Top Cut Calculator
A free top cut calculator for Swiss tournaments: enter your field size to get the single-elimination cut, the record that makes it, how many players sit on the bubble, the playoff seeding and the total length of the event.
Most competitive Swiss events cut to a Top 8 single-elimination playoff, and a Top 4 for 9 to 16 players. At 32 players over 5 rounds every 4-1 makes Top 8 and 2 of about 10 players at 3-2 get in on tiebreaks. A Top 8 plays 3 knockout rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, final); a Top 4 plays 2. Enter your player count below to see your own cut line.
Filled in from the Magic Tournament Rules for 32 players: 5 rounds, Top 8. Change either to match your event.
Top 8
Advance to playoff
4-1
Worst record that is safe
5
Swiss rounds
8
Total rounds
What record makes Top 8: 32 players, 5 rounds, no draws
Every player on 4-1 or better is in. At 3-2 you are on the bubble: 2 of about 10 players on that record make it, decided on tiebreaks (opponents' match-win percentage first).
| Record | Points | Players | Top 8? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-0 | 15 | 1 | In on record |
| 4-1 | 12 | 5 | In on record |
| 3-2 | 9 | 10 | Bubble (2 slots) |
| 2-3 | 6 | 10 | Out |
| 1-4 | 3 | 5 | Out |
| 0-5 | 0 | 1 | Out |
How this is worked out: winners play winners, so after R rounds with no draws the field splits as N x C(R, losses) / 2^R players per record. That is arithmetic, not a survey of real events, and a ~ marks a field that does not split evenly. Points are 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss under both the Magic Tournament Rules and Play! Pokemon, so a record with one draw (say 4-0-1) sits between the two records either side of it.
The Top 8 takes 3 knockout rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, final), for a 8-round event in total. The Magic Tournament Rules recommend a Top 8 from 17 players up, at every field size, and Play! Pokemon League Cups cut to a Top 8 from 21.
Top 8 playoff seeding (first round)
Seed the top 8 finishers by their final Swiss standing, then bracket them so the No. 1 seed meets the lowest survivor and the top seeds only meet in the later rounds.
Top cut by field size, in the published rulebooks
| Players | Magic (MTR) | Pokemon TCG cup | Pokemon VGC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-8 | None | None | None (8: Top 2) |
| 9-16 | Top 4 | Top 4 | Top 4 |
| 17-20 | Top 8 | Top 4 | Top 8 |
| 21-226 | Top 8 | Top 8 | Top 8 |
| 227-409 | Top 8 | Top 8 | Top 16 |
| 410+ | Top 8 | Top 8 | Top 32 |
Magic and the Pokemon card game stop at a Top 8 however big the field; Pokemon video game events grow the cut to a Top 16 from 227 players and a Top 32 from 410. A cut of C players always needs ceil(log2 C) knockout rounds. Ready to run the event? Generate the Swiss bracket, or work out the Swiss round count with the Swiss rounds calculator.
How the top cut works
A Swiss tournament runs a fixed number of rounds - ceil(log2(N)) at a minimum - and nobody is eliminated during them. The top cut is the single-elimination playoff bolted on the end: the highest finishers by final Swiss standing advance to a knockout bracket that decides the champion.
The cut size is set by the rules of the game, not by a formula. The Magic Tournament Rules recommend a Top 4 for 9 to 16 players and a Top 8 from 17 up; Pokemon video game events grow it to a Top 16 or Top 32 at very large fields; small club events often skip the cut and rank straight off the Swiss standings. Once you know the cut size C, the playoff always takes ceil(log2(C)) rounds - 2 for a Top 4, 3 for a Top 8, 4 for a Top 16 - so the total event is the Swiss rounds plus those playoff rounds.
Top cut by game
Magic: The Gathering
The Magic Tournament Rules recommend a Top 4 for 9 to 16 players and a Top 8 from 17 up, and run 5 to 8 players as straight single elimination. The Top 8 is seeded 1v8, 4v5, 3v6, 2v7 off the Swiss standings.
Pokemon TCG
League Cups cut to a Top 4 for 9 to 20 players and a Top 8 from 21, with no cut at 8 or fewer. Larger two-phase events use an asymmetrical top cut, capped at 16 players for the card game.
Esports Swiss stages
CS2 and Valorant Swiss stages advance a fixed number of teams (often 8) on record to a single-elimination playoff - the same top-cut idea, sized to the event rather than the field.
Sources: the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules (Appendix E, effective February 27, 2026: Top 8 from 17 players up, Top 4 for 9 to 16 players) and the Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook (last revised 1 September 2026: the League Cup and video game single-day tables in section 5.5.6.1, the asymmetrical top cut cap in 5.5.6.2, and 3/1/0 match points in 5.3.2). The organizer sets the final cut size.
Top Cut FAQ
What is a top cut?
The top cut is the single-elimination playoff run after the Swiss rounds. Once every entrant has played the fixed number of Swiss rounds, the highest-placing players by final standing advance to a knockout bracket that decides the champion. "Top 8" means the best 8 finishers make that playoff.
How big should the top cut be?
Top 8 is the standard single-elimination cut for competitive Swiss events - the Magic: The Gathering Tournament Rules (Appendix E) recommend a Top 4 for 9 to 16 players and a Top 8 from 17 up, at every field size. Play! Pokemon card game League Cups also stop at a Top 8, while its video game events grow the cut to a Top 16 from 227 players and a Top 32 from 410. The calculator suggests a cut for your field, but the organizer sets the final number.
How many rounds does the top cut take?
A cut of C players needs ceil(log2(C)) single-elimination rounds: a Top 4 is 2 rounds (semifinals and final), a Top 8 is 3 rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, final), and a Top 16 is 4 rounds. Add these to your Swiss rounds for the total event length - for example a 32-player Top 8 is 5 Swiss rounds plus 3 playoff rounds, 8 rounds in all.
How is the top cut playoff seeded?
Seed the qualifiers by their final Swiss standing, then bracket them as a standard single-elimination draw so the top seeds only meet late. A Top 8 pairs 1v8, 4v5, 3v6, 2v7; a Top 4 pairs 1v4, 2v3. The higher Swiss seed usually gets a choice (play or draw priority, first turn, or home side) in each playoff match.
What record do I need to make top cut?
It depends on the field size and tiebreakers, so there is no single guaranteed number. As a guideline for a Top 8: an undefeated (X-0) or one-loss (X-1) record almost always advances, two losses (X-2) is usually the bubble that tiebreaks (Buchholz or opponents’ win percentage) decide, and three or more losses rarely makes a standard Top 8. Larger fields and more rounds tighten the bubble.
Is this top cut calculator free?
Yes - free, no signup, and no watermarks. Use it to plan the playoff, then generate the actual Swiss bracket and standings with the free Swiss generator, which runs the same field through every round.