StarCraft II – ESL https://esl.com Feel the passion for esports Tue, 20 Feb 2024 09:36:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://esl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ESL-Favicon-green-512-150x150.png StarCraft II – ESL https://esl.com 32 32 Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice 2024: Team Spirit and Serral crowned new Champions following two electrifying Grand Finals https://esl.com/article/intel-extreme-masters-katowice-2024-team-spirit-and-serral-crowned-new-champions-following-two-electrifying-grand-finals/ Mon, 12 Feb 2024 11:34:00 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=31423 The Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2024 Grand Finals have concluded, with BASILISK’s Joona “Serral” Sotala named the new StarCraft® II Champion and Team Spirit being crowned the Counter-Strike 2 Champions. While BASILISK’s Joona “Serral” Sotala returns for a second time, Team Spirit joins the legendary Hall of Heroes for the first time in history.

Check out our full recap of IEM Katowice 2024

]]> ESL Pro Tour Season 23/24 Announcement https://esl.com/article/esl-pro-tour-season-23-24-announcement/ Fri, 24 Feb 2023 09:28:04 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=29808 The StarCraft® II legacy continues as ESL, an ESL FACEIT Group brand, today announced the 2023/24 program for the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) in StarCraft II, featuring weekly ESL Open Cups, two online ESL StarCraft II Masters Regionals with live Finals, and the live EPT Championship. 

Going into the coming year, what was previously known as DreamHack StarCraft II Masters will be rebranded and titled ESL StarCraft II Masters. Players and fans can still expect the same professional competitions and excitement, while also being able to look forward to a brand new format. 

Find out more in our full press release

]]> Dates for the two most momentous ESL esports tournaments of 2023 confirmed https://esl.com/article/dates-for-the-two-most-momentous-esl-esports-tournaments-of-2023-confirmed/ https://esl.com/article/dates-for-the-two-most-momentous-esl-esports-tournaments-of-2023-confirmed/#respond Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:19:00 +0000 https://esl.com/?p=27880 ESL, part of ESL FACEIT Group, today announced details of the two pinnacle esports events within the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and of the World Championship of StarCraft® II (SC2): Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2023 and IEM Cologne 2023. 

Esport fans from around the globe can kick off the countdown as the first EPT Championship event of 2023, IEM Katowice will occur between January 31 – February 12, with the CS:GO Playoffs being played out live at the Spodek Arena and the final days of the StarCraft® II World Championship taking place at the International Congress Center in Katowice, Poland. Those eager for even more CS:GO action can start preparing for IEM Cologne, scheduled between July 25 – August 6, with the Playoff Stage being played live at the LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany.

“It’s always an honor to invite fans back to two of the most recognizable esports events worldwide,” said Shaun Clark, Senior Director Game Ecosystems – CS:GO at ESL FACEIT Group. “There’s nothing more rewarding for us than being able to put on truly epic experiences for our communities, to spend time enjoying the greatest players and teams on our planet competing at the highest levels at both Intel Extreme Masters: Katowice & Cologne. The IEM spirit is inimitable and we are already bubbling with excitement as we begin the annual planning to host two of the most passionate esports events.”

IEM Katowice 2023

Continuing it’s legacy, IEM Katowice returns to the Spodek Arena for the 11th time, filling the city of Katowice with world-class esports as 24 of the world’s top CS:GO teams will face off for a share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool and to engrave their name into the history of esports.

  • January 31-February 1:Taking place in a studio environment, the Play-in Stage will see 16 teams battle it out for one of eight available spots in the next phase of the competition.
  • February 2-5: In the Group Stage, these eight teams will be joined by eight already qualified teams. The top six proceed to the final phase of the tournament.
  • February 10-12: During the Playoff Stage, the iconic Spodek Arena will open its doors to thousands of fans eager to cheer on the six final teams that will be battling it out for the coveted title.

Furthermore, IEM Katowice 2023 will also host the StarCraft® II World Championship, where 36 of the best players from around the globe duel until one is declared the new official World Champion. The Championship features a $500,000 total prize pool and commences in the second week of February. The final days of the competition will be played out live on a dedicated stage at the International Congress Center on February 10-12.

