Following NASL through Season 1 was a learning experience. It taught us that, yes, you can fuel ESPORTS with an outpouring of blind passion. At the same time, we learned that passion without guile can lead to hardship. We learned that the people in ESPORTS can disappoint us harshly, but we also learned that it was because we felt too entitled to 100% of their efforts and heart.
Lessons in hand, NASL has returned. They have responded to our criticisms, and sought to improve themselves in every way. All the troubles in the past approached them as surprises, but now they will be prepared. And we as viewers, have returned again to judge. Paradoxical as it may seem, part of being a good fan is being one who can judge dispassionately. We are being offered a chance to do so: the first week of NASL will be free for all to see.
So let us not rush to form opinion, but carefully decide what our reaction will be. For after a week, we will know the potential of the league: to be good, bad, or perhaps even excellent.
Group Stage Preview: Featuring the ESPORTS Prospectus
By: TeamLiquid
Intuition versus calculation. Intangibles versus data. Ever since Moneyball was published in 2003, the use of statistical analysis has been a ongoing subplot in the world of athletics. Is it any surprise that there are those who would attempt such an analysis for its, geekier, electronic cousin in ESPORTS?
After getting thoroughly drubbed at MLG Anaheim, PrimaDog has returned with a new and improved edition of his ESPORTS Prospectus to predict the NASL Season 2 group stage. Going up against it is our NASL writing team, who have assembled the full strength of their noble human faculties against this horrendous creation of mathematics and science. Will the ESPORTS Prospectus reach its stated goal of 70% accuracy? Will the TeamLiquid writers overcome their ridiculous NA bias? And in the end, will shirts be eaten? By December, we shall know the answer.
Division One
Rank
confusedcrib
JimLloyd
zarepath
Lovedrop
Prospectus
#1
Fenix
Fenix
DeMuslim
HerO
HerO
#2
HerO
HerO
HerO
White-Ra
White-Ra
#3
Sheth
DeMuslim
Fenix
Sheth
Sheth
#4
White-Ra
White-Ra
Lowely
DeMuslim
DeMuslim
#5
DeMuslim
Sheth
Sheth
Fenix
Lowely
#6
Vibe
Lowely
White-Ra
Cruncher
Cruncher
#7
Lowely
Cruncher
Vibe
Vibe
Vibe
#8
Cruncher
Vibe
Cruncher
Lowely
Fenix
TL Writers Say:
confusedcrib: "Anyone who's watched Fenix in GSTL knows just how much he's improved over the past month or two. His Korean training is starting to pay off, and I expect great things."
Lovedrop: "1st is a no brainer. HerO’s innovation leads the way for Protoss around the world and even in the darkest times, he has held the torch for a brighter future."
zarepath: "Hero will lose the top spot by either losing in a slightly imba match-up (TvP) against the two top foreigner Terrans in Fenix and DeMuslim, or taking an upset PvZ loss against the Zergs Sheth or LoWeLy in their best match-up."
Prospectus Says:
"Fenix's three-kill against was impressive and unlikely, but we need to focus more on the latter. It most certainly elevates Fenix from his previous position at a low-tier foreign player, but it shows a lack of prudence to immediately shoot him to the top of the group following such a small sample of games. Furthermore, while Lowely does not have much of a resume at big tournaments, his record shows that he is still marvelously average player, trading games at a near 50% rate against other top Europeans. At worst, we can predict a mid table finish for the Belarusian."
Division Two
Rank
confusedcrib
JimLloyd
zarepath
Lovedrop
Prospectus
#1
Rain
DarkForce
Rain
Rain
Brat_OK
#2
HuK
Rain
HuK
HuK
Mana
#3
DarkForce
HuK
DarkForce
Mana
Rain
#4
Mana
Mana
Cloud
Brat_OK
DarkForce
#5
Haypro
Brat_OK
Mana
Haypro
HuK
#6
Brat_OK
Cloud
Brat_OK
DarkForce
Axslav
#7
Axslave
Haypro
Haypro
Cloud
Cloud
#8
Cloud
Axslav
Axslav
Axslav
Haypro
TL Writers Say:
zarepath: "HayprO makes too many drones, and Axslav has to listen to iNcontroL talk on podcasts all day."
emytherel: "HuK and Rain. It really is that simple, no other discussion needed."
JimLloyd: "DarkForce's zerg play has been an inspiration. His skill -- his patience in particular -- will allow him to weather the wild aggression of HuK and the supposedly imbalanced Korean Terran style."
