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Alliance leaders and directors, it’s almost time to muster your finest fighters, researchers, theory crafters, and spreadsheet enjoyers. Or, if you prefer spectating to engaging in close-quarters combat, prepare your favorite flavor of Quafe, grab a Fedo to keep the session tidy, and get comfy. The season of competitive arena battles and broadcasts is closing in as the 20th Alliance Tournament approaches.
Announced during Fanfest 2023, the 20th edition of the Alliance Tournament will be open for registration soon, allowing leaders to start gathering up to their most intrepid combatants to duke it out ten vs ten in the arena for glory and epic prizes. Matches are set to be broadcast across New Eden, with the EVE community cheering for their teams on the way to the top. We’ll be searching for experienced individuals from the community to join us as casters, analysts, and commentators to help break down the tournament content for viewers and (hopefully) dole out helpful advice on who to put their channel points on to win even more prizes!
For the big 20, we’re bringing it back to where it all began. The tournament will be broadcast from CCP’s headquarters in Reykjavik, Iceland, where developers and community members will join together for an action-filled streaming schedule, harking back to the tournaments of old!
If you think you have what it takes to join the production team, look for more information on 28 June, when you can submit your name for consideration.
PRE-SEASON & SIGNUPS
Last year, a pre-season registration method was introduced, placing the responsibility of requesting a tournament account and access to the Thunderdome server in the hands of individual team members, rather than the captain exclusively. This continues again this year, so once the rules are published, anyone interested in participating can start practicing on the Thunderdome server.
If you have participated in previous tournaments, access couldn’t be easier: the login details previously supplied when you requested access will work as before, and you’ll get instant access; you don't have to re-request access!
If you haven’t ventured onto the Thunderdome server before, fear not; you can request access using this form. The process isn’t automatic; invites are usually sent out once a week, with the first wave set to go out on 28 June.
Next week, team sign-ups and merc registration forms will feature in the rules post. For further clarification on the pre-season registration format, you can read last year's post.
Regular team sign-ups will be open on 27 June, and a follow-up article with the full rules and sign-up instructions will be published on that day. Until then, have your propaganda artists brainstorm new Alliance Tournament ad ideas (and submit them here!), posters, and any other weird and wonderful creations you can dream up! Don’t forget to give your alliance executors a poke to remind them to get your team registered on time.
Updates will also be communicated via the official EVE Online Discord.
#at-announcements for important tournament updates.
#tournament-questions or #tournament-general channel for any questions.
#thunderdome-status for any known issues or downtime for the tournament server.
SPONSORSHIP & PRIZES
Since this year sees the Alliance Tournament returning to its roots, a new sponsor and a fresh new logo are being introduced.
The IGC, which has operated with significant autonomy under CONCORD's purview, is now aligning with CONCORD, as part of a new community outreach initiative aimed at reconnecting with the community and boosting trust in its operations. As part of this effort, the IGC has accepted CONCORD as the sponsor of Alliance Tournament XX.
As with previous Alliance Tournaments, a prize blog will announce more information about the prizes available closer to the tournament.
TOURNAMENT UPDATES AND CHANGES FROM ATXIX
As last year, the entry format for the main tournament takes the form of double-elimination 10v10 team battles, where ships have specific point values. The rules for the event will be refreshed to ensure that the tournament remains diverse and fun to watch, emphasizing pilot skill and team knowledge.
Last year, the silent bid auction element was removed from the tournament. This meant that all teams except previous tournament champions had to earn their spots in the primary broadcast by going through a feeder tournament. This resulted in higher-quality matches in the primary broadcast, and will remain the format for this year.
Last year, several teams committed to entry but pulled out prior to their matches, thus giving their opponents free advancement. This indicates that the entry cost may have been too low, so to ensure alliances’ commitment to participate, the price of admission will be raised to 4,000 PLEX. Keep an eye out for further details about the feeder tournament format and the draw, coming on 19 July.
Here are some of the rule changes you can look forward to this year:
The points system is being updated. Previously, the total point value of a team's fielded ships would have to equal 100, with any shortfall added to the opposing team's score. This value is now being adjusted to 200 points. The number of pilots and fielded ships per team will remain at 10, but the point value of ships will increase to reflect this change, primarily to assign a more meaningful value to smaller ships.
The IGC extends its gratitude to the Gallente for their sponsorship in the previous tournament. Revised point values for their ships will be adjusted, making an assortment of ships across multiple factions cheaper and various pirate ships more expensive. CONCORD has lifted the bans on using the Marshal, Enforcer, and Pacifier.
Should you feel adventurous in your planning, several new Upwell ships have been added to the list of allowed ships.
Flagships remain a cornerstone of the Alliance Tournament. Additional changes have been made to the Flagship system to allow some previously banned ships to be used again under specific conditions, in addition to incorporating the limited use of some of the Alliance Tournament ship prizes.
You can look forward to the full list of changes, details, and point values being released on 27 June!
If you are interested in recruiting for your alliance team or finding a team to fly with, keep an eye on the #looking-for-team channel in the Alliance Tournament section on the EVE Discord server!
KEY DATES:
The goal of today's article is primarily to get you all informed of the important dates for this tournament, so let's get into it:
22 June - Pre-season begins & signups for Thunderdome access open
27 June - Rules announced, team registrations open, Thunderdome opens
28 June – Recruitment for commentators/analysts begins
5 July – Team registrations close
9 July – Team roster (and mercenary) submissions open
19 July – Feeder tournament format announcement & team draw
1 August – Roster (and mercenary) lock concludes (ad submission deadline for the Feeders)
24 & 25 August - Feeders tournament broadcast weekend 1
31 August & 1 September - Feeder tournament broadcast weekend 2
4 September - Post feeder roster lock begins
17 September - Post feeder roster lock concludes & flagship submissions begin
24 September - Flagship lock deadline (ad submission deadline for the main tournament)
19 & 20 October – Alliance Tournament XX weekend 1
26 & 27 October – Alliance Tournament XX weekend 2
Updates will be provided if anything changes and any of these dates require adjusting. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the arena!
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