Official rules

Beat the Creators Challenge

Play in October. Face a creator on November 8.

  • Oct 1–31Qualifying, Central Time
  • Sun, Nov 8Creator matches
  • $10 / $100Play / win
  • Free, 13+US, CA, RS, AU
See the live standings

Overview

Think you can beat a creator at Keepers’ Dissension: Unchained? The five eligible players with the most qualifying play time in October earn a private match against one of the game’s creators on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Each selected challenger who plays receives $10 USD, plus another $100 USD for a win.

Hosted by Maverick Masterminds LLC. Entry is free. No purchase is necessary, and purchases do not improve your qualification standing.

Eligibility

  • Participants must be 13 or older and reside in the United States, Canada, Serbia or Australia, where participation is legally permitted.
  • Anyone under the age of majority where they live must have a parent or legal guardian approve their participation, these rules, the broadcast arrangements and the payment arrangements.
  • Only registered Keepers’ Dissension accounts appear in the standings and can qualify. Time played as a guest counts and carries over when you register that same guest account in the app. Signing in to a different, existing account does not carry guest time over.
  • Maverick Masterminds team members and accounts used for internal testing are not eligible for challenger places or prizes.

How to enter

There is no separate entry form. Play eligible matches on your registered account during October and your qualifying time is tracked automatically. The live standings refresh every hour at the Beat the Creators page, where you can also see every counted match.

Use one account throughout qualification. One challenger place is permitted per person. Do not post payment details publicly.

Qualification

  • Qualification runs from October 1, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. through October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time (America/Chicago). A match must finish inside this window to count.
  • The five eligible players with the most verified qualifying play time will be offered places.
  • Qualifying time is active gameplay in eligible finished matches, not simply having the app open. Time in menus, matchmaking and loading does not count.
  • Active time is measured from the actions recorded during a match. Any stretch longer than 3 minutes without an action counts as at most 3 minutes.
  • These modes count: Private matches, Quickplay and Practice (bot) matches.
  • Practice matches count for up to 10 minutes each and up to 60 minutes per Central Time calendar day.

Which matches count

  • A match must finish with a result recorded by the game. Wins and losses both count.
  • Every finished match counts, however short and however it ends, including resignations and losses on the game’s clock. A short match earns only its few minutes of active play.
  • To earn time from a match, a player must take at least 3 actions. A player who only lets their turns run out earns nothing from that match.
  • Canceled, abandoned and unfinished matches do not count.

Every player’s counted and uncounted matches, with the reason for any that did not count, are shown on the live standings page.

Fair play and eligibility decisions

  • Legitimate practice against bots or the same human opponent is allowed. Repeatedly playing the same opponent alone is not grounds for disqualification.
  • Artificially prolonging matches, arranging time-farming sessions or arranged resignations, controlling both sides, sharing accounts to accumulate time, automated play, and exploiting bugs to inflate activity are prohibited.
  • The Maverick Masterminds development team may review suspicious activity, including repeated matches between the same players ending in resignations. The team may exclude matches, remove qualifying time or disqualify entrants for suspected abuse.
  • Players may be asked to clarify disputed activity before a decision is made. Final eligibility decisions are at the development team’s discretion.

Qualification ties

  1. Most eligible completed matches.
  2. Most distinct Central Time calendar days with an eligible completed match.
  3. Earliest completion time of the player’s first eligible October match.

Selection

After qualification closes, the team reviews the standings and sends invitations by email or Discord direct message, with an initial notification target of November 3, 2026.

Invitees must respond within 48 hours and confirm their country of residence, that they are 13 or older, their availability, any required guardian approval and an eligible PayPal payment arrangement. Unfilled places may be offered to the next eligible player, with the response deadline stated in the replacement invitation.

Only confirmed selections will be announced publicly.

