> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.pokeclash.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.pokeclash.com/minigames/crane-game.md).

# Crane Game

## Crane Game

The Crane Game is a fishing-and-battling minigame. Players stand in raised podium boxes overlooking a sunken pit, reel Pokémon out of it with a special rod, and then fight each other in a knockout tournament using whatever they managed to catch.

Two to four players per game. It runs around the clock and starts on its own once enough people have joined — there's no schedule to wait for.

### Joining

Run `/cg join pier` to enter. Your inventory is stored, you're given a Crane Rod, and you're placed in the lobby.

A game needs three players to begin. Once the third joins, a short countdown starts and the fishing phase opens. Anyone who joins during the countdown is included in the same game, up to the maximum of four. If you're waiting for others, ask in chat — most games get going once someone says they're looking.

### The Fishing Phase

Each player is placed in one of the four coloured podium boxes around the pit. Pokémon are scattered on the floor below, and each box has its own drop box between the podium and the centre.

Cast down into the pit, hook a Pokémon, and reel it into your own drop box. Landing inside your box is what registers the catch — a Pokémon that lands anywhere else doesn't count, and only your own box counts for you.

You can catch up to three. Reaching three ends your fishing early and you wait for the others to finish. The phase is capped at two minutes, so a game can never stall on someone standing idle. If the timer expires you go into the tournament with however many you managed to reel in.

Nothing in the arena can hurt you, and stepping off your podium puts you straight back on it.

The pit is stocked with a wide spread of Water types, and what surfaces is a lucky draw. A Magikarp fills one of your three slots exactly as a Gyarados does, so what you choose to target matters.

### The Tournament

Once fishing ends, the Pokémon are cleared from the pit and a single-elimination bracket begins on the floor below.

With four players, two battles run at the same time and the winners meet in the final. With three, one player gets a bye through to the final round. Battles are singles and are fought entirely with the Pokémon you reeled in — your own team takes no part and is returned untouched.

Players who are knocked out are moved to the spectator area to watch the remaining matches. The last trainer standing wins.

### Rewards

Everyone who plays gets paid, with a bit more going to the winner.

* **1st** — cash and a random item
* **2nd** — cash
* **3rd** — cash
* **4th** — cash

### What You Keep

The Pokémon you reel in are not kept. They're borrowed for the tournament and released when the game ends, so a rare catch is a strong draft rather than a prize. The rewards above are the only thing you take away.

Your own inventory, game mode and position are stored when you join and restored exactly when you leave, whether the game finished or you left partway through. If you disconnect mid-game you have around a minute to reconnect and pick up where you left off; stay away longer and you're removed from the game, with your belongings waiting for you the next time you log in.

### Commands

* `/cg join pier` — join the Crane Game
* `/cg leave` — leave and have your inventory returned