Prospectus Says:
"Unconditional, abject terror in the face of the Korean-trained is understandable but irrational. Take away their backgrounds, and the record will show that HuK and Rain have been most fallible in recent months. Brat_OK's stats might be called 'inflated' by some, as many of his victories have been recorded against lesser known players from Eastern Europe. However, the players he defeated are subject to the same ELO valuations as everyone else in the international player pool. We shall take it as a point of confidence in TLPD that victories against a Russian player are equally as valuable as wins against more commonly known opponents with the same ELO."
Division Three
Rank
confusedcrib
JimLloyd
zarepath
Lovedrop
Prospectus
#1
Idra
Idra
Sjow
Kiwikaki
Sjow
#2
Sjow
Sjow
Idra
Idra
Hwangsin
#3
Kiwikaki
HwangSin
HwangSin
Jinro
Kiwikaki
#4
Hwangsin
Kiwikaki
Morrow
Socke
Morrow
#5
Morrow
Jinro
Jinro
Morrow
Socke
#6
Jinro
Morrow
Socke
Sjow
Idra
#7
Socke
Socke
Kiwikaki
Softball
Jinro
#8
Softball
Softball
Softball
Hwangsin
SoftBall
TL Writers Say:
confusedcrib: "Idra seems like he can do well in the NASL. This is because every match is so far apart from the last that his mental control over the psychopathic, Protoss hating child residing in his brain will be much higher."
Lovedrop: "Hwangsin wished TL Opens had trophies, because he won’t be getting one anytime soon (and definitely not here)."
Prospectus Says:
"August was a poor month for Idra, where he found it difficult to find wins against opponents of similar caliber to those in his NASL group. In the meanwhile, Hwangsin's all-in style is has been proven to be a solid way to grind out victories, despite its perception of being less skillful. One improvement we hope to make in the future is to take into account the preparation time for leagues such as NASL, where opponents might equip themselves to deal with Hwangsin's tactics. On a purely subjective level, we do think that it will factor in his performance to some degree, though we cannot say as to what degree."
Division Four
Rank
confusedcrib
JimLloyd
zarepath
Lovedrop
Prospectus
#1
Sen
Strelok
Select
Select
Strelok
#2
Select
Sen
Strelok
Ret
Sen
#3
Ret
Select
Sen
Sen
Ret
#4
Strelok
Ret
Ret
Strelok
Moonglade
#5
Incontrol
NightEnD
NightEnd
Moonglade
Select
#6
NightEnd
Incontrol
Inka
Inka
NightEnd
#7
Moonglade
Moonglade
Incontrol
Nightend
Inka
#8
Inka
Inka
Moonglade
Incontrol
Incontrol
TL Writers Say:
Lovedrop: "If the NASL was a giant pot of coffee, Group 4 would be half & half. I can see the top 4 winning by a rather large margin, while the other four will sit wondering what really happened during these 7 weeks."
zarepath: "Top four: SeleCT is just a beast, Strelok has excellent TvZ in a three-Zerg division, Sen edges Ret with his ZvZ."
JimLloyd: "Strelok's frightening determination, only hardened by the injustice he suffered last season, will carry him past his foes."
Prospectus Says:
"Though Sen's positioning at the top of TLPD ELO due to his inactivity in foreign tournaments points to a specific fault of the system, Strelok's gained his current (as of Sept 13th), placement at #2 through much recent activity. By non-concrete measures we would say he has momentum; more dryly, he has won very many games in a short amount of time."
Division Five
Rank
confusedcrib
JimLloyd
zarepath
Lovedrop
Prospectus
#1
Puma
Puma
Puma
Puma
Puma
#2
Dimaga
Dimaga
HasuObs
HasuObs
Dimaga
#3
TLO
HasuObs
Dimaga
Dimaga
qxc
#4
HasuObs
qxc
Tyler
Tyler
HasuObs
#5
qxc
TLO
qxc
qxc
TT1
#6
Tyler
TT1
Moman
TLO
Moman
#7
TT1
Tyler
TLO
TT1
Tyler
#8
Moman
Moman
TT1
Moman
TLO
TL Writers Say:
emytherel: "If qxc doesn't make it out of this group I will be very surprised, the only player that is a threat to the now Korean trained QXC is the sole Korean of the group, PuMa."
confusedcrib: "Since TLO, Tyler, and HasuObs are the biggest wildcards ever, it's almost impossible to effectively rate past first place."
Lovedrop: "Puma’s in Korea and there’s lag/bad playing hours? Puma could be in Antarctica and still win this group. Well, at least we still have Moman. Can someone tell him to stop playing his matches in front of the Louvre?"
