Updated July 27, 2026
Anime Expeditions Tournament Guide (July 2026)
Tournaments are the only source of some units in the game, and the mode most people misplay — because placement is scored on a number, not on whether you cleared the stage.
Short answer
Clear rotating tournament stages to earn leaderboard points inside a randomly assigned bracket. Everything resets weekly. Available in Solo and Duo. Placing pays Crowns for the Tournament Shop plus season-exclusive units and skins — including Toy Maker, which has no other source.
How tournaments actually work
Brackets are random, and they reset weekly
On every weekly reset all leaderboard standings are wiped and every player is randomly reassigned to a new bracket. A bracket is a pool of players tracked only against each other — you are never competing against the whole game. A brutal bracket one week says nothing about next week.
Solo and Duo are separate formats
Solo is an individual bracket. Duo pairs you up and tracks the pair as one entry. They are separate ladders with separate standings, so entering Duo does not cost you anything on the Solo board.
Stages carry Stage Effects
Tournament stages layer Enemy Resistances and Game Modifiers on top of a normal stage, deliberately pushing difficulty past anything in Story. A team that clears Story comfortably can fall over here purely because of a resistance your damage type cannot beat.
Score is a condition, not a clear
Placement is measured by specific scoring conditions — damage dealt, or enemies killed — accumulated into leaderboard points. This is the part people get wrong: you are not being ranked on whether you finished, you are being ranked on a number. Check which condition is live before you build.
Solo vs Duo vs Global Tournament
Three different things with similar names. Global Tournament in particular is a separate mode, not a bigger version of the weekly tournament.
| Format | Players | Scored on | Resets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament — Solo | 1 | Stage scoring condition (damage dealt / enemies killed) | Weekly |
| Tournament — Duo | 2 | Same, tracked as one pair entry | Weekly |
| Global Tournament | Up to 4 | Highest wave reached in Infinite mode | Per major update |
Global Tournament runs a separate leaderboard for every map, so a strong run on one map does not help your standing on another.
Rewards and the Tournament Shop
Season-exclusive units — the reason to enter
Season 1's reward unit is Toy Maker, an Exclusive that cannot be summoned at any rate on any banner. When a season ends its reward unit stops being obtainable — that is the real cost of skipping a tournament.
Crowns
Paid out by leaderboard placement and spendable only in the Tournament Shop. Cosmetic unit indicator colours run 500 Crowns each.
Skins
Season 1 rewarded the Ramen Guy (Sage) skin, and Global Tournament Season 1 rewarded Elf Mage (Ranni). Skins are cosmetic only — they carry no stat effect, so never pick a team around one.
Three things that decide your placement
Read the Stage Effects before you pick a team
Enemy Resistances can blank a damage type outright. Bringing your best magical carry into a magic-resistant stage is the most common way a strong account places badly.
Build for the scoring condition, not the clear
If the condition is damage dealt, a team that survives longer and keeps dealing damage beats a team that clears fast. If it is enemies killed, crowd control and AoE outscore single-target. The best tournament team is rarely your best Story team.
Enter every week even when the bracket looks bad
Brackets are randomly reassigned on each reset, so a losing week costs you nothing going forward. Skipping weeks is what costs you — season reward units disappear when the season does.
Tournament FAQ
How do tournaments work in Anime Expeditions?
Tournaments are a competitive mode where you clear rotating stages to earn leaderboard points inside a randomly assigned bracket. Everything resets weekly — standings are wiped and brackets are reshuffled. Placing well pays out Crowns, the currency for the Tournament Shop, plus exclusive units and skins.
How do you do Solo Tournament in Anime Expeditions?
Enter through the Tournament area and pick the Solo format instead of Duo. You then run the current rotating tournament stage on your own, and your score accumulates into your bracket leaderboard. Because the stage carries Enemy Resistances and Game Modifiers, check what the modifiers are before choosing your team — a damage type the stage resists will sink an otherwise strong lineup.
What are Crowns used for in Anime Expeditions?
Crowns are the tournament-exclusive currency, and they can only be spent in the Tournament Shop. You earn them by placing on the bracket leaderboard. They do not carry any use outside the shop, so there is no reason to hoard them across seasons.
What is the difference between Tournament and Global Tournament?
They are two different modes. Tournament uses rotating stages, random weekly brackets, and Solo or Duo formats. Global Tournament is built on the Infinite stage system — your score is purely the highest wave you reach, every map has its own separate leaderboard, up to 4 players can team up, and seasons run per major update rather than weekly.
What are the Anime Expeditions tournament rewards?
Crowns for the Tournament Shop, plus exclusive units and skins per season. Season 1 rewarded the Exclusive unit Toy Maker and the Ramen Guy (Sage) skin. Global Tournament Season 1 rewarded the Elf Mage (Ranni) skin. Toy Maker matters most — it is not summonable at any rate, so a tournament is the only way to get it.
Can you get Toy Maker without playing tournaments?
No. Toy Maker is an Exclusive tournament reward unit — it cannot be summoned on any banner, cannot be reached by pity, and cannot be bought. Tournaments are the only source, which is why it is worth entering even if you do not expect to place near the top.