The StarCraft ASTL team unit, featuring the best StarCraft players, returns to Season 2.
ASTL, which started last season 1 with various companies, will be comprised of a total of 6 teams in this season 2 and is recruiting sponsor companies to support each team.
Together, 'team sponsors' receive a number of benefits for branded companies or products on ASTL broadcasts.
Please see the details below, and if you have any interests or inquiries, please email us and we will provide you with detailed information.
So we ask for your interest and participation.
A) Team Sponsor Participation Objective: Individual and Corporate Business
B) Team Sponsor Recruitment Period: Dec 14 (Monday) ~ Dec 31 (Thursday)
C) Competition period: January 17 (Sunday) ~ February 28 (Sunday)
D) Team Sponsorship Amount: Minimum amount of 5 million won or more
→ Team priority is given to the sponsoring company that sponsored the most
E) Consultation email: aslstarleague@naver.com
F) Benefits of team sponsorship:
→ Company and product branding via ASTL Season 2 broadcast and participating team uniforms
→ Apply ASTL Season 2 team name and promote company name when broadcasting
→ Apply a patch to the player's uniform
→ Temporary advertising display (but competitive gaming companies need consultation)
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
This is my problem with ASTL as well. I literally don't care about the teams in ASTL at all, there's nothing riding on anything, it's just random players put together for one event and it's hard to want to get invested in it at all. I appreciate it's finally a kind of teamleague format, but it's nowhere near as good or interesting to follow as proleague was or heck even Moo Proleague.
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
Imo it works in Korea where there have been enough competitive players to form several competitive teams + teams aren't all that big. Outside Korea, at least after ~2001 or so, there's pretty much always been one really dominant team, sometimes two.
I definitely agree that it is, in theory, better to have teams with long histories and consistent players and stuff showing up. But I would much rather have a balanced team league than a bunch of fairly meaningless fluff ending with Irk vs Soul.
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
I agree that the hype is there because of these things and I like regular teams proleague. Don't over interpret what I said, it's just my opinion of how I would do it if I would do it.
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
Imo it works in Korea where there have been enough competitive players to form several competitive teams + teams aren't all that big. Outside Korea, at least after ~2001 or so, there's pretty much always been one really dominant team, sometimes two.
I definitely agree that it is, in theory, better to have teams with long histories and consistent players and stuff showing up. But I would much rather have a balanced team league than a bunch of fairly meaningless fluff ending with Irk vs Soul.
Remove korean teams from the equation and you have quite a dynamic top4 of foreign teams.
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
Imo it works in Korea where there have been enough competitive players to form several competitive teams + teams aren't all that big. Outside Korea, at least after ~2001 or so, there's pretty much always been one really dominant team, sometimes two.
I definitely agree that it is, in theory, better to have teams with long histories and consistent players and stuff showing up. But I would much rather have a balanced team league than a bunch of fairly meaningless fluff ending with Irk vs Soul.
I totally understand that, my favorite league is STPL, and it's possibly a Soul monologue and maybe Wiko a little / quite a bit further. Although I always hope that NETWARS and IRK will one day make it. But I guess that also has its magic.
Likewise, if ASTL 2 goes well, the sponsors SK TELECOM, KT Rolster, Hwaseung OZ, CJ Entus return ...
Was thinking about doing something like this with BSL for foreigners, I like this way of forming teams for teamleague much more than regular "teams".
Really? I think this takes half of team hype away. Nothing better than having a league with characters, stories etc. around teams.. and you can only get that over time.
Imo it works in Korea where there have been enough competitive players to form several competitive teams + teams aren't all that big. Outside Korea, at least after ~2001 or so, there's pretty much always been one really dominant team, sometimes two.
I definitely agree that it is, in theory, better to have teams with long histories and consistent players and stuff showing up. But I would much rather have a balanced team league than a bunch of fairly meaningless fluff ending with Irk vs Soul.
Remove korean teams from the equation and you have quite a dynamic top4 of foreign teams.