Prospectus Says:
"And here we have the Korean trained player who is most deserving of his fearsome reputation. There is an interesting coincidence where he has lost only one series to a non-Korean player in his international tournament career (Mana at IEM Cologne). For the sake of simplicity, we assume that the Korean SC II scene and the rest of the world operate under similar principles, but anecdotal evidence suggests at least that it is not the case."
With the Global Starcraft II League being composed of primarily Koreans and the North American Starleague hosting players from all over the world, it’s hard to trust the names of StarCraft 2 tournaments anymore. For better or for worse, NASL Season 2 has the feel of a true “global” Starleague. The league's namesake North Americans are truly foreigners (in the international sense) among foreigners (in the Starcraft sense) in this upcoming season, as Korea and the very best nations of the world are well represented in the five groups of NASL. Here, we try to look at the individual nations of NASL, and the stories they bring.
Korea: the non-Foreigners
Though the Korean teams orchestrated a dramatic withdrawal from NASL Season 2, the Koreans still found a way to take our money. HwangSin, HerO, Rain, and PuMa are some of Korea's fiercest and most enterprising players, having found ways to join foreign teams that sponsor their opportunities abroad while allowing them to practice within the unmatched South Korean gaming environment (except Rain, who mysteriously manages to maintain his skill from the tri-state area).
Though they only represent 10% of the total players, recent trends make it feels like the chance of a Korean winning the tournament is over 90%. HwangSin is sort of the odd man out here, with his unorthodox all-in or nothing style getting him rated as one of the 'weaker' Koreans. Which still makes him better than most of the field. On the other hand, Puma, the 'best' Korean, probably isn't going to lose a single series to a non-Korean (which has only happened once in his career).
The following video was made after MLG Columbus, but it's become an apt representation of the scene ever since:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbfP5SIn0Y
Ukraine: The Best of the Rest
With DIMAGA taking down Assembly Summer and White-Ra bringing home the championship from IPL Season 2, Ukraine has, for the time being, positioned herself as the best non-Korean country in the world. It's really a shame that not all four horsemen of the Ukrainian Apocalypse could be gathered for the NASL, as Kas unfortunately failed to quality. Had all four been present, the dominant story of NASL could easily have been Korea vs Ukraine, a battle that would be much closer than some might think.
White-Ra: Manner. Kas: Consistency. Dimaga: Passion. Strelok: Good looks. Together, they are Team Ukraine.
Remember, Dimaga is the player that handed Nestea, the supposed God of Zerg, his only ZvZ series loss of all time. Similarly, White-Ra has proven to be quite a match for the Kratoss Protoss, MC. So against the four non-Pantheon Koreans gathered at NASL, Ukraine has a pretty good shot.
"Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge." - Wikipedia
Korea has been merciless at taking our money, whether it is by sending their gamers to take foreign prize money or siphoning our wallets through GomTV subscriptions. But they haven't stopped there. Not only do they want our material wealth, but they want our best talent as well.
Many top players from Sweden, the former #1 Western power in Starcraft II, have been lured to Korea with promises of glory, and it is worrisome as to whether any of them shall return. Jinro is already lost to us, while NaNiwa and SaSe (both not competing in NASL) seem determined to remain in Korea as well. Will we see SjoW, who now bears the Swedish flag, appear in an Startale jersey and wave the Taegukgi at the season 2 grand final?
MorroW was briefly tempted during the GSL World Championship, but wisely erred on the side of caution, choosing not to linger and returned home swiftly instead.
It is here that we should realize there is one Swede for whom we should spare no praise: HayprO. After having lived in Korea for several months, he managed to break free of its deadly but enchanting siren call to successfully navigate his way back home to Sweden. Now he proudly represents Sweden in tournaments around the world, where he (as of yet, unsuccessfully) attempts to avenge his captured brethren.
Taiwan: Sen and Some Guy
I have no idea who SoftBall is. For the tournament's sake I hope he's the next Bonjwa, but he's probably not. Anyway, now Taiwan has two players in the NASL, while China still has zero; obviously part of the NASL's long term plan to alienate even more East Asian Starcraft powers (I kid).
Germany: The Dark Force of Dark Horses
Before we talk about how Germany's been doing, we need to say something about DarKFoRcE. I know, MC vs Puma melted everyone's brains, and now we can't remember anything else that happened at the last NASL Grand Finals, but if you recall, DarkForce ACTUALLY BEAT A KOREAN there. Yes, not only did he beat Alive, but he did it in some nail-biting, uber-epic long games. So let's give credit where credit's due, he really brought to life an otherwise very depressing day 1 of the finals.
