Release Tournament
Release Tournament sits at layout order zero, ahead of every recurring tournament, because it is the launch window event that celebrates the game going live. It is a solo, single bracket format that finalizes your team on join and scores you on Total Damage only, which pushes the meta toward pure DPS lineups instead of the balanced kill and damage builds used in the weekly Solo ladder.
The modifier system is the same as Solo and Duo: two modifiers roll per season from the shared buff and debuff pools. There is no Traitless slot in the Release format, so every unit fights with its trait effect intact. That combined with the single scoring metric makes Release a straight burst damage race, ideal for stacking Damage, Crit and Element buffs on your top DPS.
The reward table is Shiny Sugar heavy, which is what makes Release special. Every top rank down through Rank 5 pays a Shiny Sugar (Toy Maker) plus 10000 Gems, with the Rank 1 stack including 75 Trait Rerolls and 750 Crowns. That gives the format one of the rare pathways to a Shiny of an Exclusive rarity unit outside of premium bundles.
Details
How it works
Release Tournament is solo only and finalizes your team the instant you join, so there is no team requirement to satisfy before queueing.
Two modifiers roll for the season from the same Buff Ranges and Debuff Ranges pools used by Solo and Duo Tournament, but Release has no Traitless option, so every unit keeps its trait effect active.
Because the format only scores Total Damage, matchmaking rewards pure burst output over the balanced Total Damage and Total Kills scoring used by the weekly Solo ladder.
Rewards
Every top rank down through Rank 5 guarantees a Shiny Sugar (Toy Maker) plus 10000 Gems, with the Rank 1 stack adding 75 Trait Rerolls and 750 Crowns. That gives Release one of the rare pathways to a Shiny of an Exclusive rarity unit outside of premium bundles. Below the top five ranks, Release pays on percentiles matching the shared pattern used across the tournament system.
Top 5 percent (95 to 100): 8000 Gems, 50 Trait Rerolls, 500 Crowns
Top 10 percent (90 to 95): 7500 Gems, 30 Trait Rerolls, 200 Crowns
Top 20 percent (80 to 89.99): 7000 Gems, 25 Trait Rerolls, 125 Crowns
Top 30 percent (70 to 79.99): 3000 Gems, 20 Trait Rerolls, 75 Crowns
Top 40 percent (60 to 69.99): 2500 Gems, 15 Trait Rerolls, 70 Crowns
Top 50 percent (50 to 59.99): 2000 Gems, 12 Trait Rerolls, 65 Crowns
Best strategy
Since there is no Total Kills component, build around raw burst rather than splitting investment into wave clear speed.
Stack Damage, Crit and Element boosting supports behind your hardest hitting DPS unit to push Total Damage as high as possible.
Check the season's two modifiers first. Because Release has no Traitless slot, a strong debuff on a key stat is the only thing that can derail an otherwise pure damage comp.
FAQ
How do I join the Release Tournament in Anime Expeditions?
Release Tournament is a solo format that opens only during the game's launch window, sitting at layout order zero ahead of every recurring tournament. Queue in as a single player and your team locks the moment you join.
What is the reward for winning the Release Tournament?
Rank 1 walks away with a Shiny Sugar (Toy Maker), 10000 Gems, 75 Trait Rerolls and 750 Crowns. Every rank down through Rank 5 still guarantees a Shiny Sugar (Toy Maker) plus 10000 Gems, making Release one of the few paths to a Shiny of an Exclusive rarity unit outside premium bundles.
How long does the Release Tournament run?
Release Tournament is a one time launch season event rather than a recurring weekly ladder, so it is not repeatable once the launch window closes. It uses the same two rotating modifier system as Solo and Duo Tournament for the length of that single season.
How does Release Tournament scoring work?
Release Tournament scores players purely on Total Damage, with no Total Kills component and no Traitless modifier option. That single metric pushes the format toward stacking the hardest hitting DPS lineup you can build rather than balancing for kill speed.
Which units are best for the Release Tournament in Anime Expeditions?
Since scoring is Total Damage only and every unit keeps its trait active, the strongest picks are top tier DPS units buffed by Damage, Crit and Element boosting supports. Prioritize whichever comp maximizes raw output over one built for survivability or kill count.
Other tournaments
Source-checked
Extracted from Anime Expeditions client data (tournaments.json). updated · GuideDex staff. Report a correction.