Patronage

Patronage is a contract-based service designed for two main purposes.

1. To allow champions to earn additional returns by utilizing surplus funds.

2. To allow those who may not expect to reach high rankings or secure prize winnings through their own gameplay to deposit their tokens in order to sponsor skilled champions and receive a share of the prize distribution.

The overall user experience is similar to that of real‑world deposits or investment funds.

Patronage, while it involves no loss of principal, may require a long time for principal recovery; accordingly, the user experience is often described as a blend of a deposit and a fund.

Depositing Tokens and Receiving PP Potions

Tokens may be deposited during the off‑season, defined as the periods between seasons or between rounds when no league games are active. Deposits are accepted every Sunday at midnight for a 24‑hour period. During an active season, users can make deposit reservations to be processed automatically after the conclusion of each round.

Once a deposit is complete, participants receive PP potions as certificates of exchange. When the Patronage Pool is first established, 1 PP potion is issued for each deposit of 1 SOX (100 DP). If the value of PP potions changes after a specific round, deposits made during the subsequent off‑seasons are recalculated according to the updated potion value, and the corresponding number of PP potions are given. As for the round-by-round changes in potion value and the resulting standards for potion issuance, we address them in detail below.

Recoup of Sponsorships and Prize Profit Sharing

The funds accumulated in the PP (Patronage Pool) through deposits are used as sponsorship capital for skilled champions who may be temporarily unable to purchase league tickets. A champion who participates in a league through Patronage support is referred to as a Sponsored Champion.

Sponsored Champions are required to repay the sponsorship cost of league tickets using their prize winnings through league participation. This process is executed automatically by the Patronage Contract. Depending on the relationship between the sponsored league ticket price and the prize winnings earned, one of three outcomes occur:

1. Ticket Price > Prize: The principal cannot be fully repaid. The unpaid amount (outstanding balance) is deferred to the next league.

2. Ticket Price = Prize: The full prize amount is applied to repay the principal.

3. Ticket Price < Prize: This is the most favorable scenario. The principal is repaid in full, and any surplus prize beyond the principal is split evenly between the Sponsored Champion and the Patronage Pool in a 50:50 profit-sharing arrangement. Profit allocated to Patrons is deposited into the Patronage Pool.

Any outstanding balance deferred due to insufficient prize money can only be repaid with prize money from subsequent league participation.

Dynamic Value of PP Potions

The PP (Patronage Pool), funded by patrons, balance changes in real time depending on sponsorship expenditures for champions, principal repayments from prize winnings, and the distribution of profits. These changes directly affect the value of the PP potions held by patrons.

In summary,

pp=value_of_potion*total_number_of_potions and also,

pp=unused_balance_of_deposits+principal_repayment_amount+prize_profit_sharing

Therefore, can be formulated as follows.

unused_balance_of_deposits+principal_repayment_amount+prize_profit_sharing=value_of_potion*total_number_of_potions

Among these variables, some (eg:total_number_of_potions) remain fixed while others continuously change as league progresses. Consequently, the value_of_potion can be expressed differently:

value_of_potion={(unused_balance_of_deposits)+(principal_repayment_amount)+(prize_profit_sharing)}/(total_number_of_potions)

When Sponsored Champions perform well and generate not only full principal repayment but also profit sharing, the potion value rises above its value at the time of deposit, producing gains for patrons. In the opposite scenario, where repayments and profit sharing are low, the potion value declines, resulting in a temporary loss for patrons.

Withdrawals and Additional Deposits

Deposits can be withdrawn during the off‑season. At the time of withdrawal, the amount available is recalculated based on the potion value determined from the results of the previous round.

(withdrawable_amount)=(present_value_of_potion)*(number_of_returned_potions)

Likewise, when making a new deposit or when an existing depositor makes an additional deposit, the number of potions granted is as follows.

(number_of_potions_received_upon_deposit)=(deposit)/(present_value_of_potion)

Unlike other Cornucopia payouts, which are settled at the end of a season, withdrawals from the Patronage Pool through the return of PP potions are only possible during the off‑season after each round has concluded. If a patron chooses not to withdraw, their funds remain in the pool and continue to be used for sponsorship, so there is no disadvantage in leaving them invested.

Patronage: The Community-driven Engine for Ecosystem Growth

The Web3 gaming ecosystem is evolving far beyond traditional models of pure gameplay, now allowing players to generate real value through play‑to‑earn and play‑to‑own mechanisms where game results and digital assets become valuable holdings. Despite this advancement, the transition from Web2 to Web3 remains slow, largely due to significant technical barriers and a steep learning curve in user experience.

Patronage addresses these challenges by helping those who are unfamiliar with utility tokens to acquire and use them more easily. The community leads the way, utilizing gamification to lower the entry barrier. This approach not only removes obstacles for new users but also stimulates the growth and expansion of the overall ecosystem.