Grand Champions League

The Grand Champions League or GCL is the highest level of competition in Cookie Run: OvenBreak, even more prestigious than the Champions League. It is a month long event where top Champions compete in nine rounds for valuable rewards, including special Costumes and Titles, and other players or eliminated Champions can spectate, practice, or cheer for the competitors.

Each Grand Champions League occurs at the end of a Big Season of the standard Champions League, and shares the Season's namesake Cookie. While the Grand Champions League is occurring, the Champions League does not take place.

The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grand Champions Leagues, all in 2020, are organized into a Grand Prix, slightly changing the rules. Players are evenly divided into four regions, and there is a winner for each region. At the end of the Grand Prix, the top three players of each region for the year will compete in an as yet unspecified competition to crown an overall Grand Prix Champion, who will receive a monetary prize.

Rules
The Grand Champions League has nine rounds. like Champions League and Guild Runs, each round has a limited selection of Cookies, Pets, and Treasures; and special rules, with more unique rules than Champions League. Each round lasts between two and five days. Round 1 lasts five days and corresponds with the entry period, with other rounds taking three to four days for the first five rounds, and two days for later rounds and three days for the final round. There is a period of approximately one hour between rounds, where scores are calculated. During a round, players can view the replays of competitors in their group except for the one in first place. Placing above a placement threshold allows a player to continue to the next round, and placing below it will disqualify the player. Each player that qualifies to the next round receives a reward, which includes but is not limited to Crystals, Magic Powder, Spirit Potions, and special Titles and Costumes. Rewards have also included Cookies and Pets. Reaching Round 2 gives players a Puzzle Key, which lets them access the Rainbow Cube Mine in the next Curious Rainbow Mine Event. In the first Grand Champions League, this was rewarded in Round 4 instead.

Disqualified players, and those who did not qualify, can still play on the same maps as competitors, but their scores are not compared against others. This allows them to experience the unique maps and rules, as well as collect special Magic Ingredients that are normally collectable in the Champions League, such as Little Star and Pale Leaf. All players can also Cheer for Champions and receive rewards for doing so.

2019-2021
To enter the Grand Champions League as a competitor, a Grand Champions League Ticket is required. This is earned by placing in the top 10% of any Champions League in the preceding Big Season, so players who earned at least a Gold Statue and Profile Border have earned a Grand Champions League ticket. If a Grand Champions League Ticket is not owned, there is also the option to pay 3,000 Crystals to compete, though this is not recommended, as players who did not have the ability to score high in Champions League are unlikely to place well in the Grand Champions League. Entrants are only accepted during the Entry Period, which starts and ends a few hours before the beginning and end of Round 1. Even if a player has a Ticket, they can not compete unless they join during this time.

2022
Instead of earning a Gold Statue, players enter the Grand Champions League by earning 10,000 trophies (entering the Champions League). If the competitors entered Champions League only during the Entry period, they would also be qualified as a Champion and could participate in the Grand Champions League. There would be no option to pay 3,000 crystals to compete.

Rounds
There are nine total rounds in the Grand Champions League, five Group Rounds and four Tournament Rounds.

In the Group Rounds, competitors play against a number of other, randomly assigned players, and only those who rank above a certain threshold continue onto the next round. As the number of players decreases, the threshold gets increasingly strict, until at the end of Round 5, there are only 16 competitors remaining.

In the four Tournament Rounds, all remaining players are put into a bracket and must outscore only a single other player. Half of the competitors are eliminated in each round of the bracket. During each Tournament Round, only a limited number of attempts are allowed, but practice runs are unlimited. The tournament rounds are the Octofinals, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final.

Cheering
All players, whether competing or spectating, can cheer for other players. Cheer Bonbons are used to cheer, and are earned from daily Cheer Missions. Each player can cheer for one of four competitors per round in Group rounds, and one of each bracket pair during Tournament rounds. Players can cheer until one hour before the results of the current round are released. When the results are processed and announced, players receive a reward of Crystals or Coins. The reward is based on the rank their chosen Champion placed in and the amount of Cheer Bonbons used, with better placement and more Cheer Bonbons used both increasing the reward. If not all of a players' Cheer Bonbons are used, they carry over to the next round, but they are deleted after the Finals.

Grand Prix
For the third, fourth, and fifth Grand Champions Leagues, the rules are modified slightly for the Grand Prix on Grand Prix Island. All players, both competitors and spectators, are evenly distributed into one of four regions. Cheers can be given to the top player from each region, and at the end of the League, there is a top player from each region. In each round, competitors earn Grand Prix Medals based on their placement in their group, with higher ranking players earning more Grand Prix Medals, and later rounds giving more Grand Prix Medals. At the end of all three Grand Champions Leagues, the three players from each region with the most Grand Prix Medals will compete in the Cookie Run: OvenBreak Grand Prix, which is currently planned for January 2021.

