Hello everyone,
I’d like to introduce a new community-driven platform that we recently launched:
StakePool Arena is built specifically for Cardano Stake Pool Operators who want more visibility, engagement, and a fun competitive way to showcase their pool’s performance and growth.
This is not another ranking site with vague scoring or subjective “quality” indicators — StakePool Arena is designed around transparent, reproducible scoring based on on-chain data, combined with a competitive “battle” format.
What is StakePool Arena?
StakePool Arena is an epoch-based competition platform where stake pools compete in battles and rankings every epoch.
Instead of comparing small pools against massive pools, we use a tier-based system to keep the competition fair.
Each epoch, pools are placed into their tier and compete for the top ranks. Winners are featured on the platform’s Podium section, giving them extra exposure and recognition.
Tier System (Fair Competition)
Pools are classified based on active stake, ensuring that pools compete only against similar-sized pools.
Tiers:
- Small Pools: < 1M ADA active stake
- Medium Pools: 1M – 20M ADA active stake
- Large Pools: 20M – 68M ADA active stake
Pools above 68M ADA are currently excluded from the main battle system (future plans include an Exhibition League).
This prevents the classic problem where large pools dominate every leaderboard simply because of scale.
How Are Scores Calculated?
StakePool Arena uses a scoring model built around three main components:
1) Performance Score (Blocks vs Expected)
Pools are evaluated based on how many blocks they mint relative to how many they are expected to mint.
Expected blocks are calculated using the pool’s stake compared to the total network stake.
This rewards pools that perform consistently and efficiently.
To reduce pure “luck” spikes, performance is capped at a maximum value.
2) Growth Score (Stake + Delegators)
Growth is measured using:
- Stake Growth
- Delegator Growth
Growth is tracked from an epoch baseline, meaning we compare current values to the values recorded at the start of the epoch.
To prevent extreme swings from distorting the rankings, growth is clamped within a fixed range.
This gives smaller pools a realistic chance to compete and climb through consistent community building.
3) Health Score (Pool Parameters)
Pools are rewarded for delegator-friendly parameters such as:
- reasonable margin
- fixed fee alignment
- pledge strength
This encourages sustainable pools and avoids rewarding pools that rely purely on aggressive parameter settings.
Live Leaderboards + Final Results
One of the key features of StakePool Arena is that we support both:
Live Standings
During the epoch, standings update regularly (every few hours) to show how battles evolve in real time.
This makes the competition feel alive and creates engagement.
Final Standings
At the end of the epoch, results are locked and stored as the official final leaderboard.
Only final standings determine:
- winners
- podium placements
- historical results
This ensures fairness and prevents confusion.
Podium Winners
Each epoch, the winners of each tier are showcased prominently in a Podium section at the top of the platform.
This is designed as a recognition tool and visibility booster, especially for smaller pools that rarely get attention on standard ranking websites.
Social Sharing & X (Twitter) Visibility
StakePool Arena also supports community-driven promotion.
Every participating pool can easily share their participation on X (Twitter), helping them gain exposure while also growing the Arena ecosystem.
The goal is simple:
Stakepools help promote themselves, while the Arena helps bring new attention to stakepools.
Important Notes (Trust & Transparency)
We built StakePool Arena with a strong focus on trust:
- No custody of ADA
- No wallet connection required
- No delegation required
- No subjective ranking
- All formulas are clearly explained
- Tier-based fairness is enforced
The platform is intended to be a fun competitive layer on top of Cardano’s ecosystem — not a replacement for official metrics or serious due diligence tools.
Early Access / New Platform Phase
StakePool Arena is still new, and we are currently in an early phase focused on building participation and community awareness.
The goal is to attract active SPOs, gather feedback, and improve the system together with the community.
Why Join as a Stake Pool Operator?
If you are an SPO, participating offers:
Increased visibility
A competitive environment that is actually fair (tier-based)
A fun way to track your pool’s progress
Public recognition through podium placements
Easy sharing and promotion opportunities
A new way to engage delegators and the wider Cardano community
Even if you don’t win, being visible on a competitive leaderboard is already a marketing advantage.
Feedback Welcome
We are actively looking for feedback from other SPOs:
- Do the tiers feel correct?
- Are the scoring weights fair?
- What features would you like to see next?
- What would make this platform more useful for delegators?
We want to improve StakePool Arena with the Cardano community, not in isolation.
Join the Arena
If you’d like to participate in the next epoch battle:
If you have questions or want to share feedback, feel free to reply here or reach out on X.
Let’s make stakepool competition fun, transparent, and community-driven.