Event schedule

Matches take place on Sunday, November 8, 2026:

  • Match 1: 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
  • Match 2: 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
  • Match 3: 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
  • Match 4: 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
  • Match 5: 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time

Times use America/Chicago (CST, UTC−6 on November 8). Depending on your location, your match may fall on November 9 locally. Limited flexibility may be available by advance agreement. Your assigned creator and final start time will be confirmed privately.

Check in 15 minutes before your match. A challenger more than 10 minutes late without an agreed adjustment may lose their place. No-shows do not receive a participation payment.

Match format

  • Each challenger plays one private match against their assigned creator, using the current published game rules and the organizer-specified app version. The challenger chooses whether the match is played in Chaotic or Calculated mode.
  • Each player has a 30-minute game clock, so a match lasts no more than one hour of play in total. Setup time is not counted.
  • There are no draws in Keepers’ Dissension. Every match ends with a winner, including when a player’s clock runs out.
  • A verified challenger victory earns the $100 bonus, however the win happens, including a creator’s resignation or a creator running out of time.
  • Outside coaching, automated assistance, and consulting the broadcast or spectator commentary during the match are prohibited for both sides.

Joining and spectating

Qualified players receive their private room name or code by email or Discord direct message first. Once the challenger has joined and the match is ready, the room information will be shared publicly for in-app spectators. Spectators may watch but may not occupy a player position or assist either player.

Broadcast consent and privacy

By participating, you agree that your creator match and in-game username may be:

  • Viewed by public in-app spectators.
  • Livestreamed on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.
  • Recorded and shared afterward in event replays, clips and promotional highlights.

Your personal name does not have to be announced. Your in-game username will be visible and may be announced, so choose one you are comfortable making public. Camera and microphone participation are optional and require separate agreement before inclusion in a broadcast.

Personal contact information, guardian approvals and PayPal details are used privately for event administration and are not intended for public display. Information visible in a username may appear in recordings. Guardians approving a minor’s entry must agree to these arrangements. Public broadcasts may be recorded or reshared by viewers; we cannot guarantee removal of every third-party copy.

Technical problems

  • Report technical issues immediately. The event time limit pauses during an organizer-confirmed interruption.
  • The organizer will first allow up to 10 minutes to reconnect and resume the same match. If a verified technical failure prevents resumption, the match may be restarted or rescheduled by agreement. An interrupted match with no reliable result will not automatically be treated as a loss.
  • A challenger who checks in and genuinely begins playing keeps the $10 participation reward if an unresolved technical failure prevents completion. A restarted or rescheduled match remains the same challenge entry and does not create an additional participation payment.
  • If an organizer-side failure prevents the match from starting, the challenger will be offered a replacement time or the $10 participation payment. The win bonus requires a verified victory.

Prizes and PayPal

  • Each selected challenger who participates receives $10 USD. A verified win earns an additional $100 USD.
  • Downloading the app, qualifying without participating, or failing to attend does not earn payment, except under the organizer-side cancellation provision above.
  • Payments will be sent through PayPal within seven calendar days after the result and the required payment information are verified.
  • Participants must supply an eligible receiving account. A minor’s payment must go through an eligible parent or legal guardian. No participant should create a PayPal account contrary to PayPal’s age or account requirements.
  • Maverick Masterminds pays fees charged to it for sending the payment. Any receiving, withdrawal or currency-conversion charges on the recipient’s account remain the recipient’s responsibility. Prize amounts are in U.S. dollars.
  • Recipients are responsible for applicable taxes and must provide any documentation legally required to issue payment.

Questions, disputes and changes

Send qualification or match-result concerns to [email protected] or through our Discord within 48 hours of notification. Include your username and the relevant match information. Reviews will consider available game records and event evidence. Decisions and reasons will be communicated privately, with final eligibility determinations remaining at the development team’s discretion.

We will communicate any necessary scheduling or technical changes promptly. Qualification criteria will not be changed retroactively to disadvantage entrants; enforcing the published anti-abuse rules is not a change to those criteria. If the event must be canceled, we will notify participants and honor any payments already earned.

Last updated September 28, 2026 · Maverick Masterminds LLC