Even though the parallels between “regular” and esports always seem to imply an uneasy companionship of sorts, the rise of playing video games professionally clearly owes a lot to the models established by existing sporting franchises. Some lessons are learned, many are ignored, and while it’s evident that CS:GO, League of Legends and the like […]
Just a few days after the end of the Chongqing Major, the qualifiers for the next big DPC event are on the way. DreamLeague Season 11 will be the third Major of the 2018/2019 Pro Circuit Season. Sixteen of the best teams in the world will be competing for that lucrative $1,000,000 prize pool, as […]
TNC.Predator fans can rest easy now, as Carlo “Kuku” Palad, the teams offlaner is set to make his return to the roster. Just in time for the regional qualifiers of DreamLeague Season 11. Kuku was banned from playing in the Chongqing Major by Valve late last year due to what was perceived as racist commentary […]
Professional Call of Duty squad formerly known as Team Space has found an organization after months of waiting. Michael “Spacely” Schmale, Chance “Maux” Moncivaez, Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak, Colt “Havok” Mclendon, and Jared “Nagafen” Harrell have been picked up (finally) by Gen.G. Team Space previously competed as Str8 Rippin’ at CWL Vegas this past December. After […]
Joshua “Jatt” Leesman made a startling announcement on the most recent episode of “The Dive” today. He told fans and audiences that he was leaving the esports scene to work on game development and balance. Because he is such a well-known figure in the scene, his departure is all the more shocking. As one of […]
One of the biggest esports events that will take place this year in India will be the ESL One Mumbai. The tournament will have a lucrative $300,000 prize pool as well as one of the best teams playing. ESL One Mumbai will be India’s biggest Dota 2 event so far, even surpassing DreamHack Mumbai, which […]
With the Chongqing Major now behind them, players and teams are adjusting and making changes in preparation for the new patch and the road to TI9. A shock departure and a surprise return were the announcements that shook up the dota 2 world yesterday. PSG.LGD’s Maybe to take a break from competing In a disappointing […]
The Danish CS:GO scene is in both its best and worst ever state. Astralis, the gods of Denmark, are ruling CS:GO in their era. The first winners of the Intel Grand Slam, Astralis are set for further glory in 2019. Elsewhere in Denmark, The Green Wall of OpTic Gaming, with an undoubtedly talented roster, have […]
PUBG is gearing up for a big year in the Battle Royale arena as phase 1 of the PEL is set to get underway on February 15th. The PEL (PUBG European League) is just one region of a worldwide six which will be represented in the official competitive gameplay, with a season opener scheduled for […]
The Chongqing Major was a showcase of some of the best Dota 2 being played in the completive scene right now, and exactly what we’d expect from players at an event of this caliber. From the action-packed finals between Team Secret and Virtus Pro to the first ever All Random Death Match played at a […]
The Fortnite Summer Smash was played this past weekend at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The players took over the center court of the stadium and played a total of six games to decide who would walk home with the grand prize of $100,000. While the event received lots of hype […]
The first Major of the year has just finished, and it was the last event on patch 7.20. We witnessed the best teams in the world going ham on each other. Apart from the ordinary meta picks that we were used to, there was a lot of strange stuff: Slark mid, Doom carry, and Luna […]
Two legendary players from the professional Call of Duty scene – Dqvee, of Lightning Pandas and Epsilon, and Dylan, formerly of Team Sween – will duel to the death for a good cause. The charity gaming group Gaming for Awareness, in partnership with UK-based energy drink Gamer Focus, is hosting this throwdown which takes place […]
#10 – Toronto Defiant | #11 – Dallas Fuel | #12 – Shanghai Dragons | #13 – Atlanta Reign | #14 – Ghuanzhou Charge | #15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Coming in at 9th in ESTNN’s power rankings are one of the […]
With the LCS starting at the tail end of last week, we have finally seen all major regions play. With one week to go before Lunar New Year, we take a look at some of the best matchups. Don’t forget you can watch all these games through ESTNN TV, watch.lolesports.com or any of the respective […]
