Etterna Score Attack Season 3

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The third season of Etterna Score Attack is here!

You have two weeks—April 14th to April 28th—to compete for the best scores across a set of Etterna charts, split into seven difficulty brackets. These brackets cover a wide range of skill levels, so there’s something for everyone. So, grab your friends, shake off the rust, and get to playing!

This season, we’re featuring a special bracket for the best of the best: Super Expert. Since we were able to find good charts to fit the theme, we decided to see how it would go. We’re excited to see how players in this bracket shape up on the leaderboard!

If the date April 14th sounds familiar, then it should be obvious as to why this season’s theme is IDM. In 2001, Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th” was released on his album Drukqs. This track is regarded to be one of his most popular, for its emotional melody that contrasts with his typical sound, creating a “human-yet-mechanical” feel. You can play a chart of this track in the Novice bracket!

It’s worth mentioning that while the bracket ranges remain the same, this season will likely be the most difficult season of ESA. Not only because of the added bracket, but because of the kinds of charts that this genre of music ends up producing. By nature of how wacky and unpredictable these tracks can be, the same is true for the charts.

esa3@0.5x
[email protected]1754×2481 1.06 MB

How do I join?

  1. Join the EtternaOnline Discord server if you haven’t already.
  2. Download the charts listed below and start playing.
  3. Submit your scores in the Etterna Score Attack Season 3 thread in the #etterna channel by posting screenshots of your scores.
  4. Track your progress on the leaderboard.

What do I get if I win?

  • Bragging rights.
  • A shiny winner role in Discord.
  • A special title on the forums.

Rules
NOTE: Bracket ranges are intended as guidelines, play wherever you want.

  1. All submitted scores must be achieved during the event period. Old scores are not allowed.
  2. You may submit a score for a chart once or as many times as you want; there is no limit on improvements.
  3. Play in the bracket you feel is most appropriate for you. There is no strict lower bound for entering a bracket.
  4. Only 1.0x rate scores may be submitted. Using uprates or downrates is not permitted.
  5. Difficulty brackets are designed with the following skill ranges in mind:
    • Novice: under 15 MSD
    • Lower: 15–19 MSD
    • Intermediate: 20–24 MSD
    • Advanced: 25–29 MSD
    • Expert: 30+ MSD
    • Super Expert: ???
    • Bonus: Open to everyone; intended primarily for high-level players.
  6. If a player wins both the Bonus bracket and another bracket, they may only claim one win. In this case, the win will be awarded to the closest runner-up among the affected brackets, based on final rating difference. The remaining bracket will retain its original winner.

Ranking
Your rating is calculated as a weighted average of your results across all charts in the bracket, with charts that have more players carrying more weight.

  • Each chart awards a rating based on a player’s rank relative to others on that chart.
  • Rankings are calculated separately using:
    • Wife%
    • Standard Deviation (St. Dev.)
  • Your best Wife% and best St. Dev. scores are evaluated independently. This means that different plays on the same chart may contribute to each metric if they represent your best performance in that category.
  • For each metric, the following formula is used:
    Rating = 100 × (1 - ((Rank - 1) / Players))
  • The highest-ranked score receives 100 rating
  • A score halfway down the leaderboard receives 50 rating
  • The last-ranked score receives 100 / Players rating
Read about how the rating system works in full detail. The rating system was inspired directly from Premere Bottoni's BMSA event.

This event uses a rank-based rating system that compares players on relative performance while accounting for chart participation.

  1. Definitions
    • A bracket contains a fixed set of charts.
    • Each submission contains:
      • Player
      • Chart
      • Wife%
      • Standard Deviation (St. Dev.)
    • A submission is considered valid only if it meets the requirements (event timeframe, clear, 1.0x rate, uncropped screenshot). Invalid submissions are ignored.
  2. Best values per chart (per metric)
    • For each player and chart, the system independently determines:
      • The player’s best Wife%
      • The player’s best St. Dev.
    • These values may come from different plays.
    • If a player has no submission for a chart, both metrics are treated as missing and contribute 0 rating.
  3. Chart participation (weight)
    • For each chart:
      • Players(chart) = number of distinct players with at least one valid score.
    • This value:
      1. Defines how ranks scale on that chart.
      2. Acts as the chart’s weight in overall rating.
    • Charts with Players(chart) = 0 are ignored until at least one valid score exists.
  4. Per-chart ranking
    • Players with valid scores are ranked per chart, separately for each metric:
      • Wife%: Higher is better.
      • St. Dev.: Lower is better.
    • Only players with valid scores on that chart are ranked.
  5. Rank to rating conversion
    • For a given chart and metric:
      • r = player’s rank
      • P = Players(chart)
    • Rating is calculated as:
      • Rating = 100 × (1 - ((r - 1) / P))
  6. Chart rating
    • For each player and chart:
      • ChartRating = (WifeRating + SDRating) / 2
    • If no submission exists, ChartRating is 0.
    • ChartRating may not be shown on the leaderboard, but it is used internally.
  7. Overall bracket rating
    • Let C be the set of charts in the bracket.
    • For each chart c:
      • weight(c) = Players(c)
    • A player’s bracket rating:
      • Rating = Σc (ChartRating(c) × Players(c)) / Σc (Players(c))

Key consequences of this system

  • Charts only affect ratings once played by at least one player.
  • Charts with more players have greater influence on overall ratings.
  • Missing a chart only matters if others have played it.
  • Charts played by very few players contribute proportionally less.
  • Ratings adjust as participation increases.

