TV featurette about the growing popularity of marble sports tournaments. The next year, the KML received applications from around the world, most of which Jelle had to reject. The growing popularity of the KML attracted the attention of Greg Woods, who at the time was the organizer of the Fruit Circuit. In late 2014, Woods met Jelle and they began planning an expansion to the KML that would add an international league. In 2015, this plan was expanded further to an entire tournament, becoming Marble League 2016.

The first edition was invite-only and Jelle invited 16 teams from various marble sports tournaments across Marblearth to compete in a twelve-event tournament, hosted by Jelle at the Bakker Bowl:

* 3 from the 2015 Fruit Circuit; all top three teams accepted (Limers, Mellow Yellow, O'rangers)
* 3 from the 2015 Surculo; the winners, second and fifth place teams accepted after third and fourth declined (Jawbreakers, Rojo Rollers, Chocolatiers)
* 3 from application approvals (Kobalts, Oceanics, Team Galactic)
* 2 from the 2015 Knikkegen Marble League; both top two teams accepted (Team Primary and Thunderbolts)
* 2 from the 2015 MFC Championship League; the fourth and sixth place teams accepted after all other teams declined (Balls of Chaos and Pinkies)
* 1 from the 2015 Ramen Bowl after the third spot reserved for an MFC Championship League team couldn't be filled; the winners accepted (Team Momo)
* 1 personally invited by Greg Woods after their victory at the 2015 Tour de Vellis (Savage Speeders)
* 1 invited after their success at a university competition (Snowballs)

The tournament was won by the Savage Speeders.

Marble League 2017 was also hosted by Jelle at the Bakker Bowl. The points system was overhauled starting this year. The top four teams of the previous Marble League edition all pre-qualified for the tournament. The Qualifiers were introduced as the number of teams increased by four to a total of 20 active teams:

* The Midnight Wisps had their application accepted.
* The top two teams of the 2016 Surculo, namely the Jungle Jumpers and the Quicksilvers, were invited to compete; they both previously declined the invitation to the Marble League 2016; the Quicksilvers also took the place of the Gliding Glaciers, who had their application rejected due to their uniform being too similar to the Jawbreakers'.
* The Shining Swarm had their application accepted and took the place of the Purple Stars, who withdrew due to their mental health issues.

The tournament was won by the O'rangers.

Marble League 2018 was held earlier in the year as it was a winter-themed edition. This was also the first Marble League edition to have a host team; this time, the Snowballs, at the Arctic Circle. The Friendly Round for the teams who had pre-qualified, namely the top three teams of the previous Marble League and the hosts, was also introduced. Eight new teams were added, leading to an expanded Qualifiers with a total of 28 active teams. Due to such a large number of teams, the Qualifiers were held in groups for the first time:

* The Crazy Cat's Eyes, the Raspberry Racers and the Hazers all had their applications accepted.
* The Gliding Glaciers also had their application accepted; they were previously barred from the Marble League 2017 Qualifiers.
* Team Plasma were invited after Jelle promised to Ghost Plasma to help create a Marble League team.
* All eight Hubelino Tournament 2016 teams were invited to compete; three of them, namely the Minty Maniacs, the Golden Orbs and the Black Jacks, accepted; the Golden Orbs were previously known as the Golden Wisps.

The tournament was won by the Midnight Wisps.

Marble League 2019 was hosted by the Oceanics at the Seven Seas Stadium. This Marble League edition saw the tournament extended to 16 events. Before the tournament began, all three of the Hubelino Tournament teams decided to compete in the Hubelino Tournament 2018, while the Quicksilvers, the Gliding Glaciers and Team Plasma all retired. This left room for two new teams to join to take the number of active teams to 24:

* The Indigo Stars had their application accepted; they were previously known as the Purple Stars, and they previously withdrew from the Marble League 2017 Qualifiers over personal concerns.
* The Green Ducks had their application accepted and took the place of Team Plasma, who had just announced their retirement.

The tournament was won by the Raspberry Racers.

2019 was also the fist year of the Marble League Showdown. This saw the introduction of four teams, raising the number of active teams to 28:

* The top two teams of the Hubelino Tournament 2018, namely the Bumblebees and the returning Minty Maniacs, were invited to compete.
* A fan team contest was held in early 2019, and the top two teams from the final voting results, namely the Hornets and the Turtle Sliders, were invited to compete.

