MC Championship explained

MC Championship
Game:Minecraft
Inaugural:Season 1 (2019–2020)
Administrator:Scott Major
Organiser:Noxcrew
Teams:10
Competitors:40 (per event)
Most Champs:Sapnap (8 wins)

MC Championship (MCC) is a Minecraft tournament organised by YouTuber Scott Major (known online as Smajor1995) and Minecraft collective Noxcrew. Ten teams of four compete in a series of Minecraft minigames. The tournament began its first season on November 17, 2019. Its fourth and current season began on May 4, 2024.

Gameplay

The event features ten teams of four players, each composed of a rotating cast of established content creators, competing in each iteration of the tournament. They face off in eight minigames that test a variety of core skills in Minecraft, such as combat, parkour, survival, and teamwork. Teams win coins for their performance in each minigame.[1]

At the end of the event, the two teams with the most coins duel in Dodgebolt, a best-of-five archery game that determines the winner of the event.[1]

List of games

Description
Ace RaceMovementMCC 7–Players run laps through a race course scattered with special powerups.
Battle BoxPVPMCC 2–Teams compete head to head to fill a central area with concrete and/or trying to eliminate all the opposing players.
Big Sales at Build MartTeamMCC 3–Players recreate a series of builds block for block.
Bingo but FastTeamMCC 6–13, 34–Teams gather items and complete tasks on a bingo card.
DodgeboltMCC 1–The top two teams duel it out with bows and arrows for the championship.
Foot RaceMovementMCC 1–6Players run through a race course while trying to sabotage opponents and avoid obstcales.
Grid RunnersTeamMCC 16–Teams complete challenges to progress through a series of rooms.
Hole in the WallMovementMCC 1–Players avoid getting knocked off a shrinking platform by moving walls.[2]
Lockout BingoTeamMCC 1–5Player complete tasks on a bingo board while being able to attack opponents.
MeltdownPVPMCC 22–Teams use bows to freeze opposing players and collect coins from crates around the map; teams are eliminated when all of their players are frozen, but players can be revived when melters are placed nearby.[3]
Parkour TagMovementMCC 12–Teams play 1v3 elimination tag on a circular parkour course.
Parkour WarriorMovementMCC 1–11, 26–Players try to complete an obstacle course within a time limit, with progressive difficulty and optional parkour challenges. Inspired by the game show Ninja Warrior.
Railroad RushTeamMCC 4KO-Teams must work together to create the longest rail-road using gold found throughout the map, or in the "Gold Rush", a minute long break where all teams are placed in a lava-filled gold mine.
Rocket SpleefMovementMCC 1–13Players try to eliminate opponents off the arena while trying to survive with a pair of elytras and a special rocket launcher.
Rocket Spleef RushMovementMCC 20–Players try to survive using a pair of elytras and a custom rocket launcher while platforms gradually appear and disappear.
Sands of TimeTeamMCC 5–Teams explore a procedurally-generated dungeon, while trying to keep track and top up their time in the dungeon. Noxcrew's lead game designer, Isaac "Epic Landlord" Wilkins, came up with the idea while sitting for his GCSE in religious studies.
Sky BattlePVPMCC 9–Teams fight each other on floating structures as the map border shrinks.
SkyblocklePVPMCC 1–8Teams gather items (Much like in the classic map "Skyblock") to fight each other. The last team standing wins.
Survival GamesPVPMCC 1–Teams open chests and find loot to fight each other while the border shrinks as the game progresses.
TGTTOSAWAFMovementMCC 1–Players race across a series of maps. Short for "To Get to the Other Side and Whack a Fan". One of the maps was inspired by the game show Takeshi's Castle.

