Tournaments
Bracket-based competitions with real prize pools.
Tournaments are single-elimination, bracket-based competitions with real prize pools funded by the vault. They run on daily, weekly, and monthly schedules with unlimited entrants.
Tiers
Every tournament belongs to one of three tiers and admits only players in that tier. A tournament closed to you says so on its card, before you commit anything.
Newcomer. Where every account starts, playing only other newcomers. Three newcomer tournaments played through to the end move you up to general admission, and moving up is permanent.
General admission. The default, and most of the schedule.
Champion. Reached by finishing in the top four of three tournaments of at least eight players, within the last 60 days. In free general admission tournaments a top-eight finish counts. Champions play each other: joining the tier closes general admission tournaments to you, and champion tournaments stay closed to everyone else.
The newcomer tier exists because a brand-new account and a strong player who has just signed up look the same until they have played, and a first bracket against veterans is a bad introduction either way. Only tournaments you actually played count toward the three: a bracket that empties out around you before you get a game earns nothing, and neither does one you abandon partway. Win or lose is irrelevant — the requirement is that you played.
Placements count however you reached them. If an opponent never appears for piece selection you advance, and that finish counts toward your tier like any other. Newcomer placements count toward the champion tier the same way, so dominating your newcomer tournaments can carry you straight to champion on the one that graduates you, without a stop at general admission.
You leave the champion tier by going cold — no top-four finish across your last six champion tournaments — or by going 60 days without a top-four finish in a champion tournament (top eight in a free one) once the finishes that qualified you are older than that. Being demoted resets the count: only finishes earned afterwards count toward returning.
These thresholds are set at our discretion and can be retuned, so a tournament's own page is the one to trust — it states the requirement in force and where you stand against it. We can also place an account in a tier by hand, and abusing the system is one of the reasons we will.
Entering
Tournament entry requires selecting and burning specified pieces. Requirements and any piece restrictions appear on the tournament detail page — review them carefully before committing. Rules, piece requirements, and prize allocations vary by tournament.
Burned pieces are permanently gone. Win or lose, the piece does not come back. Your piece set is locked for the duration of the tournament.
During a Match
Players connect during their scheduled match window and complete piece selection. Failing to connect within the launch window results in a forfeit.
Fair Play & Cheating
Banned and suspended accounts can't participate in tournaments. An account banned or suspended mid-tournament is withdrawn, their opponent advances, and its burned pieces are not returned. See Fair Play & Cheating.
This documentation is in its early stages and is subject to have inconsistencies. If you find any, please let us know!