eSports

2020 NBA 2K League APAC Invitational: Recap

Published

4 years ago

January 27, 2020

The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational has been run and won for another year, and a new MVP was crowned and subsequently established himself as a serious NBA 2K League draft candidate.

The tournament of course established in part to identify regional talent did just that, as 20 of the very best players from the region put on a show of extremely high level NBA 2K basketball befitting of the end-goal, a chance to impress team management and talent evaluators alike and be drafted onto a NBA2K League team.

Seoul, South Korea was the venue, a fitting backdrop for a rapidly growing esports venture in the NBA 2K League. The event was a double header in that the League made a special announcement by officially unveiling and welcoming the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai as the 23rd franchise.

Enough of the formalities however. It is time to look at how the tournament played out. I thought it would be interesting to provide some overarching thoughts on how the tournament played out including any outstanding individual efforts.

Michael ‘BearDaBeast’ Key from T-Wolves Gaming said it best in his pre-tournament interview with Jeff Eisenband – “The competition is great. I’m not gonna lie to you. I tell you the truth (sic). I didn’t think these guys could play on the level we play on, so that has shocked me the most”.

The standard of play at the APAC Invitational has been extremely high considering players are thrown together in a short space of time and expected to perform underneath the bright lights of the stage and broadcast cameras which is exactly the type of crucible which forges strong willed players who find a way to win.

The Chinese and South Korean playing contingent impressed me with their overall skill and knowledge of the game. Their task made all the more difficult with language barriers and limited experience on the retail version of NBA 2K. Zhang ‘Cherry_Zi’ Wenxuan on a lock build and Haoyu ‘Ironman’ Li particularly impressed, Cherry_Zi was everywhere on defence and set the tone, perhaps didn’t stuff the stats but snuffed out actions before they happened and Ironman blew game two wide open with some impressive sharp shooting. An honorable mention to Poon Shing Ki ‘TR-Gobert-AP’ George of whom has potential, perhaps didn’t have the best outing but was active, engaged and in the right spots to contribute.

As expected the tournament was a hard-fought battle between ball-handlers and lockdown builds as every game turned into a point guard dual to create space and scoring opportunities. Lockdown builds as expected had a huge say in each game in particular in trying to keep a lid of their matchup.

It was difficult to select a ‘first-team lockdown’ with a three-way battle between xMonaa-, iAmMarioXXIII and Cherry_zi. All three set the tone defensively for their teams by disrupting the point guard play as best they could, blowing up screen-and-roll-actions and jumping passing lanes. However, it was Eugene ‘iAmMarioXXIII’ Pillai who rose above and took first team honours, managing to give a much needed scoring boost to the team with transition buckets and flying around the court on defence picking up the opposing point guard full court.

The story of the tournament was the extreme proficiency, scoring and shot creation shown by Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden at point guard on ‘Team L5’ leading them to a tournament victory and in the process – collecting a much deserved and unanimous Most Valuable Player Trophy and really announcing himself on the world NBA 2K stage. Jaedubb is well known to the NBA 2K community in Australasia for point guard play. Jaesubb’s performance across both games were complete all round ‘floor general’ performances – setting the table for teammates and scoring at will dropping 34 points and 11 assists in the final.

JaeDubb moves into the draft pool for the upcoming season three NBA 2K League and undoubtedly skyrockets up the draft boards as teams are still searching for franchise cornerstone ball handlers. Season two champions T-Wolves Gaming BearDaBeast showed just how important it is to build around dynamic point-guard-play.

It’s time to nominate this writer’s All-Tournament-First and Second teams. In the interest of fairness, players were selected by position only. There is no fluidity however I’m aware many players are skilled at many positions.

Please note the following is the opinion of the author and not that of the NBA 2K League.

