There is only 1 thing equal between all players who progress through the chapters further into the game: mandatory upgrades. All others things are a choice left open for the players. Some will build AWs, some will build more factories, some will build more military buildings, some will buy expansions, etc. So if you want to make the tournament equally hard for everyone the formula should only look at those mandatory upgrades. If a player then choose to build an AW which increases the strength or health of his troops he shouldn't be penalized by it, after all it was Inno them self who introduced such AWs. If they don't want players to have a little advantage they should never have introduced AWs in the first place. Similar, if someone instead wants to build more factories to have enough goods to negotiate in the tournament or builds more armories to have more troops and for that buys extra expansions should he also be penalized by it ? No, of course not, else Inno shouldn't have given us the option to buy expansions at all. Tournament shouldn't become more difficult by these thing, all these things where introduced to help (the casual) players in the first place. If you want to limit (the hardcore) players you shouldn't make the tournament harder for everyone, instead you should make it increasingly less rewarding the further you go in the tournament. Those players that have build AWs and invested KPs into them or that have build more factories or armories can still go further in the tournament then the more casual players but it will be less rewarding, giving those casual player in-time a chance to catch up with the hardcore players.
View attachment 7624
SSo = Own Squad Size
SSe = Enemy Squad Size
Of course this would mean that the entire reward/scoring system needs to be changed but I think that would be less troublesome then what they are trying to do now.