Getting Started
This is a generic guide for tournament organizers to use to create any events on the Admin Dashboard. Whether this is for Lorcana, Riftbound, WOTF, Neuroscape, CookieRun, or UniVersus, this article provides guidance for Tournament Organizers to understand how to create/organize an event on our platform.
Step 1 — Open the Admin Dashboard
To begin creating your event, log in to the Admin Dashboard and navigate to either the Games tab or the Events tab:
Games Tab — Under Your Store's Games, select your game and click Create Event +
Events Tab — In the top right corner, click Create Tournament +
Step 2 — Choose a Play Program
Select the Play Program that best fits your event. Options typically include competitive championships, casual/unstructured play, weekly events, and prereleases — each with different Swiss and Top Cut configurations.
Step 3 — Enter Event Details
Fill in the following information:
Template & Format
Date & Time
Event Timezone — Times will be interpreted in this timezone. Defaults to your store's timezone
Event Description
Requires Invitation Toggle — Only allow event registration with an invitation
Enable Decklist Submission Toggle — Allow players to submit a decklist for this event
Cost ($)
Capacity & Starting Table Number
Venue Address — If the venue for the event differs from your store address
Player Check-in — Not required, code, or organizer only
Player Registration — Open or Closed
Event Visibility — Public or Unlisted
Step 4 — Publish Your Event
Once all details are filled in, click Create Event to publish. Your event will now appear in your store's event list and be visible to players.
Configuring Your Event
Once your event has been created, you'll have access to four tabs for managing all of your event settings: Event Details, Tournament, Settings, and Staff.
Event Details Tab
Edit your event's basic information here. Make sure to save after making any changes.
Event Name
Requires Invitation (toggle on if registration requires an invitation)
Price & Currency
Start Date & Time
Capacity & Location
Online Event (toggle on if this is an online event)
Venue Address
Gameplay Format & Rules Enforcement
Event Description
⚠️ Important: Click Save after making any changes to your event details.
Tournament Tab
Manage your tournament's phases, rounds, and overall structure.
Edit a Phase — Click the pencil icon next to an existing phase to make changes.
Add a Phase — Click + Add Phase to add a new phase to your tournament.
When editing a phase, you can configure the following:
Phase Name
Round Type
Number of Rounds
Best Of
Start Phase With
Power Pair Last Round
Last Round Standings
Requirement to Enter Phase
For further details refer to: Event Phases
Settings Tab
The Settings tab is broken into three sections: Registration, Payment & Refunds, and Tournament Settings.
Registration
Configure how players register for your event:
Show Registration Button — Display the registration button to players
Auto-Close When Full — Automatically close registration when max capacity is reached
Auto-Open / Auto-Close Registration — Set a specific date and time, or leave blank to manage manually
Decklist Submissions — Allow players to submit decklists before the event starts (toggle on/off)
Auto-Open / Auto-Close Decklist Submissions — Set a specific date and time, or leave blank to manage manually
Player Check-In — Choose from: Not Required, Code, or Manual Check-In
Message to Registered Players — Set a message shown to players upon registration completion
Payment & Refunds
Configure your event's payment and refund policies:
Collect Digital Payments — Allow players to pay via Stripe (toggle on/off)
Allow Players to Skip Payment — Mark players as "deferred payment" (toggle on/off)
Auto-Close Refunds — Set a date and time, or leave blank to close manually
Close Refunds at Capacity — Stop automatic refunds when the event reaches max capacity (toggle on/off)
For more information on payments and refunds, check out Stripe Setup & Payments and Accepting Payments & Refunding Players.
Tournament Settings
Configure your tournament's structure and scoring rules:
Round Duration (minutes)
Points Per Win
Points Per Draw
Points Per Loss
Reset Timer on Round Paired — Automatically reset the round timer when pairings are published
Staff Tab
Manage staff members who can access and run this event.
View All — View a full list of staff members associated with this event.
Invite By Link — Generate a shareable link to invite staff members.
Invite By Email — Send a direct email invitation to a staff member.
Change Event Permissions — Click + Change Event Permissions next to a staff member to assign or update their event role.
Staff members will display their Email, Organization Role, and Event Role for easy reference.
Adding Players
Access the Players Tab
Click the Players tab, then select + Add Player to begin managing your participant list.
Add Players
You have two options:
Search by name or email to find and add an existing player.
Manually enter a new player's first name, last name, and email if they aren't already in the system.
💡 Tip: Always search first to avoid creating duplicate player entries.
Submit Players
After entering a player's info:
Click Submit & Add Another to save and immediately add the next player.
Click Submit to save and finish.
For more in-depth steps and information for adding players, refer to: Add Players to an Event
Fixed Seating
To assign a fixed seat to a player, select the player's name and enter their assigned table number in the Fixed Seat field. Click Update Registration to save.
For more information refer to: Assign Fixed Seating
Running the Event
For more detailed steps on running events on our platform, check out the Running an Event on Carde.io guide.
Using the Round Timer
The timer is located in the top right corner of the screen. Click it to:
Set to a specific time
Reset timer
Open timer
Final Check Before Starting
Before you proceed, confirm:
All players are added and checked in
Event details are correct
Player Requirements are Met
Players are Registered
⚠️ Important: Starting the event closes registration and locks certain settings.
Start the Event
Once all players are added and ready, click Start Tournament to launch the event and generate pairings.
Pair Round 1
After the event starts, click Pair Round 1 to automatically generate player matchups for the first round.
Timer
Use Open Timer to open the timer in a new browser tab — great for projecting on a TV or display for players to see.
Recording Results & Advancing Rounds
Enter Match Results
Click the result field next to each table and enter the match score. All results must be recorded before the event can advance to the next round.
View Standings & Advance
Click Standings to review round results. Once all results are submitted, the system will prompt you to publish pairings and move to the next round.
Troubleshooting: Rounds or Standings Not Generating
If rounds or standings aren't progressing as expected:
Click the Dashboard Refresh button on the right side.
This will refresh the dashboard and should allow the event to continue normally.
Generate Standings
Once all match results for a round are entered, click Generate Standings to finalize results and prepare the system for the next round pairing.
Finishing the Event
Finish the Event
Once all rounds are complete and results are submitted, click Finish Event to wrap things up.
Final standings will be generated on the associated Gaming or Play Network and will also appear on your TO Dashboard for reference.
💡 Tip: Make sure all rounds are fully reported before finishing to ensure accurate final standings for all players.
If any edits or changes need to be made refer to: Undoing & Reverting Results, Rounds, Phases, and Events
Still running into issues? Reach out to us at [email protected] — we're happy to help!