For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! They're both kinda good at Starcraft II, but any compliment beyond that seems like flattery.
So we'll call Socke, TLO, HasuObs, and DarKFoRcE the dark horses, though it's becoming a rapidly more populated group due to Koreans. If NASL was giving out collective performance medals to participating countries, Germany would be perfectly situated to take the bronze medal, and maybe even give Ukraine a spirited fight for the silver. Alas, gold does seems rather far beyond their grasp.
In its combined power, North America represents a very formidable force. It is called the North American Starleague after all, and it would be nice to see them have more than two representatives at the grand finals this time around. To that end, it looks like quite a nice roster, especially if we exercise some delicious double standards and consider Select an American, and HuK a Canadian, which would give the North Americans the two very best cards with which to defeat the Koreans.
Sadly, neither of them will give much cause for a raucous "USA! USA!" chant if they should win... Such a shame, because for all our trouble at playing Starcraft II, we do happen to have the best fans in the world. Give us an ounce of hope, and we'll explode. Upset a Korean, and we'll go supernova. Idra, we're looking at you. It's your destiny!
And if that fails, I hope we can all join in a nice "CA-NA-DA! CA-NA-DA!" chant for KiwiKaki.
I was completely convinced that Strelok was going to win Season One. Have you listened to him on those interviews? His rant against Naniwa for not having shown up for his first match was epic (and drew several “what the @#$% is this?” comments from friends I had invited over to watch the premiere week of the NASL with me). And the focus displayed in a later one was a little frightening. I was going purely by psychology, and frankly, I’m a little scared of him myself. Like the legendary New Zealand rugby team that is said to win most of their matches with their fearsome pre-game haka, Strelok was going to show up at the finals and throw that handsome smirk of his to his opponent across the stage. At that point, the outcome would already have been decided.
Alas, there was nothing Strelok could do when faced with his toughest opponent yet: the U.S. Department of State. Visa issues cropped up several times last season; who’d have thought that U.S. national security policy would harm ESPORTS?
That smirk of his.
Was this just a simple clerical error? An example of the bloated U.S. diplomatic bureaucracy? Or...
...is it another piece of evidence of a mounting conspiracy that reaches up into the highest echelons of global power, with Strelok cast as a poor fly caught in a web of international intrigue stretching beyond our wildest imagination?
Think: Strelok was prevented from participating in the NASL Grand Finals. He stated in his explanation that the NASL even contacted a sitting U.S. Representative to attempt to fast-track his visa application, but to no avail. Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) represents Ontario, California, and is seated on the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. Why is that committeeship relevant? Well, in Strelok’s place the NASL team sensibly selected the runner-up from the Open Tournament, who just happened to be a Korean player (aLive). With the recent dust-up over U.S. beef imports to Korea and the current discussions about trade agreements between the United States and South Korea, is it a coincidence that the call to Rep. Baca was unsuccessful?
It goes deeper. There’s another major competition series in North America: the IGN ProLeague. Its parent company, the Imagine Games Network, is owned by NewsCorp, which has come under some criticism for potentially having committed a truly impressive set of crimes involving the violation of people’s privacy. The evidence so far suggests that the Department of Justice could easily make out a prima facie case against the company for having violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but the Obama administration -- the same people who “delayed” Strelok’s visa application -- have failed to move forward with it. And is anyone aware of incriminating calls that IGN staffers had used to threaten the Korean team managers to keep them from participating in an event sponsored by a competitor? Some might say that it’s irresponsible to speculate about things like this; on the contrary, I think it’s irresponsible not to.
Moreover, think about the effects on the Korea / U.S. trade balance if oGsMC were allowed to play in the NASL Grand Finals. Some sources have suggested that he’s not the best poker player in the world. Directly off the highway from Ontario, California to Los Angeles International Airport is the Hollywood Park Casino. A quick detour and his winnings could easily be diverted back into the domestic American economy. IGN, however, has cleverly scheduled their large tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey, over 3000 miles from Hollywood Park!
And there is some evidence that the staff of a sitting U.S. Senator, Charles Grassley (R-IA), was aware of some of NewsCorp’s illegal activities but did not refer them to the Justice Department. Senator Grassley sits on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and on the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness (emphasis added). Which is what this whole crazy game’s really been about. The Obama administration, Democratic Representatives from California, Republican Senators from America’s heartland, and conservative billionaire media moguls from Australia working together and using the full power and authority of the U.S. government to maintain Korean eSports dominance for the benefit of American beef producers. When put that way, one can't help but think: how could I have been so blind?
