An update to this article is available at Player of the Year – Updates and Changes
Is it Rander? Is it Cycon? Is it you? We’re going to find out in 2023. We’re hosting a unified axe rating leaderboard to determine the best hatchet thrower around. Why do you care? We’re offering $1,400 in prize money to the top 10 players, and an invitational tournament at the end of the year.
Who is eligible?
Everyone! Anyone, at any venue, playing in a sanctioned hatchet league with 12 or more throwers, or a tournament with 16 or more throwers in 2023 is eligible. All you have to do is send a link or screenshot of the entire bracket to us using the form at the bottom of our Player of the Year page. We’ll enter the results into our ranking system and that’s it! Results will be updated periodically.
How much does it cost?
Nothing! It’s completely free to every axe thrower.
What are sanctioned leagues?
Any league from IATF, WATL, IKTHOF, WBL, etc., with 12 or more throwers in the playoffs can be used.
Why have a minimum number of players?
We want to do our best to make sure that even small leagues are able to be entered, without players gaming the system by having micro leagues. Marathon leagues will be eligible so long as the playoffs have at least 12 throwers.
Why not just host another tournament?
We’ll be doing that too. The 2023 leaderboard will also culminate in an invitational tournament for the top throwers. Tournaments only measure the best tournament on that day. We want to measure the endurance of the best players over the course of an entire year.
Will any other factors, like average, be taken into account?
No. While average is an important metric to assessing players’ skill, there are too many variables that go with it to use it universally. Different venues use different wood, have different playing conditions, and some houses can vary in target quality from week to week. Each league has its own scoring system, which makes it difficult to compare apples to oranges. Some targets might be the wrong size and some judges may even be more lenient than others. Lastly, not everyone’s goals are the same during the regular season. Some people throw to win every match, some go clutch every time, and Uncle Willy tries to tie everyone and send them to big axe. The only way to rank and compare players is head-to-head on the same boards, with the same conditions, and the same shared goal: to beat the other player.
What’s this about prize money?
No good competition is complete without a reward and some bragging rights. The Player of the Year will receive $500 from Total Axe and the rest of the top 10 will receive $100. More information with be posted to the Player of the Year page when the new year kicks off!