Last but not least, the return of the leading esports-centric tradeshow, the IEM Expo, at the International Congress Center will excite many gaming and esports enthusiasts as they have the opportunity to visit the 8,000 square meters of exhibition space and enjoy three full days of entertaining activities, discover the latest in PC gaming and technology, marvel at additional esports tournaments, and much more. Stay tuned as more info will be announced.

The ticket sale for IEM Katowice 2023 starts on September 22 at 3 PM CEST time. Ticket details and pricing are available here.

IEM Cologne 2023

The Cathedral of Counter-Strike will light up again for the 7th time in 2023. After the success of IEM Cologne 2022, one of the highest viewed tournaments of all time, fans were left even more excited for the following year. Featuring a $1,000,000 total prize pool, IEM Cologne 2023 will therefore once again bring the nerve-racking action to the passionate fans around the globe:

  • July 25-26: Following a similar setup and structure as IEM Katowice 2023, the Play-in Stage of IEM Cologne will host 16 teams, of which only eight can proceed to the next round.
  • July 27-30: The Group Stage will see those teams, together with eight already qualified teams, battle it out to be one of six quarter- and semi-finalists.
  • August 4-6: In the Playoff Stage, the six best teams will show off their skill in front of a live audience in the famous LANXESS arena to ultimately secure the Championship title.

The ticket sale for IEM Cologne 2023 starts on September 27 at 3 PM CEST. For more information, head to the official website.

To stay up to date with all the news and ticket information, head to esl.gg/katowice and esl.gg/cologne, follow ESL CS on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and follow ESL SC2 on Twitter and Facebook.

For more general information, head to eslfaceitgroup.com or follow ESL on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

]]> https://esl.com/article/dates-for-the-two-most-momentous-esl-esports-tournaments-of-2023-confirmed/feed/ 0 EPT to spice up 2022 for all StarCraft II fans https://esl.com/article/ept-to-spice-up-2022-for-all-starcraft-ii-fans/ https://esl.com/article/ept-to-spice-up-2022-for-all-starcraft-ii-fans/#respond Wed, 12 Jan 2022 09:52:49 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2022/01/ept-to-spice-up-2022-for-all-starcraft-ii-fans/ Starting in May with DreamHack SC2 Masters, the new run of ESL Pro Tour in StarCraft II is set to bring us a full year packed with online tournaments as well as the long awaited return to LAN!

]]> Starting in May with DreamHack SC2 Masters, the new run of ESL Pro Tour in StarCraft II is set to bring us a full year packed with online tournaments as well as the long awaited return to LAN!

With over $1 million USD in prize money up for grabs at the three big stops at DreamHack Summer, DreamHack Atlanta and the Championship at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, the ESL Pro Tour is here to make the next 12 month packed with action. On top, up to 100,000 US$ in additional prize money support as well as EPT points will go to HomeStory Cups XXII and XXIII in July and December as well as TeamLiquid StarLeague 9 starting in July, giving players even more chances to path their way to the EPT Championship.

While safety will remain the highest priority when planning those events, and a good portion of the upcoming action being planned online stages, we are looking forward to bringing the StarCraft II community together both online and offline throughout a thrilling year of competition. Starting in April, ESL Open Cups will once again be yet another place to earn points and to climb the ranks on the road to Katowice.

Make sure to follow ESL SC2 on Twitter to keep up to date with all the action coming your way!

]]> https://esl.com/article/ept-to-spice-up-2022-for-all-starcraft-ii-fans/feed/ 0 StarCraft® II & Warcraft® III Enter Second Year with Full Planning Unveiled https://esl.com/article/starcraft-ii-warcraft-iii-enter-second-year-with-full-planning-unveiled/ https://esl.com/article/starcraft-ii-warcraft-iii-enter-second-year-with-full-planning-unveiled/#respond Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:23:58 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2021/12/starcraft-ii-warcraft-iii-enter-second-year-with-full-planning-unveiled/  

 

]]> StarCraft® II & Warcraft® III competitions are set to return in May 2021, with qualifiers starting in April, for the lead up to the next ESL Pro Tour Championship of 2022. Today’s announcement confirms the full calendar for both titles, an advanced planning for combating the dynamic COVID-19 status as well as the removal of region lock which will see South Korean players able to compete on a regular basis in international SC2 tournaments since 2016.