History

Background

Noxcrew, the creative team behind MC Championship, was founded in 2011 by Stefan "Noxite" Panić. Noxcrew first organized on the sandbox game Garry's Mod, where members collaborated on various creative projects.[4] They soon turned to Minecraft, another sandbox game, and their creative projects there became popular on Minecraft forums.[4] The Noxcrew Gameshow, a spiritual ancestor to MCC in which content creators play classic game shows recreated in Minecraft, ran from 2012 to 2015.[4] Noxcrew incorporated in 2017 and grew over time to include about 50 volunteer members in 2022; it had more than 30 staff in 2024.[4]

Scott Major, a Scottish YouTuber also known as Smajor1995 or Dangthatsalongname, said he got the idea for MCC after playing in Minecraft Monday, a Minecraft team competition hosted by Keemstar. He said he liked the general format but found Keemstar hard to work with. When Minecraft Monday ended in late 2019, there was an opening for a new personality-driven Minecraft esports competition.[5] [6] Major said he approached Panić of Noxcrew for advice, and Panić volunteered to collaborate to produce a new event.[7]

Debut and development

MC Championship was announced on Twitter and YouTube on 8 November 2019.[8] [9] The first event was held the next week on 17 November 2019.[4] Events continue to be held about once a month.[5] Most participants livestream their points of view on YouTube or Twitch. MCC's rise coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] An estimated 500,000 concurrent viewers (including 100,000 for Dream) watched MCC 9 in September 2020,[11] and MCC 15 peaked at 913,000 viewers in July 2021.[12] MCC was "the biggest competitive Minecraft event" by early 2022;[4] Major said earlier that was it was the world's "largest Minecraft streaming event".[13] Viewership declined to an average of over 100,000 by the end of 2022.[12]

MCC has evolved over the years with new maps, designs, and players.[14] Development of new maps begins with a stage of prototyping called greyboxing in which key elements are laid out without consideration for décor.[4] Existing games have occasionally been "remixed" to be played with different mechanics.[12] Team composition is shuffled by Major each event for the sake of competitive balance as well as player preferences for profanity use and requests for one teammate.[4] About three new players are admitted each event.[4] A score-tracking website, MCC Live, launched in May 2021.[15]

Non-canon events

Several special non-canon MCC events have taken place. A Pride-themed event in June 2021 raised more than for the nonprofit the Trevor Project.[16] [17] MCC Rising events have featured less established Minecraft content creators,[18] [19] while MCC All-Stars featured lineups of only past MCC winners.[20] MCC Underdogs included only players who had not won any event up to that point.[21] The concept of non-canon events were retired starting in season 4.

Fan engagement

MCC has invited fans to participate in several ways. Fans comprised two of the teams competing in MCC 10 in September 2020.[1] A public Minecraft server called MCC Island, featuring a selection of MCC minigames, was announced on 29 May 2021.[22] The server opened in closed beta on 20 August 2022.[22] The server also gives MCC competitors a chance to practice the minigames between events.[23] Noxcrew crowdsourced builds for the Big Sales at Build Mart minigame in April 2022. In June 2024, Noxcrew with Minecraft made a public bedrock server, in which special challenges were added for each MCC team each rewarding a emote, at last completing them would give a special MCC cape reward compatible on both editions.[24]

