The Crafters Cup

SUPER excited to announce that I will be shortly releasing a CASH PRIZE community competition video open to ALL. This is an idea I have had for over 2 years, have gone back and forth with GGG about, that has ALWAYS been on the back of my mind. Today, I finally thought of a way to tie it all together nicely where no rules will be broken, and the core values, spirit, and ideals this endeavour was meant to represent with be showcased perfectly.

Races in PoE have always been focused on levelling, boss killing, or campaign clears. They have brought out the best of the community as a whole, and elevated a certain niche within the game that persists well into this day.

My favourite part of PoE (and arguably an equal partner to levelling, point allocation, build make up, and gem choices) are the items. The campaign is cool, making a new build is always exciting, maps are fun-- but at the end of the day, the items are what keeps me coming back. I know I am not alone in this view.

In spite of this, there has never been any formalized competitive environment for like minded players to showcase their skills, passion, and creativity in this MASSIVE area of the game.

For YEARS I have had the joy of being able to share my items and crafting ideas, triumphs, frustrations, and failures with you guys here on YouTube, over on Twitch, through Discord, Guild chat, or even the odd /global 1 flex. The reactions and shared experiences I've had as a result are some of my most cherished memories, and through them I have developed a level of pride in my "work", and a deeper passion for the craft.

Now, its YOUR time.

GGG has stone walled my attempts at launching this every time I've discussed it with them in the past because of my wanting to provide in game rewards (like alt arts, demigods, mirrors, etc.) for the competition. In their view, this would constitute RMT as I would "effectively be trading in game currency for viewership".
As a result I have decided to put up a cash prize personally outside of the game. No items will ever leave your possession, no grey areas or shady conditions for entry, no terms of service will be broken. Many of you have worked hard, tirelessly even, making items and pursuing excellence for the love of the game. I think its time those efforts get the attention they deserve, and the community can have some fun with it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, strap in for the...

CRAFTERS CUP

Video with full details coming soon. I can't wait to share this one with y'all.

Belton

Tournament Style Single Elimination Bracket as seen below:



A submission/participation deadline date will be announced, at the conclusion of which all parties will be paired off randomly.
Matchups will be announced in a YouTube video, showing not only the item but also the answers the owner submitted.
Accompanying the publication of the video, a react-only Discord channel will be linked in the description/comments-- those who watched will be able to see the matchups from the video -- being able to cast a vote for each matchup by simply selecting item "A" or item "B" by clicking the reaction emoji that matches your choice. As demonstrated below:



The voting window following for each matchup will be announced with the initial video and will likely be between 12-24hr.

When the voting window is closed, the most "reacted" to item of each pairing will advance to the next round.
Matchups/Pairings will be randomly selected again, and another video will be published on YouTube following the same rules/structure as detailed above.

Eventually, there will be but one item left. They will be crowned the winner of the inaugural "Crafter's Cup".

There will be a cash reward in every iteration of The Crafters Cup.

This, aside from providing an obvious incentive to participate, will ensure that there are no ToS breaches/infractions contravening any guidelines set forth by GGG.

On multiple occasions I have had back and forth conversations with GGG staff about attempting to set up a competition like this with in game rewards such as Demigod's, Alt Arts, or Mirrors of Kalandra established as prizes. In no uncertain terms I was told that I would be banned if I did so, as in their eyes this would constitute RMT as I "would effectively be using in game items to boost my viewership", which would lead to real world financial gains.

By structuring the competition the way I have, at no point will any transaction or interaction of any kind ever occur within Path of Exile. You will never be dispossessed of your item, and there is no fee or requirement to participate. By using the forums as an item submission platform, I will be able to maintain competition integrity through the "verification" badge that items have when posted by their owner (as opposed to using Discord or another platform where someone could simply screenshot someone else's item and submit it as their own)

The cash prize at the end of the Cup will be the accumulative revenue from each YouTube video pertaining to the Crafters Cup. The more people that participate, the more rounds will be needed, meaning more videos, meaning larger prize pools. Google analytics are very precise in the revenue figures for each video, so transparency on my end will be very easy to maintain. Typically, my video's earn between 50-300$ each. As a conservative estimate, each iteration of the Crafters Cup (the tournament bracket can be restarted after previous iteration has concluded whenever I/we want) will award the winner between 100-250$ USD which I will transfer through PayPal at the conclusion of each event. The potential winnings are much higher if more people participate/watch the videos related to the Crafters Cup-- and will naturally increase with time from the growth of my core audience.

While I will lose money in the short term, I will likely gain additional subscribers and eyeballs to my channel as a result of the videos.... the audience for whom have already qualified themselves as my "target segment" by nature of the competition that led them there. The downstream benefits will circle back around as a result--- leading to higher cash prizes for the competition participants through ad revenue.

I am confident in my ability to convert any additional eyeballs that my channel may get as a result of this competition into regular viewers through the quality/merit of my content. In accordance with this conviction, any prize money I pay out I am looking at as a long term investment in the "business". Do not feel bad or guilty about participating or accepting what you have earned if you win it.