Chart Downloads

Novice

Download Novice

  • Avril 14th (HD, 7.67 MSD) from FFR Community Pack 4
  • Blue Holiday (EZ, 10.96 MSD) from DourGent’s Minipack 5
  • Interrupt (NM, 12.36 MSD) from FFR Community Pack Summer 2012
  • near dark (EZ, 5.67 MSD) from FFR Community Pack 4
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Lower

Download Lower

  • Carpet Muncher (HD, 15.80 MSD) from Community Keyboard Megapack - Volume 1
  • Lord Of The Dance (HD, 14.70 MSD) from Light Chancellors Pack 3
  • see on see (NM, 14.84 MSD) from Acerola
  • Son of David (HD, 15.79 MSD) from SMGpack2
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Intermediate

Download Intermediate

  • Catkin and Teasel (IN, 18.24 MSD) from Untitled Stepmania Pack
  • Hall Of Kings (HD, 18.57 MSD) from World of Corruption
  • reflective moment (HD, 18.68 MSD) from Project Alpha
  • Rotary Slicers (HD, 19.58 MSD) from Xayy Lmao Mixtape (Feat. Chill Pill)
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Advanced

Download Advanced

  • Choprite (IN, 21.27 MSD) from World of Corruption
  • Craft (IN, 21.50 MSD) from Untitled Etterna Pack
  • Whitey’s Ice (HD, 23.84 MSD) from VSRG Charting Minipack 1
  • Zombie Sunset (HD, 21.68 MSD) from FFR Community Pack Summer 2011
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Expert

Download Expert

  • 44 Edit (IN, 26.55 MSD) from Acerola
  • Gantz Graf (IN, 25.92 MSD) from DourGent’s Minipack 4
  • Old Extra-Wanky Break Thing (IN, 26.66 MSD) from World of Corruption
  • ゆめtube (IN, 25.67 MSD) from DourGent’s Minipack 5
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Super Expert

Download Super Expert

  • Fireball (IN, 30.67 MSD) from Caustic_Conversion
  • Reborn (HD, 28.36 MSD) from Secret Santa 2020
  • Toki (maidable remix) (IN, 31.38 MSD) from Fullerene Shift
  • UNDICI (IN, 29.40 MSD) from Project Alpha
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!
Bonus

Download Bonus

  • CLOCK (IN, 20.15 MSD) from World of Corruption
  • Come To Daddy (HD, 18.50 MSD) from El Paraiso
  • Epileptic Crisis (HD, 22.78 MSD) from Dark Chanchellors Pack
  • Vunderbar (IN, 13.41 MSD) from Puritanical Penis Pack
  • ??? This is an extra chart that will be revealed later!

Alternatively, download all skill brackets here!

FAQ

  • Q: What counts as a valid submission?
    A: A clear, uncropped screenshot of the results screen posted in the Etterna Score Attack Season 3 thread, played at 1.0x rate; the score must be an HP pass.

  • Q: What if I want to play and submit scores for multiple skill brackets?
    A: You may play and submit scores for multiple brackets. However, players are expected to compete in good faith. If someone is clearly competing far below their skill level and dominating a bracket, we may ask them to move up.

  • Q: How do I check my place on the leaderboard?
    A: Here is a link to the leaderboard spreadsheet. At the bottom of the page you can select various brackets. The sheet is updated at least once per day, and may be updated immediately when new scores are posted.

  • Q: I’m rusty, injured, or otherwise can’t play at the level my skill bracket suggests. How is this fair?
    A: You are welcome to play whatever skill brackets feel comfortable for you.

  • Q: Why are only 1.0x scores allowed? Doesn’t that limit the competition?
    A: Allowing rate modifiers would blur the boundaries between skill brackets. At some point, bracket distinctions stop making sense, and the added complexity would outweigh any competitive benefit. For this event, keeping everything at 1.0x ensures fairness, clarity, and consistency across the leaderboard.

  • Q: Why are you weighing both Wife% and St. Dev.?
    A: We want to reward overall score quality, not just scores that may have lower CB count. Using Wife% alone can favor low-miss but low-accuracy plays. St. Dev. helps capture precision. By weighting them equally (50/50), we better represent high-accuracy, high-quality scores.

  • Q: Why choose these charts?
    A: All charts chosen somewhat follow a theme that changes each season.

  • Q: I feel like there is something wrong with the rankings, who do I tell?
    A: Me, either through forums or Discord DMs.

  • Q: There’s something about this event I don’t like, who do I complain to?
    A: Also me. Feedback is absolutely welcome. Please be patient while we refine things over time. We’re not perfect.

Good luck to all participants! We hope you enjoy the third season of Etterna Score Attack – see you on the leaderboard!