First Team

PG Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden – MVP.
SG Eugene ‘iAmMarioXXIII’ Pillai
SF Lynard Clark ‘PBE_Clark’ Banzon
PF Li ‘Ironman’ Haoyu
C Meason ‘Milo’ Camille

Second Team

PG Aiden ‘TheGoldenDunk-’ Fleming
SG Zhang ‘Cherry_zi’ Wenxuan
SF Aminolah Jr. ‘PBE_Rial’ Polog
PF Benjamin ‘iki-ll_illuminati’ Teitzel.
C Poon Shing Ki ‘TR-Gobert-AP’ George

Team ‘L5’ are your 2020 APAC Invitational champions. Their starting line-up included:

1. Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden – MVP.
2. Zhang ‘Cherry_zi’ Wenxuan
3. Aminolah Jr ‘PBE_Rial’ Polog
4. Benjamin ‘iki-ll_illuminati’ Teitzel.
5. Hu ‘Lucky_yi_Wesely’ Yi

There are many extremely talented players in the region. What is undeniable is the appetite for NBA 2K basketball in the Asia-Pacific region. The local scene is growing year over year both in regard to localized tournaments and active participants on the five versus five Pro-Am game mode. The establishment of the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai is an incredibly important milestone in the league’s trajectory and for global expansion coupled with the APAC Invitational which is a fitting capstone event that brings all the Asia-Pacific countries together to compete for all the marbles – glory on the virtual hardwood and spots in the NBA 2K League draft pool.

eSports

Everything you need to know ahead of ESL Pro League Season 19

Published

10 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Peter Tolan

everything-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-esl-pro-league-season-19

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The ESL Pro League (EPL) returns to St. Julian’s, Malta, for Season 19 on April 23 – May 12, 2024. The world’s biggest Counter-Strike league will see teams from around the world arrive on-site for three weeks of non-stop action, and only one team will emerge victorious as Champions.

Here is all you need to know about ESL Pro League Season 19

The 19th Season of the ESL Pro League will see the 32 best Counter-Strike teams compete for a total prize pool of $750,000, a win in the race to secure Intel® Grand Slam V, and a spot at IEM Cologne 2024. Commencing on April 23, contenders from around the globe will face off in Malta for a spot in the Playoffs. There, the six best teams will compete live in front of an intimate live audience at the InterContinental Malta on May 10 – 12, 2024.

Starting with the upcoming season, EPL will see some improvements to its schedule. While the number of teams and the tournament structure remain the same compared to recent seasons, the duration of the tournament has been adjusted to three weeks instead of five. To accommodate this change, two groups will be played simultaneously during the Group Stage, resulting in a more intense story for fans to follow.

Schedule and Format

Group Stage (April 23 – May 5):

Four groups of eight teams will compete in separate triple-elimination brackets
- All matches are best-of-three
The top four teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs
- Group Stage winners advance to the Quarterfinals
- The Group Stage runner-ups advance to the Round of 12
- The Group Stage third and fourth-place teams advance to the Round of 16

Playoffs (May 7 – 12):

The top sixteen teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket
- All matches will be best-of-three, excluding the Grand Final which will be best-of-five
- The third and fourth Quarterfinals, as well as both Semifinals and the Grand Final will be played out live on stage in front of an audience

Teams Attending

Astralis (Partner Team)
BIG (Partner Team)
Complexity (Partner Team)
ENCE (Partner Team)
FaZe Clan (Partner Team)
Fnatic (Partner Team)
FURIA (Partner Team)
G2 Esports (Partner Team)
HEROIC (Partner Team)
MOUZ (Partner Team)
Natus Vincere (Partner Team)
Ninjas in Pyjamas (Partner Team)
Team Liquid (Partner Team)
Team Vitality (Partner Team)
Monte (ESL Challenger Jönköping winner)
Virtus.pro (ESL Challenger Atlanta winner)
SAW (ESL World Ranking)
Team Falcons (ESL World Ranking)
GamerLegion (ESL World Ranking)
BetBoom Team (ESL World Ranking)
Eternal Fire (ESL World Ranking)
3DMAX (ECL S46 Europe winner)
FORZE (ECL S46 Europe runner-up)
M80 (ECL S46 North America winner)
BOSS (ECL S46 North America runner-up)
The MongolZ (ECL S46 Asia-Pacific winner)
TYLOO (ECL S46 Asia-Pacific runner-up)
Imperial Esports (South American Qualifier winners)
Sharks Esports (South American Qualifier winners)
Pera Esports (European Conference winner)
Bad News Kangaroos (Oceanic Qualifier winner)
FlyQuest (ANZ Champs winner)

