cEDH Tournament Software

Running a cEDH tournament sounds simple until you try to find software that actually supports it.

Most tournament tools were built for 1v1 Magic. Standard. Draft. Two players, one winner. cEDH is four players in a pod, custom scoring, no-repeat pairings, and a meta that demands deck submission before round one. The requirements are completely different.

This guide breaks down every major tool organizers reach for - Eventlink, Challonge, Start.gg, Topdeck.gg, and MTG Super League - so you can make an informed call before your next event.

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What cEDH Tournaments Actually Need

Before comparing tools, it's worth being clear about the requirements. A cEDH event - whether it's a one-day open, a multi-week league, or a series - typically needs:

Requirement	Why It Matters
Multiplayer pod support (4-player)	cEDH is not 1v1. You need pods, not brackets.
Custom scoring	Win/draw/loss isn't enough. Points systems vary widely.
No-repeat pairings	Players shouldn't face the same opponents every round.
Deck submission and legality	Decklists must be locked before rounds begin.
Tiebreaker calculations (OMW%)	Point ties need fair, accurate resolution.
League series tracking	Multi-event seasons need cumulative standings.

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The Tools: A Head-to-Head Comparison

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The Tools, One by One

Eventlink (WPN)

Eventlink is WotC's official tournament software. It's built for sanctioned 1v1 Magic events: Standard FNM, Draft, Sealed, Pioneer, Modern.

It does not support 4-player pods, custom scoring, or any of the things that make cEDH cEDH. It's free to WPN stores but requires a WPN account to access. If you're running a community cEDH event that isn't a sanctioned store event, Eventlink isn't the right tool.

Best for: Sanctioned 1v1 events at WPN stores. Not for cEDH.

Challonge and Start.gg

Both are general-purpose tournament platforms built primarily for esports brackets and fighting game communities. They handle single and double elimination brackets well.

Challonge and Start.gg have limited multiplayer pod support and don't natively handle Swiss pairings with 4-player pods in the way cEDH requires. No-repeat pairing logic, deck submission, and OMW% tiebreakers are absent. You end up duct-taping spreadsheets to the side to fill the gaps.

Best for: Simple single-elimination brackets. Not for Swiss cEDH events or league series.

Topdeck.gg

Topdeck is one of the few platforms built with Commander and cEDH in mind. It supports 4-player pods, custom scoring, Swiss pairings, and deck submission. It has an active community in the competitive EDH space and is widely used for large cEDH Opens.

Its league series and multi-event tracking features are more limited compared to a dedicated league tool. It's primarily event-focused rather than season-focused.

Best for: One-day cEDH Opens and large community events. Good for individual events; limited for running a multi-week league.

MTG Super League

MTGSL was designed from the start to handle multiplayer formats, multi-week seasons, and the administrative reality of running a Commander or cEDH league over time.

It supports 4-player pods with Swiss pairings, no-repeat pairing logic, custom scoring (including achievement points, split pots, and custom tiebreakers), deck submission with Moxfield and Archidekt sync, and full league series with cumulative standings across multiple events. Players get live standings, match history, and stats.

Best for: Multi-week cEDH leagues, recurring event series, and any situation where you need standings to persist across sessions.

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Scoring Systems for cEDH

The scoring system you choose shapes how your event feels. cEDH organizers typically use one of these three approaches:

System	Structure	Best For
5/1/0	5 pts for a win, 1 pt for 2nd place, 0 for 3rd and 4th	Opens and events where winning matters most
Win-only	3 pts for a win, 0 for all other positions	Pure competitive cEDH with no consolation points
Placement-based	4/2/1/0 or similar across all pod positions	Leagues where surviving matters, not just winning

Tiebreakers should always be defined in your rules document. OMW% (Opponent Match Win %) is the standard for Swiss events. MTGSL and Topdeck calculate this automatically.

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Running a cEDH League Series

A league series groups multiple events into a season with cumulative standings. Players earn points at each event and the season standings determine the overall champion.

This format creates long-term investment that single events can't match. Players track their season standing between events, come back for the next one, and build rivalries with the same opponents across months.

Setting one up well requires:

• Consistent event frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).
• A clear points conversion rule between event placement and season points.
• A defined drop policy (what happens if a player misses an event).
• Season-end playoffs or a champion declared from cumulative points.

MTG Super League's Series feature handles the cumulative standings automatically. Each event feeds into the overall series leaderboard without any manual tallying.

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The Short Answer

If you're running a single-day cEDH open and want something with broad community adoption, Topdeck.gg is a solid choice.

If you're running a multi-week cEDH league or recurring series where standings persist, players have profiles, and the season tells a story, MTG Super League is built for that.

Eventlink, Challonge, and Start.gg aren't the right fit for either.

Frequently Asked Questions