List of champions

DateEventWinnerTeam members
1Purple PandasMichaelmcchill, Kara Corvus, Krtzyy, King_Burren
2Quig, HBomb94, Ryguyrocky, MiniMukaYT
3Orange OcelotsVikkstar123, PeteZahHutt, Smajor1995, Shubble
4Purple PandasWilbur Soot, Technoblade, TommyInnit, Ph1LzA
5Yellow YaksSmajor1995 (2), Shubble (2), Quig (2), Seapeekay
6Blue BatsFruitberries, Fundy, CaptainPuffy, Bitzel
7PeteZahHutt (2), fWhip, Eret, HBomb94 (2)
8Pink ParrotsDream, Technoblade (2), King_Burren (2), Michaelmcchill (2)
9Blue BatsHBomb94 (3), Fruitberries (2), FalseSymmetry, Rendog
10Orange OcelotsPeteZahHutt (3), SmallishBeans, FalseSymmetry (2), Cubfan135
11Dream (2), GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Karl Jacobs
12GeorgeNotFound (2), Ph1LzA (2), TapL, Wilbur Soot (2)
Jingle JamInTheLittleWood, Lewis Brindley, Simon Lane, SolidarityGaming
13Eret (2), Illumina, Krinios, Punz
14Aqua AxolotlsHBomb94 (4), Smajor1995 (3), SolidarityGaming (2), Wisp
Pride 21Aqua AxolotlsIllumina (2), Gizzy Gazza, KreekCraft, Ryguyrocky (2)
15Red RabbitsDream (3), Sapnap (2), Michaelmcchill (3), Quackity
16Pink ParrotsDream (4), F1NN5TER, BadBoyHalo, Seapeekay (2)
17Orange OcelotsFalseSymmetry (3), Grian, PeteZahHutt (4), SB737
RisingPink Parrotsjojosolos, SpeedSilver, xNestorio, Blushi
18Sylvee, Tubbo, Sapnap (3), Smajor1995 (4)
All-StarsRed RabbitsSapnap (4), BadBoyHalo (2), Dream (5), GeorgeNotFound (3)
19Ph1LzA (3), Sneegsnag, TommyInnit (2), Sapnap (5)
20Aqua AxolotlsHBomb94 (5), 5up, GeminiTay, Antfrost
21Cyan CoyotesSapnap (6), Seapeekay (3), Snifferish, KryticZeuz
22Pink ParrotsPurpled, TommyInnit (3), CaptainSparklez, TheOrionSound
Pride 22Red RabbitsDream (6), GeorgeNotFound (4), Karl Jacobs (2), Foolish Gamers
23Orange OcelotsQuig (3), InTheLittleWood (2), Eret (3), F1NN5TER (2)
24Yellow YaksDream (7), BadBoyHalo (3), Skeppy, GeorgeNotFound (5)
25Green GeckosSmallishBeans (2), jojosolos (2), GoodTimesWithScar, Seapeekay (4)
26Fruitberries (3), Philza (4), Shubble (3), TheOrionSound (2)
27Purple PandasBlushi (2), FireBreathMan, BdoubleO100, impulseSV
28Punz (2), Sneegsnag (2), SolidarityGaming (3), CaptainSparklez (2)
29Aqua AxolotlsHBomb94 (6), Krtzyy (2), Cubfan135 (2), FalseSymmetry (4)
ScuffedBlue BatsGeminiTay (2), fWhip (2), SmallishBeans (3), Smajor1995 (5)
Lime LlamasSkeppy (2), awesamdude, BadBoyHalo (4), Ponk
30Purple PandasSolidarityGaming (4), FireBreathMan (2), InTheLittleWood (3), Smajor1995 (6)
31Red Rabbitsjojosolos (3), Shadoune666, OllieGamerz, CapitanGatoYT
Pride 23Purple PandasKrtzyy (3), Mysticat, Elaina_Exe, Gizzy Gazza (2)
32Red RabbitsAntfrost (2), Ranboo, Aimsey, GoodTimesWithScar (2)
33Red RabbitsSapnap (7), Ponk (2), Punz (3), vGumiho
Rising 2Lime LlamasNominalgravy, WadeBox, NomadOfTheWorld, KhaosKorps
34Cyan CoyotesOllieGamerz (2), Sapnap (8), Shadoune666 (2), RedVelvetCake
Twitch RivalsYellow YaksAntfrost (3), awesamdude (2), Cubfan135 (3), CaptainSparklez (3)
PartyCyan CoyotesElaina_Exe (2), Fruitberries (4), Hannahxxrose, vGumiho (2)
35Wallibear, Shubble (4), Hannahxxrose (2), Krtzyy (4)
Season 4 Kick-OffRed RabbitsFeinberg, TheOrionSound (3), Kara Corvus (2), ChilledChaos
Pride 24 Cyan CoyotesJojosolos (4), Hannahxxrose (3), Aimsey (2), PearlescentMoon
Twitch Rivals EuropeCyan Coyotes5up (2), Jeremy Frieser, Snifferish (2), Wolfeei
The Ender CupPurple PandasSmajor1995 (7), PearlescentMoon (2), fWhip (3), bekyamon

