How to create a lava survival pvp map in minecraft?

Yes, you can. Suppose you have a map/map part going up vertically, you first need to fill all the unused air blocks around the map structure, so they don't get filled by lava. Then, for each lava rise, use a separate Command block:

/fill X1 Y1 Z1 X2 Y1 Z2 minecraft:lava 0 replace minecraft:air

The command will fill a flat square of air with lava on your map - then, add a Coparator and a few Repeaters leading from the 1st (n-th) Command block (for delay), leading into the 2nd (n+1-th) Command block.

So, using n as the nujmber of repeats (depth of the lava), and X1, X2, Z1, Z2, Y as the lava fill square, you use theese Commands:

/fill X1 Yn Z1 X2 Yn Z2 minecraft:lava 0 replace minecraft:air

/fill X1 Yn+1 Z1 X2 Yn+1 Z2 minecraft:lava 0 replace minecraft:air

/fill X1 Yn+2 Z1 X2 Yn+2 Z2 minecraft:lava 0 replace minecraft:air
...
(until you reach the top)

To undo this, use:

/fill X1 Y Z1 X2 Ymax Z2 minecraft:air 0 replace minecraft:lava

Notes:

• You use 1 Command block, 1 Comparator and as many Repeaters as youy want per lava fill step.

EDIT!:

use these command block system NEXT to the structure:

/fill ~X1 Y ~Zn ~X2 Ymax ~Z2 minecraft:air 0 replace minecraft:lava

next to it (to positive X) this:

/clone ~+1 ~ ~+3 ~+1 ~ ~+3 ~ ~+3 ~

towards positive Z place Repeaters facing towards the CMD blocks. Next to the System there should be a wall of RS blocks to power the repeaters when cloned!

Pros of this answer: Infinite height

• Place Armorstand at same level at all blocks where the lava should be

• Give yourself a cmd block

  /give @p minecraft:command_block
  

• Tag the armorstand so we can select them later

  /scoreboard players tag @e[type=ArmorStand,r=10] add lavaMarker
  

r : Radius to the command_blocks so you only tag the nearby ones and not all you've ever made Note: You have to rerun this command when ever you playe new ArmorStand

• Create a new scoreboard

  /scoreboard objectives add liveTime dummy
  

• Create a repeating cmd block redstone needed

  /scoreboard players add @e[tag=lavaMarker] liveTime 1
  

• Make your ArmorStands invisible and invincible

  /entitydata @e[tag=lavaMarker] {Invisible:1,Invulnerable:1}
  

• Make them teleport up every x ticks with a chain command bloock after the repeating command block up there

  /execute @e[tag=lavaMarker,score_liveTime_min=40] ~ ~ ~ tp @e[tag=lavaMarker,c=1] ~ ~1 ~
  
  /scoreboard players reset @e[tag=LavaMarker,score_liveTime_min=40] liveTime
  

• set lava at ArmorStands

  /execute @e[tag=lavaMarker] ~ ~ ~ detect ~ ~ ~ minecraft:air 0 setblock ~ ~ ~ minecraft:lava
  

To pause remove the redstone block.

To reset replace lava with air /fill and tp the armorstands down.

/execute @e[tag=lavaMarker] ~ ~ ~ tp @e[tag=lavaMarker,c=1] ~ ~-XXX ~