The ELEAGUE Invitational concluded with Faze defeating their rivals Cloud9 2-1 to take home the trophy. Here are a few things we learned from the minor. Optimism surrounding Cloud9 Although Cloud9 didn’t get the result they wanted, falling to Faze in a best of three in the finals, there were plenty of bright spots to […]
Beyond the Anatolia-related puns, the Asia minor always felt like the odd one out of these qualifiers, and this iteration proved no exception. Even with the lack of TyLoo – who have finally managed to crack the code and make it to the New Legends Stage –, the competition still felt like “Renegades and the […]
With the regular minor events complete, we’ve successfully established eighty percent of the Katowice newcomers. While there’s still one last chapter to be written with the third-placed playoffs, we can already decipher most of the interesting storylines of the Americas minor. This tournament has clarified a lot of domestic hierarchies. Established that NRG and karrigan […]
Following the release of both Mehmood “Moody” Askar and substitute Jessie “Reum” Amaya, Cloud9 has announced Austin “Lobes” McWethy of Check Six Gaming as their newest starting member. Super blessed to be a part of @Cloud9, can't wait to get to work with these amazing players! — Lobes (@LobesTV) January 25, 2019 CONGRATULATIONS In a […]
After over one week of the highest quality Dota 2 games, it’s time to say goodbye. The Chongqing Major was by far one of the most exciting events in the last couple of months. We were able to witness the best teams in the world going absolutely ham on each other. There were many crazy […]
The second day of the first week of LCS is a wrap! Many teams are showcasing incredible potential with their new rosters, while some are struggling. Teams are still trying their best to start off on the right foot this split, and are giving viewers great games. Even though its early into the season, there’s […]
After a long off-season, the League of Legends Championship Series is finally back! With a ton of preseason roster changes, the ten North American teams are ready to get on the Rift. There are many exciting players along with equally exciting picks that are sure to make even the first day of LCS captivating. All […]
Today, three more teams have left the tournament, which means that there are only three remaining to fight for the first Major of 2019. The big question is which team will claim the $1,000,000 prize pool? EHOME vs. Evil Geniuses The opening game of the day was between the NA powerhouse and the Bucharest Minor […]
South African CS:GO team Bravado Gaming has cancelled their IndieGoGo campaign and will refund all money raised. Dubbed “Project Destiny,” the campaign seemed to be raising money to allow Bravado Gaming players to stay and compete in America. As of this morning, the campaign had raised $4,268 of its $30,000 goal. At one time they […]
NA fans rejoice! The LCS is finally back this week, much like with the LEC the ESTNN writers are confident that they can predict the outcomes of the LCS. So thus a second part of the predictions unfolds, and we will see who is the superior LoL writer in ESTNN. Without further ado, let us […]
After taking a day off from the action, the players are back on track. Today, two more teams had to leave the tournament, which means that there are six of them left in total. Lower Bracket Vici Gaming vs. Evil Geniuses The first thriller of the day was between two teams which have had a […]
Contenders Season Three is over, and with the Overwatch League drawing closer, fans are getting ready to rally to their teams’ side to support them during the season. But while the time is slowly ticking away for some, others are spending it by enjoying the NetEase Esports X Tournament – Winter, and here is what […]
Secretlab is now the third international sponsor of League of Legends esports, joining two other international sponsors in Alienware and Mastercard. They will provide all seating for League events and tournaments, replacing Maxnomic, a rival gaming chair company, as the official seat of League of Legends. Additionally, Secretlab will be the first racing-chair provider to […]
#11 – Dallas Fuel | #12 – Shanghai Dragons | #13 – Atlanta Reign | #14 – Ghuanzhou Charge | #15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Toronto Defiant takes the 10th spot in ESTNN’s power rankings. Announced last September, this expansion franchise […]
Video Game revenue is up 18% from 2017, totaling $43.8 billion. According to the Entertainment Software Association and The NPD Group, this figure is high enough to pass the total recorded revenues from the film industry in 2018. VIDEO GAMES TAKE THE TOP SPOT According to Deadline Hollywood, the film industry had a record year […]