There’s one problem with this theory, however: it’s too obvious. With giant media corporations and government agencies like the CIA involved, clearly the parties would have done a better job covering their tracks and not laying out all the connections for everyone to see. Maybe I've overthought this a little. Maybe IGN and the NASL are just two organizations both devoted to bringing to us, the viewers, great Starcraft II competition. Maybe we should just sit back and enjoy nine weeks of almost daily matches featuring great players that we all know and love. Well, when I put it that way, I guess it's a pretty exciting time to be a fan of eSports.
"For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! They're both kinda good at Starcraft II, but any compliment beyond that seems like flattery."
what? Germany has a lot of great players who often takes first place in european tourneys like Socke, Hasuobs or Goody. Also Germany had 2 players in the grand finals last time. To be compared to USA seems almost like an insult.
I think Socke is a bit underrated in these predictions lol
I'm still sad that some of the very best Europeans aren't in this (Kas, Stephano, Nerchio, Lucifron and Goody especially) and others chose not to participate. Without these players I can't really call the NASL winner the best foreigner
edit: Well probably the winner isn't even a foreigner but you know what I mean
On September 14 2011 08:18 Waxangel wrote: Think: Strelok was prevented from participating in the NASL Grand Finals. He stated in his explanation that the NASL even contacted a sitting U.S. Representative to attempt to fast-track his visa application, but to no avail. Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) represents Ontario, California, and is seated on the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. Why is that committeeship relevant? Well, in Strelok’s place the NASL team sensibly selected the runner-up from the Open Tournament, who just happened to be a Korean player (aLive). With the recent dust-up over U.S. beef imports to Korea and the current discussions about trade agreements between the United States and South Korea, is it a coincidence that the call to Rep. Baca was unsuccessful?
Heh, this part was truly entertaining to read. Great write up, and even greater graphics!
Well I love the graphics! And the writeup was nice too. Puma got universal first place XD mm I really like Koreans on foriegn teams because they can come to things like NASL
Haha, so it's the North American Star Lindsey? She'd better be there for the amount how prominent she is in this article...
Very nice write-up. Quite an extreme difference in opinion on Fenix with Prospectus vs the rest.
@Hassybaby And hey, no! Back off man. We're not giving up Huk so easily to Korea. Canada all the way.
I think even with not as many Koreans present it's still going to be pretty epic. It's a pretty solid line-up. I almost like it better this way as it has different feel to both MLG and GOMTV. I'm just still not convinced on 5days/week saturation, but if they've picked up some good casters, it should be a fun watch.
Lots of Korean Pros have openly stated that China has some very talented players such as XiGua. The Real problem is VISA issue. Hint, Strelok could not get his Visa in time for a playoff/grand final, wait.. NASL playoff, isn't it? China-US Visa is notoriously difficult to obtain. How do you convince people at the embassy that the your purpose of your trip is to play computer game....
Though Sen is the better player in his division overall, he is 0-2 vs Strelok for some reasons. Maybe the game was not balanced enough back then, God knows why.
I cried my eyes out when Strelok's Visa application was denied. This is your season. Destroy everyone and claim the title that was destined to be yours.
3 > 2 = 1 > 4 = 5 skillwise. Some of those predictions are quite the joke, cloud under haypro? joking? Socke rank 7 in group 3, idra winning group 3? Fenix winning group 1? lol? gave me quite some laughs^^
Hope to see Lindsey SporeCrawler back and some good games.. I was kind of disappointed in the finals but they have definitely improved since the first week, which was a complete joke. They even had the Xsplit watermark on their video capture, to go along with their 1000 problems. Aside this, I was impressed at how fast they improved and now that they had a lot more time to improve, I think people expect a lot.
im actually hoping softball does at least ok in groups. it would be nice to see some high level talent in the foreign scene from a Taiwanese person (besides sen ofc)
looks like lindsey sporer is now the face of NASL. Eh.. im not complaining. She's pretty and adds some color to a room full of us nerds. Probably be good for her career too.
Anyways speaking of the actual post. It was interesting looking at how people ranked players in their division. I love have Puma is the only unanimous #1
On September 14 2011 09:59 metbull wrote: who the heck is this girl that's plastered all over this post? and what does she have to do with NASL? other than the obvious.
That would be Tro El Bayt, the famed Israeli shoutcaster. She was quite divisive after her debut at NASL Season One Finals.
I'm assuming/hoping all the Lindsay sporrer photos are a joke, I think it's really stupid to have someone so insignificant to the Starcraft scene plastered all over it, plus it makes no sense. I know lighten up, don't be mean to me silly boy etc etc.
