Bebop Grand Clash: TBT Edition - Tournament Recap

Our latest South Pole Bebop tournament, Bebop Grand Clash: TBT Edition, wrapped up a little over a week ago - and what a month it was. Across three weekends of fierce matches, clever plays, and some genuinely unexpected twists, we saw exactly what makes the SPB community special: creativity, strategy, and a whole lot of heart.

Held during the Turn-Based Thursday Fest 2025, this event brought together new players, tournament veterans, and content creators for an international competition with a prize pool designed to reward both skill and participation. We’re proud to say it was our most exciting tournament yet.

A Format That Put Players First

This year, we wanted to try something different. Bebop Grand Clash was designed to be more strategic and more watchable - so we introduced Open Decklists, used Discord for real-time spectating, and brought back some of our most dedicated community members as seeded players.

📅 Tournament Schedule:

• Preliminaries: June 7–8

• Quarterfinals: June 21–22

• Semifinals: June 28

• Finals: June 29

We had 14 players in total - some who found us through Tokyo Game Show, others who’ve played in every major tournament we’ve run. The bracket featured a mix of newcomers and six “seeds,” players known for their consistent competitive presence:

gamedalgona, iaur64, nabug, bkindtoevery1, nijimath, and kamaqra

New Feature: Open Decklists

For the first time, we made decklists public before each stage. Players submitted two decks in advance, and had to declare which one they’d use for each match. This turned every round into a real mind game - with no surprises, the spotlight was entirely on decision-making and adaptation.

Spoiler: it worked. Matches felt tighter, reads were sharper, and viewers got a deeper look into how SPB plays at a high level.

Lobby Creator? Let the Wheel Decide

To keep things fair (and a little unpredictable), we used a spin-wheel randomizer to determine who would create the match lobby in each pair. In South Pole Bebop, the player who sets up the lobby typically takes the first turn — a small edge that can make a big difference in the right hands. So rather than flipping coins, we let fate (and the wheel) decide.

Broadcast, Community & Discord Magic

We streamed every round of the tournament on YouTube, Twitch, and our Steam Page, accompanied by insightful commentary and active chat. But a lot of the real magic happened on Discord - where players screen-shared their games live in dedicated voice channels.

This meant spectators could jump in and watch unfiltered matches in real time, while players stayed in touch directly with moderators, and other competitors.

Final Rankings

After several hard-fought rounds, the finals came down to Gamedalgona and Iaur64 — two players who’ve been in the mix since our earliest days. The final was a best-of-three and delivered the kind of tight tactical play that defines South Pole Bebop at its best.

(”@” - a reference to the participants’ Discord name)

🏆 1st – @gamedalgona

🥈 2nd – @iaur64

🥉 3rd – @あじのり

🎖️ 4th – @nabug

Prizes included:

• A Steam Deck 1TB (or Nintendo Switch 2) for the winner

• $200, $100, and $50 Steam Gift Cards for runners-up

Community Mini Events: Cheer & Predictions

To keep things fun for spectators, we ran two smaller community events during the tournament:

• Cheer Message Winner – @Umbrița, for dropping kind and hilarious messages across the stream and Discord

• Champion Prediction Winner – @宮村, who correctly predicted the winner (one of only five who did!)

Both earned bonus Steam gift cards — perfect timing for the Summer Sale.

Aftermath: Feedback and Impression

We hope that both players and viewers had a great time, as they shared plenty of positive feedback and showed great sportsmanship throughout.

Here are just a few quotes from participants:

Missed It? Watch the Tournament Here:

• 🎥 Full VODs

• 🌟 Highlight Videos (we're adding more daily)

What’s Next?

We’re already thinking about the next tournament. Whether you’re a casual fan or top-tier competitor, there’ll be more opportunities to join in!

📌 Want to participate in the next one?

Follow us on Steam and join our Discord. That’s where sign-ups, rule changes, and early info always go first.

Thanks again to everyone who played, watched, predicted, streamed, cheered, or helped organize the Bebop Grand Clash: TBT Edition. This game wouldn’t be what it is without your support - and we’re just getting started.

See you in the next match!