With less than a month left, the climax of the StarCraft II esports season looks to take place. Indeed, IEM Katowice looks to take place at the end of February. Accordingly, just recently, the IEM Katowice 2022 Groups have just been announced as we’ll discuss below!
Hosting as prize pool of $250,000, IEM Katowice is what the competitive StarCraft II community has been waiting for. Accordingly, following all the competition this past season, we’re ready to see who will walk away as the international champions.
Indeed, the online event will unite the entire global community. Bearing this in mind, here are the Groups as announced on Twitter:
A – Rogue, Cure, Solar, Neeb, Dream, TBD
B – Serral, Dark, TIME, SpeCial, ShoWTimE, TBD
C – Trap, Zest, HeRoMaRinE, Bunny, Lambo, TBD
D – Maru, Clem, Reynor, Scarlett, Zoun, TBD
Members of the team Astralis from Denmark(C-L) and FaZe (C-R) compete during the final of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Expo at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, Poland, on March 5, 2017. – The Expo is part of the world championship in computer games Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) during which the best players compete in two games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) and StarCraft II. (Photo by Andrzej Grygiel / PAP / AFP) / Poland OUT / EASTNEWS OUT
With a lot of expectations for this event, here are the standings from last year’s event below:
#1st – Reynor
#2nd – Zest
#3-4th – Maru, PartinG
#5-8th – Dark, Rogue, TY, Clem
Accordingly, we can’t wait to see the buildup for this epic event to conclude the season.
Over the past year, ESL have hosted the ESL Pro Tour 2020/21 for StarCraft II, with some great results. Accordingly, heading into 2022, plans for the esport continue to grow. Indeed, let’s discuss StarCraft II Esports 2022 in this final episode of Esports Roadmap!
StarCraft II Esports 2022 – Another ESL Pro Tour
Credits: DH SCII
With Blizzard promising an update over the coming season in the coming month, we’ll be basing our roadmap over how the past few seasons have gone.
As a framework, this upcoming season of the ESL Pro Tour is uniting all the competition in one design. Everything builds up to the ESL Pro Tour Championship with a $500,000 prize pool to crown another World Champion.
Building up to this, there’s a tonne of competition:
ESL Open Cups – weekly online cups with small prizes and offering seeds to compete in the ESL Pro Tour across multiple regions.
EPT Masters – Divided into three seasons of Summer, Fall and Winter, this is the highest form of competition. Punctuated by a Major each time, EPT points earned here will determine qualification for the final Championship. Besides these three events, a Last Chance Qualifier will take place too.
Naturally, we’re waiting for further confirmation regarding dates for the next season.
Otherwise, we can’t wait for the conclusion of the 2021/22 season at IEM Katowice 2022 in February 2022!
We’ll be sure to let you know more once further information is public!
Indeed, for the most part, competitive SCII events consist of individuals going against one another for individual victory. However, that all changes with the World Team League 2021 Winter which kicks off tomorrow, bringing the same twist from the Summer event. Read on for all the viewership details you need for this event!
Accordingly, organized by SCBoy, the event looks to reignite the competitive StarCraft II event. Running from 1st October all the way to 9th January, the online event looks to really show off some incredible competition.
Taking place across two stages of competition, the Group Stage and Playoffs, competitors are forming teams while trying to mvoe forward to claim the majority of the prize pool
Team Liquid: Clem, Kelazhur, Harstem, MaNa, uThermal
Team NV: Bunny, Creator, DongRaeGu, Maru, NightMare
Credits: StarCraft
Indeed, making it to this event consisted of invitations. Furthermore, there’s only prize on the line – no seeds or seasonal points of any form.
Format
With regards to format, we have plenty to talk about here.
Starting with the Group Stage. Here, we’ll be following the ProLeague Format commonly used for competitive StarCraft II events. Accordingly, we’ll be witnessing 3 sets of BO2 for each team within the single Group of 12 teams.
Take a look at how the points works:
3 points for a regular win
2 points for an ace win
1 points for loss on ace match
Note that all ace matches will be a BO1
Once the Group Stage is complete, we’ll be progressing to the Playoffs.
Credits: ESL
Specifically, only the top 7 will proceed. Do note that here, we’ll be enjoying a King of the Hill Bracket following the All-Kill Format. Individual format is best of 2 where should the result be a 1-1, both players will be eliminated.
With regards to how the team dynamic works, each team will enjoy a single Revival or can call up a fourth player while revived players cannot be fielded in the Ace Match.