Regions
Each region has roughly the same amount of players, and only differ cosmetically. The regions are represented by Legendary Pets, and are the Glacier, Plains or Plain, Ocean, and Desert regions.
 * Glacier
 * Banner Pet: Thundersnow Yeti.png Thundersnow Yeti
 * Associated Cookie: Snow Sugar Cookie
 * Description: "A snowy glacier atop a frozen mountain. No one has ever been able to reach the peak, but maybe a Cookie with burning passion to melt the ice could!"


 * Plains
 * Banner Pet: Emerald Golem.png Emerald Golem
 * Associated Cookie: Tiger Lily Cookie
 * Description: "Calm, serene fields extending as far as the eye can see. Many wonder what it's like to run on these vast plains. It'll take a lot of stamina, for sure!"


 * Ocean
 * Banner Pet: Ocean Dragon.png Ocean Dragon
 * Associated Cookie: Soda Cookie
 * Description: "The soothing patter of waves calms the mind. But be careful, the waves can get rough! Only Cookies with the sharpest wits are able to enjoy the waves here!"


 * Desert
 * Banner Pet: Magmabird.png Magmabird
 * Associated Cookie: Red Pepper Cookie
 * Description: "A scorching desert that creates mirages at every corner of the eye. Running here requires a certain fortitude that only the braves of Cookies possess."

First Grand Champions League-Again Brave Season
The First Grand Champions League was added in the eponymous Grand Champions League update on January 30th, 2019, and concluded the Again Brave Season. Reaching Round 2 gave GingerBrave's The First Grand Champion Costume, and was the only way to receive this Costume. Reaching Round 4 gave the Puzzle Key for the Curious Rainbow Mine. The map of the final round was The Battle of Gods, which is known for being one of the hardest maps in the game. The winner was LUC이리오너라. However, this winner was revealed to have abused account sharing to win, getting the entire LUC team sanctioned by the developers.

Second Grand Champions League-Again Angel Season
The Second Grand Champions League was added in the Mighty Duo update on June 27th, 2019, and concluded the Again Angel Season. A special event, Grand Champions League Cheer Missions!, gave all players Cheer Bonbons and other rewards, and the Grand Champions Set was added. The special rewards were the Puzzle Key for reaching Round 2, Purple Yam Cookie's Champion of Valor for reaching Round 3, Milk Cookie's Herald of Victory for reaching Round 5, and Angel Cookie's Voice of Virtue for reaching the Octofinals. The map of the final round was The Battle of Gods. The winner was 반반.

Third Grand Champions League-Again Devil Season
The Third Grand Champions League was added in the Valorous Champions League update on January 29th, 2020, and concluded the Again Devil Season. This was the first Grand Prix Grand Champions Leagues, and added the Radiant Grand Champion Jelly Set. The special rewards were the Puzzle Key for reaching Round 2, Raspberry Mousse Cookie's Noble Knight-Captain for reaching Round 3, White Choco Cookie's Blazing Knight for reaching Round 5, and Devil Cookie's Horns of Gold for reaching the Octofinals. The map of the final round was The Battle of Gods. The winner was PJE Lover from the Desert Region, and the highest scorers of the other regions were kimjimin from the Glacier Region, yellow from the Plains Region, and IZ from the Ocean Region.

Fourth Grand Champions League-Again Ninja Season
The Fourth Grand Champions League was added in the Marshal Arts Champion update on June 8th, 2020, and concluded the Again Ninja Season. In addition to the Puzzle Key for reaching Round 2, each round gave a unique Title to competitors who reached it. The map of the final round was Way of the Cookie (GCL edition). The winner was 남땅 from the Glacier Region, and the highest scorers of the other regions were 葵 Kuei Yi from the Plain Region, Clength Vlabs from the Ocean Region, and Ideology from the Desert Region.

Fifth Grand Champions League-Kiwi Season
The Fifth Grand Champions League was added in the Glittering Cheddar Mine update on October 8th, 2020, and concludes the Kiwi Season. The map of the final round was The Battle of Gods. The Radiant Grand Champion Set was updated to have Frozen and Rainbow Bear Jellies. However, the winning Grand Champion was accused by other competitors to be abusing account sharing, and some of the other contenders refused to play in the Finals as a result.

Sixth Grand Champions League-Werewolf Season
The Sixth Grand Champions League was added in the Pudding Cup Circus update on February 28, 2021, and concludes the Werewolf Season. The map of the final round was City of the Millennial Tree (GCL Edition).

Seventh Grand Champions League-Candlelight Season
The Seventh Grand Champions League was added in The Witch's Mystic Attic update on January 27th 2022, alongside the Candlelight Season of Champions League. It was also the first Grand Champions League after Champions League merged with Trophy Race. The Map of the Final Round was Save the Future!

Notably, the third round is the first GCL round to utilize a recently buffed or released Legendary Cookie and Pet before the Octofinals, which is to be exact, Timekeeper Cookie and Continuum Cog, the latter which was released in the previous month. As a result, many of the major contenders were removed from the competition in as early as that stage, even top ones mainly due to having not maxed out the Magic Candy, as at the time Continuum Cog was only available as a purchase from packages.

