"Ignite Your Legacy"

Ignition 2026

Polaris and MaxOut join forces to deliver Ignition 2026, the Critical Ops championship where teams compete for glory. Featuring 32 teams in an intense single-elimination bracket, this tournament will determine who truly has what it takes to ignite their legacy.

Every match counts. Every round matters. From the opening Round of 32 to the Grand Finals, teams will battle in Best of 3 series with the championship potentially decided in a Best of 5. There are no second chances - only the strongest will advance.

Registration & Eligibility

Follow this comprehensive video guide to learn how to signup on Max Out for Ignition 2026. You still have to signup on discord as well, instructions are below and on discord for that.

Step-by-Step Instructions

ALL PLAYERS:

  • Register on MaxOut first
  • Have 5 players on your team make accounts on MaxOut Website (click here to access it) .
  • After that click the three bar menu button and hit "Team Manager"
  • If you are a player hit "Pending Teams" and hit join
  • Then register on Polaris Bot
  • Register with @PolarisGG Bot using /register in bot-use
  • You may also invite the bot to a server and register there

CAPTAINS:

Ignition 2026 features a straightforward single-elimination bracket designed to crown the ultimate champion:

Tournament Structure

Single Elimination
One bracket, one champion - no second chances

Match Format

BO1 or BO3
If teams are same region, BO1. If teams are different regions, BO3.

Semi Finals

Best of 3
A BO3 matchup to determine who advances to the finals.

Grand Finals

Best of 3
A BO3 matchup to determine who takes the glory.
Date Round
Jan 3-16 Registration Period
Jan 17 Round of 32
Jan 18 Round of 16
Jan 19-23 Quarterfinals
Jan 24 Semifinals
Jan 25 Third Place
Jan 25 Grand Finals

Additional Info: Specific match times will be posted on Discord as the tournament progresses.

Disclaimer: The schedule may be adjusted based on team availability and match requirements.

1.1. Every player must have at least 1000 kills (ranked + custom). A player with less than 1000 kills may not play under any circumstances.

1.2. Players and/or teams in the following 'Blacklists' may not play an Event hosted by Polaris

  • PolarisGG Blacklist

1.3. Players must be on up-to-date OS (Operating System) Versions:

  • iPad OS: 26.2 or later
  • iPhone OS: 26.2 or later
  • Android OS: at least Android 13 or later

1.4. Polaris Ignition 2026 is hosted on Discord.

  • Each team participating in this event must actively check Discord. Brackets and all other crucial information can be found in the Captain news channels.

1.5. Additional Rules, round times, schedule changes, or any other stipulations will be announced in the captain news channels and/or official tournament discord channels.

1.6. Teams from all regions are welcome to compete.

  • A player's ping must average below 150 ms during matches.
  • Exceptions may be made if substantial concerns are brought up to Polaris Staff

1.7. Nade Stacking is allowed.

1.8. Polaris Staff members & streamers are allowed to participate in any Events, however they are not allowed to stream nor involve themselves with the match.

1.9. Polaris Staff are permitted to request a player to record and submit their recording if they are suspected of cheating in any way.

1.10. Match-fixing in any way is prohibited.

1.11. A player cannot be a part of more than one lineup.

  • A player cannot be added to a teams roster if they have already been in a team who has previously lost in the event.

1.12. FORFEITING DURING ANY ROUND - A forfeit is agreeing to play a game or scheduling a game, and NOT showing up/playing it.

  • FORFEITING OR OTHERWISE NOT PLAYING FOR NO APPARENT OR VALID REASON WILL RESULT IN A POSSIBLE TEAM BLACKLIST FROM FUTURE CRITICAL OPS OFFICIAL TOURNAMENTS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

1.13. Monetary prizing must be claimed by the winning team(s) captain(s), as designated on the teams profile (or an agreed upon team member/benefactor via a signed document) within 12 months of the tournament's conclusion.

  • Failure to complete this document within the timeframe may result in removal of prizing from the team.
  • Captains (or the designated team member/benefactor) claiming the prizing are fully responsible for distributing it to their team. We are not responsible for the prizing distribution after it has been sent.