Marquette University will be the first major athletic conference school to add esports as a varsity sport. “Being named after an explorer means it’s in Marquette’s DNA to define the opportunities of tomorrow and ensure we’re anticipating what future students will expect. Marquette embraces new methods of teaching and areas of study, and esports and […]
For more than a century, traditional sports always looked to the educational institutions as a source for the next generation of both professional players and fans. The tradition is so long and rich that college leagues have spurted out on their own, and represent huge markets. For example, the 2018 Southeastern Conference football season paid […]
During Day 3 of the Main event, the Lower bracket featured a plethora of epic battles. Every team was fighting for their survival, but only four managed to move forward, keeping their eyes on the prize. Vici Gaming vs. Chaos Esports Club The opening game of the day was between one of the Chinese favorites […]
Specialist abilities were introduced in Black Ops 3, and their competitive balance has been debated ever since. On Sunday, Red Reserve qualified for the Pro League in part due to a play that left G2 Esports on the outside looking in. Red Reserve’s Rated, who played as the team’s Seraph, started the Game 5 Search […]
Chongqing Major – Main Event Day 1 Recap The second day of the main event was packed with games. The Lower bracket best-if-one massacre started for eight teams, followed the Upper bracket clashes. Lower Bracket Alliance vs. Chaos Esports Club More than disappointed. Chaos showed up strong and did not give us a moment to […]
The start of the LEC proved to be exciting and full of surprises. We already witnessed some of our first upsets, and possibly have a better idea of the strength of teams. For a full recap of the first day click here. Fnatic has already surprised us with their 0-2 start, even though their match […]
Strengths The brand-new roster for the North American League of Legends team 100 Thieves offers a lot to the league in terms of power. They bring an anchor to the game in top lane where few other teams in the league can replicate. Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho has consistently proven himself to be a force to […]
Proceeding the conclusion of regional preseasons around the world with the top 16 teams in each region moving forward to Phase 1 of their corresponding Pro League; PUBG Corporation is following through on their plan to implement a “Global Competitive Ruleset” to all Official Leagues going into the 2019 season. This is part of an […]
Perhaps the competition with the lowest profile out of the four, the Katowice Asia minor will nevertheless offer an interesting snapshot of the state of play in a part of the world that Valve clearly covets: even though the Asian sides thoroughly failed to make an impact on the big stage so far, TyLoo’s successful […]
League of Legends, as an esport, has a very dedicated competitive player base. Each season, millions of Summoners from around the world fight for glory and juicy LP. After a long three-month preseason, the time for Season Nine ranked is nearly here. Riot Games wants to amp up their players in these last few days […]
With the European and CIS minors out of the way, the spotlight is now turned on the Americas and Asia’s representatives. Just like its EU counterpart, the American minor features a team – and a player – that arguably shouldn’t have to grind through this stage in order to get a ticket to Katowice: all […]
Team Liquid finally defeated Astralis in a grand final, ending the streak of five grand final losses to their Danish kryptonite and took home the trophy at the iBP Masters IV. Liquid played with new addition Jake “Stewie2k” Yip as well a new coach in former TL IGL Eric “adren” Hoag, and beat Astralis 2-1 […]
#12 – Shanghai Dragons | #13 – Atlanta Reign | #14 – Ghuanzhou Charge | #15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Next in our power rankings is one of the original 12 teams from Overwatch League Season 1, Dallas Fuel. Co-owned […]
During the weekend we saw around twenty high-quality Dota 2 games in the Group stage of the Major. In the end, most of the favorites managed to finish in the upper part of the Group, which was expected. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what happened today. Team Liquid vs Team Secret Some […]
The last four Pro League qualifying spots were filled during Day Five’s bracket play. Excelerate Gaming, Team Space, Overtime Esport, and Red Reserve qualified on the final day. It was a day of high hopes and heartbreak for many players, organizations, and fans at the venue. Upsets and the elimination of traditionally high-performing Call of […]