Before diving in, we’d like to take this opportunity to announce our prospective tournament planning but want to be transparent with the community that these plans are subject to change. If COVID-19 remains a major barrier to safety for mass gatherings, then we will need to scale our plans accordingly. However if things progress positively then there’s a good chance that we will all be able to get back together fans, players, and community alike in 2021.

StarCraft II
The 2021/2022 season will have four EPT Masters competitions ahead of the EPT Championship in 2022.

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Summer 2021 – $170,000
Qualifiers: May 11 – 16
Regionals: May 19 – Jun 6
Finals: Jul 1 – 4

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Fall 2021- $170,000
Qualifiers: Jul 20 – 25
Regionals: Jul 28 – Aug 15
Finals: Sep 9 – 12

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Winter 2021- $170,000
Qualifiers: Sep 21 – 26
Regionals: Sep 29 – Oct 17
Finals: Nov 11-14

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Last Chance 2022- $40,000
Qualifiers: Dec 14 – 19
Finals: Jan 11-16, 2022

EPT Championship: IEM Katowice 2022- $500,000
Feb/March, 2022

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Summer, Fall & Winter:
These tournaments will continue to operate similar to 2020, each with a regional component which culminates with a 16 player Season Finals that sees players from each part of the globe competing. Keeping in mind our dynamic planning status, the biggest change we are making is our hope for players to meet face to face. Our Plan A is that each of these tournaments are to become an in-person studio show from Europe.

If COVID-19 remains a barrier, we will be required to revert these competitions back to global online tournaments the same we saw in 2020. If we feel more positive through 2021, our hope is that we will be able to take one of these back to a DreamHack festival. In that case, the tournament formatting would adjust to our familiar format from festivals of recent years with an 80 player tournament. The 16 players who would have previously qualified for the online/studio finals would now be deep seeded into Group Stage 3, skipping the first few rounds of the competition.

Similar to 2020, there will be reserved slots for South Korean players to compete in each of the respective tournaments. Another change we are happy to announce is that upon the return of DreamHack festivals South Korean players will be able to sign-up, travel & compete within the open bracket of these offline tournaments.

Dreamhack SC2 Masters: Last Chance 2022
This tournament will operate slightly differently to the three core seasonal pillars with it’s own server based qualifier structure and as the final opportunity in early 2022 for all players to shuffle their EPT standing and more importantly offer one final direct invitation ahead the EPT Championship.  In this event if the winner already has earned a slot in the EPT Championship then it will travel downward, with players needing to break a tie with a playoff live at the event.

EPT Championship 2022
Planned to take place at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2022 as the World Champion crowning competition, this tournament will once again feature the best players across the globe with it’s $500,000 prize pool. With the hope of returning to in-person competition in 2021, the slot distribution matrix has been tweaked to reflect these changes:

ESL Open Cups
The cups will continue to operate almost identical to 2020 and will begin from January 4th. These will continue to award the same prize pool and EPT Points the same as through the 2020 calendar year, however we will stop awarding EPT Points after the January 11 Cup, looking ahead to the EPT Championship. Points awarding will resume again on April 5th, one month following our winner being crowned for our 2020-21 season.

For a full distribution of prize money and ESL Pro Tour point allocation please visit HERE.

Warcraft III
In 2021 there will be three fully online EPT competitions ahead of the EPT Championship planned at the end of the year in 2021.

DreamHack WC3 Open: Spring 2021 – $25,000
Qualifiers: April 17 – 18 & 24 – 25
Regionals: May 5 – 30

DreamHack WC3 Open: Summer 2021 – $25,000
Qualifiers: Jul 10 – 11 & 17 – 18
Regionals: Jul 28 – Aug 22

DreamHack WC3 Open: Fall 2021 – $25,000
Qualifiers: Sep 18 – 19 & 25 – 26
Regionals: Oct 6 – 31

EPT Championship: DH WC3 Championship 2021 – $100,000
December, 2021

Spring, Summer & Fall:
Similar to 2020, there will be three seasons of online competition split into three regional components of Europe, America, and Asia. They will operate identical to the previous year offering players prize money & EPT points in order to qualify for the subsequent EPT Championship.

EPT Championship:
Planned to take place at the end of the calendar year, the EPT Championship competition will have 16 players from the three core regions compete.

