PlayAgainst
Free while in alpha

Tournaments without the spreadsheet

PlayAgainst runs trading card game tournaments from sign-up to final standings: pairings on every player’s phone, results reported at the table, standings that are right the moment the last game ends. For players, organizers, stores and communities.

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Live pairings of a Modern tournament in round 4, with the round clock

Why it exists

Because the best part of the hobby deserves better tools

Competition is what brings people to the same table every week. The software behind it should get out of the way, work for every game, and be free for the people who play.

Too much still runs on paper

Pairings typed into spreadsheets, results shouted across the room, standings posted in a group chat an hour later. Local events deserve better than that, and players deserve to know where they stand.

Good tools cost too much

Most tournament software is either built for one game, closed to everyone else, or charges a small store more than the entry fees bring in. We think running a Tuesday night locals should cost nothing.

Your data isn’t the product

No ads, no trackers, no selling anything about you. PlayAgainst is built in Germany, runs on servers in Germany and collects only what an event needs.

For players

Your table, your result, on your phone

Join with your account and everything about the event is in one place: no app to install, nothing to print, no crowd around the pairings sheet.

A player's view of round 4: table 5, the round clock and buttons to report the result
  • Your table and opponent the moment a round is published, with the round clock
  • Report your own result in two taps; when both players agree, it counts
  • A notification on your phone when the next round is out, and a reminder the day before
  • Your place, points and record as the event goes, and your decklist sent ahead of time
Live standings with points, record and tiebreakers
  • Pairings and standings live for everyone, also without an account
  • Tiebreakers as the games use them: opponents’ match win %, game win %, opponents’ game win %
  • A profile with every event you played, your record and a rating per format
  • You decide, field by field, what anyone else sees. Profiles are private by default
The event search with upcoming tournaments
  • Find tournaments and game nights near you by city, postcode or “near me”
  • Filter by game, day, size, seats left or free entry
  • Join in seconds; when it’s full, take a place on the waitlist and move up automatically

For organizers

Run the event, not the spreadsheet

Everything from sign-up to the final, built by people who have stood at the front of the room with a clipboard.

The round manager with the clock, tables and results
  • Swiss, Swiss with a top cut, single elimination or rounds you pick yourself
  • One against one, two against two, four-player pods like Commander, or points by place
  • Pair, check, then publish: players only see a round once you say so
  • A round clock with pause and extra time, results from the players or entered by you
  • A judge desk for warnings and penalties, messages to one table or to everyone
The player list with check-in, payment and decklists
  • Check-in, paid and decklists at a glance, with filters for who’s still missing
  • Walk-ins scan a QR code and get a seat without making an account
  • Player limits, waitlists, invite-only events and closing sign-ups early
  • Organizers and judges on your team, invited to the event
  • A fixed table for players who can’t move around easily
The TV screen with pairings and standings side by side
  • A TV screen for the venue: pairings and standings side by side, scrolling by themselves
  • A big round clock for the wall, no login needed on the TV
  • Circuits and leagues: a series of events with a points leaderboard and a final for the top players
  • Ratings for every format, from the results of rated events

For stores and communities

A home for your locals

Instead of three group chats and a Facebook page nobody updates: one page with your events, your players and your results.

The store directory with game stores and their games
  • A store page with address, opening hours, the games you carry, tables and photos
  • Every event at your store on your page, once you approved it
  • A team to run the page with you, and handing the store to someone else when it’s time
A community page with members, play times and events
  • A community page for your playgroup or team, with a tag, members and play times
  • Open to everyone, by request or by invitation
  • Your community’s events and its own leaderboard

All of it

Everything else that’s in

Small things that make a big difference on the day.

Every format

Swiss, top cut, elimination; 1v1, 2v2, pods and points by place, best of 1, 3 or 5

Correct tiebreakers

Points, then OMW %, GW % and OGW %, worked out from the results every time

Ratings

An Elo rating per format and a leaderboard, from rated events

Circuits and leagues

Weekly or monthly series with a points table and a final

No app needed

Works in any browser, and can be added to the home screen like an app

Notifications

In the bell, as push notifications and as a reminder email the day before

TV screens

Pairings, standings and the clock for the venue, without a login

Walk-ins

A QR code at the door: a seat for players without an account

Decklists

Sent before the deadline, seen only by the player and the event’s team

Judge desk

Warnings, game and match losses and disqualifications on record

Event teams

Invite organizers and judges to help run an event

Fixed tables

A table that stays put for players who can’t move around

To be announced

Publish an event before the date or place is settled

Share pictures

Every event and profile gets a preview picture for chats and socials

Secure sign-in

Passkeys, two-factor and sign-in with Google or Discord

Privacy controls

Choose who sees each part of your profile, and whether search engines do

Your data

Download everything about you as PDF, web page or JSON, or delete it all

Reports and checks

Uploaded pictures are checked, and anyone can report what doesn’t belong

Pricing

Free today. Fair later.

Right now PlayAgainst costs nothing, for everyone. Anyone can host one event at a time, and stores and regular organizers who need more get unlimited events for free during the alpha: just ask.

Free

Today

0 €forever

For players and anyone hosting now and then.

  • Play in as many events as you like
  • Host one event at a time
  • Every tournament feature
  • Store and community pages

Organizer

Planned

5 €per month

For one person or one store running events regularly.

  • Everything in Free
  • Unlimited events at the same time
  • For a person or a whole store team

Self-hosted

Planned

Laterdetails to come

PlayAgainst on your own server, for clubs and organizations that want their own.

  • The same software
  • Your server, your data
  • You run the hosting and updates

Playing will always be free. Nobody pays anything today, and when the Organizer plan arrives we’ll announce it well ahead.

Privacy

Built in Germany, under the GDPR

We collect what an event needs and nothing else. Read exactly what we store and why in the privacy policy.

  • Hosted in Nürnberg, Germany, on servers we run ourselves
  • No ads, no tracking, no analytics
  • Profiles private by default, visible only as you choose
  • Your data to download or delete, at any time

Who’s behind it

A player-made project from Zweibrücken

PlayAgainst is built by Pascal Linxweiler in Germany, as an independent project by someone who plays, not a company that sells software to stores. It’s in alpha: things change quickly, new features land most weeks, and some rough edges are still there.

That also means you talk to a person. Every bit of feedback is read, and a lot of what’s on this page started as someone’s idea.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is it really free?
Yes. Nothing costs anything during the alpha, and playing will always be free. Later, hosting more than one event at a time will be part of a 5 € a month Organizer plan.
Which games can I run?
Magic: The Gathering, Chess, Custom, Riftbound, and more on request. The tournament itself works for any game played one against one, in teams or in pods.
Do I need to install an app?
No. PlayAgainst runs in the browser on any phone or computer. You can add it to your home screen, which also lets iPhones get push notifications.
Do players need an account?
To join an event and report results, yes: it takes a minute. Walk-ins can get a seat with the event’s QR code instead, and anyone can follow pairings and standings without one.
Can I run PlayAgainst on my own server?
Not yet. A self-hosted version is planned for later.
How do I get unlimited events as a store?
Write to us on the support page and we’ll switch it on for your account, free during the alpha.

Your next tournament, without the spreadsheet

Find one near you or host your own. It’s free.

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