Eighth Grand Champions League - Black Garlic Season
The Eighth Grand Champions League was added in the Spooky School Experience update on July 28th 2022, alongside the Black Garlic Season of Champions League. It is the first season to feature the titular Cookie in the first round. The Map of the Final Round was Lustrous Longan Palace (GCL Edition), which reuses patterns from previous maps.

Tenth Grand Champions League - Hydrangea Season
The Tenth Grand Champions League was added in the Yakgwa Village: Haunting Tales update. It is the first Grand Champions League season to take place after the Champions League renewal, and as such has different rules for entry; a player must either place in the top 20% of the Champions League at least once in any Hydrangea Season, or pay 10,000 Crystals to enter. This season also offers GCL Tokens for passing a round, and a shrinking number for each subsequent round, which can be spent on the Perfectly Bloomed Hydrangeas Jelly Set, and the costumes for Hydrangea Cookie and her pet.

Starting with this Champions League season, the rounds following Round 5 are no longer limited in the number of runs that can be used, and only one coupon code appears in this season due to there being less rounds than normal; the code for this season is "VIBRANTHYDRANGEA".

Arena List Round 1= Round 2= Round 3= Round 4= Round 5= Semi-Finals= Finals= The winning domain of this Grand Champions League was Ocean.

Eleventh Grand Champions League - Crowberry Season
The Eleventh Grand Champions League was added in the Holiday Training Academy Exam update. It is the second Grand Champions League to occur after the Champions League renewal, but it differs heavily from the previous season in multiple aspects:
 * The price of admission has been lowered from 10,000 Crystals to 3,000 Crystals.
 * It is no longer possible to enter the Grand Champions League as a Champion if you choose to spectate.
 * Practice Runs can no longer be performed in Spectator Mode.
 * Upon starting the Grand Champions League, and assortment of Cookies can be selected from; the winner's choice will become the statuette for the next Champions League season.
 * The Regions system, by which all players were sorted into four distinct areas, has been removed.
 * The background for all players is now the Temple of the Glorious Sun.
 * A Heart system has been implemented, by which Players can hypothetically keep running as long as they have at least one heart, instead of being automatically out once the player does not pass a round.
 * The Cheering system has been reworked.
 * Instead of collecting Cheer Points in missions to cheer the top runners in each Region, an event known as "GCL Cheers" appears, by which you can randomly select a player to cheer a set amount of points for (depending on your Escape Level, it may range from 20 to 50).
 * The rewards given at the end of a round for the Region cheered for has been removed.
 * When a player receives a certain amount of Cheer Points, they unlock the ability to revive once upon using all of their hearts up. This number is 100 for Preliminary, 500 for Main, 5,000 for Semifinals, and 12,000 for Finals.
 * Each player gets to see the top 5 people who have cheered for them.
 * The ordering of rounds has been changed:
 * Before: Rounds 1-5, Semi-Finals, Finals.
 * After: Preliminary Rounds 1-3, Main Rounds 1-3, Semifinals Rounds 1-3, Finals Rounds 1-3.
 * The deadline from joining as a Champion has been moved from the end of Round 1 to the end of Preliminary Round 3.
 * However, the later the player joins as a champion, the less hearts they will run with.
 * The Combis, identities, and rules of each map in the Grand Champions League are announced beforehand under a "Map Info" tab.
 * All map rules are displayed in a separate Map Info tab, as opposed to the header of the round.
 * Every map's name is given in this tab.
 * A MAX Ticket mechanic has been added, which can be earned by purchasing one of two packages; one ticket (+ 50 Epic Combi units) for, or two (+ 200 Epic Combi Draws) for $4.99.
 * About half of the maps available are reused from previous gamemodes, such as the regular Champions League.
 * The most notable instance is Preliminary Round 3, which was re-used from a map in the Champions League that was still active at the time.
 * The available Cookies in each Round are displayed in a screen right as the round begins, alongside a short introductory cutscene.
 * All rewards have been changed to be Gold Gems and Grand Champions League Tokens.
 * The season coupon code does not first appear at the beginning of the first round. Instead, it appears at the beginning of the Main rounds; the coupon code for this season was "PROTECTURJEWELRY".

The winner of this season was GOJEK vanness, leader of the BurN guild. Their selected statuette was.

Arena List Note that if pets are not listed for any arena, it means that only the Combi Pets of the Cookies available are used. Additionally, can be run with in every arena. Preliminary= Main= Semifinals= Finals=

Trivia

 * Each Grand Champions League prior to the Giant Veggie Contest renewal of the Champions League has included two Coupon Codes. The first code is written in Jellies, four letters at a time, at the start of the first four rounds, and the second code is written the same way at the start of the four final rounds.
 * Since the Hydrangea Season, this has been reduced to one Coupon Code.