ESL Open Cups:
We are increasing the scope of the ESL Open Cups to now take place in all three of our core regions that we see our main competitions in across Europe, America, and Asia. More importantly from April 5th 2021, these competitions will now contribute ESL Pro Tour points and will become a fundamental part of the foundation of the EPT structure. Following our DreamHack Championship we will also be moving these to be played on Mondays for the year duration.

For a full distribution of prize money and ESL Pro Tour point allocation please visit HERE.

Wrapping Up
While being optimistic that a return to the original design of the ESL Pro Tour is close, we want to remain realistic and transparent on our planning. What we are telling you about today is our latest planning and could change depending on how the world looks in the coming months. We aim to remain flexible in our plans similar to how we saw this year unfold, 2020 has been a complicated year for us all and we thank you for your patience as we navigate a quickly changing landscape.
We hope you are enjoying our first year of the ESL and Blizzard partnership and we’re excited to bring you two more, starting next year and going through our season in 2022-23. We want to wish you all a happy holiday season and we will return in early 2021 to keep you informed on our latest planning.

Make sure to follow us on social media:
StarCraft II: Twitter/Facebook
Warcraft 3: Twitter/Facebook

]]> https://esl.com/article/starcraft-ii-warcraft-iii-enter-second-year-with-full-planning-unveiled/feed/ 0 ESL Pro Tour Changes to StarCraft II and Warcraft III https://esl.com/article/esl-pro-tour-changes-to-starcraft-ii-and-warcraft-iii/ https://esl.com/article/esl-pro-tour-changes-to-starcraft-ii-and-warcraft-iii/#respond Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:20:27 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2021/12/esl-pro-tour-changes-to-starcraft-ii-and-warcraft-iii/  

 

]]> StarCraft II & WarCraft III competitions are set to return from June 2020 in the lead up to the Masters Championship of 2021. They’re also coming back bigger than ever before as we’ve installed an increase of over 75 days of competition across both titles compared to our original planning. We’ve made changes that players, fans & community members can get excited about; we believe this to be the best possible system we could have rebuilt.

StarCraft II

Masters Tournaments

All SC2 tournaments in 2020 will take place online as multi regional competitions, with a return to offline events expected in 2021. There will be 3 seasons of competitive play:

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Summer

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Fall

DreamHack SC2 Masters: Winter

Each season will consist of 6 regional divisions:

Each season will be played across a 5-6 week period starting with qualifiers and concluding with a Season Finals.

The Format
Europe:

4x 8 Player RR Groups – Top 4 Qualify (16)

16 Player DE Bracket (8x UB & 8 LB)

North America:

2x 8 Player RR Groups – Top 4 Qualify (8)

8 Player DE Bracket (4x UB & 4 LB)
 

Latin America, Oceania/RoA, China, TW/HK/MACAU/JP:

2x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (4)
4 Player DE Bracket

Season Finals
The season final introduces global competition. Once regional divisions conclude and the best players from each have been crowned, each division will take their top finishing player(s) to compete for the title of Season Champion. This will include players from South Korea, bringing the world together for a weekend of global competition.

The Format:
Season Finals
4 x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (8)
8 Player SE Bracket

Masters Championship
As originally designed, 36 players will travel to IEM Katowice 2021. The slot distribution will be split between the 7 global regions into Ro24 or Ro36 allotments.

*5x players will earn direct qualification through Global competitions.
IEM Katowice 2020: Rogue
GSL Season 1: TBD
GSL Season 2: TBD
GSL Season 3: TBD
Global SC2 Masters 2021: TBD

Each regional division will compete for ESL Pro Tour points across the 3 seasons to qualify for designated positions into the Masters Championship. In total there are 20x Ro24 and 16x Ro36 positions.

ESL Open Cups
All cups receive a $300 increase (+300%) and will move from Sunday to Monday starting May 18th ending January 18th, 2021. This decision was made based on the upcoming TeamLiquid Starleague & EPT competitions that will take priority on weekends. The decision here is to allow players a choice to compete in both. The prize money increase per region is a decision made after evaluating the recent success of an increase in participation and viewership; we are happy to reward the competition with this upgrade.