IEM Katowice 2019 EU Minor Recap While the European minor and its incredible upsets stole the spotlight, the CIS competition also had quite a few interesting storylines to offer: the “usual” suspects will be making a return to the big stage in the form of AVANGAR and Team Spirit as the old guard of the […]
Contenders Season Three has finally come to a close and with it, historical moments in Overwatch Esports have been made. Teams have become three-time champions, new rosters have triumphed, and others have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with during the next seasons of Contenders and beyond. Here’s what happened during the […]
The European minor was littered with fallen giants and upsets in every stage of the event: while no one can say that ENCE or Vitality didn’t deserve their spots, it has to be said that their performances were overshadowed by the failings of those better-known names that failed to show up. Questions will be asked […]
See: S1mple, The Ukranian Superstar Part 1: Origins In this second part of the Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev series, his 2018 comes under the spotlight. To analyze s1mple’s 2018 is to analyze the best a player has performed individually in one year of Counter-Strike, in history. He carried his team, often alone, as he fought hard […]
After a fantastic day one, where we saw a lot of drama, the Chongqing Major continued with the games from the other two groups – C and D. Group C The first game for Team Liquid was against one of the underdogs in the event – The Pango (ex. NoPangolier). Despite not having Miracle- in […]
With the first week in the books, we look at what might be worth a watch, including the start of the LCS during the weekend. You can catch all these games on ESTNN TV, watch.lolesports.com or any of their respective Twitch channels. Sunday, January 20th 6 AM ET RNG vs. Suning Gaming: We start of […]
Day Four brings ecstasy for some, heartbreak for others, and stress for the rest going into bracket play tomorrow. Day Four of the Call of Duty Pro League Qualifier was not short on drama. Many a clutch performance brought teams from the brink of elimination. Other teams with strong positions in their pools were able […]
The first week of the LEC is wrapped up, and the standings are already different than many expected. This year four new teams have joined the league and show varying degrees of strength and success. Two notable names, SK Gaming and Origen, return to the scene and look to redeem themselves. Excel Esports and Rogue […]
Virtus.pro, EHOME, PSG.LGD & Team Secret advance to the Upper Bracket. Day One of the first Major for 2019 saw Group A and B compete in several exciting matchups to advance into the Upper Bracket. Group A and B began and concluded on Day One, while Group C and D will showcase some of the […]
Fusion University has been dominating Overwatch Contenders since it’s very existence. Not only have they won all three contenders seasons, but they’ve also done it while being undefeated going 24-0 in their matches. As you watch Fusion University in action, you start to realize how methodical and innovative they are when it comes to strategy. […]
LEC Kicks off the 2019 Season! The long-awaited first season of the LEC since rebranding from the EU LCS has finally arrived! Kicking off the European Spring Split of 2019 includes five games, all being a best of one series. The games today include FNATIC vs. SK Gaming, exceL eSports vs. Splyce, Schalke 04 vs. […]
At around 8PM Eastern time, Ghost Gaming officially welcomed Ryan “freakazoid” Abadir to their roster. After Ghost Gaming rifler Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik stepped down, many outlets reported that freakazoid was a likely replacement. No need for an introduction, welcome to #GhostGang @FreakazoidA. pic.twitter.com/wEQxI4CqHp — Ghost Gaming Esports (@GhostEsports) January 19, 2019 While yet unconfirmed, Ghost […]
During Day Three, some popular teams showed signs of life, but only one Pro League spot was earned. Day Three of the Call of Duty Pro League Qualifier is in the books, and even though both young and veteran rosters took solid steps toward qualifying for the Pro League, only Midnight Esports were able to […]
While Back Ops 4 brings some relative novelties to the CWL scene in terms of new specialist abilities and equipment, specialists themselves are not new to the competitive Call of Duty scene and ultimately are not unique to Black Ops 4. While Black Ops 4 may not provide novelty via its gameplay, the game has […]
A new year means a whole new set of FIFA tournaments. It all starts with the first Gfinity Licensed Qualifier Event (LQE) taking place in the Gfinity Arena on Saturday, January 19th and Sunday, January 20th. You can catch the action on the Gfinity Twitch channel starting at 8:45 AM ET on Saturday. The LQE […]
