Who built it best?

Building in Minecraft has never been my strong suit, so you might be wondering: then why organize a building competition? First of all, I don’t think it’s fair that so far I've been the only person subjected to what I can only describe as barely functional eyesores. Second, I was hoping that the cool new blocks in the Caves & Cliffs Update: Part I would perhaps elevate my builds to, dare I say... average? However, even that seems unattainable when using the Minecraft community as a baseline. You people are just too talented. 

The rules are simple: use a 16x16 chunk as a base, then just let our imaginations run wild – but not too wild. We have rules! Yes, this is a real, serious competition. First off, each participant must use a specific Caves & Cliffs block in their build. It’s not the only block they can use, but it has to stand out in the build. Second, each player must follow a theme from the update. Third, all builds will be created in single-player Creative worlds to minimize the chances of sabotage.

Now let’s meet our participants! First off, we have... Per! You might know him as the Editor of .net, but right now I only see him as an adversary that I must defeat. And let’s see what his theme will be today, using a sophisticated combination of lists and a randomizer website! Drum roll, please... What do you mean by “absolutely not, drum rolls are passé”? Anyway, Per will create a cave-themed build using copper! How exciting! Okay, who’s next? 

Per: Umm, I think I’m the only one that signed up.

Cristina: I... okay, this is fine. Good thing I didn’t organize a popularity contest. Get it? Hahaha! Of course these are tears of laughter, why would you even ask me that? 

In that case, it only makes sense that I should get the cliffs theme. Let me just randomize the block list... And I got... moss?! Wait, there’s no moss on cliffs, I–

Sofia: Sorry I’m late!!! Have you already started, can I still join?

Cristina: Of course! Just one small problem, we’ve already assigned the themes, and if you take caves or cliffs, then we’ll have an uneven spread. And you know how much I like things to be nice and even. 

Sofia and Per in unison: Yes. We all do.

Cristina: In that case, you’ll take &.

Sofia: &?

Cristina: &.

Sofia: I don’t see how I cou–

Cristina: Aaand let’s see what block you get... It’s amethyst! Shoot, why didn’t I rig this?

Sofia: What did you say?

Cristina: Nothing! Let’s proceed.

I watch my competitors' faces tense as they try to come up with ideas. While they futilely try to come up with ideas better than mine, let's check out the location I picked! And Per and Sofia’s too, I guess.

Clearly, I've already got this in the bag. Because the building process will consist of mostly us frowning at our screens and clicking rapidly, let’s just time travel a bit to the good part.

*snaps fingers*

It’s time to unveil our builds!

Per: Copper is Minecraft’s most precious building material. Not because of its unique erosion properties, nor its tranquil tint that makes every player-made statue sparkle with beauty. No, it’s much simpler than that! Romeo asked “What’s in a name?” (then went on some ramble about smell) and in the case of copper, it just so happens to be “Per”. That already makes me a winner! As I took to the nearest cave, I used a bunch of TNT I had planned to use to blow up the other contestants' builds saved for a special occasion. After creating a big enough room, I got to work and poured hours of my precious time into it. The result surpassed all my narcissistic expectations. I call it: The Stride-Per. 

Sofia: What can I say? I turned up late for the first time in my life, and what did my fellow writers leave me with. SCRAPS! Or so they thought. Just because they had taken the caves, the cliffs, didn’t discourage me. Nope, I got to pay tribute to the glue that keeps it all together. A symbol of unity. Cursive! I give you, the glorious ampersand. Built with amethyst. Illuminated by glow squid, protected by axolotls. It doesn’t get more on-theme than that, ha!

Cristina: This is it. The moment you’ve been waiting for. The unveiling of my magnum opus – which is a very fancy way of saying my career has peaked. I present to you... the evil goat! Drawing inspiration from my own experiences with the Overworld’s goats, I’ve decided to look beyond their adorable exterior and reveal these sneaky beasts the way I see them. Deceptive. Prideful. Terrifying. 

Oh, you’re wondering where the moss is? Trust me, it’s there. Oh, you don’t trust me? Well, that’s a bit rude, but here you go:

Now that we've seen the entries, let’s get to the good part: the vote. This is another part we’ll fast forward because it consists of me pestering our beloved social media counterparts to vote for their favorite build. And nobody wants to see that.

*snaps fingers*

If you were expecting a surprise twist, I’m sorry to disappoint you – because I WON!!! I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything in my life! But somehow it feels... wrong.

I’ve been dishonest. The moss didn’t stand out – it wasn’t even visible! I have to disqualify myself and give my imaginary trophy and crown to my two competitors. To Sofia, for making the best out of a ridiculous theme (although you were late); to Per, for creating the most charming build while actually following the rules. 

And there you have it, folks: the .net Caves & Cliffs: Part I building competition comes to an end. We had picturesque locations, majestic builds, and an anticlimactic redemption arc! But the fun doesn’t have to end here. Why not organize a competition with your own friends? Or just fire up the game and see what you can create using the new blocks in the update. I’m sure that, unlike myself, you’ll be able to make something completely new and non-evil.

Share your build with us and you might get featured!

Want to submit your own Caves & Cliffs: Part I build? Make sure your creation (unlike mine) heavily features at least one of the blocks in the update, then tag it with #FeatureMeMinecraft on Twitter and we might show it off on Minecraft.net!

By doing this, you:

1. Agree that you are the one that created it, and that you're not violating anyone else's intellectual property or publicity rights.
2. Agree that the creation can be used in an article on Minecraft.net.
3. Agree to Minecraft's community standards when choosing what to submit.