I feel like this NASL will really be Sheth's time to shine: especially in the group he's in. Since I'd say that historically his only real matchup leaving something to be desired would have to be ZvT, the presence of DeMusliM and Fenix as the only Terrans [both with TvZ leaving something to be desired] I predict that Sheth will finish tied in second with Fenix, behind HerO; also being the only player in the Division to claim a game [not a set, but a single game] from HerO, who would otherwise go undefeated.
Great write-up. Really interesting to read some of the writer's predictions. I don't know if they have info we don't or if they are just crazy! Oh and Lindsey is smokin
I know this is the pettiest of gripes, but can you add an australian flag to the rest of the world team including moonglade? I realise winning a group stage at IEM isn't much but it means a lot to his fans to have an Australian being recognised as representing his country at the highest levels of scII.
3 > 2 = 1 > 4 = 5 skillwise. Some of those predictions are quite the joke, cloud under haypro? joking? Socke rank 7 in group 3, idra winning group 3? Fenix winning group 1? lol? gave me quite some laughs^^
On September 14 2011 10:21 MrSandman wrote: I know this is the pettiest of gripes, but can you add an australian flag to the rest of the world team including moonglade? I realise winning a group stage at IEM isn't much but it means a lot to his fans to have an Australian being recognised as representing his country at the highest levels of scII.
that was a fun read, although u broke my heart a little when i saw that "the rest of the world" team had no australian flag listed there for moonglade.
On September 14 2011 10:21 MrSandman wrote: I know this is the pettiest of gripes, but can you add an australian flag to the rest of the world team including moonglade? I realise winning a group stage at IEM isn't much but it means a lot to his fans to have an Australian being recognised as representing his country at the highest levels of scII.
This was a mistake; fixed, thanks.
If you're checking edits, there's a Hayrpo in JimLloyd's predictions.
When i initially saw the thread i was excited that Lindsey Sporrer would be back, but then i saw that her pics were plastered all over the thread and it actually irked me quite a bit. After 30 seconds and casually scanning through the entire OP i was able to beat back my dismay and i'm excited again. More Lindsey Sporrer! Excellent!!
In all honesty though i hope she takes this seriously and tries to broaden her SC2 knowledge. And Puma will dominate all throughout the season, make it back to the finals, but then in an amusing twist of irony he will be knocked out by the open bracket winner.
china was a second strongest at sc1, looks like its also gonna translate to sc2. recently china demolished Taiwan in sc2 nation wars 2. score was like 5-1
That was very funny and very TL, that writeup. Between the Lindsey Sporrer background, the TL resident pundits' predictions (seriously, start selling edible shirts), the Great ESPORTS Conspiracy and
Hm, this team is actually better than North America.
, I'm glad I left my tea in the kitchen and not where it could spill onto my computer.
Also, I hope the backgrounds aren't just there for tease. See you at the next finals Lindsey!
EDIT: An article featuring my favourite ESPORTS interviewer on my birthday? Coincidence?
Probably not gonna be a popular opinion but im confident in Incontrol taking number 1 in group 4, his hard work is gonna pay off, and the haters will be silenced. And of Course HuK is taking number 1 in his group as well.
On September 14 2011 12:12 Kingqway wrote: LMAO, I love the lindsey sporrer pics being plastered all over the post with nothing about her in text hahaha!!
I was surprised to see nothing regarding lindsey.... so, why spam her pictures?
On September 14 2011 12:13 CKHound wrote: Probably not gonna be a popular opinion but im confident in Incontrol taking number 1 in group 4, his hard work is gonna pay off, and the haters will be silenced. And of Course HuK is taking number 1 in his group as well.
Judging by his play "today" in the MLG Global Invitational, I'm not so sure he's been working hard enough.
What the fuck was all that shit about the US conspiracy to keep Koreans dominant in eSports?.. Because of the BEEF industry? Either you tried way too hard to troll us, thought no one would read that far down and decided to put something stupid at the bottom, or you are in fact retarded.
when i was halfway through the strelok thing i was like pulling my hair out and going insane. then i realized it was a joke... i was going so crazy though haha
I'm Really disappointed in all the photos of that girl, she doesn't even play starcraft. Seriously the part of the community who is applauding the photos of her are just being naive, they are your target audience of course! Now the bulk of the sc2 population with no social life is going to watch in hopes that a girl casts a game. Great Move NASL!
I expected more from NASL, Nothing says class like hot chicks! I didn't even bother reading the write-up Good or not its irrelevant its been ruined by something unrelated to SC2.
