The Alliance Tournament is once again coming to New Eden. With a field of forty alliances baying for blood and looking to make a name for themselves we are assured of an exciting spectacle.
This year the tournament has again had rules and groupings amended, one of the key features is the reduction in the number of competitors to forty. This caused a rush to register through the official GalNet channels and consequently the tournament group slots were filled within forty eight hours. This unprecedented event has, understandably, left some alliances unable to sign up.
Amongst the casualties unable to join this years tournament are the reigning alliance champions HUN Reloaded, former champions Band of Brothers and last years semi-finalists Cruel Intentions and Terra Incognita. This has caused an uproar amongst GalNet observers with many clamouring for amendments to the rules to allow these well established teams to enter. So far the officials have remained silent on this subject.
It should be noted that some of the aforementioned teams may be listed as reserves, which means should another alliance drop out the first on the reserve list will be able to compete. However the list is classified so no one knows exactly who is on it.
The very existence of a reserve list has brought certain tournament activities to light. Namely bribery and corruption. It has been suggested that some of the alliances, already confirmed in the group stages, may be susceptible to bribes and coercion in order to make them drop out. It is rumored that several alliances may be considering this tactic even though creating a free group slot would not necessarily guarantee entry.
As far as corruption is concerned, allegations have been made regarding an official announcement that was published that said The Red Skull alliance had withdrawn. This prompted tournament organizer Nova to publish an embarrassing retraction confirming that the statement was incorrect and that they were still competing.
Whenever the tournament comes to town GalNet observers are always expecting an exciting show, this year with battles in front of the cameras and behind the scenes they will not be disappointed.
The circus is well and truly back in town.
External GalNet Browser References
The Alliance Tournament Competitors List
Original GalNet Tournament Announcement
Tournament Rules