The Reddit Cup - A Tournament for the People

3,500 players from across the world. 700 teams. One group of volunteers working to build a tournament of epic proportions.

Driven completely by the community and some tenacious volunteers, The Reddit Cup aims to bring thousands of players together in what is shaping up to be one of the game’s largest tournaments. Organized completely online through the League of Legends subreddit, the 3,500 players currently signed up for the tournament are being organized by a group of just 16 people across the globe.

TRC Admin Ben Critchley of Herne Bay, England said the idea originally came from another poster under the reddit handle “Wahhwahhwahhs” in a post created about one month ago. Critchley said that user Wahhwahhwahhs asked for people to help organize the tournament and thus The Reddit Cup was born.

Currently one of four admins overseeing the tournament, Critchley said that originally the tournament was going to be planned manually but the high number of sign-ups changed the original plan.

“As more and more people signed up we had to change that plan,” Critchley said. “Putting 3,500 players’ names along with Elo, preferred roles and server into a Google document was practically torture.”

Previously an admin for Electronic Sports League’s Trackmania 2 section, Critchley said that most of his experience comes from running smaller tournaments.

“To be honest we never expected the tournament to blow up like this, but it has,” Critchley said. “It has forced us to learn quickly and adapt to the huge influx of players. And I think we are doing a good job.”

Tentatively scheduled to begin in January with a best-of-three single elimination format, Critchley said that the tournament is being planned via Skype and Google documents to keep everyone on the same page. He said that that the tournament does not currently have any prizes but added he and others are in the process of reaching out to sponsors to give the winners of the tournament some reward for their time and play.

 

Though The Reddit Cup is the first of its kind Critchley said that he would like to see the event continue if possible, adding that if possible he would like to see a professional bracket for the tournament as well.

I hope that we can turn this tournament into something big,” Critchley said. “Hopefully running it as much as we reasonably can so something like semi-annual.”

The work for the tournament isn’t centered on the admins alone, however. A team of five casters and seven referees are also involved, working together to ensure the tournament’s first run completes without major issues and a professional quality for viewers.

With plans to make TRC matches available via stream casters is a big part of making the event enjoyable for fans and creating a sense of legitimacy about the event itself.

“Professional quality casting and accurate predictions give the entire event a sense of reality than that of two guys casting on with a few beers,” said San Diego, Calif. resident and TRC caster Dominic “Sata/Malvent” Roemer. “Polish is so huge, and casting is a super important part of that.”

Roemer, who has experience casting StarCraft II matches through season 5 of the Collegiate StarLeague, has been preparing for the tournament by watching professional casts and practicing casts of his own.

Roemer said that StarCraft caster Erik “DoA” Lonnquist was one of his favorite casters because he has the perfect sense of friendliness and game knowledge. Roemer said that combination translates into an informational and enjoyable experience for fans.

As the tournament comes closer to fruition Roemer said that he also wanted to see the tournament became a staple of the community that could draw in rising stars to the professional scene.

 

“It’s events like these that really help develop the gaming ecosystem by bringing in new players, allowing potential new MVPs to rise to professional levels,” Roemer said.

Behind the scenes and booths of both casters and admins are the referees who ensure a smooth tournament experience. Referee and St. Louis, Mo. resident Margaret “Bunny” Laurentius said that her position is important to ensuring a better time for both organizers and players alike.

“A voice of reason when calls need to be made,” Laurentius said. “Another hand to pitch in with the workload, etc. Someone to make this time easier on the admins and smoother for the players.”

A former player of WarCraft III and Dota, Laurentius said that she first started playing League of Legends in Nov. 2011 and attended her first LAN event at the recent IGN Pro League 5.

So far Laurentius said that she has assisted with the tournament by answering questions from players, organizing some of the founding documents and acting as a link between organizers and team captains. She said that she keeps an eye on the subreddit constantly and remains available on Skype so she can be contacted directly by other staff.

While keeping the large amount of players active is a concern, Laurentius said that she was looking forward to what this tournament might mean to the community. She said that she hopes the community can grow together because of the tournament and continue to be a driving force for League of Legends.

“We have such an amazing game and an incredible company behind it,” Laurentius said. “It’s been an amazing experience this last year watching LoL grow into the beautiful game it is now. Sure, with such a huge player base, you can expect certain trolls, but there’s a strong heart beating within League made up of loving and passionate individuals who love this game and want to see it thrive.”