The Origins TCG Crimson Cup is Koin Games' official tournament running from October 19 through October 25, 2026, during Steam Next Fest. Hosted through the free Steam demo build on Windows and Mac, the event features a $10,000 prize pool consisting of cash, booster cases and boxes, and exclusive Dracula promo cards. Players compete across five open regional qualifiers and a 256-slot playoff bracket using a strict three-deck Conquest format.
Tournament Schedule and Regional Qualifiers
The Crimson Cup features five open regional qualifiers capped at 512 players each to manage match brackets via the tournament Discord bot. A total of 32 players advance from each qualifier into the weekend playoffs, joining 96 invited creator wildcards to form the 256-player playoff field.
| Stage | Date | Start Time | Advancing Slots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americas Qualifier #1 (AMER) | October 19, 2026 | 7:00 PM EST | Top 32 |
| EMEA Qualifier #1 (Europe) | October 20, 2026 | 7:00 PM CEST | Top 32 |
| Americas Qualifier #2 (AMER) | October 21, 2026 | 9:00 PM EST | Top 32 |
| APAC Qualifier | October 22, 2026 | 7:00 PM SGT | Top 32 |
| EMEA Qualifier #2 (Europe) | October 22, 2026 | 7:00 PM CEST | Top 32 |
| Crimson Cup Playoffs | October 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM EST (4:00 PM CEST) | Top 4 |
| Crimson Cup Finals | October 25, 2026 | 10:00 AM EST | Winner Decided |
Registration and bracket management take place through the official Origins TCG Discord server. Check-in opens two hours before each qualifier starts and closes five minutes before match time alongside deck submissions. Missing the check-in window results in immediate disqualification. Koin Games permits players to register for multiple qualifiers, provided they attend the scheduled matches.
During match rounds, automated timers enforce check-ins. If an opponent fails to show or make deck vetoes within 10 minutes, they forfeit the first game. A continued absence for an additional 10 minutes awards a default match win.
Conquest Format and Deck Submission Rules
The competition utilizes a three-deck Conquest format where players must register three distinct decklists before play starts. Deck validation is handled via the tournament dashboard checklist, requiring exact adherence to deck composition rules:
- Every deck must contain exactly 25 cards: one Legendary card and 12 base card pairs (two copies of each non-Legendary card).
- Each of the three submitted decks must feature a different Legendary character.
- Every pair of decks must differ by at least eight cards, preventing players from entering slightly modified duplicate lists.
Qualifier and playoff rounds are played as best-of-three matches. Both players view the opponent's three Legendary characters and ban one deck, leaving two active decks. To win a series, a player must win one game with each of their two remaining decks; winning with a deck retires it for the remainder of that match.
The grand final shifts to a best-of-five series with no bans, meaning each finalist must achieve a win with all three registered decks. Decklists remain hidden from opponents throughout the tournament until the top four broadcast stage.
Banned Locations List
Origins TCG features a rotating pool of board environments that alter gameplay across its three lanes. For the Crimson Cup, Koin Games removed seven high-variance locations from the tournament match pool. These locations do not appear during private tournament room matches in the demo client:
| Banned Location | Location Effect | Reason for Removal |
|---|---|---|
| Junkyard | Both players discard a card at random | Uncontrollable random resource loss |
| Cloning Lab | Filling player spaces with copies of played character | Creates runaway board saturation |
| Reflecting Pool | Copies played character to another location | Disproportionately swings on-reveal abilities |
| Amplifying Amphitheatre | All damage dealt here is doubled | Accelerates lethal barrier damage unpredictably |
| Giant's Beacon | Draws highest-cost card and reduces its cost to 1 | Excessive mana curve disruption |
| The Colosseum | Characters placed here gain double attack | Swings lane combat values excessively |
| Nostradamus' Call | Destroys both players' decks at start of round 6 | Removes late-game strategic options |
Standard ladder matches in the demo build still feature these environments, but private custom lobbies enforce this banned list for competitive scrims.
Prize Pool Distribution and Dracula Promos
The Crimson Cup prize pool includes $10,000 split across direct cash rewards, Alpha booster products, and tournament-exclusive Dracula promo cards. Tournament promo cards carry a Prestige rating, giving them a guaranteed S-grade rather than randomized grade defects. Koin Games confirmed these specific promos will not be re-released.
| Placement | Cash Payout | Sealed Product | Exclusive Promo Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $1,500 | 2 Booster Box Cases | 1/1 Gold Dracula Promo |
| 2nd Place | $750 | 1 Booster Box Case | 1/8 Dracula Promo |
| 3rd – 4th Place | $350 | 2 Booster Boxes | 1/8 Dracula Promo |
| 5th – 8th Place | $125 | 1 Booster Box | 1/8 Dracula Promo |
| Top 16 | — | 1 Booster Box | Finalist Plus Card |
| Top 32 | — | 10 Packs | Finalist Card |
| Top 64 | — | 8 Packs | — |
| Top 128 | — | 4 Packs | — |
| Top 256 | — | 2 Packs | — |
All cash and product rewards scale down to the top 256 finishers, ensuring every competitor qualifying out of the first round receives booster pack rewards.
Meta Trends from Early Qualifiers
Data collected from the initial AMER #1 qualifier revealed clear targeting patterns across competitive lineups:
- Van Helsing emerged as the most targeted leader, receiving a 44.4% ban rate among competitors.
- Three Not So Little Pigs served as the most brought archetype, featured in 168 registered decks.
- Baby Bear proved to be the most ubiquitous non-Legendary card, appearing in 47.2% of all registered decklists.
Decks built around Glinda and token generators like Three Blind Mice and Reinforcements also showed significant presence, leveraging attack buffs across all three lanes to contest barriers early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which game version is used for the Crimson Cup?
Matches take place exclusively on the free Steam demo version of Origins TCG, running balance patch 0.7. The separate developer playtest build is not legal for tournament play.
Do cards need to be unlocked before playing?
Cards used in the tournament must be unlocked in your account save file. Completing single-player boss missions in the demo unlocks the card pool, though developer announcements noted a tournament unlock feature would grant temporary full access for registered participants during Next Fest.
Where can the playoffs and finals be watched?
The playoff stage on October 24 and the grand finals on October 25 are broadcast live on the official Koin Games Twitch channel, alongside community co-streams.
