[Twan]

Instead of a reward, a punition for nations not trying to win the death match can be considered, or both punition and reward.

Winning death match should be an important matter of prestige for pretender gods nations.

Something like -3 morale for all troops if the nation sent nobody to the last DM, -1 if it sent someone but this champion was killed in his first fight, +1 if it sent a champion who had one or more victories, +3 if the nation won the last DM.

Or same kind of bonus/malus for dominion spread.

Of course it would need some code (and nations like LA Ermor would be immune to the bad effect) but it would also be ultra thematic IMO.