1st place: $200 & 10 EPT points
2nd place: $100 & 5 EPT points
3rd/4th place: $50

This $34,200 increase will expire on January 18th, 2021. With this change, we are also changing the Ro4 matches to Bo5.

Prize money & ESL Pro Tour points
For each season there is $238,500 to compete for:

European: $84,000
North America: $38,000
Latin America: $17,200
Oceania/Rest of Asia: $14,100
Taiwan / Hong Kong / Macau / Japan: $14,100
China: $14,100
Season Finals: $57,000

For a full distribution of prize money & for the ESL Pro Tour point allocation please visit here.

WarCraft III

Challenger Tournaments
All WC3 tournaments in 2020 will take place online as multi regional competition with an expected return to offline competition in 2021. There will be 3 seasons of competition:

DreamHack WC3 Open: Summer
DreamHack WC3 Open: Fall
DreamHack WC3 Open: Winter

Each season will consist of 3 regional divisions:

 

Each season will be played across a 4 week period starting with qualifiers and concluding with a Season Finals.

The Format:

Europe:
4x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (8)
8 Player DE Bracket

North America:
2x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (4)
4 Player SE Bracket

Asia:
2x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (4)
4 Player SE Bracket

Season Finals
The season final introduces global competition. Once regional divisions conclude and the best players from each have been crowned, each division will take their top finishing player(s) to compete for the title of Season Champion.

The Format
Season Finals:
2x 4 Player GSL Groups – Top 2 Qualify (4)
4 Player SE Bracket

WC3 Championship
The Championship is moving from December 2020 to IEM Katowice 2021. 15 positions will be split between the 3 regions, with Moon qualifying from DH Anaheim.

Each regional division will compete for ESL Pro Tour points across the 3 seasons to qualify for designated positions into the WC3 Championship.

Prize money
For each season there will be $35,000 to compete for:

Europe: $10,000
North America: $5,000
Asia: $10,500
Season Finals: $10,000

For a full distribution of prize money & for the ESL Pro Tour point allocation please visit here.

FAQ

Are there more details on the fall & winter season schedules?
We will release the detailed schedule for both titles closer to the start times of each season.

What happens with my EPT Points now that everything is regional?
Already gained EPT points will be taken to the players respective division. Example: Serral with 600 global EPT points will take his points to the European division to compete for the allotment to the Masters Championship.

Are EPT points awarded from ESL Open Cups going to also be regionalized?
No, the ESL Open Cups will remain global points. The EPT points earned from these will be transferred to the region of the winning players.

Which division do I play in?
A detailed policy will be outlined in our updated rulebook. However our intention will be prioritized on residency. 

How & when do the invitations for the division work?
We will invite based on the EPT Ranking and will invite all players to the division after the conclusion of TSL 5.

How do non-Korean players living in Korea work?
These players are welcome to compete in their respective home region alongside competing in GSL.

How will you deal with server ruling in the regular season but more importantly the Season Finals?
All details will be released within our rulebook advance to the first season of competition. Each division will have a home server that all matches must take place on while the rules for the season finals are still to be determined.

Make sure to follow us on social media for all the latest news and updates!
StarCraft II: Twitter/Facebook

Warcraft 3: Twitter/Facebook

]]> https://esl.com/article/esl-pro-tour-changes-to-starcraft-ii-and-warcraft-iii/feed/ 0 StarCraft®II celebrates a Decade as a Leading Title on Intel® Extreme Masters https://esl.com/article/starcraftii-celebrates-a-decade-as-a-leading-title-on-intel-extreme-masters/ https://esl.com/article/starcraftii-celebrates-a-decade-as-a-leading-title-on-intel-extreme-masters/#respond Mon, 02 Mar 2020 09:28:51 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2020/03/starcraftii-celebrates-a-decade-as-a-leading-title-on-intel-extreme-masters/ We'll host our 33rd SC2 competition with 76 players competing for their share of a US$ 400,000 prize pool in Katowice, Poland.

 

]]> In partnership with Intel® and Blizzard Entertainment, we are proud to announce the return of StarCraft® II (SC2) to Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice in 2020.

This tournament will mark the 10th anniversary of StarCraft as a leading title on IEM and will again invite the world’s best SC2 players to compete in Poland this winter for their share of a US $250,000 base prize pool. The tournament takes place starting on February 24, culminating in the legendary Spodek Arena on March 1st.