1.) item must be “verified” and owned / original

2.) item may not be a mirrored copy of someone else’s original item.

3.) limit of 1 entry/ 1 item per person

4.) PoE profile must be public

5.) submitting account must be your “main” account , may not submit from a “burner/throwaway account”: If item or account is suspected of being illegitimate (RMT’d, duplicate entry, borrowed item etc) I reserve the right to unilaterally disqualify that entry. In possible cases where this may occur, I will attempt to contact the player to edify any potential discrepancies.

6.) item must be owned and “verifiable” at each stage of the competition. Participants may be contacted at any item to confirm they are in possession of the item in question. Failure to link the item in question when contacted may result in disqualification. This is a measure to prevent someone from buying a cool item, submitting it, and relisting/selling it immediately. Similarly, to prevent a single player from submitting multiple items by temporarily loaning them to their friend’s to be listed from their respective accounts.

7.) Any item may be submitted, including uniques , corrupted items, legacy items, alt arts etc. , so long as it is an original item. Crafters Cup is somewhat of a misnomer in that respect...as not every item will neccessarily be "crafted", in the conventional sense.

-Any player may enter the competition

-There is no cost, in game or outside of the game, to participate.

-Submitted items can be from ANY league (standard, HC, SSF etc.)

-There is no minimum requirement for entry with respect to item value and/or "strength". The strongest items are not necessarily the “best”. Every item has a story. Every player has a personal best, and a personal criteria for what constitutes a “SICK!” Item. Do not be discouraged from submitting an item that you cherish because it is not a “perfect” mirror craft. Sometimes, a good story beats a good item. Voters will decide who moves on each round.

-To maintain objectivity, neutrality, and to be fair and balanced in the application of the rules of the competition I will not be participating or submitting any items. This is about showcasing your guys’ efforts, creativity, and success - not mine.

It is a universal player experience in PoE to want to link an insane item to a friend, guild, global channel, streamer, Reddit, or the community at large the MOMENT when you get or make one. Sharing that excitement is at the core of what makes multiplayer online games fun. It is in that spirit that this competition exists. The reward is in place to encourage participation and thoughtful submissions , however is simply a means to larger aspirations and goals--some of those being:
-Share a passion with a group of like-minded individuals
-Encourage the adoption, understanding, and appreciation of crafting, item creation, and itemization (and any ingenuity/creativity therein) as a meaningful and core pursuit in the game
-Provide a vehicle for people to share the fruits of their labour, showcase their creativity, and address that "universal PoE player experience" mentioned earlier. Doing so in a forum that is both receptive and wanting to share in the excitement you had in that moment.
-Create and foster a competitive element in a part of the game that has forever lacked such a system.
-Create a reward system that automatically pays out to scale; encouraging organic growth for the competition in a way that benefits all parties involved equally. We achieve this by having:
-no barriers to entry
-a low input time commitment to participate
-a structured submission template that deeply personalizes the item while also serving as a learning tool
-a cash reward whose recipient is decided upon openly by the people
-new participants have an incentive to join in the form of a prize
-pre-existing participants have an incentive to individually act as agents for growth, encouraging others to partake, as more eyes means a larger prize.
-the more abstract and ideological goals mentioned above are served by all actors--- even if their motivations individually are inwardly focused, the "group" still benefits.

Step 1: Link the item and make sure it is "Verified"



Step 2: Answer some basic information about the item and why you are submitting it

1.) How did you obtain/create this item? Detail the crafting steps if applicable.
2.) When did you obtain/create this item?
3.) What makes this item "special" to you?
4.) What is (or was) this item best used for? (e.g. what build/purpose)
5.) Are there any additional interesting details about the item you'd like to include?

Example Answers To The Above Questions

Step 1:
Step: 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:

I'd like to do an honorable mention for one of my guildmates, Erenor's RF helm on his ErenorRighteous character that he made in sanctum league, he exclusively plays SSF. None of us in the guild have heard from him in a while and that helmet is insane to have been made in SSF https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/Erenor/characters

Like vendor 5 brick fishing rod, and then start doing crucible on it

On Crucible league. People trying so hard to make God item. Meanwhile I still belive there is fishing pond out there.

I belive there is fish out somewhere

Best for all around build for fishing

In the grim lands of Wraeclast, exiles knew nothing of fishing. Ucok, a seasoned warrior, discovered an ancient fishing rod hidden in the ruins of Sarn. Intrigued, he sought out Nessa, a wise healer, who revealed its secrets. She explained that fishing tapped into hidden magical currents and that Ucok must find a place where life and death converged.

Ucok journeyed to the Tidal Island, where the waters churned with otherworldly energy. He cast the rod into the depths, and after a tense struggle, pulled up a glowing, ethereal fish. He realized the true treasure was the ancient magic, not the fish itself.

Word of Ucok's discovery spread, and the forgotten art of fishing was reborn, bringing hope to the exiles of Wraeclast.