Балл, будь то итоговый балл или штрафной балл, меняет турнирную таблицу.

Будь то is a fixed expression meaning whether it be, be it, or more naturally in English, whether it’s.

So:

Балл, будь то итоговый балл или штрафной балл, меняет турнирную таблицу.

means something like:

A point, whether a final point or a penalty point, changes the tournament table/standings.

It introduces different possible types of the same thing.

Yes, будь is historically the imperative singular of быть (to be), but in будь то the whole phrase works as a set expression. Native speakers usually treat it as an idiom rather than as a literal command.

So although it originally looks like be it..., in modern Russian you should mostly learn будь то as a ready-made expression meaning:

• whether it be
• be it
• whether ... or ...

It does not change for number or gender in this expression.

Because that part is a parenthetical inserted phrase. It interrupts the main sentence to clarify what kind of балл is meant.

Main structure:

• Балл меняет турнирную таблицу.
  = A point changes the tournament table.

Inserted clarification:

• будь то итоговый балл или штрафной балл
  = whether it be a final point or a penalty point

So the commas show that this is extra explanatory information inside the sentence.

It could be shortened, but the repetition makes the sentence clearer and more formal.

Compare:

• будь то итоговый балл или штрафной балл
• будь то итоговый или штрафной балл

Both are possible. The full repetition sounds more explicit and balanced. Russian often repeats a noun in this kind of structure when the speaker wants precision or a slightly formal style.

Also, the first Балл is the general category, and then the sentence spells out two specific subtypes of that category.

Because the grammatical subject is singular: Балл.

Even though two options are listed:

• итоговый балл
• штрафной балл

the idea is still a point of either kind, not two points together. So the verb agrees with the singular noun балл:

• балл меняет
• not баллы меняют

Because after будь то, the alternatives are normally given in the nominative. They are naming possible forms or types of the thing being discussed.

So here:

• итоговый балл
• штрафной балл

are both nominative singular.

You can think of the structure as something like:

• be it a final point or a penalty point

The words after будь то are not direct objects here; they are labels for what the subject may be.

Because it is the direct object of меняет (changes).

The verb менять takes an object in the accusative:

• менять что?
• турнирную таблицу

Form by form:

• турнирная таблица = nominative
• турнирную таблицу = accusative

Both the adjective and the noun change because the whole noun phrase is in the accusative feminine singular.

In this expression, то is part of the fixed phrase будь то. You should learn it together with будь.

It helps create the meaning whether it be / be it. On its own, то has many uses in Russian, but in this sentence it is best understood as part of the idiom, not as a separate word you need to translate literally each time.

Yes. It is a fairly common written or formal pattern.

Typical model:

• X, будь то A или B, ...

Meaning:

• X, whether A or B, ...

Examples:

• Любой фактор, будь то время или деньги, имеет значение.
  Any factor, whether time or money, matters.

• Ошибка, будь то грамматическая или смысловая, может всё испортить.
  An error, whether grammatical or semantic, can ruin everything.

It is more formal than simply using или by itself.

Yes, but it would be a different structure.

For example:

• Итоговый или штрафной балл меняет турнирную таблицу.

That means roughly:

• A final or penalty point changes the tournament table.

The original sentence starts with Балл to present the general idea first, and then inserts the clarification будь то.... That gives it a more deliberate, explanatory style.

So:

• Балл, будь то итоговый балл или штрафной балл, ...
  = first name the category, then clarify the kinds

• Итоговый или штрафной балл ...
  = just name the two kinds directly

That depends on context.

In Russian, both балл and очко can relate to points, but they are used in different ways.

Very roughly:

• балл often refers to a score, rating point, exam point, judge’s point, penalty point
• очко is very common for sports points and standings points

So a learner may wonder whether очко would be more natural in some sports contexts. That is a reasonable question. However, штрафной балл is also a very normal phrase in many contexts, so балл works well when the emphasis is on a scoring unit or penalty unit rather than the everyday sports word очко.

In other words, this sentence is grammatically fine, but the best word can depend on the exact kind of tournament being discussed.