Battlegrounds 2026: Bigger, bolder, beautiful

MANILA, Philippines – For an event called Battlegrounds, you’d be surprised with what you’d find in store. You’d expect bloodshed or conflict but what you actually get is friendship, camaraderies, horses and games?  For only its second year active as a sub event in the Philippine event space, Battlegrounds, in conjunction with TOYCON PH is quickly becoming a one of the top events to go to as a tabletop enthusiast and it definitely shows no signs of stopping.

Bigger, badder and stronger than ever

Back during its initial incarnation, Battlegrounds would only take up a hall in the second floor of SMX Mall of Asia with it being more of a side event for Toycon participants. For its second year in the event space, the entire experience was elevated and it literally did get bigger warranting it being an entire main event rather than a side event.

From one hall, it went to two and instead of sharing a portion of the space with TOYCON, it went all in and then some with its bread and butter in tabletop gaming. On top of that, more friends joined in on the fun with the second hall being dedicated to them!

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Here comes a new challenger

The spirit of competition runs wild throughout the halls of Battlegrounds and its second incarnation added various new communities in its repertoire. For one, it leaned more towards gaming with there being representation from multiple communities from tactics games like Teamfight Tactics to the Philippines fighting game community mainstay in Tekken.

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It wasn’t just limited to mainstream gaming communities too but even niche ones such as Pokemon Go, Pokemon TCG Pocket, and Just Dance were part of it as well. Even horses joined in on the fun with Uma Musume enthusiasts taking part in the celebration.

It may seem like it’s all fun and games but beneath its welcoming exterior were tournaments scattered throughout the entire weekend and if you thought it was just chump change or pride, you’d be surprised with what’s really in store.

A prize worth fighting for

For this incarnation of Battlegrounds, while multiple tournaments were happening throughout the days encompassing the weekend offering prizes like TT Gaming Chairs, rare Magic The Gathering packs and even trophies for their champions, the biggest prize was in the Vibes TCG community!

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Imagine, a newcomer TCG in the block and not only did it offer a free tournament, it even went far and beyond with a prize of almost 1.2 MILLION PESOS. Newcomers and veterans alike could take part in this penguin party TCG and the community was welcoming, competitive and hungry for action!

Changing the norm

At this point Battlegrounds had firmly established itself as a mecca of TCG, Tabletop and competition but really, what makes the event unique is it being more than that. The communities were at the forefront with gaming at its core with Indie Games, having their own spotlight. From action to bullet heavens to metroidvanias, the variety present was impressive.

Cosplay was also implemented this year with the inclusion of the Uma Musume community and apart from seeing the horse girls, maids care of the Projex CC maid cafe were there too perfect for destressing if you lose early on in a tournament.

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Even the negative perception of nerdy conventions stinking or lacking hygiene was gone at the event with there even being a scented candle booth care of Lumi Candles PH. You’d think that scented candles would be out of place but really thinking about it, they add to the atmosphere during gaming sessions especially when tabletop gaming is involved and it does mask the scent of sweat with all the passionate gamers around. Truth be told, after smelling them firsthand, I want to start implementing them in my day to day.

What’s next for Battlegrounds?

While there may have been issues here and there pertaining to some guests, Battlegrounds this year was a rousing success. At the rate it’s going, I’m hopeful of it eventually taking over the entire second floor and adding more tournaments for more card games and communities down the line. One omission which is understandable is Riftbound, the hottest card game out there right now and even the anime TCG scene but for what it’s worth, events like this are hard to plan for with there being so many releases over time. Between planning the space itself and making sure not to alienate guests from TOYCON, the fact that there’s an overlap in the communities present just makes this event more efficient.

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Between the freebies, the good company, the great games and amazing community, Battlegrounds continues to be a highlight as a tabletop enjoyer and just as a normal congoer. At the rate it’s going who knows, maybe there will be more surprises coming from MAD Events but at the end of it all, I’ll definitely be seeing you at the next Battlegrounds!