NASL, way to turn something i truly enjoyed into something without taste. And you wonder why koreans wont attend your events.. Psh
Just bothers me.
Drizzs
User was warned for this post
Mod note: warned for saying "bulk of sc2 population with no social life". You can disagree without insulting entire community.
The tone of the article was certainly set with all those pictures. 80% of the replies are TL showing what direction the blood flows in their body, and how well NASL's marketing ploy works.
Barely anyone is even discussing the Article, which is pretty good. But either this shows something about the average TL poster, or it shows you something about the quality of the NASL. I think it's more the former than the latter.
On September 14 2011 13:40 Drizzs wrote: I'm Really disappointed in all the photos of that girl, she doesn't even play starcraft. Seriously the part of the community who is applauding the photos of her are just being naive, they are your target audience of course! Now the bulk of the sc2 population with no social life is going to watch in hopes that a girl casts a game. Great Move NASL!
I expected more from NASL, Nothing says class like hot chicks! I didn't even bother reading the write-up Good or not its irrelevant its been ruined by something unrelated to SC2.
NASL, way to turn something i truly enjoyed into something without taste. And you wonder why koreans wont attend your events.. Psh
On September 14 2011 13:40 Drizzs wrote: I'm Really disappointed in all the photos of that girl, she doesn't even play starcraft. Seriously the part of the community who is applauding the photos of her are just being naive, they are your target audience of course! Now the bulk of the sc2 population with no social life is going to watch in hopes that a girl casts a game. Great Move NASL!
I expected more from NASL, Nothing says class like hot chicks! I didn't even bother reading the write-up Good or not its irrelevant its been ruined by something unrelated to SC2.
NASL, way to turn something i truly enjoyed into something without taste. And you wonder why koreans wont attend your events.. Psh
Good writeup, kind of sad to see people thinking that the author is taking "shots" at other countries and "usa overestimating themselves". It's a good write-up especially for those such as myself who don't follow NASL that much. People need to stop reading into everything so personally.
Wait, after the first week we gonna need to buy a season ticket to watch the games or i'm misreading something? Because thats a mistake i will not make again.
On September 14 2011 14:42 red4ce wrote: Weird. Why is Lindsey much better looking in black and white than in color?
+1. MUCH MUCH BETTER. And folks don't underestimate Softball, he is quite a decent Terran player, I wish him all the best in the coming NASL 2! He wont sit on the bottom of his gorup, I am calling it.
"MorroW was briefly tempted during the GSL World Championship, but wisely erred on the side of caution, choosing not to linger and returned home swiftly instead"
On September 14 2011 14:42 red4ce wrote: Weird. Why is Lindsey much better looking in black and white than in color?
+1. MUCH MUCH BETTER. And folks don't underestimate Softball, he is quite a decent Terran player, I wish him all the best in the coming NASL 2! He wont sit on the bottom of his gorup, I am calling it.
softball is Taiwan's second best player and he got roflstomped by ig.xigwa a zerg from the 6 million dollar Chinese team.
"MorroW was briefly tempted during the GSL World Championship, but wisely erred on the side of caution, choosing not to linger and returned home swiftly instead"
I really don't understand the blatant use of Lindsay Sporrer's pictures as the cover. They never went into detail how she's relevant. Seems like a cheap gimmick at the pants of lonely nerds. Bad move, NASL
That girl is so attractive holy crap... the right up was good too! Also primadog better start marinating a shirt or jacket, he is going to have to eat a ton when almost all of those predictions are wrong
(srsly hwangsin is getting nowhere close to the top lol)
Nice article! :> Background shocked me when I first opened it ... but, excellent. Loved how detailed the article was. Tho, still lots of typos in it but they sometimes make for a good laugh, too
well i for myself am not very pumped for NASL 2 ... and with all the koreans at gomtv...i just dont have the time to watch that much...if anyone has 2-3 Million Dollar for me, i will gladly quit my job and watch and play all day long
On September 14 2011 18:05 Dariusz wrote: How about pictures of the champion of season one - Puma, instead of some random chick that did few bad interviews?
Agreed! are we really that desperate to throw up pics of some blonde chick who knows nothing about the sport to get views, or people to read this?
On September 14 2011 18:19 rebuffering wrote: Agreed! are we really that desperate to throw up pics of some blonde chick who knows nothing about the sport to get views, or people to read this?