Marble League 2020 was hosted by Team Galactic at the Andromedome. It was the first Marble League tournament with a head sponsorship, in this instance from John Rolliver. The tournament was won by the Savage Speeders, the first repeat champions.

At the start of 2021, Jelle organised a one-off invite-only Marble League Winter Special, hosted by the Minty Maniacs at the Wintergreen Stadium. The tournament was won by the Oceanics.

Marble League 2021 was hosted by the Crazy Cat's Eyes at the Felynia Coliseum. Before the tournament began, the Jawbreakers and the Hornets retired. They were replaced by two teams, keeping the number of active teams at 28:

* The top two teams of the Herbotamia Invitational, namely the Solar Flares and the returning Gliding Glaciers, were invited to compete.

The tournament was won by Mellow Yellow.

Marble League 2022 was hosted by the Green Ducks at The Pond. It was announced that four teams would be joining the Marble League to compete in the Marble League Showdown 2022, raising the number of active teams to 32:

* The Purple Rockets were invited to compete after their victory at the Marble ManiaX.
* The Black Jacks had their application accepted; they previously came out of retirement to participate in the MarbleManiaX.
* Team Plasma were invited to return after they came out of retirement.
* The Wolfpack were invited to compete.

The tournament was won by the Pinkies.

Marble League 2023 was hosted by the Bumblebees at the Superhive Stadium. The tournament was won by the Crazy Cat's Eyes. The Bumblebees also achieved the feat of finishing a Marble League tournament within the top three as hosts.

Marble League 2024 is slated to be hosted by the Gliding Glaciers.

## Teams Overview

*Main article: Marble League Teams*
As of 2022, there have been 37 teams, of which 32 are still active. The table below displays only the teams who have reached glory in the form of a top three overall finish in at least one Marble League edition, along with their classification by number of championships won, then overall runner-up and third-place finishes, and finally total top three overall finishes:

## Marble League 2016

*Main article: Marble League 2016*

The first ever Marble League was held in 2016. There were 16 teams and 12 events. This was the only Marble League where there were no qualifying rounds, as it was the inaugural season.

The sixteen teams debuting this year were: Pinkies, O'rangers, Rojo Rollers, Snowballs, Kobalts, Savage Speeders, Limers, Oceanics, Thunderbolts, Team Primary, Chocolatiers, Balls of Chaos, Team Galactic, Jawbreakers, Mellow Yellow, and Team Momo.

The championship was won by the Savage Speeders, while Mellow Yellow and the Thunderbolts came in second and third respectively.

## Marble League 2017

*Main article: Marble League 2017*
The second annual Marble League was held in 2017. A new points system was introduced for this edition and would be used in every subsequent edition, and a qualifying round was held for the first time. The top four teams of the previous Marble League edition, namely the Savage Speeders, Mellow Yellow, the Thunderbolts and Team Momo, were all exempted from the qualifying round, immediately qualifying for this year's championship.

Four new teams debuted this year and all qualified for the championship. They were the Jungle Jumpers, the Midnight Wisps, the Shining Swarm and the Quicksilvers.

The championship was won by the O'rangers, the first team to win a Marble League championship title without leading the points standings before the end of the final event, with the Savage Speeders and Mellow Yellow in second and third respectively.

## Marble League 2018

*Main article: Marble League 2018*
The third annual Marble League was held in 2018. It was the first edition to feature a host team. As a result, the tournament was held at the hosts' stadium. Additionally, from this edition and on, top three teams of the Marble League championship would qualify for the next year's championship, along with the hosts. With the Snowballs hosting this year's Marble League, this was also the first ever Winter Marble League edition in history.

24 teams entered the qualifying rounds, split into three groups of eight. The top four of each group qualified for the Marble League championship. Although eight new teams entered the qualifiers, only four of them qualified for the championship. These four were the Hazers, the Raspberry Racers, the Minty Maniacs and the Crazy Cat's Eyes.

After injuries sustained by Momomo and Momomomo of Team Momo in Event 4, the team temporarily merged with Team Primary, who did not qualify for the championship, so as to be able to continue. They competed as Team Momary for the rest of the tournament.

The championship was won by the Midnight Wisps, having won the title by a single point difference following a late season comeback, with the Savage Speeders and the Oceanics in second and third respectively.

## Marble League 2019

*Main article: Marble League 2019*

The fourth annual Marble League commenced in April 2019 and concluded in June 2019. It was hosted by the Oceanics. It was the first edition to have 16 events, up from 12 events in the previous editions. The 3-point penalty for disqualification was also discontinued this year.

