ATXXII Finals Begin This Weekend!

Capsuleers, 

The wait is over. 

Fifty-eight teams and more than 200 matches later, 16 teams remain. This Saturday, 31 October, they return to the arena, and only one of them gets its name etched on the Alliance Tournament Trophy. 

Every team still standing has earned its place. Weeks of practice, late-night theorycrafting, scrims that went sideways and comps that got scrapped at 2am have all led here. Behind each of them is an alliance listening in on comms, a corp channel full of hot takes, a small army fitting various ships, and at least one pilot who has been told very firmly not to get too close to that arena edge. 

It’s a field with personality, too. This year’s final 16 includes Ragequit Cancel Sub, a team whose name is just the letter I over and over, a 50-character keysmash, and 34-yrs-old men get nagged by wives for playing EVE, which we assume doubles as a support group. Every roster is up on the team pages, so get to know who you’re cheering for. 

The finals take us back into a double-elimination bracket, and the stakes rise as fights move from Thunderdome to Tranquility. Matches start as best-of-one, step up to best-of-three once eight teams remain, and finish with a best-of-five Grand Final. 

The action starts at 13:00 UTC on Saturday, and 12:30 UTC on Sunday. Both days run until around 22:30 UTC, live on the Fenris Creations Twitch channel and in front of a studio audience at NTU X in Nottingham, UK. 

If you’ve snatched up a ticket for Nottingham, doors open at 12:00 on both days, and your ticket comes with a token for a beer or soda. Wear your colors and make some noise! 

If you haven’t already, fill out your bracket in the ATXXII Predictions Contest. There’s 10,900 PLEX on the leaderboard, and an EVE: War for New Eden Veteran set for first place. If you're not confident in your skills, we've got you! Whoever finishes dead last gets a mystery prize (last year it was the golden finger). Your picks might come from hundreds of hours of tournament analysis or from whichever alliance logo looks coolest. Either way, there’s something to play for. 

Twitch Drops are live all weekend for everyone tuning in. Grab some Quafe, pick a team, and back them loudly in chat, especially when things go wrong. 

By Sunday night, one team will be Forged in Glory!