Prize Money (USD)

TOTAL	$750,000
1st	$170,000
2nd	$80,000
3rd-4th	$45,000
5th-8th	$32,000
9th-12th	$23,500
13th-16th	$17,500
17th-20th	$12,000
21st-28th	$7,000
29th-32nd	$3,500

Broadcast Talent

Hosts
- “Tres “stunna” Saranthus
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
A Stream
- Jason “moses” O’Toole
- Janko “YNk” Paunović
- Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez
- Harry “Harry” Russell
- Hugo “Hugo” Byron
- Henry “Henry” Greer
- Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
B Stream
- Neo “Ne0kai” Caine
- Harvey “Skriv” Rodgers
- Lucy “LucyLuce” Eastwood
- Brandon “BDog” Rawlings
- Travis “Trav” Landaw Mott

Where to Watch

The live broadcast will be available on FACEIT Watch, ESL FACEIT Group’s premier esports viewing platform created by esports fans for esports fans and open for all.

Featuring a unique multi-perspective view selector where users can watch their favorite player’s perspective directly next to the main event stream, a live chat, a kill cam, live-generated replays of key moments, a sound mixer, a rewards program, and more, FACEIT Watch revolutionises esports streaming by putting fans in control of their viewing experience.

Fans can also watch the action on the ESL Counter-Strike Twitch and YouTube channels. For those unable to tune in live, all matches will also be available to watch on-demand for free via YouTube.

For more information about ESL Pro League Season 19, and the latest updates on the event, please visit the official website, and follow ESL Counter-Strike on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Everything you need to know ahead of ESL Pro League Season 19 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

eSports

HAWKS TALON GC SET FOR THE STEAL ON APRIL 19TH FOR CHANCE TO ENTER NBA 2K LEAGUE 3V3 PLAYOFF

Published

18 hours ago

April 19, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

hawks-talon-gc-set-for-the-steal-on-april-19th-for-chance-to-enter-nba-2k-league-3v3-playoff

Hawks Talon GC, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, will begin play in the STEAL on Friday night against No. 14 Blazer5 Gaming at 7:30 p.m.

Talon collected 90 points over the SLAM and SWITCH, earning 60 points in the SLAM and 30 points in the SWITCH to earn the No. 3 seed heading into the STEAL.

Should Talon advance, they would play the winner of No. 6 Cavs Legion GC and No. 11 Hornets Venom GT on Saturday at 3:45 p.m., followed by the semifinals at 5:15 p.m., and the finals at 5:45 p.m. All games can be followed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

“The STEAL is probably the toughest tournament in the 2K League, but the guys are locked in and ready to fight for their season,” said Hawks Talon head coach Ismael ‘MAELO’ Diaz Tolentino. “We are looking forward to going out there and proving that we belong amongst the best teams in the league. We were only a game away from clinching a playoff berth and we honestly think we are one of the teams to beat in this tournament.”

Talon owns a 4-4 record in bracket play thus far during the 2024 season over the SLAM and SWITCH opens, going 3-2 over the SLAM and 1-2 over the SWITCH.

The single elimination 3v3 tournament includes all 15 NBA 2K League teams that have not clinched a spot in the 3v3 playoffs, plus one community team from an open qualifier. The final two teams in the STEAL will earn a spot in the 3v3 playoffs beginning next week, with the winner receiving a winner-take-all cash prize.

Asia

Team ATK Oshun excels at 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

team-atk-oshun-excels-at-2024-online-championships-held-on-13-april-2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Mind Sports South Africa’s (MSSA) 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024 showed sterling results.
The championship was yet another chance for many esports athletes to qualify for MSSA’s National Team Trials to be held on 25 May 2024 at which the team will be selected to officially represent South Africa at the African Qualifiers which lead up to IESF’s 16th World Esports Championships to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October and November 2024..

