Introduction
The EVE Online Alliance Tournament (AT) is one of the most exciting PvP events in the EVE universe, presenting the best pilots and strategies from across New Eden. First held in 2005, the tournament has become a beloved tradition, drawing thousands of viewers and participants as alliances vie for dominance in fierce battles. Organized by CCP Games, the developers of EVE Online, the Alliance Tournament pits teams against one another in a structured environment, emphasizing both skill and coordination.
Table of Contents
The format has evolved over the years, but at its core, it is a double-elimination tournament with set team sizes and strict ship restrictions. Each alliance forms teams of pilots who must use carefully selected ships, fittings, and tactics to outwit and outfight their opponents. With a time limit on each match, teams must balance offensive and defensive strategies, making every second count. CCP Games provides official support and commentary, but there are also numerous community-run tournaments that keep the competitive spirit alive throughout the year, offering even more opportunities for pilots to hone their skills.
Each tournament is sponsored by a certain faction, and the grand prizes are very limited and valuable spaceships worth hundreds of billions if not trillions of ISKs.
This Year’s Rules and Details
Alliance Tournament XX is a 32-team, double-elimination event hosted on the Tranquility server. It began with a Feeder Tournament on August 24-25 and August 31-September 1, which determined 28 of the 32 slots. Four alliances—Fraternity, The Tuskers Co, IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, and Truth. Honour. Light.—received direct invitations based on their previous performance. Teams had until July 5, 2024, to form alliances and register, paying 4,000 PLEX to secure their entry.
The Feeder Tournament, held on the Thunderdome server, featured slightly modified rules and set the stage for the main event. Alliance Tournament XX culminates in a best-of-five finale, with the semi-finals played as best-of-three, ensuring exciting high-stakes matches. This year’s tournament is sponsored by the Guristas faction, adding an extra layer of prestige to the event.
Alliance Tournament XX is also notable for the introduction of new ships from the recent Havoc and Equinox expansions. These ships are allowed in this year’s competition, and we expect to see many of them, especially those from the Equinox release, which have proven to be popular among participants for their versatility and power.
Alliance Tournament XX Prizes
Three new Alliance Tournament prize ships are to be issued: the Sidewinder (Frigate), the Cobra (Cruiser), and the Python (Battleship). All three are based on CONCORD ship hulls—the Pacifier, Enforcer, and Marshal—but are beautifully painted with graffiti and feature overpowered stats. I have a detailed post with their stats.
The first-place team will receive 40 Sidewinders, 40 Cobras, and 20 Pythons. The remaining teams will receive fewer quantities of the same ships, with rewards extending to all teams that make it to the top 16. In total, 385 ships will be distributed as rewards.
Additionally, the Victory SKINs for the Enforcer, Marshal, Pacifier, and Monitor will be awarded. Ten SKINs will be granted to a team per match victory, both in the Feeder rounds and the Main Event.
This year also marks the return of the “Alliance Tournament Cup”, engraved with the names of previous winners, which will be updated and once again issued to the winning team. Medals will also be making a return, with each pilot on the roster of every team that advances through the feeders to the main event receiving one.
Considering the ‘cloaky’ nature of the AT XX prize ships and the significant number being issued, I predict that we’ll see them heavily used in PvP operations rather than gathering dust in collectors’ hangars. Expect plenty of baiting, counter-baiting, and hotdrops in the future!
Top Teams Advancing in Alliance Tournament XX
After the first two days of the tournament, we see a top 8 winners bracket:
- Deteriorated
- IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
- Odin’s Call
- Paper Numbers
- Platinum Sensitivity
- The Tuskers Co
- Till Doomsday
- Truth. Honour. Light.
These top 8 teams will fight for the grand prize.
Meanwhile, the lower bracket consists of 6 teams:
- Genshin Impact Alliance
- Ragequit Cancel Sub
- Ronin Reloaded
- Unspoken Alliance
- WE FORM V0LTA
- White Squall
The last two spots will be determined between 4 teams:
- Arrival vs Fraternity
- Brave Collective vs Evasive Maneuvering
These matches will be played on the third day of the Alliance Tournament on October 26th. You can check the full standings and brackets layout on Challonge.
Interestingly enough, 3 out of 4 direct invite alliances made it to the top 8 upper bracket, proving their track record. Fraternity fell into the lower bracket but has not yet played their third match, so they still have a chance to earn some credit.
Eliminated Teams and Tournament Upsets
Let’s have a look at the lost teams too. These 8 teams are out of the tournament:
- Bright Side of Death
- Hole Control
- Of Essence
- OnlyFleets
- Pandemic Horde
- Plug N Play
- Snuffed Out
- Templis CALSF
It’s a bit sad to see Bright Side of Death, Snuffed Out, and Templis CALSF out right from the start, as all three teams have quite a long history in the Alliance Tournaments.
