The tournament turnout has declined, even though it was never very high. This could be coincidental (people are busy or the tournament times don't work) but my bigger feeling is that the old hardcore Battle Dex players aren't very interested in playing this game on a limited basis. So I suppose I'll admit that the tournament idea was largely a failure, although it did provide a number of exciting games.

I enjoy the strategy involved in playing Battle Dex. If I can get in a couple games a week I have a damn good time doing it. I'm rather busy myself so I don't have a ton of time to play anyway. But many players of online games have a different mindset. Many want to compete for supremacy among a high population. Sure, each person will prefer one game to another, but the general concept is to invest 90%+ of your gaming hours into a single game. For me, playing a game is simply about entertainment, but for others I think it needs to also involve some level of importance or relevance - something that is absent without the necessary population.

Personally, I get frustrated by competitive multiplayer games where the amount of hours you have logged is relevant to your strength (outside of skill). Battle Dex is a game, especially when playing sealed, where each player starts on even playing ground. You could set it down for months, come back, and dominate once your mind shakes off the rust. At one point Bubbles mentioned he had been playing some League of Legends, so I'll use that as a counter-example: because your account "levels up" and unlocks different perks, the strength of an account could be as much of a factor in determining outcome as compared to skill. Same with Call of Duty, which is a big reason I played Halo instead.

Additionally, as I've mentioned in other posts, Battle Dex relies on population more than even some other online games, as there is no true AI. The game market is flooded with games, especially online games, and the battle for population is higher than ever.

So basically, while I will still show up for tournaments if people want to play (and if they are scheduled), I'm throwing in the towel. This is a gem of a game and I certainly hope this game isn't given up on, but unless the updates come with a high population or an AI I don't really see how they will help. I'm also going to be cancelling my subscription until this game picks up again as money is tight around here.

"this is a gem of a game"

I have played a lot of games, and a lot of free games aswell. My honest opinion about Battle Dex:
By far, the best art looking, the best balanced, the best fun factor, the best turn based strategy game i ever, ever played.

In this forum there are ~14.000 users. Divided by 2 (some people have 2 accounts each) its ~7000 users.
Divided by 10 ( 1/10 would find this game interesting to play no matter what) is 700 users.
I still see new members in this forum, even at this coma state of the game. That means there is interest.

Plz dont let this game die...