Two new teams debuted this year and both qualified for the championship. They were the Indigo Stars and the Green Ducks.

The championship was won by the Raspberry Racers, having also set a new record for the most medals won and the most points scored within a single Marble League championship edition, with the Green Ducks and the Hazers in second and third respectively.

### Showdown

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2019*
2019 was also the first edition of the Marble League Showdown, a tournament where the teams who failed to qualify for Marble League 2019 competed for spots at the next year's qualifiers. This also marked the first time the tournament used the "Marble League" branding, replacing the previous "MarbleLympics" name.

Four teams joined the Marble League to compete in the Showdown. The Minty Maniacs made a return to the Marble League here, while the Bumblebees, the Hornets and the Turtle Sliders, the latter two of whom were the top two teams of the Marble League Fan Team contest, made their first ever appearance in the Marble League here.

The top three teams of the Showdown were the Snowballs, the Hornets and the Rojo Rollers. Additionally, the bottom four teams of the Showdown would not advance to the 2020 Qualifiers.

## Marble League 2020

*Main article: Marble League 2020*

The fifth annual Marble League commenced in June 2020 and concluded in August 2020. It was hosted by Team Galactic. This was the first year with no new teams introduced, although this was the first year the Hornets and the Bumblebees qualified for the Marble League championship after previously appearing in last year's Showdown. This was also the first time a Marble League championship was entirely held indoors.

The Minty Maniacs qualified for their first Marble League championship after coming out of retirement, becoming the first team to achieve such a feat. The Savage Speeders also made their first ever appearance in the Qualifiers here and qualified for the Marble League championship.

The championship was won by the Savage Speeders, having won their second Marble League championship title, with the O'rangers and the Minty Maniacs in second and third respectively.

### Showdown

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2020*
The top three teams of this year's Showdown were the Kobalts, the Jungle Jumpers and the Chocolatiers. As with the previous year, the bottom four teams would remain in the Showdown for the time being.

## Marble League 2021

*Main article: Marble League 2021*

The sixth annual Marble League commenced in July 2021 and concluded in September 2021. It was hosted by the Crazy Cat's Eyes. Before the Qualifiers began, the Hornets and the Jawbreakers, who finished last in the previous year's championship and Showdown respectively, announced their retirement. As a result, the remaining bottom four teams of the Showdown were all cleared to participate in the Qualifiers, along with two new teams.

These new teams were the Solar Flares and the Gliding Glaciers, the latter of whom came back from retirement. The Gliding Glaciers qualified for the Marble League championship for the first time. The Rojo Rollers and the Shining Swarm also qualified for their first Marble League championship since their respective debuts.

The championship was won by Mellow Yellow, having achieved their first top three overall finish in four years, with the Raspberry Racers and the Gliding Glaciers in second and third respectively.

### Showdown

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2021*
This was the first Marble League Showdown with 8 events and a new scoring system. The Kobalts became the first repeat Showdown winners, while the Pinkies and Team Primary came in second and third respectively. Furthermore, the bottom four teams would advance to the 2022 Qualifiers, as there would be four new marble teams joining the Marble League the next year.

## Marble League 2022

*Main article: Marble League 2022*

The seventh annual Marble League commenced in November 2022 and concluded in December 2022. It was hosted by the Green Ducks. There were four new and returning teams joining this year, although they would all compete in the Showdown instead of the Qualifiers.

The Pinkies qualified for their first Marble League championship in three years following their success in the previous year's Showdown. Team Primary also qualified for their first Marble League championship in five years, not counting 2018, where they only entered the tournament due to their temporary merger with Team Momo.

The championship was won by the Pinkies, the first team to win a Marble League championship title without competing in the previous year's championship, with the Shining Swarm and Team Galactic in second and third respectively.

### Showdown

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2022*
This year's Marble League Showdown marked the first time the same points system from the main Marble League tournament was used in the Showdown, as well as the first Showdown to feature 16 teams.

Four teams joined the Marble League to compete in this year's Showdown and all advanced to the 2023 Qualifiers. The Black Jacks and Team Plasma came back from retirement, while the Purple Rockets and the Wolfpack made their first ever appearance in the Marble League here.

The top three teams of this year's Showdown were Team Plasma, the Black Jacks and Team Momo. This also marked the first time in three years the bottom four teams would remain in the Showdown.