Accordingly, the map pool for this event should including the following:
2000 Atmospheres LE
Blackburn LE
Jagannatha LE
Lightshade LE
Oxide LE
Romanticide LE
Oblivion
Overgrowth
Frost
Let’s take a look at the schedule below.
Schedule for the World Team League Winter 2021
With such an expansive schedule, let’s take a look at the first few rounds:
1st October
Team NV vs Team Liquid – 14:00 CEST
Good Game Gaming vs KaiZi Gaming – 15:30 CEST
2nd October
Alpha X vs Afreeca Freecs – 14:00 CEST
Invictus Gaming vs PREP eSports – 15:30 CEST
3rd October
Team GP vs Dragon Phoenix Gaming – 14:00 CEST
PSISTORM Gaming vs Shopify Rebellion – 15:30 CEST
Take a look at the remainder of the schedule through the Liquipedia page.
Watch the World Team League 2021 Winter on esportsguide
You can also watch the World Team League 2021 Winter live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
All the way back in March, the World Team League Summer 2021 evet kicked off for StarCraft II. Dedicated to offer 4 months of incredible action, it’s finally concluded. Indeed, read on for a concise recap of the event which pushed a fresh new format!
World Team League 2021 Summer – Reinventing Format for SCII
Accordingly, the main talking point for this event was the format utilizing Teams as opposed to the usual solo format. Indeed, 12 teams competed at this event through the multiple months. To begin with, a group stage determined the five teams that would make it to the next stage! Here’s how that went:
Following this exciting step, the Playoffs remained. Indeed, here a King of the Hill Bracket with an All-Kill Format was utilized. Do note that by playing as a team, individual players would fight to win individual matches for their team or get eliminated. Eliminated players have the chance to be revived should that be the choice.
Credits: Blizzard
Surprisingly, although Dragon Phoenix Gaming earned an instant spot in the Grand Final, Team NV managed to push them aside and beat them when it mattered. Accordingly, Team NV winning is quite the upset. The team consisted of the following players: Maru, NightMare, Bunny, Creator, sOs, HHs, DongRaeGu, Percival. Accordingly, they’ve won the majority of the $46,000 prize pool!
With much anticipation, we’ve been keeping track of this upcoming event for StarCraft II. Accordingly, it’s finally time to discuss viewership details for the DreamHack Masters Summer 2021 event. Indeed, read on for all of the essential viewership details down below!
Event Background
It's been a long time since we were all on stage together… 😔
Notably, the DH SC2 Masters Summer event is the first online global event of this season of the ESL Pro Tour. As you can tell, the event is organized by the cooperation of DreamHack and ESL. With $50,000, the event invites 16 of the best players from around to world to battle it out.
The event will be running from 1st-4th July in an online environment. Listed below, you can find the 16 competitors waiting for their moment to potentially claim victory:
Trap
Dream
Maru
Rogue
Zest
INnoVation
Clem
Lambo
HeRoMaRinE
Reynor
Neeb
Scarlett
SpeCial
TIME
Nice
Probe
Format
Credits: afreecaTV
In terms of format, the four days look to be action-packed with a two stage battle. Kicking things off, we’ll have the Group Stage. Here, the 16 players have been split into 4 groups of 4. Following a BO3 format, only the top 2 from each group will proceed to the next stage – the Playoffs.
Group A
Trap
Dream
Lambo
Scarlett
Group B
Maru
Reynor
Zest
Probe
Group C
Rogue
INoVation
SpeCial
Nice
Group D
Clem
Neeb
TIME
HeRoMaRiNe
The top 8 will compete in the Playoffs, where matches will be BO5, followed by an epic BO7 Finals.
Schedule for DreamHack Masters Summer
Credits: StarCraft II
With such a jam packed schedule, we’ll offer some details for the first few days. Accordingly, here’s when the each day of competition will be taking place:
1st July – 16:00 CEST – Group A and B
2nd July – 16:00 CEST – Group C and D
3rd July – 16:00 CEST – Quarterfinals
4th July – 16:00 CEST – Final Bracket
Watch DreamHack Masters Summer 2021 on esportsguide
You can also watch the DreamHack Masters Summer 2021 live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Unlike other esports, what makes StarCraft II exciting is the idea of 1v1 matchups as opposed to teams facing off. Accordingly, this makes every game unique and perhaps more difficult to predict.