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-09-20 . Minecraft: MC Championship opens up to fans to play against YouTubers . 2023-07-20 . . . en-GB.
  2. News: All MCC Island mini-games. Fay. Kacee. 2022-09-06. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  3. News: MC Championship Meltdown rules, explained. Fay. Kacee. 2022-05-27. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  4. News: Noxcrew discusses the past, present, and future of the MC Championship (MCC). Fay. Kacee. 2022-05-11. Dot Esports. 2023-09-07.
  5. News: What is the Minecraft Championship (MCC)?. Gökhan. Çakır. 2020-12-12. Dot Esports. 2023-09-07.
  6. News: Minecraft's esports revival: Is there a future for Minecraft esports?. Stella. Marloes Valentina. 2021-06-25. Esports Insider. 2023-10-21.
  7. Web site: Organising MC Championship & Being a Minecraft Content Creator Ep.16 dangthatsalongname aka Smajor . 2023-07-16 . 2023-05-13. en. 3:15–5:00. Beyond The Game Podcast. YouTube.
  8. 1192487192381317120. Announcing MC Championship!. 2019-11-07. MCChampionship_. MC Championship . 2023-07-16 . en.
  9. Web site: MC Championship - Official Trailer. Noxcrew. YouTube. 2019-11-07.
  10. News: How my idea became Minecraft's biggest tournament. Russell. Jamie. 2024-05-04. BBC. 2024-05-07.
  11. News: Minecraft Championship Draws Insane Viewership Across Twitch And YouTube. Fairfax. Zackerie. 2020-09-13. Screen Rant. 2023-10-16.
  12. News: What can the MC Championship (MCC) do to fix its declining viewership in 2023?. Fay. Kacee. 2023-01-05. Dot Esports. 2023-11-04.
  13. News: YouTube Millionaires: Dangthatsalongname's Channel Is A Trove Of Memorable Gaming Moments, From 'Minecraft' To 'Among Us'. Hale. James. 2021-06-03. Tubefilter. 2023-10-16.
  14. News: Noxcrew says MC Minecraft Championship 13 will be the last event of 2020, introduces seasons to the series. Michael. Cale. 2020-11-24. Dot Esports. 2023-10-21.
  15. News: Noxcrew launches new event tracker for Minecraft Championship series. Michael. Cale. 2021-05-26. Dot Esports. 2023-10-16.
  16. News: Minecraft Championship returns to numbered competition with MCC 15 on July 24. Michael. Cale. 2021-07-05. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  17. News: Noxcrew launches fundraising page for MC Championship (MCC) Pride to change the event as donation goals are reached. Fay. Kacee. 2022-06-22. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  18. News: Noxcrew expands Minecraft Championships (MCC) for new creators with MCC Rising. 2021-09-10. Michael. Cale. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  19. News: All MC Championship (MCC) Rising 2 teams. Fay. Kacee. 2023-08-21. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  20. News: Who Won Minecraft Championships (MCC) All-Stars: Results, final standings, scores. Newell. Adam. 2021-11-13. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  21. News: All MC Championship (MCC) 27 Underdogs teams. Fay. Kacee. 2022-11-04. Dot Esports. 2024-05-07.
  22. News: MCC Island Closed Beta opens today, first invites have been sent out. Fay. Kacee. 2022-08-20. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  23. News: Noxcrew's MCC returns from hiatus with season 3 reveal. Fay. Kacee. 2023-02-11. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.
  24. News: Noxcrew launches 'Big Builds at Build Mart' search for new Minecraft Championship (MCC) builds. Fay. Kacee. 2022-04-11. Dot Esports. 2023-10-01.