2.1. A team must consist of a minimum of 5 players and maximum of 7 players. If a team has less than 5 or greater than 7 players they cannot participate in Polaris Events.

2.2. Every player must have at least 1000 kills. Refer to 1.1. in General Rules.

2.3. Every participant must be registered in the PolarisGG discord bot in the Polaris discord server. Use /register in #bot-use using YOUR correct In Game Name (IGN) and In Game ID (ID).

2.4. A team must be created on MaxOut's website (at least 5 players) & signup to the tournament there. In addition to that they must be accepted by Polaris Bot (Whole lineup must be here, up to 7 players) in the designated signup channel .

2.5. Teams cannot have more than one Captain. The captain is fully responsible for the team. A participant cannot be a captain for more than one team at a time.

2.6. Each Players Account/Team must meet the following requirements:

  • IGN & Account ID are provided correctly
  • Not banned or restricted by Critical Force
  • The IGN is deemed as appropriate
  • The team tag is deemed as appropriate
  • The Player(s) are not present on any Blacklist (Polaris)

2.7. Lineup Changes throughout Polaris Ignition 2026

  • The team's lineup can be changed at ANY TIME before registration ends. They may resend their lineup in the signup channel to update it.
  • There will be an available total of 2 LINEUP CHANGES throughout the duration of Polaris Ignition 2026, they can be used at any point during the tournament
  • A lineup change is the addition of 1 player at a time. Players may be removed at any time.

2.8. The use of operative accounts is forbidden.

3.1. Each team must join the room within 15 minutes from when the room information (code & password) was sent to them.

  • Failure to have at least 3 players in the room after 15 minutes will result in disqualification. If a team has 3 or 4 players in the room more time can be allocated for them to join, this decision is up to Polaris Staff.
  • If both teams fail to show up in time, they will both be disqualified.
  • Forfeiting or showing up late/not having enough players, during a streamed match, may result in the team ending up on the Polaris Blacklist.

3.2. Games may start as a 4v5. Although, games cannot start as a 4v4.

3.3. If required, all players must complete the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) before joining the game.

  • OR, record a device settings recording and/or the full game by request from staff members.
  • More information on what teams can request to their opponent can be found in Match Rules (4.4).
  • Anti-cheat requirements will be announced for each round of the tournament.

3.4. Using 3rd party softwares/hardwares which may interfere with the game including but not limited to VPN's, emulators, mechanical devices, 'cross-hair apps', etc are forbidden. Exceptions or punishments are decided by Polaris Staff.

3.5. A player is allowed to substitute mid-game although anti-cheat measures must be completed (if required) as the rules state, this player must also be on the team's current tournament lineup.

3.6. NO Mutual Agreements can be made on:

  • Playing without Recording when Recording is required
  • Skipping any step from the Anti-Cheat Measures (5.)
  • Allowing a blacklisted player to play for a team
  • Usage of 3rd party software/hardware

3.7. We ask that teams refrain from using 'ALL CHAT' once the game has started. Warnings may be given. If the problem persists the team may be at risk of disqualification.

3.8. Teams are prohibited to use special commands during a match, they will be disqualified with no exceptions. Timeouts are allowed, but they should be used sparingly.

3.9. If the game is live, no player can move to spectate nor join the opposing team's side. In the result of this, the map will be considered void and the game does not have to continue. No exceptions will be made.

3.10. If present, room permissions (special commands), must be given to a Polaris Staff member or streamer/caster.

3.11. Teams cannot protest during a game, unless clear and evident cheating has occurred, and thus the match becomes immediately void. Players must contact a Polaris Staff Member if this, or any other major issues happen, during a game.

3.12. All players should stay till the game ends, and leave only after the final score board. Punishments may result from leaving before the final scoreboard.

3.13. The map pool is the following maps Castello, Port, Canals, Soar, Grounded, Plaza, Legacy.

Before Match

4.1. Players must ensure that they have at least 3GB of free storage on their devices, per map.

4.2. The team Captain must ensure that the lineup playing is correct and that all players are present on the team's tournament lineup in the PolarisGG bot.

