So.. tournaments, and 1 v 1 games..

I just joined a tournament for the first time in my CC life, and it turns out all the games are 1 v 1.. That seems like a total lottery to me, unless you pick a map that was deliberately made hyper-convoluted so a player who is willing to study it for an hour will be able to make it somewhat less of a lottery.
I don't like studying weird maps, and I also don't like lotteries. Are tournaments just not for me, or am I missing something? Is there such a thing as a regular 6-8 player Escalating tournament? (No teams also pls.)
I don't like studying weird maps, and I also don't like lotteries. Are tournaments just not for me, or am I missing something? Is there such a thing as a regular 6-8 player Escalating tournament? (No teams also pls.)