I'd be interested to see how this season of BWCL is going to go now NaS are back. It's been pretty much iRk and SouL the last 3 seasons + one or two other teams that seem to get smashed in the Semis. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong and maybe this is a more recent thing, but even in STPL if you removed WHITE from the equation (because if you factor in just SouL's foreign roster I think they'd still be one of the top teams) in season 1 and 2 it's been pretty much NetWars and iRk at the top with NaS just behind then everyone else so I think you'd still end up with 3-4 stable teams at the top of the board. I think that's just how things work in teamleagues without a draft or something. It's the same in football, but due to the teams changing a lot due to players getting older and money changing hands a lot there's a bit more variance.
I can see why people maybe wouldn't like that, but it never really bothered me much in the proleague days when KT, SKT and CJ were owning everyone. It helped that I supported SKT I guess, but even rooting for your team knowing they're not going to win (see football and mid table teams for instance) can be fun especially if there's upsets.
Yes! Would be awesome if tastosis were to cover this one. Season 1 was awesome to watch regardless, so can't wait for this one to start! A bit of a shame that its only 6 teams and over such a short time period. Would really love to see a proleague-esque league that lasts like half a year.
I'm not certain whether eSport.fund should step in or not, and I personally find pros vs cons equilibrium. I've filled this for the Committee and will revert with decision on public.
I think it would make sense to choose a player that isn't completely disconnected from the foreign scene, so: ZerO cause he streams on Twitch. Snow cause he expressed interest in having some of his YT content subtitled in english (by jinjin).
They should have kept S1 teams with a draft to fill in ranks for retiring or non competing players and maybe replace stork as captain. Draft with reverse order from last years finish. That way the 2 weak teams could probably pick a good player returning from the army (such as effort) who could help them get a little further than in the previous season.
That would have created some sort of growing attachment from people to their favourite teams (even if the sponsors changed) and IMHO would have made for a better TL.
Now it will just be another random collection of players playing a series of 1v1 games. Like that there is more BW to watch, sad that it feels like a wasted opportunity.
On December 16 2020 04:51 Rus_Brain wrote: I'm not certain whether eSport.fund should step in or not, and I personally find pros vs cons equilibrium. I've filled this for the Committee and will revert with decision on public.
Dear Team, I just found the post with the Afreeca Star Team League team sponsor request. https://tl.net/forum/brood-war/566863-astl2-to-start-jan-17 The minimum amount is KRW 5,000,000 for the team, which seems to be quite okay for me. But I don't have an ultimate decision, which means I doubt to whether donate or not. Pros: - We can have the Fund's logo advertised during the most-watched BW event (which I believe Afreeca events are), - With KRW5m donated, the balance will still be ~$5k for 2020, - Considering that every sponsor will contribute at least 5m + prize pool, the multiplier effect will be great (like x10) Cons: - Perhaps better save the money for non-kor events, as we already support CM's leagues, - Perhaps better save money for RCG'21 and BSL? (RCG21 IS expensive, and BSL IS expensive too).
Team comments: Eriador (Voted YES): I do think RCG21 and BSL are more important than funding this, but it would certainly be fun to have a 'foreign' team to cheer for - and this is more bridging the non-korean and Korean communities For 2020 we ended up having $10k spare funds, I would rather spend $5k of those on this, but it's not ideal if some foreign events go unsponsored because we sponsored a korean team.
pG2k4 (Voted YES): I think this is a good opportunity to put your foot in the door and finally force a bridge between Korean and foreign scene. I think it is a good try
Gecko (Voted YES): I'm not sure how the fund would eventually be displayed, as one of the posts there says "Team priority is given to the sponsoring company that sponsored the most" and we'd be in for the minimal amount for this to have a true bridging effect, koreans would need to learn what the fund is and maybe draw their attention to other stuff that's funded unclear to me if that would happen from a small patch and 2-3 random shout-outs during the matches hard to say if it's worth it, if there's no alternative to compare it to if it's funded, i'd try to boost the fund's sponsorship with further donations. e.g. pledging we give 5k$ and try to get the public to match that to get more presence during the real event. if that's possible.
g0rynich (Voted NO): im considering saving money for foreign scene. Korean SC BW scene has enough great hype. i vote no
Babymagik voted Yes without significant comments.
