Introduction of Haven in the Stronghold vs. Dungeon tournaments.

HeroesWorld has always been friendly to all Heroes players, regardless of their skill level, and imho this is what the forum's longevity is based on. Here, both newcomers and veterans can always find an opponent of matching strength and participate in tournaments of various kinds. Let me recall the example of heroes.by, where the top players ran the show, looking down on other players and often cruelly mocking newcomers — and we all know where that site is now. I would very much not want HeroesWorld to turn into something similar, and if the top players start pushing their desires in an ultimatum format, that's exactly where things are heading. A sensible idea presented in the form of "it will be this way, and those who disagree can get lost" causes rejection among a large number of people (even those who fundamentally agree with it). For many newcomers, the only chance to play against a top player is the group stage of a tournament. Imposing a mandatory OH creates a psychological barrier — it's not about the money, but about the fact that they are being forced to do something they might not have chosen to do otherwise. A simple example: a person plays with OH for a while and is fine with it, but at some point they no longer have time to play and don't renew the subscription as it's unnecessary. Then a tournament comes up, but to play in it they need OH. They can find time for one game every two weeks, money is not an issue, but the reaction is "take your tournament and stick it, who are you to set conditions." And if several people are turned away from the tournament in this manner, imho that's a path to nowhere.
Of everything written in this thread, I like the idea of making OH mandatory in the later stages of tournaments, so to speak, for greater "sportiness" of the competition. For those who don't buy OH "on principle" or for any other reason, a temporary account could be provided for one game if they reach the stage where OH is required. You could even ask Baratorch to create a temporary technical account for the final part of the tournament (judging by his position stated in this thread, he might agree) — a kind of test drive for a player who has proven themselves (and who knows, maybe they'll like it and buy it) :) As for the time-saving dads... Gomunguls rightly noted that you can simply not take your turn, and that doesn't necessarily mean the player is thinking about something. They might be eating ice cream or drinking coffee just to spite a zealous "time saver" — purely as a psychological measure, and hey, it's not against the rules :)