The phenomenon called Dota 2 Auto Chess is a custom game in Dota 2 that hooked thousands of people. With over 1.3 million subscribers it has become a game of its own, literally. If you find this familiar, you are right. Dota 2 itself was a custom map in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (named […]
Contenders Pacific has come to a close, and with it, a new champion has been crowned. The entirety of the playoffs was packed full of action and many players proving their talent as professional Overwatch players. Here is a recap of what happened in the last few matches of the Contenders Pacific Playoffs. Contenders Pacific […]
Welcome back, esports fans for another look at how StarCraft II is currently performing at the professional level. There are only four more days until 2018 Season 4 comes to an end and 2019 Season 1 begins to lock in those wins while you still can! The last few weeks have been busy on the […]
Envy Gaming has released details of its partnership with CORSAIR, who will provide peripherals to both Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel. In addition to the partnership, all Team Envy teams will be involved in “product testing, evaluations, and review of CORSAIR products,” according to the Team Envy press release. In addition to announcing the […]
The iBUYPOWER Masters IV kicks off this weekend, Saturday, January 19th, and because we are so close to the IEM Katowice Major, we can use this tournament to give us a preview of what we can expect at Katowice from the top teams in attendance. Understandably, the “saving strats for the Major” meme is alive and well, […]
HyperX is now the official peripheral provider for Complexity Gaming, who will use HyperX products exclusively. Per the press release, this is a two-year deal. From the press release: “HyperX is extremely pleased to become a partner with the competitive Complexity gaming team,” said Daniel Kelley, Director of HyperX. “Complexity Gaming is one of the […]
Unicorns of Love, of EU LCS fame, expand into the CS:GO scene this week as they sign a fully German roster. The move comes after the Unicorns were ousted from the EU LCS by Riot Games, who cited the want for teams with a larger financial backing than UoL could bring to the table. UoL […]
Day two brings more insane moments, more confusing results, and sets up a fascinating weekend of Call of Duty. Day two of the Call of Duty Pro League Qualifier continued right where day one left off, providing tons of upsets and memorable moments (you can read our day one recap here). Several unexpected pool play […]
With the newly rebranded LEC kicking off this week, the LoL writers here at ESTNN decided to try to predict the upcoming games and see who can come out on top at the end of the split. It will be interesting to see how close any of us can get to predicting all of these […]
The best North American team will be the last to join the party at the MDL Macau this year. Despite not being a DPC event this time, MDL Macau will feature some of the best teams in the world as well as an impressive $300,000 prize pool. When we look at the current lineup for […]
Jersey Mike’s and Team Liquid have announced a sponsorship for the 2019 Season, continuing Jersey Mike’s marketing strategy of targeting League of Legends players and fans. Jersey Mike’s first foray into team sponsorships comes a season after they sponsored the NA LCS Summer Split (rebranded to “LCS” in December), offering prizes, in-game items, and Hextech […]
According to a report by Jarek “DeKay” Lewis, Swole Patrol is currently in discussions with Jørgen “cromen” Robertsen to join the team citing several sources. Swole Patrol has had a rough go of it lately, losing three of its core players to other teams. Main-AWPer Austin “Cooper” Abadir famously left Swole Patrol as the team […]
Heroic announced the signing of Benjamin “blameF” Bremer to the active roster from Epsilon eSports, replacing Andreas “MODDII” Fridh. The move comes after Heroic failed to qualify for the IEM Katowice 2019 Minor in early December, losing BO3s to OpTic Gaming and ENCE. During that time, Fridh never posted an HLTV rating of higher than […]
Just a few days after the end of the Bucharest Minor yet another DPC event is on its way, and oh boy it sure looks interesting. The Chongqing Major will be the second Major of the 2018-2019 Pro Circuit, and it will take place in China, where sixteen of the best teams in the world […]
*Update: Call of Duty Pro League Qualifier Day Two Recap Day one of the Call of Duty Pro League Qualifier is in the books, and it did not disappoint. What’s Happening While the top four teams from the CWL Las Vegas tournament have clinched their spots in the Pro League, The 5th – 32nd place […]
