Faction T-shirt sales varied wildly in 2026. Sylvan Communion sold 412 units. Korgax Battle-Trance sold 287. The other 6 designs averaged 90 units each. Here is why.
The data
| Design | Units | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Sylvan Communion | 412 | $2,060 |
| Korgax Battle-Trance | 287 | $1,435 |
| Cursed Void | 147 | $735 |
| Aeldric Lightbringer | 132 | $660 |
| Clockwork Engine | 118 | $590 |
| Arctic Endurance | 98 | $490 |
| Eastern Honor | 89 | $445 |
| Alliance Crest | 42 | $210 |
The 3 factors that drive T-shirt sales
- Silhouette readability. Designs with strong silhouettes (Sylvan tree, Korgax axe) read at thumbnail size. Designs with weak silhouettes (Alliance eight-point star) blend into the noise.
- Color contrast. Designs with high contrast palettes (Sylvan green-on-charcoal, Korgax ember-red-on-charcoal) pop in a feed. Designs with low contrast (Arctic ice-blue-on-charcoal) blend in.
- Faction popularity. Sylvan is the largest faction (412 Discord members). Korgax is #4 (198 members) but the design is striking. Popular faction + striking design = high sales.
What I learned
- Strong silhouette is the #1 factor. Sylvan’s tree-canopy shape + Korgax’s axe-banner shape read at any size. The other 6 designs read at large size but blur at thumbnail.
- Color contrast is the #2 factor. Sylvan green and Korgax ember-red are the highest-contrast palettes on TeePublic’s design feed.
- Faction popularity matters but is not #1. Sylvan is the most popular, but Korgax beat 5 more-popular factions because of its striking design.
What this means for 2027
The Outsiders faction (Q1 2027 launch) needs a strong silhouette + high contrast palette. I am designing it now. Target: Outsiders sells 200+ units in the first month, joining Sylvan + Korgax in the top tier.
See all 8 faction designs on TeePublic.
