ESL was thrilled to hold the ESL One Frankfurt cosplay competition for the third consecutive year. The total prize pool consisted of €2500 in cash and goodies from our amazing sponsors: Nvidia, Logitech and HyperX. The very best cosplayer took home a check for €1000 and a brand new Nvidia GTX 1080. Here are the cosplays who placed in the top ten!

10. Dancing Fox as Drow Ranger

9. Katti as Lina

8. Marugitto as Lina

7. AculorToriYuki as Naga Siren

6. Angel as Slark

5. Aonir as Crystal Maiden

4. Rage and WalKingAnCient as Techies

3. TanakhT as Dragon Knight

2. Rehab as Necrophos

1. Meruna as Wraith King

The participants gave the judges a hard time (which is always a good thing). In the end, everything came down to the smallest details which can often can only be noticed during judging rounds. Meruna’s Wraith King was nearly impeccable – her high attention to detail, execution and finish left the judges is awe and earned her a very well deserved first place. Congratulations!

We would like to thank all of the cosplayers who attended ESL One Frankfurt. Your amazing costumes made the event much more fun and colorful. For more photos (and more cosplayers), head over to our Facebook gallery!

ESL: Hi, Hannes! Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Let’s start at the very beginning – how did your adventure with cosplay begin?
Hannes: That’s easy! I was always a nerd, gamer and fantasy fan and, during my study of stage and costume design, I made my first costumes. I never thought I would start with cosplay, but after my first convention… I was addicted.

ESL: How did your hobby and skill grow over the years?
Hannes: I always want to push myself and my cosplays, so I try to choose difficult and very detailed designs. That’s the best way to improve your skills – every project is bigger and better than the one before

ESL: What are your favorite types of cosplay to make and why?
Hannes: I am totally in love with epic and badass armor! Why? They look soooo awesome and I like badass characters. Also I am more a crafter than someone who just sews a costume.

ESL: Do you have any personal favorites among your creations?
Hannes: I have two! The Frostkeeper Warrior from Rift, which is just a very aggressive, big armor with a lot of pieces and details, then I have a costume which is a good combination of fabrics and armor – the redesign of Kalecgos from World of Warcraft. It was a challenge to attach all those armor plates onto the fabric and body, and also to cast all the 84 glowing crystals.

ESL: You are in the process of releasing a crafting guidebook to help fellow cosplayers – tell us more about this project.
Hannes: Yeah… that’s a very special project. Simply saId, it’s a crafting book for beginners who want to create their first armor cosplay or just want to get some advice. The special thing is that my focus is on the male part – the cosplay scene needs some more guys! So I try to motivate them and give some special male cosplay tips like makeup, posing, etc. I really hope readers will enjoy the book and find inspiration for further projects.

ESL: You also do commissions and craft cosplays and parts of cosplays for other people – do you think that can be turned into a full-time job? Does it bring you as much satisfaction as crafting things for yourself does?
Hannes: That’s an interesting question. Yes, over the last two years I did some commissions but I had to stop because of having less time. It’s not easy to turn it into a full-time job but I am working hard on this. This year will be very exciting and I have some great news… but it’s too soon to tell you more. Only one thing: there will be a online shop for props and steampunk accessories soon

ESL: What made you decide to come to ESL One Frankfurt 2016?
Hannes: A lot of friends have been going to ESL One for some years and now I want to experience this event for myself! It just looks awesome!

ESL: What cosplay are you preparing for the event and why did you choose that particular hero?
Hannes: I am preparing Riki with the Covert Saboteur set. As I am quite small, slim and sneaky, I think he will match me quite well. I also like his design and I am a big fan of everything with hoofs.

ESL: Which part is or will be the most difficult to make?
Hannes: The head is the most difficult part. I had to sculpt his animal-like face for the mask and also the mask that he is wearing in this set, but it was a lot of fun.

ESL: What are you most looking forward to at ESL One Frankfurt?
Hannes: To meet all these awesome people and just have fun with them!

ESL: Thanks so much for chatting to us! The last words are yours.|
Hannes: I can’t wait to finish Riki and enjoy ESL One Frankfurt! It will be just epic!

To see more of Hannes’s works, visit his Facebook page!

See you in June!

ESL One Frankfurt 2016 kicks off at the Commerzbank Arena on June the 18th but feel free to join us at Sam’s Sportsbar on the 17th for our group stage public viewing and opening party!