“For ten years, StarCraft II has delivered some of the most legendary moments on our stages,” said Michal Blicharz, VP of Pro Gaming at ESL. “Blizzard titles have always been a part of the Intel® Extreme Masters DNA, and legacy is something that’s incredibly important to us to maintain and develop. SC2 helps us cultivate a living thread back to the very first years of Intel® Extreme Masters.”

“StarCraft II ushered in a new era of esports, and Intel® Extreme Masters has been an essential partner in the growth of the StarCraft II global scene over the past decade,” said Sam Braithwaite, Global Director of Hearthstone, World of Warcraft & Classic Games Esports at Blizzard Entertainment. “Katowice is the only place we could imagine beginning 2020 to celebrate the legacy and continued impact of StarCraft II on the past, present, and future of live competitive entertainment.” 

Players from all over the world are invited to join the journey to the Spodek Arena beginning from online qualification starting in January 2020. Qualifiers will lead to the first stages of offline competition in late February. 

-Round-of-76 (Feb 24 – Feb 25): 64 players, based on the 2019 WCS World Ranking, will compete across two days for advancement into the Round-of-24 (Ro24). Twelve players will proceed to the Ro24 where the 2019 WCS Global Champion and eleven online qualified players will await them. The competition will be broadcast from the studio at ESL Arena Katowice.

-Round-of-24 (Feb 27 – Feb 29): The IEM Expo will host the Ro24 for three days. Visitors are welcome to watch this round live across February 28 and 29.

-Top Four and Grand Finals (March 1st): The top four players resulting from the Ro24 will play live in front of thousands of spectators in the prestigious Spodek Arena, home of esports, for their share of the US $250,000 base prize pool.

Tickets will go public on October 31st. Premium tickets to the StarCraft II finals on stage in Spodek will be available for 500PLN, including a goodie bag, free drinks during the matches (only non-alcoholic) and seating in the infield to guarantee visitors a premium viewing experience. 

Tickets for the whole experience at IEM Katowice range in price between 70PLN for a day-ticket and 650PLN for the Premium ticket, giving access to the event on all three tournament days and much more.

To stay up-to-date with the tournament and upcoming qualifiers, follow StarCraft II on Twitter and Facebook and visit the official website: intelextrememasters.com.

 
]]> https://esl.com/article/starcraftii-celebrates-a-decade-as-a-leading-title-on-intel-extreme-masters/feed/ 0 The end of an era in stats, farewell Go4SC2! https://esl.com/article/the-end-of-an-era-in-stats-farewell-go4sc2-2/ Mon, 19 Aug 2019 07:03:28 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2019/08/the-end-of-an-era-in-stats-farewell-go4sc2-2/ After 9 years the Go4SC2 - the longest running series of online cups ever hosted for StarCraft II - comes to an end. As a small thank you to the community, we've collected the most relevant numbers our beloved cup left behind.

 

]]> The Go4SC2, the longest running series of online cups ever hosted for StarCraft II, comes to an end after nine years. As a small thank you to the community, we’ve collected the most relevant stats that marked our beloved cup.

Taking place since march of 2010, during the first weeks of the Wings of Liberty Beta, this tournament series fulfilled an important role for the StarCraft community. Setting the bar for standardized competitive environments, it became a place for players to challenge themselves against some of the very best contenders in Europe. Cash prizes, glory and a place in StarCraft II history were at stake every week.

A tournament is nothing without its players, without the stories they wrote by winning, by taking that last map of the series to the most impossible situation and making a comeback to secure the title. Some of those stories were already highlighted in our previous piece. However godly these players may be, they were only four of the many, many that made the Go4 what it was. It would not be fair if we left without mentioning some of the players that were, and still are with us.

