It’s clear to most players that the current tournament structure in Splinterlands leaves room for improvement, especially when it comes to attracting competitive players from other games. Some view the current setup as a simple handout to anyone willing to enter. Others believe entry restrictions prevent broader participation. And some feel that card ownership should remain the core driver of tournament eligibility and rewards.
All of these viewpoints are valid, which makes finding a structure that satisfies everyone extremely challenging.
We also understand that development resources are limited, meaning major changes won’t happen quickly. That’s actually an advantage—it gives the community time to openly discuss ideas before anything is proposed to the DAO.
Live vs. Asynchronous Tournaments
A lot of confusion in previous discussions comes from mixing up Live and Asynchronous formats. These should be treated as two separate topics.
Live Tournaments
Live events should focus on identifying the best players in the game. They should carry prestige, titles, or recognition. They’re also ideal for community engagement—players chatting during rounds, reacting to battles, and sharing the social side of competitive play.
Asynchronous Tournaments
Asynchronous events serve a different purpose. They reward consistency, ruleset mastery, and the ability to build strong lineups over many matches. They’re ideal for players who want to compete on their own schedule.
Because they serve different audiences and goals, the discussion around them should be separated.
Asynchronous Tournaments – Proposed Structure
One of the better ideas I’ve seen (and my personal favourite so far) is a multi-pool structure:
X players enter
They are divided into equal pools of ~10 players
Everyone plays all opponents within their pool
The top Y players from each pool advance to Day 2
Players are again divided into pools, and the top Z from each pool earn prizes
This format ensures:
Players compete against a fair cross-section of the field
One unlucky matchup pattern doesn’t eliminate strong players
Casual players can join when convenient
Competitive players reliably find meaningful events with real stakes
This could also lead into a leader board structure of seasonal (quarterly) prizes for the most committed players
Live Tournaments – Proposed Structure
Live tournaments should draw attention to Splinterlands in the esports space while still appealing to casual players who enjoy “meet-up” style events. Many TCGs already run successful models we can adapt.
1. Casual Live Event – “Friday Night on the Frontier”
A 4-round Swiss tournament.
Anyone who finishes 3–1 or 4–0 earns a small prize (e.g., skin, avatar items, starter packs).
Low cost, community-friendly, easy to run weekly.
2. 8-Player Queues
Instant-start knockout events similar to traditional TCG queues.
Entry fees cover prizes (e.g., 500 DEC to enter, winner earns a Rebellion pack).
No cost to the DAO; high replayability.
Provide qualifier points to Seasonal Championships.
3. Qualifier Events
Weekly or biweekly live Swiss events that award qualification points.
A top-8 playoff adds excitement and streamer-friendly matchups.
4. Seasonal Championships
A quarterly event where top qualifiers compete over:
Two days
Swiss rounds
Top-8 finale
Prizes would need to be meaningful to incentivize participation in the qualifiers.
Final Thoughts
These ideas would need significant refinement, and prizes will likely be the most debated aspect—especially among players already benefiting from existing payouts. However, restructuring opens opportunities to reduce reliance on SPS rewards and explore alternative prize models.
This framework aims to support both casual and competitive players while creating a more compelling and sustainable tournament ecosystem.
Hopefully this can prompt an open discussion and give the route to a successful reorganisation of the tournament structure in the future.