Tickets are available now so be sure not to miss this amazing event and a true celebration of Dota 2 – we’re looking forward to seeing you there! If you need a place to stay or transport to the event, check out our ESL One Frankfurt hotel and buses.

For all important information, visit the ESL One Frankfurt official website and follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook.

Photos courtesy of HS-Design.

There will be many talented cosplayers attending the event. We chatted with one of them, rage, about her hobby, Dota and ESL One Frankfurt as a whole – check out the full interview below!

ESL: Hi, rage! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. So, how did your adventure with cosplay begin?
rage: I’ve always kind of side-eyed cosplay but it all got more serious when I decided to actually craft my own cosplay for ESL 2015… which was in January that year, I reckon. Before that I’d already worked on LARP (live action roleplay) costumes, so I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the topic.

ESL: What about Dota? When and how did you get into the game?
rage: I can’t remember the exact date or my age, to be honest. My brother played a lot of computer games and I enjoyed sitting next to him and just watching him play. Dota (during old Warcraft 3 times) was the one I liked most. I kinda lost the track of it when he moved out but around 2014 I figured I was able to watch him play via Steam and my own Dota 2 client, which I created for this very reason. Then I started to watch professional Dota.

ESL: Which heroes are your favorites in terms of gameplay and design?
rage: Tidehunter and Broodmother in all terms, even though I can’t say how to play them as I only watch games and don’t play at all. Also Techies, just because they’re fun. I remember I wanted my brother to pick them every single game he played…

ESL: Last year, you attended ESL One Frankfurt as Bloodseeker. Tell us something about that cosplay.
rage: If I remember correctly, I chose it because I wanted to craft the Bloodstone Blades soooo badly and didn’t want to focus on a lot work with fabric and sewing. I used materials I now wouldn’t touch ever again, made my weapons waaaay to heavy, etc. But it was a lot fun, both the progress of crafting and wearing it on the event. I dare to say I made the right choice. I still love to see pictures of it.

ESL: What were your impressions of the many other cosplays we were lucky to see at the venue?
rage: I was completely stunned by how many different characters were portrayed. The quality was super high and the people were so friendly and kind. I genuinely believe we’ll have even more detailed, carefully created high-quality cosplays in 2016 – and I can’t wait to see them!   

ESL: What are your memories from the 2015 event?
rage: My beloved Team Secret winning with my cosplay – a Bloodseeker – in their team was simply the best thing that could have happened. Also making so many new friends and contacts. The Dota 2 cosplay scene is a bunch of lovely people. Bonus: meeting Team Secret.

ESL: What are you preparing for the cosplay competition this year and why?
rage: Well, I already mentioned my brother and my strange adoration of the Techies, right? My brother supported me and my cosplays at two huge Dota 2 events in 2015. Time to include him and make him an even more important part of it. We’ll be cosplaying the Techies’ default set – like the team that we’ve always been.

ESL: Which costume elements are the most difficult to make?
rage: As I said, I’ve always had some problems with sewing and fabrics and stuff… Shoutout to my mum – I’d be lost without her when it comes to this.

ESL: What made you come back to ESL One Frankfurt for another event?
rage: I’ve already experienced some other events such as general cosplay ones, LANs and Dota 2 events – but none of it was as well organized as ESL One Frankfurt. Moreover, the people I’ll meet again – I haven’t seen some of them for more than half a year now. Can’t wait to hug everyone to death.

ESL: Do you have favorite pro teams or players? Who will you be cheering for in Frankfurt?
rage: Obviously I’m a 100% Team Secret fangirl… My favorite player is Zai. I still watch his streams from time to time, even though he’s on hiatus right now.

ESL: What are you most looking forward to at ESL One Frankfurt 2016?
rage: I just hope my brother will have a great time, to be honest – I dragged him into something… Also, as I said, meeting friends again. Maybe getting some autographs – I have a huge Team Secret flag but there are still some names missing on it.

ESL: Thanks for your time, Marielle, and see you at the event! The last words are yours.
rage: Thank you so much!! All fingers crossed for Secret. And loads of love to my bro! We can do it!

Be sure to follow rage on Twitter and Instagram to see more of her work!

See you at the festival

Join us for Europe’s greatest celebration of everything Dota 2 and see teams such as OG, Alliance, Liquid and Na’Vi live – get your ticket here!

You can also join us on Friday the 17th of June for the public viewing and opening party – more information about this can be found here. Additionally, if you need a place to stay or means of transportation to the event, we’ve also got you covered with our ESL One Frankfurt hotel and buses.

