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It was close, going all the way to a fifth game, but EnVyUs once again beat the odds and came out on top.
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Kongdoo was the favorite going into the match after sweeping the stupendously good Lunatic Hai in a 3-0 series during their own quarterfinals. In the semifinals, EnVyUs went up against Kongdoo Uncia.
EnVyUs proved the stronger team, thanks in no small part to their recent addition of immensely charming Thai player Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangohod, who has continued his World Cup habit of mugging for the camera at every possible opportunity. Rogue had beaten EnVyUs in a close match at the Atlantic Showdown earlier this year, but both teams had seen roster swaps since then, and their relative power standings weren’t clear going into the match. Their very first match in the playoffs was against none other than Rogue, a European team with several championships under their belt. Villareal proved to be right, though: at the OGN Overwatch Apex tournament, the first premier tournament on Korean shores, European team EnVyUs walked away with first place.ĮnVyUs’s path to victory was anything but easy. But watching South Korea so conclusively obliterate Russia in the finals was enough to make me doubt that rational conclusion. “South Korea had three players from Lunatic Hai, two from Afreeca (including a coach).” He had a point synergy is, after all, the most important feature for an Overwatch team to have. “The teams with more organizational diversity were obviously going to do worse,” he said. When I expressed these thoughts to Frank Villareal, team owner of Rogue, he was quick to tell me that the results of this exhibition tournament didn’t really mean anything. Here was another Starcraft, another League of Legends an esport where competitors in South Korea were so far beyond the rest of the world in skill that it was like they were playing a different game altogether. Still, given the lengths Blizzard has gone to before - we're feeling fairly optimistic that these matches will be just as fun to watch as the game is to play.I remember the murmurings after the Overwatch World Cup, in which the team from South Korea dominated so completely that they didn’t drop a map throughout the entire tournament. Whether the Contenders will be entertaining enough to draw in the viewers and therefore the sponsors, however, remains to be seen. It also seems likely that talented players in the Contenders could potentially land themselves a place on the pricey teams of the big boy Overwatch League, which could help to inject more value into the money-haemorrhaging main league. With the main Overwatch League losing teams because of exclusivity, this all sounds like fairly promising stuff.
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These EU squads will then battle it out in an offline tournament, where the winning European team will also earn $100,000. Luckily for EU players, they also have their own season one tournament, with participants whittled down into the four best teams from each region. After squaring off, the four best squads will then go on to fight for a chance to win a hefty $100,000 prize. The best six North American teams will then join existing teams Envy and Rogue (who competed in South Korea's APEX Tournament) for the launch of Overwatch Contenders season one. Unsurprisingly, the Contenders league doesn't end at season zero. Qualifying matches take place next month in North America and Europe, and if you're not playing in them, you can watch people's dreams get crushed live on Twitch.
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If you haven't already got a killer squad though, you might be out of luck, as season zero registration has already started. Once locked in, competing teams battle it out for a juicy prize pool of $50,000 - so it might be time to start studying that meta. These games then decide the best eight teams from each region, earning the winners a place in Overwatch Contenders season zero. Instead of just showcasing pros, this new battleground allows any amateur team to sign up and duke it out in an online-only qualifying match. Now, in a bid to win them back, Blizzard has announced a new entry-level league for the game called Overwatch Contenders.īlizzard describe Contenders as a tournament for "aspiring Overwatch League professionals".
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With rumors circulating that a slot in Overwatch's official League costs between $15 and $25 million, pro teams have started to abandon the game in droves. Blizzard's colorful shooter may be one of the most popular multiplayer games out right now, but its eSport scene hasn't exactly got off to the best start.