Saerjaar did not vote.
I've sent an email to aslstarleague. Let's see what they say.
Disappointed to not have any team games like the first season, I thought that was a nice change. Fingers crossed for Tastosis commentary this time though!
On December 18 2020 07:17 Tribune wrote: Disappointed to not have any team games like the first season, I thought that was a nice change. Fingers crossed for Tastosis commentary this time though!
Yeah, the 2v2s at least I'd hoped would make a return.
On December 18 2020 07:17 Tribune wrote: Disappointed to not have any team games like the first season, I thought that was a nice change. Fingers crossed for Tastosis commentary this time though!
yeah I would love to see at least the 2v2 section again.. it was quite fun indeed.
Tha map pool a bit lackluster also.. well anyways, I hope it will be a great tournament nonetheless.
Its probably unrealistic, but would it be possible to use foreign sponsorship as leverage for Tastless/Artosis? Not sure what the math on this is but it would be nice.
For the record, I'm 100% in favor of the pro casters in Korea like Tastosis doing this in studio. If that's not possible, though, I'd be interested in casting at least some of this if anyone knows who to talk to to get permission for it.
On December 19 2020 15:09 Moletrap wrote: For the record, I'm 100% in favor of the pro casters in Korea like Tastosis doing this in studio. If that's not possible, though, I'd be interested in casting at least some of this if anyone knows who to talk to to get permission for it.
On December 19 2020 15:09 Moletrap wrote: For the record, I'm 100% in favor of the pro casters in Korea like Tastosis doing this in studio. If that's not possible, though, I'd be interested in casting at least some of this if anyone knows who to talk to to get permission for it.
~~ FlaSh will participate as team leader (instead of BeSt), however team leadership could potentially change mid-season due to FlaSh's 'military service issues'.
~~ FlaSh will participate as team leader (instead of BeSt), however team leadership could potentially change mid-season due to FlaSh's imminent military service.
Wait what? I thought Flash was exempt due to his surgery and the gigantic scar he has on his arm/shoulder. Did something change?
Stork was also exempt due to insomnia and Rain due to being a kidney donor. IIRC these were the 3 more relevant pro's with exeptions. Surprise to hear this about Flash.
~~ FlaSh will participate as team leader (instead of BeSt), however team leadership could potentially change mid-season due to FlaSh's imminent military service.
Wait what? I thought Flash was exempt due to his surgery and the gigantic scar he has on his arm/shoulder. Did something change?
Stork was also exempt due to insomnia and Rain due to being a kidney donor. IIRC these were the 3 more relevant pro's with exeptions. Surprise to hear this about Flash.
Will he go to a "desk" job there?
i dunno, the post says 'military service issues', i assumed it meant he's going to the army soon
*please take whatever is in brackets with a big grain of salt, my Korean is very limited -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Draft results:
Round 1:
Snow --> Best
(Snow said that in order to win the league they'll have to beat Flash and Best seems like the right person to do it and he should also manage to do well in PvP and PvZ // Best said he's worried about PvZ)
Larva --> Bisu
(Larva also wanted Best, his aim was to pick people he knows from the Proleague days, hopes Bisu performs like he did in MSL // Bisu thinks putting together an ex-SKT team is kewl)
Light --> Mini
(Light thinks XvP matchups are hard, looks to pick ppl who do well vs P // Mini is surprised he got picked this early)
Flash --> Soulkey
(Flash thinks Soulkey has strong fundamentals // Soulkey thanks Flash for picking him, asks Flash to carry him to victory)
Soma --> Sorry
(Soma considers Sorry a good friend who puts in the work when it comes to practice)
Zero --> Stork
(Agrees Protoss is the race to be worried about right now, thinks it's important to pick someone who does well in vP first and foremost // Stork thinks he does well in situations where both players have the same units at their disposal and recommends Zero pick Rush)
Round 2:
Zero --> Rush
(Zero initially fancied picking Shuttle but concedes Rush has recently been the best performing Terran after Flash and Light)
Soma --> Effort
Flash --> Action
(Something about Action and Soulkey's styles being vastly different)
Light --> hero
Larva --> Ssak
(The casters wonder whether Larva will carry on in his attempt to rebuild SKT, Larva says winning is one thing but winning with style is another // Larva teases picking Hyuk // Ssak contemplates the meaning of life after looking at his team and promises to try hard as long as Larva tries hard as well)
Snow --> JyJ
Round 3:
Snow --> Shuttle
(Asked for a reason, Snow can't think of anything specific that made him choose Shuttle // Snow believes Shuttle was doing well up until about a month ago, Shuttle apologises to his fans for slacking and promises to get back to that level)
Larva requests to call Bisu to ask for advice.
