Margin Total

needs scores

Points scored minus points conceded, added up. Soccer's goal difference, generalised.

sum(your_score - opponent_score)

Best at

Two-sided scored games where the size of a win carries information.

Where it misleads

Only works for two-sided matches, needs scores, and rewards running up the score.

How it works

Margin Total ranks by cumulative margin of victory (or defeat). Points scored minus points conceded across all matches.

How it works: For each match: margin = your_score - opponent_score. Sum all margins. Positive total means you've outscored opponents overall.

When to use it: For head-to-head scored games where the size of victories matters. Common in sports leagues as a tiebreaker (goal difference in soccer, point differential in basketball).

Watch out for: Only works with 2-sided matches (duel or team_vs_team). Running up the score is rewarded, which some groups may find unsporting. An optional margin cap can address this.

Works well with

Chess Basketball Soccer

Also in League Standings

Win/Loss/Draw RecordAny competition that wants standings nobody has to have explained to them.Win RatioLeagues where people play very different numbers of fixtures.Wins OnlyAll-time honours boards where the count is the story.Points TotalScore-based games where lifetime output is itself the badge — bowling, Scrabble.Average ScoreComparing scoring efficiency when people skip rounds.Margin AverageComparing how decisively people win across different numbers of fixtures.