To stay up to date with everything Dota 2 at ESL, be sure to follow the official ESL Dota Twitter and Facebook accounts!

Meruna was a cosplay judge at the 2014 event and participated in the cosplay competition in 2015, taking third place with her Vengeful Spirit. We chatted with her about her experience at last year’s event and her plans for ESL One Frankfurt 2016.

ESL: Hi, Meruna! Nice to be chatting with you again. What have you been up to since last year’s ESL One Frankfurt?
Meruna: Hey! Shortly after the event, I finished my bachelor’s degree and moved to Denmark to continue my studies there. Since then, I’ve have been trying my best to learn the local language while studying and cosplaying. I took a break from Dota cosplay and did a character from a rather unknown Asian MMO that I wore to DreamHack Winter and won third place with – maybe I can keep that streak going?

ESL: What was your reaction when ESL One Frankfurt 2016 was announced?
Meruna: I scrolled down the page to see if there was any information regarding cosplay available already, then saw the date and realized that I might have exams in that period. Oh well, luckily ESL One Frankfurt is on a weekend!

ESL: Tell us about your experience at last year’s event.
Meruna: The event was quite special to me – the Sunday (June 21st) was my birthday, and due to Frankfurt being close to my hometown of Stuttgart I invited my family to come visit the event on Saturday to see me in cosplay and experience that strange esports world. And they were stunned (and so was I, of course)! Additionally, I loved all the fun activities everywhere, though I didn’t have the time to try them out myself.

ESL: Many amazing cosplayers graced the event, yourself included. How was the overall cosplay experience for you, especially appearing on stage?
Meruna: It was amazing! ESL really provides an excellent experience for all cosplayers, great communication and are open to feedback. What was especially great was that everyone was able to switch in and out of their costumes in the stadium’s basement (in the soccer players’ changing rooms – my dad was excited to hear that!) and I could even take a shower there to wash off the body paint and enjoy the event after cosplaying. I also want to point out how friendly and helpful everyone was – event staff, security, even the talent whose chilling area was close to our changing rooms.

The stage appearance was quite surreal. It was pretty late already and I was tired, and suddenly I was standing on this stage with thousands of people cheering and taking photos. I will certainly remember that for a long time! (and how I kept thinking “don’t fall, don’t stumble” as I went on stage).

ESL: Which cosplays shown in Frankfurt were your favorites?
Meruna: Oh wow, there were so many! Of course, the other cosplayers in the top ten were stunning. I was especially impressed with Caefire’s Enchantress – I love unusual constructions like that. But there were also first-time cosplayers that did an incredible job, especially MissSnowfox’s Mirana, BlackHydrus’s Queen of Pain and the two female Bloodseekers (Angelina and Elle).

ESL: Tell us about the cosplay you’re preparing for ESL One Frankfurt 2016 – who will it be and why?
Meruna: I will be cosplaying as Wraith King in the Relics of the Sundered King set by ChiZ. After two pretty but rather revealing cosplays, I got tired of diets and felt like doing some kickass full body armor instead. At first I didn’t consider Wraith King an option, but the set I chose features a helmet so no one can see that I am not a bearded old man. Plus the design of the sword allows for disassembly for easier transport.

WIP of my Wraith King #cosplay. So much left to do! More info -> https://t.co/xQ5cAVStF6 pic.twitter.com/nJOksBwMqt

— Meruna (@Meruna_) February 29, 2016

Right now I have finished building the armor out of EVA foam, which is a material commonly used for floor or yoga mats. It’s light and cheap – which is great as I have used 8 square meters so far! Next I’ll have to do a lot of cleaning up, then the priming and painting.

ESL: That seems like quite the challenge! Which part of the costume is the most difficult to make?
Meruna: That would be the sword. As I said above, the sword needs to disassemble to be able to travel to events with me, so I needed to construct the 1.5 meter sword in a way that meant it could fit into a suitcase but be assembled easily and stably. Because of the shattered design, I built a wooden core that I can insert two acrylic rods into and attach a handle to. That makes five pieces! Sometimes things in cosplay go wrong, but I honestly surprised myself with how stable this solution is, given the frail design of the sword.

Quite happy with how the bottom of the sword turned out. Looking forward to painting, but even more to bed now. pic.twitter.com/9TSdmZke7y

— Meruna (@Meruna_) March 20, 2016

ESL: Will this be your first time gender bending and cosplaying a male character?
Meruna: I don’t think of this as a gender bend – the armour really hides me well and my goal is to appear in a way that people cannot tell I’m a girl. But it is the first time I am following a reference designed for a male character.