Thank you to all our Go4SC2 winners throughout the years:

Abbadon, Abstract, Achilles, AcRo, Adelscott, aLive, Apocalypse, AqueroN, ArchangeL, Arctur, Aristeo, Armani, Artist, As, AvaTaR, Avekatten, Avokado, BabyKnight, Basior, Beastyqt, Bee, BeNSeN, biGs, Billowy, BlinG, Blord, BluE, Bly, BratOK, Breathe, BsK, Bunny, BuRning, BurNinGKR, CBSchatten, Chubz, Clem, ClouD, Complain, control, CoolTea, Crow, Cube, Daisy, DaNa, DarKFoRcE, DarkHydra, Dayshi, Daysi, DBS, DeathAngel, DeathMask, Delking, Delphi, DeMusliM, Denver, deslice, DeViL, DieStar, DIMAGA, DMC, DnS, Dragon, DreAm, Druzdill, Eeel, Elazer, Elbegast, elfi, ExE, FanTaSy, Fargo, Farmer, FeaR, First, Forsen, Forte, fraer, Friend, FristZerg, Funk, funkay, Gamja, GenjiTakiya, Gerald, ghasT, Giantt, goblin, Golden, GoOdy, Goswser, GunGFuBanDa, Guru, Hades, HaNfy, Happy, HappyZerg, Harstem, HasuObs, HateMe, Hazed, Healer, Hellraiser, HeltEn, HeRoMaRinE, hG, hinO, HiTcH, hOpe, HuK, Hunter, Hush, Hydra, HyuN, ImBaTosS, Indy, InZaNe, iRa, Jaedong, January, jimpo, jjakji, joe, JonnyREcco, Kalin, Kane, Kas, KeeN, Kenshin, KensShow, KnowMe, Kop, KrasS, Krolu, Kroly, Krystianer, LaLuSh, Lambo, LamborGhiNi, Leenock, Light, Lilbow, Lillekanin, LiveZerg, LoWeLy, Lucifer, LucifroN, Lucky, Majestic, MajOr, MaNa, Mantis, Mardow, MarineLorD, Matiz, MC, MeteoRain, Minato, Miszu, MMA, MoMaN, monchi, Monty, MorroW, Mvp, Naama, Namshar, NaNiwa, Naugrim, NCMYdachNiGG, Neeb, Nerazim, Nerchio, Neytpoh, NightEnD, Nimitz, Nitix, Noname, nukestrike, pal, PappiJoe, ParanOid, Patience, PenguiN, Petraeus, PiG, Pink, Primelot, Ptak, PtitDrogo, Quent, qxc, Rail, Rasowy, ReaL, rekrutGG, Relmer, Revival, Revolution, Revolver, Reynor, Rine, Rmdx, Rodzyn, Roll, Romson, roof, RotterdaM, Ryosis, RZP, Sacsri, Sage, San, SarenS, Satiini, ScaM, Scandalous, Scandicain, Seala, Semper, Seniin, Senin, Senn, SenSei, ShaDoWn, ShimOon, Shino, ShoWTimE, Shuttle, Silvano, Siw, SjoW, Skillous, Skinky, SLiDeR, sLivko, Snute, Socke, Sohel, Solar, soniCSysteM, SortOf, souL, SouLeer, SpaceMarine, SpellSinger, Starbuck, StarDust, starkiller, StarNaN, Stephano, Strange, Strelok, Super, sYz, Taeja, TAiLS, TargA, Tarrantius, Tarson, TcUltimate, Teddyy, Teebul, Tefel, TheWeakness, TheZergLord, Tholor, TitaN, TLO, ToD, TomikuS, ToXiV, TrOn, Turuk, twice5, Underdark, Unix, uThermal, Vanya, Verdi, VersuchsTier, VortiX, Waka, Wanderer, Welmu, White-Ra, Winckel, woodedmicrob, xEi, yingyang, YoDa, YoGo, Zanster, Zazu, ZerO, ZhuGeLiang, Ziggy, Znow, TRUE

And thank you readers, viewers, streamers. To everyone who joined us in this nine-year-long run, GG WP!

Follow our official Starcraft 2 accounts on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on all things SC2!
 
Text and graphics by Dimitri “Sinistro” Calcavanti and Nicolas “MMY” Hammer.

 

]]> soO finally breaks the curse at IEM Katowice 2019 https://esl.com/article/soo-finally-breaks-the-curse-at-iem-katowice-2019/ https://esl.com/article/soo-finally-breaks-the-curse-at-iem-katowice-2019/#respond Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:06:09 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2019/04/soo-finally-breaks-the-curse-at-iem-katowice-2019/  

 

]]> The IEM Season XIII Katowice event was a fantastic display of Starcraft 2 skill, with 76 players from around the world competing for a prize pool of $400,000 and the coveted IEM Katowice Trophy. There were many close games and just as many upsets, culminating in an extremely emotional ending.