Usually we consort previous event results to form accurate predictions. Accordingly, the most recent event is none other than the 2021 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 2. Here are the top 4 from the event in June:
Trap
Zoun
sOs
Maru
Credits: StarCraft II
Besides these results, do bear in mind that the GSL Season 2 event is also ongoing right now. Bearing the above in mind, it would be somewhat appropriate to consider Maru and Trap to be favourites heading into this event.
Yet, everyone invited is a champion in his/her own regard, being the best from the region in question. Indeed, attending the event are champions from Europe, NA, LA, China, Japan, Oceania and Korea. Noting this, many of these players rarely have the opportunity to match up regularly against one another.
Besides the prize pool, players are also competing for a handful of EPT Global Points. Specifically, these pro points will contribute to the ESL Pro Tour Standings. These points are needed for players to qualify for future events. Let’s see who comes out on top! It’s an awesome opportunity for the community to come together once again.
This week we’ll be seeing some intense Starcraft II competition. This is because the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 will take place, starting tomorrow! Here is everything you need to know about the event, and how to watch it:
The TeamLiquid Starleague (also known as TSL) is a tournament series run by TL.net. It all started in 2008 during StarCraft: Brood War, and then TSL3 switched the league to StarCraft II. The first TSL event for SCII was hosted in 2012, and this will be their 5th one.
How to qualify for the main event
All of the teams participating in the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 have qualified through 2 different options. For the most part, players had to qualify through regional qualifiers. 6 from the European qualifiers, 5 from the Korean qualifiers, and 4 from the Americas qualifiers. The final player is Dark, and he was the only player invited to the event due to his win in the previous edition.
Prize distribution for the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7
A total of $31,000 USD will spread out between all participants. This is how the prize money will be distributed:
1st – $9,000
2nd – $4,500
3rd – $3,000
4th – $2,000
5th-6th – $1,500
7th-8th – $1,200
9th-12th – $900
13th-16th – $625
Tournament Format
Since this is the main event, there will be no group stage. Here, the 16 players play it all out in the double-elimination bracket. The round of 16, losers rounds 1 & 2 are all best of 5, whereas the rest are best of 7. The winner of the Grand Final is pronounced TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 champion
Players Participating at TeamLiquid StarLeague 7
A total of 16 players are taking part in this event. Here is a full list of them below, separated by their preferred race:
Protoss:
MaxPax – PSIStorm Gaming
Trap – Afreeca Freecs
Zest – Dragon Phoenix Gaming
Zoun – Alpha X
Has
Neeb – Ting
Terran:
Clem – Team Liquid
HeRoMaRinE – Mousesports
souL – Cascade
Cure – Dragon Phoenix Gaming
SpeCial – PSIStorm Gaming
TIME – KaiZi Gaming
Zerg:
Dark – Dragon Phoenix Gaming
Reynor – Team Qlash
Serral – ENCE Esports
Armani – Afreeca Freecs
Credits: Liquipedia
Schedule list for the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7
The event is intended to play out between the 12th and 27th of June. It will all start with Double-elimination playoff bracket, with the following matches:
The TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 will stream on the official Team Liquid twitch channel here. Unfortunately this will be the only broadcast for the event, and it will be casted in English.
Watch the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 stream on esportsguide.com
You can also watch the TeamLiquid StarLeague 7 live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
It’s not always easy to place predictions on competitions as packed as this. Without putting a bias in the way and looking at the recent SCII events, it’s fair to say that Reynor, Clem and HeRoMaRinE have the highest odds heading into the tournament. We’re sure that they’ll all put on a spectacular show, but until then… Be sure to keep yourself updated with www.esportsguide.com for all your esports news!
With regards to StarCraft II, there’s plenty to discuss. In this article, we’ll be focusing our gaze on the 2021AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 2 which is heading our way shortly. Read on for an esportsguide event preview!
GSL Super Tournament 2 – Quick Facts
Credits: Blizzard
Date: 17th May – 27th May
Prize: $25,600
Organizers – AfreecaTV, Blizzard Entertainment
Players: 16
Accordingly, the format is also quite simple. Indeed, the 16 players will dive into a 1v1 single-elimination bracket. Specifically, the all games outside of the Finals will be BO5: the finals will be BO7. The following are the 16 professionals who’ll be competing:
sOs
Trap
Zoun
Bunny
Maru
ByuN
Cure
Dream
INnoVation
SpeCial
TY
Rogue
Dark
Ragnarok
Solar
Credits: AfreecaTV
Those are some of the best names in the scene. Bearing this in mind, I’d like to point out that Maru and Rogue are your favourites. After their top 2 placing at 2021 GSL Season 1, it’ll be great to see them at it again.