## Marble League 2023

*Main article: Marble League 2023*

The eighth annual Marble League commenced in October 2023 and concluded in December 2023. It was hosted by the Bumblebees. Though there were no new teams introduced this year, Team Plasma would become the only team to make a debut in the championship after dominating the previous year's Showdown and finishing first in their group of the Qualifiers.

By qualifying for their first ever Marble League championship, Team Plasma also managed to break the 'Showdown Winner's Curse' where the overall winners of the Marble League Showdown would fail to qualify for the next year's championship. The Snowballs also qualified for their first Marble League championship in five years following their equally dominant performance in the Qualifiers, also finishing first in their group.

The championship was won by the Crazy Cat's Eyes, having replicated the feat achieved by the Midnight Wisps five years before despite choking away their strong start to the tournament, with the Bumblebees and the Savage Speeders in second and third respectively.

### Showdown

*Main article: Marble League Showdown 2023*
This year's Marble League Showdown was only the second time the Showdown was held after the end of the main Marble League tournament, sharing the distinction with the first ever Showdown in 2019. The number of events for this year's Showdown was reduced to 6.

The top three teams of this year's Showdown were the Indigo Stars, the Chocolatiers and the Green Ducks. The Oceanics became the first team to have been auto-relegated to the Showdown for two consecutive years after finishing last in this year's Showdown.

## Marble League 2024

The ninth annual Marble League is slated to commence in late 2024. It will be hosted by the Gliding Glaciers. This will be only the second Winter Marble League championship.

## Rules

### Points System

*Main article: List of Marble League points scoring systems*
Below is the current official scoring system, introduced in 2017.

### Disqualifications

*Main article: List of Disqualifications*
## Events

Hover over the **bolded** numbers to see the different variant used.

## References

1. ↑ @Jelles\_com. Twitter (11th January 2018). “The official size of marblelympic athletes is 16mm, but their friends from Sand Marble Racing are actually bigger with a diameter of 24mm!”
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Stynth, The Emperor, Vector (21st September 2021). RetRollSpective – Team Primary. Project Marblearth.
3. ↑ Stynth, Orbitball, Vector (August 17th 2021). RetRollSpective – Limers. Project Marblearth.
4. ↑ Stynth, Roilan Estates (13th August 2021). RetRollSpective – Chocolatiers. Project Marblearth.
5. ↑ Stynth, The Emperor (20th August 2021). RetRollSpective – Kobalts. Project Marblearth.
6. ↑ Stynth, Phoenix (2nd November 2021). RetRollSpective – Balls of Chaos. Project Marblearth.
7. ↑ Stynth, Ramen Powder (10th December 2021). RetRollSpective – Team Momo. Project Marblearth.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Stynth, The Emperor (30th June 2021). RetRollSpective – Gliding Glaciers. Project Marblearth.
9. ↑ Stynth, Fouc (28th September 2021). RetRollSpective – Savage Speeders. Project Marblearth.
10. ↑ Stynth, Jaiden, Ghostly, NordiqueWhaler, The Emperor (23rd November 2021). RetRollSpective – Midnight Wisps. Project Marblearth.
11. ↑ Stynth, Fouc, Orbitball (7th December 2021). RetRollSpective – Jungle Jumpers. Project Marblearth.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Stynth, Orbitball (23rd July 2021). RetRollSpective – Indigo Stars. Project Marblearth.
13. ↑ Stynth, Fouc, Ghostly (16th July 2021). RetRollSpective – Crazy Cat’s Eyes. Project Marblearth.
14. ↑ Stynth, Piney (14th September 2021). RetRollSpective – Raspberry Racers. Project Marblearth.
15. ↑ Stynth, Phoenix (30th November 2021). RetRollSpective – Hazers. Project Marblearth.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 smacg13 (30th June 2022). RetRollSpective – Team Plasma. Project Marblearth.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Stynth, NordiqueWhaler (26th October 2021). RetRollSpective – Minty Maniacs. Project Marblearth.
18. ↑ Stynth, Roilan (24th August 2021). RetRollSpective – Green Ducks. Project Marblearth.
19. ↑ Stynth, EduGJ23, Vector (17th December 2021). RetRollSpective – Hornets. Project Marblearth.
20. ↑ Stynth, Ghostly (7th September 2021). RetRollSpective – Turtle Sliders. Project Marblearth.