4.3. Map-bans (banning of maps in succession until 1 map is left, which will be played in a BO1 OR banning & picking of maps in succession until 2 maps are picked and 1 is left as the decider in a BO3) must be completed on Discord and in the matches' dedicated Match-Up channel, using the PolarisGG Bot.

4.4. Captains must record the Anti-Cheat Measures (5.) when required by tournament rules

  • Teams can request a maximum of 3 players from the opposing lineup to Upload their recordings (Exceptions may be made for more players to upload if reason for suspicion is brought up to PolarisGG staff members). Refer to Anti-Cheat Measures (5.) & Game Rules (3.3.)

4.5. In Polaris Ignition 2026, round times are designated in our schedule. Teams must be available throughout these times and play their required matches within these times. Failure to do so will result in Disqualification.

4.6. Team Captains, as noted in the team's lineup, are responsible completely for their team. If they do not respond to map-banning, requests by Staff, or fail to make sure their team abides by this ruleset, the team may be disqualified.

During Match

Refer to Game Rules (3).

Disconnections during a LIVE match

  • If any player disconnects during a match, given they have completed the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) BEFORE THE GAME STARTS, and they are NOT actively recording their screen, then the player must record the rest of the entire game, AND:
    • Before or after they reconnect, or after the game has concluded, Open their Device Settings > "General" > About Device.
  • e.x. Player X recorded the Anti-Cheat Measures before the game began, including a device/settings recording. They disconnect in game during round 7 (they are not currently recording their screen), now they MUST begin a screen recording and record the rest of the game. Player X must also go to Settings > About Device, after the game has concluded, or if they want to, do this step during the game, or before they re-connect.
  • Player X does not have to complete any of these steps if they DID NOT complete Anti-Cheat-Measures (5) before the game.

After Match

4.7. The Captain must immediately send the final scoreboard screenshot to their specified match-up channel.

4.8. If any foul play or corruption is suspected, a team may protest. This must be done directly after the match has concluded.

  • Teams have 10 minutes to protest in the submit-info channel, or through a staff member. Protesting after this time limit will not change the result of that match.

4.9. If required, participants have to upload their recordings to YouTube and send the link to the specified Polaris Staff member or the specified discord channel.

All Players must have a minimum of 3GB (gigabytes) free (per map) to record.

ANTI-CHEAT REQUIREMENTS:

Players only have to upload on request of the opposing Team/Staff Team.

Refer to Match Rules (4.4).

Recordings must be kept until a Polaris Staff Member confirms the match.

Each Player will have a maximum of 45 minutes to upload their recordings for a given map. If 3 maps are played the player will have a total of 1h and 35m to upload all of their recordings (45m x 3 maps). More time may be allocated at Polaris Staff discretion.

THE RECORDING MUST INCLUDE:

  • All Anti-Cheat Measures (5.1-5.3) completed properly for your device
  • 3 rounds of the game
  • No tampering or editing of the video in any way
  • The video must be uploaded with at least 720p quality
  • The Recording(s) must be separated, one recording for the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) and one for the in-game recording. Two recordings total.
  • Anti-Cheat/Device/Settings Recordings cannot be sped up.
  • In-Game Recordings may be sped up by a maximum of 4x (4 times speed).

The Inability to include any of the above steps may result in the disqualification of the team from the match or tournament. Refer to (1.) Introduction.

CREDITS: MOBILE ESPORTS and "aias"

Players must be on iPadOS 26.2 or above in order to play.

The Recording begins before you enter the room. Please complete the following steps:

  1. Begin your recording and close all apps in the multi tab, including Critical Ops, and all other apps.
  2. Go to the clock app, stopwatch, and press start.
  3. Go to Settings > General > About and show your device information, scroll through.
  4. Go back to General > iPad Storage scroll until you find Critical Ops and click on it.
  5. Go to the Battery Tab, scroll through the last 24 hours tab, and tap an app to show the time spent on it (show activity), and then press the last 10 days tab, and scroll through again, showing activity.
  6. Go to Screen Time, scroll through the last week tab, tap on show more if it's present, find Critical Ops and press on it, and then press the day tab and scroll through again, then find Critical Ops and press on it again.
  7. Go to the Privacy tab, scroll all the way down and tap on developer mode. If it is turned on, turn it off.
  8. Go back to the Clock App again, show the stopwatch time.
  9. Go to the App Store, search up Critical Ops, open up your stopwatch via multi task, then open Critical Ops. Do not swipe off the clock app for the rest of the recording.
  10. Go to the in-game Store, and attempt to buy credits. Do not actually buy them.
  11. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute, join your side), showing your stopwatch the entire time.
  12. End your Settings recording and immediately start your gameplay recording.
  13. Showcase your stopwatch, pause the time, and end it. You may now swipe off of the clock app.

Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 iPadOS Recording Example

Players must be on iOS 26.2 or above in order to play

The Recording begins before you enter the room. Please complete the following steps:

  1. Begin your recording and close all apps in the multi tab, including Critical Ops, and all other apps.
  2. Go to the clock app, stopwatch and press start.
  3. Go to Settings > General > About and show your device information, scrolling through.
  4. Go back to General > iPad Storage scroll until you find Critical Ops and click on it.
  5. Go to the Battery tab, scroll through the last 24 hours tab, and tap an app to show the time spent on it, and then press the last 10 days tab, and scroll through again.
  6. Go to Screen Time, scroll through the last week tab, tap on show more if it's present, find Critical Ops and press on it, and then press the day tab and scroll through again, then find Critical Ops and press on it again.
  7. Go to the Privacy tab, scroll all the way down and tap on developer mode. If it is turned on, turn it off.
  8. Go back to the Clock App again, show the stopwatch time.
  9. Go to the App Store, search up Critical Ops, and open it.
  10. Go to the in-game Store, and attempt to buy credits. Do not actually buy them.
  11. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute join your side).
  12. Swipe to open your Control Center, click the timer icon, go to stopwatch.
  13. Now go back to Critical Ops via the multi tab. Wait to connect, you may now end your Settings recording. Immediately start a gameplay recording.
  14. Swipe to open your Control Center, click the timer icon, go to stopwatch again, and end it.
  15. Go back into Critical Ops via the multi tab.

Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 iPhoneOS Recording Example

NOTE: In order to complete this recording, you must install and setup "Smart Multi Floating Clock, Timer & Stopwatch" BEFORE starting your recording.

  • Android Players must be on Android 13 or above to play
  1. Go to Settings > "My Device"/"About Device"
  2. Show this section for at least 2 seconds, then tap on "all specifications" and show this for at least 4 seconds, and then tap on "status"/"status information" and also show this for at least 4 seconds.
  3. Download "InstaPay Egypt" from the Play Store.
  4. Open this via the Play Store and run the app for at least 7 seconds. It is normal for the app to endlessly load.
  5. Download "Halifax Mobile Banking" from the Play Store.
  6. Open the app via the Play Store and run the app for at least 7 seconds.
  7. Download "Package Manager" from the Play Store.
  8. Open the app via the Play Store, accept the user agreement, and then search: "oasis", "bay", and finally "critical". You should see a Critical Ops file, tap on this, then tap "Full Details" and scroll through the entirety of the General/"App Info" Section shown. If your stopwatch is obstructing the information, please move it.
  9. Go to the Play Store, search "Critical Ops" and open the game. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute join your side). Then end your stopwatch. To end your stopwatch, long press the stopwatch and press "OK" at the prompt. You may now end your settings recording.
  10. Start another recording immediately (your game-play recording). Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 Android Recording Example

Prizing is per player except the cash prize

Note: MaxOut is responsible for paying out all monetary prizing including cash + MaxOut Rubys

TOURNAMENT PRIZING

🏆 Champions

$500 USD
($300 Cash + $200 MaxOut Ruby Credits)
2000 Credits
25 Event Cases (7 players)

🥈 Runners Up

1800 Credits
20 Event Cases (7 players)

🥉 3rd Place

1400 Credits
15 Event Cases (7 players)

4th Place

1200 Credits
15 Event Cases (7 players)

5th – 8th Place

1000 Credits
10 Event Cases (7 players)

9th – 16th Place

800 Credits
10 Event Cases (7 players)

Disclaimer: PolarisGG reserves the right to edit these policies at any given time and without any prior warning; and remove teams/players for reasons not stated on this page.