The Group Stage

The 64 initial players at the Spodek Arena were quickly whittled down, leaving 12 to make it to the Playoffs

Protoss:
-Stats (Top of Group A)
-Dear (Top of Group D)
-herO
-Trap
-Zest
-Neeb

Zerg:
-soO
-Ragnarok
-Solar
-Dark (Top of Group B)
-Serral (Top of Group C)

Terran:
-TY

The Playoffs

The Playoffs started off fast; 5 consecutive 3-0’s led to Trap, Zest, Ragnarok, TY and Dear all being eliminated in a matter of hours. TY’s departure meant Terran no longer had a representative in the tournament, leaving Zerg and Protoss as the only contenders. Thankfully the run of 3-0’s was stopped in its tracks by an epic ZvZ confrontation between soO and Serral. The matches swung back and forth, with Serral winning the 1st and 4th, and soO the 2nd and 3rd. Eventually soO managed to knock out Serral in the 5th and final match, putting an end to the World Champion’s long win streak. This was especially surprising considering soO’s performance in the Group Stage, as he came 3rd with a score of 0 at 6-6. Solar was eliminated along with Neeb, leaving soO, herO, Stats and Dark to play on the final day.

With only Korean players left, and World Champion Serral out of the picture, it was anyone’s guess who would walk away with the IEM Katowice Trophy. Both Semi-finals were PvZ, and both ended up as a 3-1, with soO and Stats beating herO and Dark respectively. This meant the finals would be an enticing PvZ as well, with both players eager to display the mastery of their preferred race.Thus the stage was set for an epic battle on the Spodek Arena main stage. soO, a veteran SC2 player who had been struggling with a ‘curse’ of consistently achieving 2nd place, against Stats, another vet who had come 2nd only to Serral in the World Championship just 5 months prior. soO had beaten Serral, but could he take down Stats?

The Finals

The Grand Finals started off extremely strong for Stats, who quickly won 2-0 in Automaton and Cyber Forest. soO was visibly distraught at the end of the 2nd match, clearly imagining yet another 2nd place finish. But not to be dismissed so easily, soO fought back, claiming an incredible 4 matches in a row on Kairos Junction, King’s Cove, Port Aleksander and Year Zero. Just like that, soO had come back from the brink and proved he had what it takes to win a premier Starcraft 2 tournament.

In an emotional interview with Smix and choking back tears, soO had this to say about his run at IEM Katowice:

With his victory over Stats, soO walked away from the tournament with over $150,000 and 3000 WCS Global Points.

Want to keep updated with all the latest ESL Starcraft2 news and updates? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

]]> https://esl.com/article/soo-finally-breaks-the-curse-at-iem-katowice-2019/feed/ 0 The IEM World Champion of StarCraft II has been crowned https://esl.com/article/the-iem-world-champion-of-starcraft-ii-has-been-crowned-2/ Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:23:17 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2018/03/the-iem-world-champion-of-starcraft-ii-has-been-crowned-2/ Take a look back with us at thrilling playoffs for the title in Katowice!

]]> During the second week in Katowice, the Intel Extreme Masters saw a thrilling fight for the World Championship title as well as the lion’s share of the US$400,000 prize pool. In the biggest StarCraft II tournament of the year within IEM, 76 players took part in the three stages towards the grand final. In the end, it was Rogue who did not only lift the trophy but won this title in style, by a clean 4-0 victory over Classic.

Playoffs:

Round of 12

Trap 3-2 Dark

Dear 3-2 Impact

Hurrican 0-3 Rogue

sOs 2-3 Maru

Round of 8

Serral 3-2 Trap

Classic 3-1 Dear

TY 1-3 Rogue

Solar 1-3 Maru

Semifinals

Serral 0-3 Classic

Rogue 3-2 Maru

Grand Final

Classic 0-4 Rogue

Thank you, Katowice!

We would love to thank all the players, staff and the fans for making this event a very special one for many.  Make sure to follow ESL StarCraft II on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our next events as well as our open competitions!

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