Overwatch Contenders Season 3 is slowly coming to a close in all regions, but the action is still heating up. With the announcement of the three live events spanning across the globe, and the recent South American Contenders semi-finals, there’s much to talk about amongst the Tier 2 scene of professional Overwatch. Contenders Live Events […]
To kick off the CWL Qualifiers, FaZe Clan faced off against FaZe Clan Black at noon. Both competitive teams stem from the same organization, however, FaZe Clan is the alpha team within the organization while FaZe Clan Black is the secondary squad. The skill gap showed as FaZe Clan took the best of five series […]
Recently, Epic Games has announced that they will be hosting a Fortnite Tournament at the 2019 Australian Open. Entitled the Summer Smash Event, the event follows the mold of past Open events, as players have already sent in there applications to reserve their spot in the tournament. Along with a solos tournament, the Summer Smash […]
#13 – Atlanta Reign | #14 – Ghuanzhou Charge | #15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters As the start of Season 2 of the Overwatch League approaches, the next team on our list is a fan favorite from the inaugural season […]
Press Release Agreement Expands Upon Success of NBA 2K – Interactive Entertainment Industry’s Top- Rated and Top-Selling NBA Video Game Simulation Series NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2019 – The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and 2K, a wholly-owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) and publisher of the leading […]
Get over the Wednesday Hump by tuning in to Twitch Rivals and watch your favorite StarCraft 2 streamers duke it out for a chance to find out who’s best (and win some cash) tomorrow, January 16th. The tournament itself is split between the North American region and the European region, with each region carrying a […]
The NALCS Player Association announced late Monday evening, on Twitter a new rule has been set in place to protect all players involved within the league. This rule refers to a situation involving Johnny ‘Altec’ Ru, Adrian ‘Adrian’ Ma, and Kim ‘Fenix’ Jae-hoon who were all released, by Echo Fox, last summer split on the […]
IEM Katowice 2019 EU Minor Storylines For many Western viewers, the CIS region is the CS:GO equivalent of the twilight zone. And yet, there are quite a few familiar faces amid all the shadows and the confusion, and it turns out that some of the most interesting storylines of this minor cycle will come from […]
Every Dota 2 event has its own unique meta, which tends to evolve a lot, especially during the later stages of the tournament. The Bucharest Minor was no exception. In total, there were 82 heroes picked, which is a somewhat smaller number compared to previous events. That is mainly due to the current pub meta […]
IEM Katowice 2019 CIS Minor Storylines It’s always the darkest before dawn, and the long buildup to the Katowice major is finally starting to reach its conclusion. London’s incredible upsets, subtle rule changes, injuries and other drama all came together to set up perhaps the most exciting minor cycle in CS:GO history – but perhaps […]
A closer look at the novelties of Fortnite and why they have made it the premier Esports game of 2018 In the past year and a half, Fortnite has exploded onto the gaming scene and, without surprise, was the most played video game of 2018. Because of the game’s unique play style and relatively novel […]
We are not perfect. In every aspect of our lives, we make mistakes, and we grow by learning from them. Improving your skills in Overwatch is no different. Professional players make much fewer mistakes than the average player, as you would expect, but a common trend among them is that they also pay more attention […]
With the Overwatch League soon approaching, the hype is ramping up for the popular esports tournament’s second season, having had such a successful inaugural season with its first twelve teams battling it out to fight for the grand prize. But the Overwatch League isn’t the only tournament to exist in the Overwatch esports circuit. Overwatch […]
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is the AWPer for CIS powerhouse Natus Vincere. The 21-year-old is lauded by most as the best in the world and by some as the best of all time. In just five short years of professional play, he has worked his way up the rankings into one of the best teams in […]
A lot happened recently in the Overwatch Contenders scene, including North American squad XL2 dropping three of its players in favor of recruiting locals, and more match results from the Contenders Playoffs. XL2 Players Dropped On January 11th, XL2 Academy tweeted to its followers that they were looking for New York locals to represent the […]
