cEDH: An Interview with the Mind Behind the Ka0s Tournament!

The Ka0S tournament has grown considerably - from a casual tournament between friends to one of the most important events in the history of cEDH. Recently, we talked to one of its organizers to understand how it all began, the troubles they faced in the beginning, all the (quite literally) chaotic legends behind this tournament, and what we can expect to see in the future.

Before cEDH became popular online, Ka0s was already an active member of the community, and it was precisely because of a hiatus that he decided to create this tournament:

"I took a break for a few months, but, when I started playing again, all my friends who used to play with me had disappeared. So, I wanted to relight the fire within the cEDH community."

Because he wanted to get the gang all back together, he decided to host this tournament - which he initially called Ka0s at the Nexus, a direct reference to the original server in which he played.

"Me and a friend of mine were talking and we had this idea - to call the tournament 'Ka0s at the Nexus'. This way, people who used to play with me might recognize my name and register to play."

Two friends trying to find their community again. That's how history was made.

From Chaos to Ka0s

The first edition of the tournament was made up on the spot. Quite literally.

"We sponsored the first edition completely out of our own pockets. We got some valuable and semi-valuable cards we had in our collection and sent them to players. We also covered all costs, including shipping. All we wanted was for people to start playing again."

They only had each other to try to get this thing going, with over 100 players registered, and they had no previous experience organizing anything. Chaos? Most definitely!

"At first, it was just the two of us. How do we pay everyone? How do we pair them up? How do we set up a bot in Discord?"

Today, there is a solid support team behind this tournament - which he complimented multiple times during our interview. Seriously, if I wrote down every time Ka0s complimented his own team, this article would be far too long.

Practice Makes Perfect

At the time, there was no easy guide, no article to teach them "how to set up a competitive online cEDH tournament". They hit the ground running and learned everything on the spot.

"We didn't have anyone to ask. We had to learn on the spot, making mistakes and fixing them. Whatever worked, we kept doing."

Still, they only had one focus: to unite the community.

"We wanted, yes, to host a well-organized event, but, deep down, what we really wanted was to see people playing again. It was hard work, but it was all worth it. We loved doing it."

What was their greatest challenge, though?

"The backend. We used a small software created by a dev who played MTG. It didn't have an interface, it was just a prompt window. It was exactly like the movies, as if we were hacking our own system to make the entire tournament work."

With time, the Ka0s Tournament found its own identity, and became the stage for several legends and stories.

"Back in one of the first editions, the only thing the Discord bot dev told me was to not kick anyone from the server because that would ruin the entire tournament..."

And guess what?

"Someone was being extremely negative, openly saying they were going to cheat... and I accidentally removed them from the server. The entire tournament fell apart immediately. And I had already warned everyone that this was the only thing that couldn't happen..."

Despite chaotic, this tale became an inside joke among them:

"Don't worry about messing anything up, after all, I ruined my first big tournament all by myself, with a single move."

And, of course, anyone who played the most recent editions must remember the "cat cam":

"We had just adopted a new kitten, Lurrus. Once in a while, we'd turn on the camera just to show him asleep in his cot. We called this camera Lurrus of the Dream Den."

Ties and Byes

The cEDH community has recently been discussing the controversy surrounding intentional ties and byes.

We asked Ka0s about it:

"Ties and byes are part of the game. I used to play 60-card MTG formats, where that happens all the time."

But, they did try other alternatives:

"We tried forbidding ties, preventing byes, creating pods with 3 players... In the end, we realized that the game is better with these mechanics. So, we weren't going to reinvent the wheel."

What About Problem Players?

Ka0s was quite straightforward:

"There's always someone who tries to cheat, harass other players, or cause issues. People who make you think, 'there they go again'..."

Fortunately, he says they're only the loud minority. Yet, when it's about cheating, they have a zero-tolerance policy:

"At first, we only banned people temporarily. Nowadays, it's a lifelong ban. No one wants to play in a tournament that welcomes cheaters."

And he has left a message to all players:

"Please, don't let your opponent draw 4 with a Brainstorm!"

"At the end of the day, it's a game. We're here to have fun. If people are not having fun, they stop playing. We have always prioritized player experience."

So, what's next?

"We thought about hosting in-person events in stores, maybe others online... But, for now, it's only an idea."

He always cheers for the underdog and off-meta decks.

He has 5 cats, and two of them were named after cards: Ajani, and Lurrus.

There is one player that always wins, but Ka0s didn't want to tell us who it is.

And he has a secret favorite player.

We finished our interview by asking him what most stood out to him in his journey as a TO. He was quite sincere:

"I believe other people would have developed this format even without us. But I'm glad to have been a part of it. It was very fun for a lot of people - for our team, the players... And all I can really say is thank you."

About his team:

"Without our team, none of this would have happened. It's a team effort, for sure. Everyone played a vital part."

And, to everyone who wants to be a TO in the future:

"It's definitely a passion project. It's not something you do for money. If you love MTG, cEDH, or this community, go ahead. Contact a few stores, come up with a few events. It might work out, or not - you'll only know if you try."

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If you'd like to join this tournament's Discord server, just click here.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!