Besides the prize pool, teams will also be fighting for points, namely EPT Korea Pts which will contribute to future events.
Acting as the second Super Tournament of the ESL Pro Tour 2021/22 (2021 season), it’ll be great to see how the competition continues to develop.
In Liquid’s announcement, TaeJa states that at the end of the Season 3 GSL 2020 he decided that he will quit gaming professionally. This was mainly due to his drop in performance through the years. He was not satisfied with how he was playing and performing and stated that the best decision for him is to retire.
Here are some of TaeJa’s best achievements in Starcraft 2:
1st in 2013 DreamHack Open: Winter – 30th November 2013 – $30,490.11
3rd/4th in 2014 WCS Global Finals – 8th November 2014 – $15,000
1st at ASUS ROG Summer 2012 – 4th August 2012 – $13,000
Credits: SETT.fi
This is what Victor “Nazgul” Goossens, Founder and Co-CEO of Team Liquid said about TaeJa’s retirement:
“There are few individuals who have been as impactful as TaeJa in the path for Team Liquid to grow to where it is today. We started working together when he was 17 years old. A rising talent, playing under the legendary SlayerS clan. Offering him an opportunity to play for us has turned out to be such a pivotal moment in our history. Together we traveled the world, won countless championships, and I couldn’t be more proud of what you have accomplished in your career nor more grateful for what you have meant to Liquid. Thank you for everything.”
It’s sad to see a player such as TaeJa depart from Starcraft and the gaming scene entirely. He has not mentioned what his future plans are, but hopefully we get to see a glimpse of him competing or streaming sometime in the future. At the time of writing, Yun “TaeJa” Young Seo is 26-years-old and can certainly do something related to gaming in the future.
Let’s talk competitive StarCraft II. Indeed, the DH Masters Summer 2021 event is on the horizon and it’s the talk of the town. Accordingly, we’ve gathered a few details for you below in this esportsguide event preview of this incoming event!
SCII DH Master Summer 2021 – Tonnes of Regions
As always, we’ll focus on providing the facts. Here’s how the regions will all tackle the action in the coming weeks:
The wait is almost over – DreamHack SC2 Masters: Summer is just around the corner now! Who's excited? 🤩
The format is similar for most regions. Accordingly, the event will involve a preliminary Group Stage. From this group stage, through a Round Robin, the top 16 will proceed to the Playoffs. At the playoffs, BO5 games culminating in a BO7 grand final will offer our regional champions.
The wait is almost over – DreamHack SC2 Masters: Summer is just around the corner now! Who's excited? 🤩
Further on, the DH Masters Summer concludes with the Season Finals. It’s here that 16 players, champions from each region, will fight for global dominance at this event. Here’s how the seeds will work for this $50,000 event:
Competitive StarCraftIIis back and we’ve got an awesome event lined up. Accordingly, the 2021GlobalStarCraftIILeague is a few weeks away. Here at esportsguide we’ve got the full scoop for the highest level of competition, being Code S. Take a dive into our event preview!
2021 Global StarCraft II League – Fact Sheet
Members of the team Astralis from Denmark(C-L) and FaZe (C-R) compete during the final of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Expo at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, Poland, on March 5, 2017. – The Expo is part of the world championship in computer games Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) during which the best players compete in two games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) and StarCraft II. (Photo by Andrzej Grygiel / PAP / AFP) / Poland OUT / EASTNEWS OUT
Date: 4th April up until 6th May
Connection: Offline in Seoul
Prize Pool: $118,000
Format: Group Stage followed by Playoffs
Participants: 16 of the best in the game, some still undetermined
So, I think I’ll elaborate further on the format. As always, a StarCraftIIevent involves 1v1 match ups. First of all, the Group Stage will involve 4 groups of 4 – these still need to be drawn further down the line. Following this, the top 8 teams will seed into the bracket in order to try and claim the entire event.
For the Code S level, the best teams in the game are here. Indeed, teams have been drafted from the GSL Super Tournament a few weeks back, the official Qualifier and the Code A champions too.
With some time left, there’s plenty of opportunity to prepare yourself for the event – and you can rely on us to provide more information down the line.
