[WingedDog]

I've been thinking about Arena improvement recently and discovered this old thread.
What if a reward for victory in a Deathmatch should be a dominion boost? Let's say +3 dominion change towards the winner nation in every single province of the world, and the Champion's Trident gives 1 temple check in the province you're in.
The restrictions are: no pretenders are allowed and no deathmatches during the first year.
Thematicaly if fits perfect: you are the champion of your God, the whole world is gazing at you and your victory will prove prove the power of your your God, while your defeat would turn potential followers away.
The practical gain is situational, and it's up to you to decide whether to risk a commander or not, but it would surely make deathmaches more populated.