I have been asked quite frequently if it will be called “Wraith Queen”, but as I am sticking entirely to the reference I will just be calling it a “Wraith King” cosplay without any prefixes like “gender bend” (to be quite honest, “Wraith Queen” makes me think of a type of cosplay that I do not want to identify with). The only thing I am not replicating is his face. I chose the design because the helmet wouldn’t require me to, and I don’t want to put a lot of work – and making prosthetics and facial hair would certainly be a lot work – into something that can’t be seen later. I will be wearing a wig to cover my hair so I can take the helmet off without going entirely out of character, though.

Not done, but couldn’t help myself and had to try my Wraith King #cosplay on. More info -> https://t.co/hbBPyT8g8m pic.twitter.com/P7QmLH6Kdn

— Meruna (@Meruna_) March 15, 2016

ESL: How tough do you think the cosplay competition will be compared to previous years?
Meruna: I think it will be insanely hard! The 2015 competition already featured so many fantastic cosplayers that even calling a top ten was impossible. And seeing what everyone has planned for this year’s contest… I will be giving my best in the contest, but I’ll definitely be entering it without any expectations.

ESL: What are you most looking forward to at ESL One Frankfurt 2016?
Meruna: Meeting all my cosplay and Dota friends! I only see those people at events, and that means sometimes I don’t see them for a full year. Of course, I am also really looking forward to the contest, wearing the cosplay and some great Dota!

ESL: Thank you so much for your time, Meruna. The last words belong to you!
Meruna: I’d like to thank Cem and SwissDotaCommunity for supporting me with my cosplay adventures. Of course, a big thank you to all my followers who keep motivating me to work even harder with all their kind words. Lastly, thanks to ESL for being so awesome to cosplayers!

Be sure to follow Meruna on Twitter and Facebook to see more of her work!

See you in Frankfurt in June!

ESL One Frankfurt 2016 kicks off at the Commerzbank Arena on June the 18th but feel free to join us at Sam’s Sportsbar on the 17th for our group stage public viewing and opening party!

Tickets are available now so be sure not to miss this amazing event and a true celebration of Dota 2 – we’re looking forward to seeing you there.

For all important information, visit the ESL One Frankfurt official website and follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook.

Last year, Roman “TanakhT” Pivec awed everyone with his outstanding Timbersaw cosplay and took first place in the competition. This year, he is returning to Frankfurt with a brand new costume. Here we chat with him about ESL One Frankfurt, cosplaying and more ahead of the upcoming event.

ESL: Hi there, TanakhT – great chatting to you again! What have you been up to since last year’s ESL One Frankfurt?
TanakhT: Hello! Well, I had a really great year – I made a new Timbersaw set and I made Sven for the Frankfurt Major. Frankfurt is just such a nice city I had to be there twice!

ESL: Last year, you awed everyone with your Timbersaw cosplay and took first place in the cosplay competition. What were the best reactions to your costume and how did they make you feel?
TanakhT: It felt completely different to what I am used to. At most conventions not everyone recognizes Dota, but at ESL One where everybody knew who I am it was just amazing. I was so overwhelmed with the reactions – at one point I was standing in the middle of circle of people who wanted to take a picture with me. I was standing there for good hour.

ESL: What went through your head when you realized that you won the competition and got to go on stage to claim the main prize?
TanakhT: I had no idea I’d won until I was the last person standing under the stage – then it hit me and I felt an adrenaline rush so I don’t really remember what happened when I climbed that stage. I mean, all of the contestants were so good and deserved the win – I was only the lucky one so it felt really awesome.

ESL: How difficult was it to walk around the venue in such a complex costume? Did it take any damage during the event?
TanakhT: Once I was outside, it was easy. Getting out of backstage was quite complicated but the stairs were really wide. I made the costume as flexible as I could so it was really fun walking around. No damage as far as I know during the event, but it took some hits on the way home.

ESL: Were there any cosplays that stood out for you at the event?
TanakhT: All of them! Seriously! Shendelzare? For real? The best Venge set, Enchantress, Legion, beautiful Maidens and Linas, QoPs and Windrangers! I can’t really pick one or two – I loved them all!

