I will reference this
very similar post made a few months ago, as my opinion there is still valid.
To be honest i'm getting tired of these discussions about Kotl. I can tell you that in a staff meeting weeks ago, we agreed that
ALL WEAPONS AND ARMOR ARE LEGAL.
Infact, the only thing we decided was illegal is leaving the spawn area, killing, and walking back in; but that was fixed with the iron doors.
I'm sorry if the extreme emphasis offends anyone, but I've had to argue this point several times now. Kotl has been almost the same since it's beginning. Besides the iron doors and occasional lay-out change, no rules have changed and, frankly, i don't think they need to. Players can still win with an ordinary bow. Having god armor/weapons might ensure a grandmaster gets alot of kills, but it does not ensure their victory. I see people of different ranks winning everyday.
Now i understand some people are very skilled and win almost everytime they play. These people (usually GMs) have spent DAYS worth of hours building up their arsenal. So yes, maybe it does seem unfair, but they
worked for it.
Ultimately, this is just a mini-game. And the prizes, imo, suck. 90% of the time i got 8 coal. It doesn't take but a few minutes to make charcoal. The chances of winning Iron, Gold, Emeralds, or Diamonds are significantly lower (and in less quantities), and although it's a nice surprise, it's not worth getting upset at people. If you lose to an "O.P" player, keep playing the rounds and gaining cookies and eventually you'll have the same abilities they do.