Tomorrow at 16:30 EVE-time, the much anticipated EVE_NT Cup kicks off with the first match airing at 17:00! The Cup, arranged by the experienced folks at EVE_NT, is a little different from other EVE tournaments and championships and is a super interesting new step in EVE eSports.

The Cup was created by EVE_NT as an entry-level competition for those looking to get into EVE eSports. The format is 5-man teams with a single elimination, and the best teams not only win prizes but also get a spot in the EVE NT Minor League later this year.

The tournament’s main draws, as opposed to the official Alliance Tournament or other tournaments held on TQ, is that it’s structured in such a way that SP and ISK have no influence. Max-skilled characters and pre-fit ships will be provided on the Thunderdome server, leaving the rest in the hands of the pilots and team leaders.

There’s also twist to this competition – extended banning! 30 minutes before each match, the team captains go into a banning phase in which the ships each team can fly are determined, much like League of Legends. The banning stage is a is a match of wits, psychology and strategy and an exciting new addition to EVE tournament play.

Once banning is done the teams get into their ships. Unlike the Alliance Tournament however, these ships are pre-fit to promote a more level playing field. This means that there are no advantages of the sort wealthy alliances enjoy in the AT for instance, being able to throw hundreds of billions and AT prize ships into their teams for easy wins against teams who can’t afford the extra bling.

The Cup is run on the Thunderdome server – set aside specially for tournament play. Each pilot will be provided with a character with all skills at V, again levelling out the playing field and ensuring that it’s piloting skill and solid tactics that win the day rather than an SP advantage.

Only powergrid +3% and CPU +3% implants are allowed, so there will be no high-grade Slave or Snake sets. T2 and faction drones, ECM drones, damp and tracking disruption scripts will also not be allowed – all of these are lessons pulled from the experience of the previous year’s’ Alliance Tournaments.

tune in to the EVE_NT Twitch stream at 17:00 this Saturday and Sunday!

The teams that have signed up so far range from complete unknowns to some household names in EVE. Teams are not allowed to have the same name as their alliance on TQ, but I think everyone can figure out who Rouge vs. Bleu are. My own team from Snuffed Out chose the name Cadow Shartel. No resemblance to any lowsec-based adversary alliance is intended. Honest.

If practices are any indication, this new format of EVE eSports should be very entertaining to watch, especially with the added wrinkle of the advanced banning process which is a match in its own right! Be sure to tune in to the EVE_NT Twitch stream at 17:00 this Saturday and Sunday!

Learn about the teams, schedule, ships and a lot more here.

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