#14 – Ghuanzhou Charge | #15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Coming in at #13 on our power rankings for Overwatch League Season 2 is the Atlanta Reign. Owned by Cox Enterprises and operated by Atlanta Esports Ventures, the Reign […]
Being the second Minor of the 2018-2019 Pro Circuit, the tournament featured eight of the best teams in the world. We saw some incredible games, astonishing comebacks, and even better plays. Having said that, it is time to do a quick recap of the two finalists that faced each other in gruesome best of five […]
Worldwide fast food restaurant KFC has teased a possible Call of Duty tournament or league on their gaming profile. On Saturday the 12th they released a tweet spelling out ‘KFC’ in ‘coming soon’ emojis along with a distorted image that can be slightly made out. In the image, you can make out what seems to […]
TSM announced via Twitter that the starting jungler for the team, Jonathan ‘Grig’ Armao, will be missing the spring split due to “wrist issues.” This means that academy jungler Matt ‘Akaadian’ Higginbotham will be the starting jungler for the split. Akaadian was picked up by TSM in the offseason after his first season with OpTic […]
With a new season upon us I share with you this week’s most interesting games in the major regions of League of Legends. You can catch all these games on ESTNN TV, watch.lolesports.com or any of their respective Twitch channels. (All times are approximate times and are displayed in the Eastern Time zone. If you […]
A glimpse into the upcoming week in competitive Call of Duty As of today, only four teams have earned themselves a spot in the CWL Pro League for the Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 season. These teams, OpTic Gaming, Splyce, Luminosity, and eUnited clinched their spots back in December at the CWL Las Vegas […]
This strategy might be one of the cheesiest strategies I have ever seen in Overwatch. Buts it’s still a strategy nonetheless, and we need to approach the situation with an open mind instead of writing it off without analyzing its elements. The Mei Stall Strategy is fun to watch yet interesting to ponder about, so […]
A fan-favorite organization that just came away from one of the most impressive runs of any Western team in any League of Legends World Championship ever. An organization that hadn’t been in the premier European League of Legends circuit since their relegation in Season 5. And yet, somehow, these teams are rivals. And they’re going […]
#15 – Hangzhou Spark | #16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters The Guangzhou Charge, our final newcomer Chinese team to the Overwatch League, takes the #14 spot on our countdown to Season 2. The Charge is owned by the Nenking Group, a well […]
There is a countless number of video games, created during almost half a century since the same industry was created. Over that period, numerous genres came about and to this day, new ones are constantly being invented or fused together. Among all those games, only a very few are considered esports or electronic sports. On […]
Former FaZe in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen lost his leadership role to NiKo at the FACEIT Major, and never regained it. His performance while in an unfamiliar position on the roster eventually resulted in him getting benched. FaZe has loaned the Dane to Envy so that he could compete at the upcoming Minor, and he […]
#16 – Houston Outlaws | #17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters As we continue the countdown of Overwatch League teams in Season 2, coming in at #15 is the Hangzhou Spark. With no players on the Hangzhou team having any experience in the Overwatch League, this team […]
Rarely is a coaching move considered a high-profile transfer in the world of CS:GO, but Janko “YNk” Paunović’s decision to exchange broadcast desks and fancy suits for a MiBR jersey grabbed the attention of the community. However, it’s worth taking a critical look at his tenure with the Brazilian-American side. No matter how many times […]
Howdy folks! Hope you’ve had a nice, relaxing and drama-free new year so far and here’s to hoping it stays that way but in the StarCraft world, that never happens as the salt mines are real. Season-lock is soon upon us as StarCraft II 2018 Season 4 is scheduled to end on January 23 and […]
Two weeks ago, Blizzard removed one of the four WCS Circuit stops and replaced it with WCS Winter, an online tournament split between two player regions: WCS Winter Americas (including Latin America, Taiwan, ANZ/SEA, and China), and WCS Winter Europe. Each WCS Winter region will have a prize pool of $60,000 and only 32 players […]
