Another rotation around the sun, another rendition of everyone’s favorite Bionicle building tournament, Bio-Cup! This annual contest brings together some of the most talented constraction builders in the community, challenging them to interpret a series of creative themes through increasingly ambitious builds.

But wait, no more knockouts? Eliminations have been eliminated! This year the competition moves to a four-round format, with each builder's top three scores added together to determine the overall winner. That means a rough round isn't the end of the road, and there’s even more incentive to keep experimenting throughout the competition.

Round 1’s theme was Magic & Mysticism, inspiring everything from enchanted castles and whimsical witches to towering monsters and mysterious mechanical deities. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite builds!

Salem

Is it a goat or a robot? I’m not quite sure! The Maestro is known for building spindly creations, and this is certainly no exception. The middle of the torso uses a constraction Chewbacca head nestled next to some Kakama Nuva masks. Notice the interesting elements around its eyes? Those would be Tepee supports from 1997 that only appeared in a handful of Western sets.

While power lines don’t typically feel like a traditional mystical weapon, they suit the creature perfectly, giving it an eerie, otherworldly presence. It’s a wonderfully strange combination of mechanical and magical that I think captures the round’s theme in an unexpected way.

Wizard’s Pad

A castle made out of Bionicle? I’m not sure how Gengo_Builds came up with the idea, but it’s spectacular. Lining up all sorts of dark grey and dark bluish grey elements into convincing stonework must have been a nightmare, but the end result is absolutely worth it.

Silver elements mashed together construct the fortress, complete with an intimidating gateway! Trespassers beware—the wizard will zap you with a brain stalk! Spooky

The Flower Guardian

Since the first wave of Botanicals sets in 2021, we’ve gotten a bunch of new organic pieces that blend nicely within the CCBS parts catalogue. Iggs utilized a bunch of leaves from the 11510 Magnolia Branches forming both armor and a shield.

The “face” is really clever—shoving a bunch of flowers into a Hero Factory cocoon is an inspired idea. I love me a good plant monster, and this is rad.

The Brew

Witches are certainly mystical and magical, so Chris Kanak made a goofy little witch! Bionicle canisters count as elements, right? He used a Toa Metru canister lid for the cauldron, and it does its job perfectly!

Who knows what she’s concocting, it doesn’t look very tasty…

Machine Idol

With the rise of AI, who knows when they’ll form their own mechanical religions. Apparently they’ll have four arms, an ice skate crucifix, and a fancy cape! I like NateMakesMOCS’s use of an old hockey face mask—the lack of eyes makes it creepier.

Bionicle actually had quite a few minifigures in their playsets, so they’re quite a bit of fun to work with!

The Crimson Sorcerer

Throughout the years, Bio-Cup participants typically come from the Bionicle community, but Grant Davis graced us with his presence for a second time! Dark bluish grey is an awfully difficult color to make into organic shapes, but this tree creature is… quite bonkers.

He’s used sharks, bananas, bucket handles, crane grabbies, and even an old grey elephant tail. It is a strange combo of parts, but the results speak for themselves. And that evil goofy smile certainly puts a smile on my face.

Shepard

It wouldn’t be a Bio-cup without something crazy by loafbuilds. He’s one of, if not the best creature builders in not just the Bionicle community but the greater LEGO community as a whole. He’s used Galidor, Duplo, Hero Factory, Bionicle, and Star Wars elements and even hid a Technic wheel cover in this monstrosity.

Duplo bear skins are probably the wackiest thing here—they only came in Dino Valley. The Shepard is so gross, but oh so cool!

Evil Freaking Robot Wizard

Jacob’s tentacled eldritch robot is the stuff of nightmares. ROBOTS SHOULDN’T HAVE TENTACLES! And yet, here they are. Part-spam is a lot of fun, and it’s done well here. Using a Bionicle cape to hide all the connection points also adds to the mystical vibes of the build.

Using tan gears for teeth is a classic bionicle technique, and it still holds up.

Ready for Round 2?

If Round 1 proved anything, it’s that Magic & Mysticism was fertile ground for creativity. Fortunately, it's a multi-round contest, so there's still plenty of time to jump in and build alongside the rest of the Bio-Cup community. Head over to the official Flickr group, check out the rules, and see if Round 2 inspires you.

The next theme is Metamorphosis, exploring the idea of transformation in all its forms. Whether it's growth, decay, corruption, rebirth, or something else entirely, the prompt is intentionally broad, leaving plenty of room for builders to put their own spin on the concept.

Submissions for Bio-Cup Round 2 close at 11:59 p.m. PDT on August 11, 2026. Good luck!

Will you join for Round 2 of Bio-Cup 2026? Let us know in the comments below!

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