All Registered Players who have finished in the top three places, or the top 20% – whichever is greater, are entitled to enter trials.

However, it must be remembered that all players must have a valid passport to participate in the National Team Trials.

It was indeed exciting to watch just how much all the female teams have improved.

Team ATK Oshun (ATK Club Sport) being a female team astounded all with their skill and sportsmanship. The team demolished all ATK Club Sport opposition to ultimately won the premier event overall and qualify for the National Team trials to be held on 25 May 2025.

IESF’s 15th World Championships will be played to the following titles:

Counter-Strike 2
Counter-Strike 2 – Female division
DotA 2
eFootball
Mobile Legends, Bang Bang
Mobile Legends, Bang Bang – Female division
PUBGM

The high standard of play saw 37 Registered Players from six provinces being awarded Provincial Colours. Only Limpopo, Free State, and Northern Cape did not have Registered Players who did not earn provincial colours.

Title	Name of player/team	Club	Provincial Colours awarded
Clash Royale – Premier	Johan Coetzee	Middies	Mpumalanga
Clash Royale – High School	Aryan Maharaj	PR0NHS
Counter Strike: 2	ATK Oshun
	Kaylee Ludick	ATK Club Sport	Gauteng
	Jessica Eleez Greeff	ATK Club Sport	Gauteng
	Christin Brazier	ATK Club Sport	Gauteng
	Megan van der Westhuizen	ATK Club Sport	Gauteng
	Kayhla Rose Calder	ATK Club Sport	Gauteng
DotA – Premier	ZAG DOTA 1
	Suhail Khan	ZAG Academy	Gauteng
	Travis John Waters	ZAG Academy	Western Cape
	Mark Kilian Lehle	ZAG Academy	Gauteng
	Mohammad Dhooma	ZAG Academy	Eastern Cape
	Nicholas Dammert	ZAG Academy	Gauteng
eFootball – Premier	Aslam Parker	PES Society	Gauteng
FIFA 24 – High School	Daiyaan Hendricks	PES Society	Western Cape
Mobile Legends – Premier	Mavericks
	Matthew Tatalias	Mavericks	Gauteng
	Damian Bransby	Mavericks	Western Cape
	Preshan Pillay	Mavericks	Gauteng
	Mohammad Azhar Ansari	Mavericks	KwaZulu Natal
	Taygan Gabriel	Mavericks	KwaZulu Natal
	Luke Green	Mavericks	Western Cape
Mobile Legends – Premier – Female	AHG
	Je’nielle Cavanagh	PES Society	Western Cape
	Inez Pringle	PES Society	Western Cape
	Salma Parker	PES Society	Western Cape
	Ra’isha Prout	PES Society	Western Cape
	Fatimah Prout	PES Society	Western Cape
	Mia Anthony	PES Society	Western Cape
PUBGM	Team uEnvy
	Richard Henry	ZAG Academy	Eastern Cape
	La-eeq Arendse	ZAG Academy	Western Cape
	Kyle Dudley	ZAG Academy	Western Cape
	Clayton Leak	ZAG Academy	Western Cape
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – Premier	Nathan Strange	Hoërskool Klerksdorp
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – High School	Luther Peens	Hoërskool Klerksdorp
Street Fightter V – Premier	Marnus van der Merwe	Hoërskool Klerksdorp	North West
Tekken 8	Stasch Cloeta	Team PlayBell	Western Cape
Valorant – Premier	TuksValorant
	Tapiwanashe Keith Matema	TuksEsports	Gauteng
	Kyle Halvorsen	TuksEsports	Gauteng
	Jaden Connor Swarts	TuksEsports	Gauteng
	Ronald James Tyler Wheeldon	TuksEsports	Gauteng
	Alejandro Luca Sartini-Kruger	TuksEsports	Gauteng
	Armand Pierre van der Colf	TuksEsports	Gauteng
Sportsmanship Award	Je’nielle Cavanagh	PES Society