In my last video, I briefly went over Gesture’s play on Eichenwalde and how he dominated the Philadelphia Fusion. Even though I overwhelmingly received positive feedback, I wanted to go more in-depth and provide a higher level analysis video. In this video, I am going to be shedding more light on the London Spitfire as […]
Did the LA Gladiators pull off the greatest play in Overwatch Esports history? Having to capture the first point of Kings Row, the Gladiators devised a wild, never seen before plan. Have you ever heard the phrase its so crazy that it might just work? That’s precisely what happened, and they pulled it off against […]
“Just go GOATS” is the expression we are all too familiar with. It seems that if one team commits to the tanky composition, the only chance of the other team winning is to mirror it. For a professional team, not running it can be the same as putting yourself at a disadvantage on purpose. We’ve […]
It’s time. Griffin has seized the chance to redeem themselves against the team that denied them a Worlds appearance in their debut split. GenG had the opportunity to show their fans that they’re allowed to have some hope for next season – after the worst performance of a Korean team at Worlds since Season 3. […]
#17 – Florida Mayhem | #18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters At the #16 spot on our list is once again a team who played during OWL Season 1: Houston Outlaws. Despite mixed results in the inaugural season, the team is back for Season 2 with little to no change in […]
#18 – Boston Uprising | #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Next on our list at #17 is our second returning team from Season 1, the Florida Mayhem. After a lackluster 11th place finish in the overall rankings last season, Florida has their work cut out for them. The current Mayhem roster consists of only […]
Damwon Gaming. That’s the name burned into everyone’s mind at this present moment in time. Whether it’s from word of mouth about their scrim prowess (NA heartthrobs Cloud9 had a few choice words around Worlds), or multiple analysts giving opinions about their path to the LCK 2019, Damwon Gaming are indeed the new kids on […]
Coming into this tournament, and this off-season, one would expect that the once and future kings of Invictus Gaming would comfortably secure a finals berth for themselves in China’s most prestigious independent event. And yet the path to their second consecutive title was rockier than any of us could have expected. Whether we could attribute […]
Honorable Mention: Rookie – League of Legends By: Ibriz Daya | LoL Expert Could it be anyone other than our World Champion midlaner? After joining Invictus Gaming in 2014 as part of the initial wave of the Korean Exodus, Rookie came into 2018 newly reinvigorated thanks to the addition of some outstanding supporting stars around […]
While the titans of PC gaming at Bellevue have already managed to pull off multiple iterations of the F2P model without sacrificing the gameplay experience and esport potential of their titles, a critical look at the broader landscape might prompt you to look at CS:GO’s similar shift in a different light: there’s a pretty good […]
It’s no secret that it’s been a challenge to find profits in the world of esport nowadays, and it seems like mainstream interest, and a growing revenue pressure could very well collide in 2019. CS:GO’s third-party tournament circuit continues to produce eye-popping endeavors and sponsorship deals while many whisper about a potentially more extensive market […]
The entire field of esports can be called a super-competitive domain which attracts those who have an almost irresistible drive to compete and outdo everyone else. With this in mind, it is no wonder that a similar type of dynamic exists among the esports themselves, not just their players. While many of these have little […]
#19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters Next up on our Worst to Best OWL Team Ranking is a franchise we met during the inaugural season of the Overwatch League: Boston Uprising. From the original roster, only Gamsu, Kellex, and NotE remain. They are joined by six players with various backgrounds to form […]
Last week we reported that many Overwatch League suspensions would be coming soon. We now have official news from the Overwatch League that 6 players, all from different teams, have been suspended. In addition to the 6 suspensions, Won-Jae “Rise” Lee was fined $1,000 for account sharing. All of the players disciplined by the Overwatch […]
The Demacia Cup, Demacia Championship, whatever you want to call it, is indeed the pinnacle of the Chinese League of Legends offseason. Following a tumultuous Day 1 – best-of-1 is always an anything-goes type of format – we find ourselves with some clear-cut favorites to stake a claim for the title here. Here’s just how […]