Larva --> Killer
(Larva teases picking Hyuk again, gives up on his dream of putting an all ex-SKT team together and goes for Killer instead)
Light --> Piano
Flash --> free
(Flash is satisfied with his picks so far, agrees Protoss is strong in the current meta and opts to pick one to fill the roster // free knows Flash likes to win and promises to do well)
Soma --> Sharp
(Sharp admits he hasn't been performing well, was worried he might not get picked, thanks Soma // (?) Soma says there's nothing Sharp can't do <3 )
Zero --> Miso
(Zero thinks it's difficult to pick someone at this stage, thinks Miso's ZvZ in 2020 was strong // Miso is ecstatic to be picked // Zero asks Miso to stop shouting and to focus on ZvZ and ZvP // Miso says he's been practicing on ladder unbeknownst to anyone)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team captains have the liberty to add up to 2 players to their rosters. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effort has 36,4% winrate since coming back from army, far worse than Shuttle or Free for example. Most notable is his 10-22 record against Shuttle, player who has been notoriously bad since his militaryservice. Maps dont help either, most of Efforts wins against protoss are in Benzene so he is kind of wild card at this point.
Effort has 36,4% winrate since coming back from army, far worse than Shuttle or Free for example. Most notable is his 10-22 record against Shuttle, player who has been notoriously bad since his militaryservice. Maps dont help either, most of Efforts wins against protoss are in Benzene so he is kind of wild card at this point.
I must be completely wrong, i thought shuttle has been notoriously good since out of the military, especially against z (as usual).
Effort has 36,4% winrate since coming back from army, far worse than Shuttle or Free for example. Most notable is his 10-22 record against Shuttle, player who has been notoriously bad since his militaryservice. Maps dont help either, most of Efforts wins against protoss are in Benzene so he is kind of wild card at this point.
I must be completely wrong, i thought shuttle has been notoriously good since out of the military, especially against z (as usual).
If we exclude first couple of weeks when Shuttle came back, he still has 40% winrate. Last month it was something like 43%. Yes, his best matchup is pvz with something like 44%. Given the ammount of games Shuttle grinds, it is not good.
Not sure about JyJ as a third pick, otherwise I think Snow has a solid team. Larva's team looks mediocre, but could do okay if Bisu delivers this season. Light's team is all players with high potential who don't always deliver. This includes Light himself. Flash's team looks very strong. Free and Action are both underrated and getting both of them is amazing. Soma's team could be good, assuming Effort can start winning things that aren't ZvZ and Sharp macroes a little bit. Their first match will say whether they're a team who needs to be taken seriously. Queen's team looks like another one that will either do very well or very poorly. Will Stork's team continue to suck even if it's not his team any more?
Anyway, not super predictable, should be a fun tournament.
Good teams overall. I would've liked if like last season, they picked up an amateur or two so it's sad to see that Afreeca did away with the 2v2/3v3s which were interesting. On the other hand, we get a team league, more games and even a foreign-sponsored team haha. Great!
You lose part of the meta strategy when you know who you're going to be playing in advance, eg surprise races on maps where it's 'bad' to run like p on shakuras, so I'm a big fan of this change.
On January 23 2021 05:59 Garrl wrote: You lose part of the meta strategy when you know who you're going to be playing in advance, eg surprise races on maps where it's 'bad' to run like p on shakuras, so I'm a big fan of this change.
you can't change the rules when the tournament has already started