International CTF Team

Background

In recent years, fewer and fewer Chinese teams have been active in international CTFs (aside from very important ones like DEF CON). Apart from teams like 0ops/NeSE (both university-based and closed to outsiders), there’s barely any presence from Chinese teams, and even fewer have pushed into the top ranks internationally. Watching teams like Super Guesser dominate the 2021 ctftime rankings and seeing their team spirit made me envious — and gave me a bold idea: to compete at the top of international CTFs.

I tried finding an active international team on Twitter but couldn’t find the right fit. That got me thinking — why do Korea, the US, and others have so many strong, active teams, but we don’t?

I believe there are CTF players like me who love the game but lack an active team that regularly competes in international events (by “active” I mean at least once a month or more).

So here I am, looking to bring together like-minded people to push for top ranks in international CTFs — to compete, to win prize money, and to travel!

What defines us?

We have no intention of competing with domestic teams for resources. We focus purely on international competitions. Please don’t bring inter-team politics here.

Unlike traditional teams, this is on a purely personal basis — it doesn’t interfere with your current team. You can always go back to your original team, but if both teams are competing simultaneously, you must only participate with one team per contest. No multi-teaming.

We’re not a “real team” in the traditional sense. I just want to gather people with the same passion. Everyone here has one identity: CTF enthusiast. So if you’re interested, please sort things out with your current team first.

We already have several core players from various top teams, plus an international member! Together as Water Paddler, we’ve competed in several international events — for example, 9th at OMH P4 CTF 2021, and some members achieved 4th at InCTF 2021.

What kind of teammates are we looking for?

Regardless of whether you have a domestic team, you must have settled matters with them first.

1. Join on a purely personal basis, with good character
2. Want to compete internationally, but your current team doesn’t
3. Want to travel and win some prize money
4. Have available time — at least one weekend per month for competitions
5. Have solid skills — participated in 5+ international CTFs, with at least 6 months of domestic competition experience
6. Want to meet and learn from others across different specialties

How do we choose competitions?

We focus on international CTFs with prize money, finals events, or ones that are simply fun. Competition selection is decided collectively, but participation should be active, voluntary, and self-driven.

For example, we obviously can’t compete in DEF CON CTF (I have my own team for that), but there are plenty of other worthwhile events. Take LINE CTF (https://linectf.me/) — decent prize pool, manageable field, worth a shot.

How are rewards distributed?

Current plan: for pure prize-money events, 100% distributed by contribution. For events with on-site finals, priority goes to contributors who can travel, then to others who can attend.

Contact

Players of all specialties are welcome! DM me or send an email to echo emVkZHl1Lmx1QGdtYWlsLmNvbQ== | base64 --decode