Rising from average fandom on the TeamLiquid.net forums, Sue ‘Smix’ Lee has become one of the most prominent faces in the StarCraft 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive scenes. Starting as a translator at IPL 3 in 2011, Smix has transitioned to fill the role of host at an enormous number of events for both …
Continue reading “Smix on the Eleague major, hosting CS:GO and SC2, and her plans for 2017”
ESL hasn't put on a Hearthstone event of their own for a long time, their last one being the rather small IEM Katowice, held in the Polish esports capital with just eight players in attendance. Their $150,000 Trinity Series is the company’s glorious return to card-slinging competition. The ETS team league can be easily described …
This year’s top 100 Melee It On Me Ranking is best defined through the rising talent shaking up the Melee establishment. Several players made their debut into the list with spectacular growth and results. Rishi “SmashG0D” Malhotra is one of those rising players. The Marth main from the Maryland-Virginia region was ranked 62nd this year …
Continue reading “SmashG0D: The Past, Present, and Future of a Rising Marth Player”
That's a Wrap: NGE Premiere Phase 1 The Winter Premier finished its first phase of round robin play this past. Eight of the best teams in North America competed in a grueling 2 week online round robin style groups. Few placings were predicted with ease, while others exceeded all expectation. Some notable placings …
Starting January 18, the ESL Trinity Series (ETS) marks the return of a long-lost form of competition in the west: The team league format. Team competitions were largely abandoned – or shrunk down to a not impactful scale – with the conclusion of the Archon Team League in 2015. While in China the Hearthstone Team …
In every sport there exist a multitude of teams which possess all the required characteristics required in order to win at the highest level of the game, yet for some inexplicable reason those teams fail to find themselves emerging as champions. For Counter Strike that team historically has been Astralis, a team that undoubtedly …
2016 has come to an end. Overwatch is on the brink of a huge year for 2017. As we close in on Overwatch’s first birthday, and the upcoming Overwatch League, there is a topic I feel is still sorely discussed. Previously in an article, we talked about the completely undervaluing and the seeming lack of …
Continue reading “Analysis of Attack: Point A on King"e;s Row”
In the last 4 months of 2016, Lunatic-Hai accumulated three second place and one top 8 finishes at offline events. With those, the squad stands out in most eyes as the clear choice for the receiver of the title 'best Korean Overwatch team of 2016'. In addition, half of the young men also finished first in …
Continue reading ““Fixing” Lunatic-Hai: A though experiment”
Welcome to 2017, esports fans! The new year is upon us, as are new video games that are seeking to make their mark on the global esports scene! Esports has become an effective marketing strategy for many games, and developers are becoming more and more passionate about supporting the best players of their creations. This …
Continue reading “Five games that could rise in esports in 2017”
For most of Counter Strike Global Offensive’s history the region of North America has largely been ridiculed by a large portion of the fanbase. Teams from North America would attend tournament after tournament only to produce no results other than an occasional trip into the playoff bracket. The year of 2016 started off on …
Continue reading “North America"e;s Path to Success Lies Through Failure”