These six teams are also eliminated after their second loss:
- Exodus
- Goonswarm Federation
- NO NEED LOOSE FACE
- Post Pod Clarity
- Rote Kapelle
- SL0W CHILDREN AT PLAY
As mentioned, two more teams will be determined on the third tournament day.
Both Exodus and Rote Kapelle are among the oldest and most experienced teams, with 11 and 12 Alliance Tournaments behind them, respectively.
But the biggest loser (in terms of Twitch channel points) was me—I absolutely trashed all my bids on the wrong team. CCP Games hosts always say that the team color (red or blue) means nothing, but after looking at the current statistics, I highly doubt it—hehe.
Alliance Tournament XX Meta
It’s too early to dive into meaningful conclusions as only 50% of the tournament has passed, plus the second part will offer us the best tactical execution and strategic concepts from the top EVE Online teams. Yet, I see this tournament gravitating more towards medium gun spam. We’ve seen good performance from Laser setups—the optimal range gives good damage application and extra reach for rapid target switching.
However, it is rendered too vulnerable to triple battleship comps. If they can’t take out the support fast enough, the heavy neuts from the battleships completely stop the damage after 3-4 minutes of the match. We’ve also seen great performance from Minmatar gun kite setups, especially with Huginn and Hyena web support, if executed correctly.
This trend is often mirrored in bans, as the most popular ban targets are tracking disruptor bonused hulls like the Crucifier and its T2 variant, the Sentinel. For instance, Paper Numbers banned the Sentinel, Curse, Crucifier, and Arbitrator, while Rote Kapelle brought dual Pilgrims—though that didn’t help them secure a win.
Overall, I like the medium gun setups, especially when both teams field them, because these matches are all about the right target calling, coordination, and positioning. They are fast, merciless, and built entirely on trades. Sorry, missile lovers—the missile kite matches are simply boring to watch as, due to extreme control and often poor damage application, nothing happens on my screen.
Most Expensive Losses
The first two days of the tournament saw 10 flagships destroyed. Here are the top 3 most expensive kills:
- 167 billion ISK – Annie Gardet from WE FORM V0LTA (Barghest)
- 103.7 billion ISK – SaB0TaG3 from Exodus (Armageddon Navy Issue)
- 103.5 billion ISK – Xarayac quiffin from Post Pod Clarity (Armageddon Navy Issue)
An honorable mention goes to Proxay from Rote Kapelle, and his Prophecy with 55 billion ISK worth of fit in his cargo, including four Estamel’s Modified Rapid Heavy Missile Launchers and other officer items. As per the information provided by Reddit user _screw_logic_, the loot in question was obtained from the flagman’s wreck. Due to the Crimson Harvest 90% drop buff, the majority of the fittings managed to withstand both explosions. Regrettably, Proxay was unable to safely secure the loot.
Best Moments
It was hard to pick the best moments, but as I mentioned before, the most action-packed and adrenaline-filled matches are those where both teams bring medium guns.
One of the most notable matches was IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII vs Evasive Maneuvering. They started trading ships instantly, and each explosion shifted the tide of battle, making the first three minutes of the match feel like a thrilling swing. Very energetic!
Another standout moment was in the match between The Tuskers Co and Ragequit Cancel Sub, where pilot VLD Miromme in a Huginn almost got deleted at the beginning but managed to pull away. He then webbed and controlled the entire enemy team, forcing them to switch to Barrage and significantly reduce incoming damage. But he couldn’t have done it alone—his logistics buddy Jager Moritz, piloting a kiting Guardian, showed great coordination skills.
Colonel Kurtz from Odin’s Call earned my respect for his exceptional piloting skills on his Fleet Typhoon, escaping with just 6% structure from Arrival’s flagship Vargur. In the same match, Martin Conrad on his armor-plated Hyena also deserves a mention, as he lasted almost the entire match, rotating his two webs to disrupt the enemy team.
Lastly, a shout-out to Paper Numbers for bringing an armor-fitted Squall that managed to survive the entire match and escape Squallhalla while unleashing its damage on the enemy’s heads!
Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead
Since I’m not a member of any alliance, this tournament is purely entertainment for me, and I’ve turned it into a ‘father and son’ family tradition. We load the stream on a big screen, take out our notepads, grab some drinks and snacks, and watch it like any other sport. We yell at the screen, laugh, and cheer on random ships as they either explode or somehow survive. My son is 5 years old, and this is his third Alliance Tournament. He hardly understands what the commentators are talking about; for him, it’s just health bars, points, and the ‘pew-pew-pew’ Rifter ad. For me, it’s a wonderful way to spend an evening with family, making failed predictions and having fun.
The upcoming last two days of the tournament promise to be the most interesting, so mark your calendars for October 26th and 27th, and tune in to CCP TV!
Update: Tournament finished and you can read my recap of the finals, or If numbers and stats are your thing, check out my comprehensive breakdown of AT XX statistics, featuring an interactive report for deeper insights!