ESL: What is your favorite memory from ESL One Frankfurt 2015?
TanakhT: My favorite memory goes back down to backstage. Right after I went offstage, there was Team Secret playing after us. I was in the costume, walking through the corridor and I saw Puppey. I wanted a picture with him but I didn’t have my phone on me, of course, so I asked my friends to get it but it took quite a long time. All of the members of Secret were gone but Puppey stood there waiting for me. Some guy made a joke like: “Yeah, who would want to win a tournament if you could take a picture with Timbersaw?” We took a picture and I am so happy for it!

ESL: You also attended Road to BlizzCon in Prague as Annoy-o-Tron and the Frankfurt Major as Sven – tell us more about these costumes.
TanakhT: Oh, you are well informed! Prague is my hometown so there was no way I wouldn’t go there and the contest looked good. Blizzard has some really serious games but it wouldn’t be me to do something ‘regular’. I made Annoy-o-Tron to entertain people – it had an air horn, huge bell, megaphone instead of a nose and even functional light beacons. It was a 30-day project and I liked the outcome. People went crazy when I played “Hello! Hello! Hello!” very loudly. And for the Majors, I had Sven. I made him because one of my good friends Kata was going with her Crystal Maiden, so I kinda wanted to enforce the CM/Sven fandom. It was also a 30-day project. It is really comfortable and easy to transport – that was a huge plus. And I was really surprised when some people came up to me and asked if I was the Timbersaw from ESL One – that really melted my heart!

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ESL: What are you preparing for ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and what was the decision process behind picking this particular cosplay?
TanakhT: I am gonna bring my Dragon Knight cosplay, Knight of the Burning Scale set. The set looks amazing – it’s just ‘something different’. I want 2016 to be less insanely big costumes and more detailed ones. I fell in love with this set and contacted the maker about some details and for advice.

 

A video posted by Roman Pivec (@tanakhtcosplay) on

Mar 14, 2016 at 5:59am PDT

 

A photo posted by Roman Pivec (@tanakhtcosplay) on

Feb 28, 2016 at 2:00pm PST

ESL: Impressive! What part of the costume is the biggest challenge crafting-wise?
TanakhT: All of it! No, seriously – I made almost all the parts twice as I didn’t like the first one every time. But the one I spent the most time on was the helmet – it needed a lot of adjustments to look as badass as it does in-game.

ESL: What made you decide to come back to Frankfurt for another Dota 2 event?
TanakhT: I love Dota, I love the people behind it, I love the atmosphere. I enjoyed it so much last year that I will be staying a few more days this time.

ESL: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s event?
TanakhT: Some great games! But apart from that, I wanna do all the attractions this year. I hope that balloon guy is gonna be there again – I want a Dragon Knight’s ulti out of balloons. And I heard some rumors about some kind of ‘artist alley’, which sounds really interesting to me. I want this year to be more chill and less competing.

ESL: Thanks for talking with us and see you in Frankfurt! Are there any shoutouts you’d like to make?
TahankhT: The pleasure is mine! Yes, I would like to thank Tom for taking such great care of us cosplayers – he has no idea what it means to us. I would like to wish good luck to all the cosplayers coming – I hope they all finish in time! And, most importantly, my parents and my fiancée for their support and for letting me make a mess in the house and not complaining that much.

Be sure to follow TanakhT on Instagram and Facebook to see more of his impressive work!

Join TanakhT and other great cosplayers in Frankfurt

ESL One Frankfurt 2016 will be Europe’s biggest celebration of everything Dota 2 so be sure to join us at this epic event – grab yourself a ticket here!

For all the information about the event, visit the official website and remember to follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook to make sure to never miss an update.

However, ESL One Frankfurt is not only about the thrilling matches – it’s also celebrating the entire Dota 2 scene including the artists and, of course, cosplayers. We are happy to be bringing back the official ESL One Frankfurt cosplay competition and welcome everyone who wants to enrich the event with their talent and take a shot at winning some great prizes.

What’s on the line?

The total prize pool includes €2,500 in cash and multiple sponsored prizes, with the former broken down as follows:

• First place: €1,000
• Second place: €500
• Third place: €375
• Fourth place: €250
• Fifth place: €125
• Sixth to tenth place: €50

Sign up for the ESL One Frankfurt cosplay competition here!

See you there!

We can’t wait to see all of the great cosplay at the Commerzbank Arena! ESL One Frankfurt 2016 kicks off on June the 18th – join us for the epic Dota 2 event and grab yourself a ticket here!

For all the important information about the event, visit the official website and make sure to follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates.