The opening ceremony was incredibly exciting!  I couldn’t believe the strength of the Thrasher as he burst through a solid stone wall, or the raw elemental power of the Magma Serpent!  This looks like it’ll be an intense battle to claim the revered title of Grand Champion, especially with the new battlegrounds this year.  And the rumors are true, the battle brackets have been revealed by tournament officials, but before we get to that let’s talk a bit about the terrains these creatures will be fighting in.

The jungle and cavern terrains are, from what our source tells us, variations of the battlegrounds we saw last year.  The jungle will feature a fast flowing river, that rushes towards oblivion, taking along any creature unlucky enough to get caught in the current.  Yet the mages have thrown in a new danger!  It is said that there will be some manner of creature within the water itself that has been created in an effort to prevent competitors from staying too long underneath the water’s surface.  I’m sure we’ll also see the lasher plants that we saw last year as well, entangling those that approach too close to them.

The caverns have been modified to more closely resemble the Demonspine mountains, meaning that instead of the deep, empty chasms we’ll likely be seeing lava floes and steam geysers!  Either of these hazards could cause significant damage to constructs and undead alike, so they’ll have to steer clear of them.  The Magma Serpent would likely have a rather large advantage in the lava caverns, if its construction is any sign of its abilities.

But what we’re really looking forward to is the two areas that are completely new this year.  Let’s start with the reef.  This battleground brings with it a whole new group of concerns that Creators haven’t had to deal with before.  Obviously neither undead or constructs have need of breath, but steam vents, underwater currents, and the razor sharp coral could inflict a great deal of harm to our competitors!  Who knows what else the tournament mages have planned for it!  And the arctic… I don’t have any idea what to expect from this battleground.  Perhaps icy terrain that may slow down combatants, or razor ice that cuts through even the most resilient construct?  I’m not sure what to expect, so I’m sure the Razor Fiends and the Arachast will have their work cut out for them when they battle it out amidst the ice and snow!

So, without further adieu, we present this year’s tournament bracket, freshly released by tournament officials!