Traditional Tournaments Suck
We've all been there. The draft night that was supposed to be fun becomes a grueling slog.
Endless Waiting
Finish your match in 20 minutes, then wait an hour for your next pairing while everyone else catches up.
Missed Connections
You invited 7 friends to draft night, but the bracket only matched you against 3 of them. What was the point?
Player Fatigue
9 games across 3 best-of-three matches is exhausting. By the finals, everyone just wants to go home.
Enter Brode Mode
A revolutionary tournament format designed for real life. Play at your own pace, against different opponents, and finish when you want.
How It Works
Choose Anyone & Go
Choose anyone to play against. No waiting for pairings—just pick anyone and start. And play just a single game — no 3-game slogs.
The system tracks who you've played. Any opponent you haven't faced is fair game.
Play Your 5 Required Games
Over the course of the event, play 5 different opponents. Take breaks whenever you want. Play at your own pace. There's no pressure.
Similar to Swiss, players with similar records are encouraged to play each other—but it's flexible.
Earn Extra Credit (Optional)
Finished your 5 games but still having fun? Keep playing! Extra credit games beyond your 5 required matches earn you tiebreaker points.
Extra credit wins boost your position in tiebreakers, rewarding players who want to play more.
Final Standings
At the end of the event, standings are calculated based on your 5 required games. Extra credit helps break ties among players with equal records.
Win-loss record matters most. Extra credit is the cherry on top.
Why Brode Mode Is Awesome
Maximum Flexibility
Arrive late? Leave early? No problem. Play your games at your own pace. Life happens, and Brode Mode rolls with it.
Zero Downtime
Never wait for pairings again. Finished a game? Find another opponent immediately. The action never stops.
Play More Friends
Other formats match you against just 3 opponents. Brode Mode guarantees you play 5 different people—more games with more friends.
Fair Competition
Everyone plays the same number of required games. No advantage for showing up first or staying latest.
Extra Credit Rewards
Love playing? Extra games reward your enthusiasm with tiebreaker points. It pays to be engaged.
Perfect for Draft Night
After everyone drafts, play your matches whenever. No coordination nightmare. Just pure draft fun.
The Smart Pairing
While you have freedom to choose opponents, the system helps guide fair matchups.
No Repeat Opponents
The system ensures you never play the same person twice during the event. Fresh matchups every game.
Similar Records Preferred
Like Swiss, players with similar win-loss records are encouraged to play each other. This creates competitive, meaningful matches.
Scalable to Any Size
Works great with 8 players or 80. The format scales naturally—more players just means more potential opponents.
Brode Mode vs The Rest
| Brode Mode | Swiss | Round Robin | Bracket | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wait between rounds | ❌ Never | ⏳ Always | ⏳ Sometimes | ⏳ Always |
| Flexible scheduling | ✅ Total | ❌ Fixed | 🟡 Some | ❌ Fixed |
| Play at own pace | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | 🟡 Kinda | ❌ No |
| Games for everyone | ✅ 5 each | ✅ Equal | ✅ N-1 each | ❌ Varies |
| Extra credit option | ✅ Yes! | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Leave early option | ✅ Yes | 🟡 Hurts | 🟡 Hurts | ❌ Eliminated |
The Origin of Brode Mode
Brode's buddy Jon said, "I prefer Best of 1". And then Brode said "you know what, normal drafts are 3 rounds, best of 3... that's 6-9 games. If we just play 1 game against everyone, that's only 7 games! We can play more opponents, and still get enough games to confidently crown a victor!"
They played some drafts and realized 7 games is actually too many, and when you play everyone, you sometimes don't have enough tiebreakers to truly sort the pod from best to worst.
Enter Brode Mode — Only 5 games means you can have a quick evening, not an all-night slog. And you get to play against as many folks as you want! Because players play at different paces, you can have players play different amounts of games/opponents, and Brode Mode handles the tiebreakers effortlessly.
Want to play everyone? Great. Want to play just 5 folks and jet? No problem. Brode Mode perfectly fits our 40-year-old lifestyle. A quick draft. A few games. And then we get to bed on time for a full night's rest.