No we aren't at all. When was the last time you saw a feature article featuring a blonde chick? I can't remember. When was the last time you saw a feature article that wasn't widely read and enjoyed? I can't remember either. "Blonde chick picture -> more reads" is an erroneous correlation. You want the correct correlation? "Lindsey Sporrer picture -> funny spin on article that could make readers (who would have read the article anyway) laugh". Of course, a side effect is "Linsey Sporrer picture -> make some people complain about an erroneous correlation they unwisely assumed", but we can fix that part together can't we
Such a fun right up, I was laughing all through the staff vs Prospectus comments as well as the final conspiracy theory proving that The Man is trying to keep us down for Beef! Thanks for another fun morning of reading over my coffee TL
ps Free week woo! I will be checking it out for certain!
Its so hard to predict who will come out on top in all the groups.
What we learned from season one is that lag plays a role. So does motivation. Also at some point NASL will prolly colide with other tournaments giving some players walkovers and others losses for not playing.
For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! They're both kinda good at Starcraft II, but any compliment beyond that seems like flattery.
Not sure if serious. Especially, because the OP contradicts himself before and after with saying, that Germany is one of the countries with the most representation in this league. It is also the only country outside South Korea that had more than one player in the grand finals and the highest placing among western players.
While its true that Germany has not that much top players in relation to its fanbase and population (Great Britain and Russia are still better examples for it), but the few we have belong to the Top in EU:
- We have the online monster Goody, who wins pretty much every week a tourney, sometimes more (why no Goody in NASL T.T). - The RTS-veteran Hasu, captain of one of the strongest clans and Team Germany, a guy with extreme strong unit control (impressively proven yesterday against the french Top Zerg Stephano) and a habit to collect tourney wins around the Mediterranean Sea (Spain, France and Italy). - The solid macro Zerg Darkforce, who seems to get better and better. - And last but not least the best german player Socke. One of the most consistent top foreigner in the scene with tons of strong results in major tournaments and tournament victories. I was literally shaking my head at the predictions. Socke 7th in his division? Are you kidding me? What have Idra, Hwangsin, Jinro, Kiwikaki and Morrow shown recently to put them above him?
I expect, that Hasu, DF and Socke all get at least to the play offs like last season. They also have decent chances to get Top 2 in their groups. The only real wildcard (Lol at Socke being a wild card) here is TLO, who truthfully is not on the others level atm.
Isn't this that tournament that lacks Korean players? With all the SC2 games happening everyday (especially IPL) I find it hard to become passionate about the NASL.
Some of the predictions are wierd to me. I can't see anything other than a landslide sweep for Mana and Morrow in Divisions 2/3, yet noone has placed them that highly. Maybe, I'm overestimating them, but they really seem like they're in great shape currently.
On September 14 2011 19:51 Sphaero wrote: For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! They're both kinda good at Starcraft II, but any compliment beyond that seems like flattery.
Not sure if serious. Especially, because the OP contradicts himself before and after with saying, that Germany is one of the countries with the most representation in this league. It is also the only country outside South Korea that had more than one player in the grand finals and the highest placing among western players.
While its true that Germany has not that much top players in relation to its fanbase and population (Great Britain and Russia are still better examples for it), but the few we have belong to the Top in EU:
- We have the online monster Goody, who wins pretty much every week a tourney, sometimes more (why no Goody in NASL T.T). - The RTS-veteran Hasu, captain of one of the strongest clans and Team Germany, a guy with extreme strong unit control (impressively proven yesterday against the french Top Zerg Stephano) and a habit to collect tourney wins around the Mediterranean Sea (Spain, France and Italy). - The solid macro Zerg Darkforce, who seems to get better and better. - And last but not least the best german player Socke. One of the most consistent top foreigner in the scene with tons of strong results in major tournaments and tournament victories. I was literally shaking my head at the predictions. Socke 7th in his division? Are you kidding me? What have Idra, Hwangsin, Jinro, Kiwikaki and Morrow shown recently to put them above him?
I expect, that Hasu, DF and Socke all get at least to the play offs like last season. They also have decent chances to get Top 2 in their groups. The only real wildcard (Lol at Socke being a wild card) here is TLO, who truthfully is not on the others level atm.
Sure Germany is one of the Top-Nations in Europe, no one doubts that, but altgough we have many good players, there is no real wrecking machine. Look at Poland for example, they have 1/4 of our population and they have two beasts with MaNa and Nerchio. Or Sweden, which has 1/9 of our population and has ThorZain, Naniwa, Sjow, Morrow, Jinro, Sase, Lalush, Haypro, Jimpo, Bischu, Merz, Seiplo(...).
Sure Germany is one of the Top-Nations in Europe, no one doubts that, but altgough we have many good players, there is no real wrecking machine. Look at Poland for example, they have 1/4 of our population and they have two beasts with MaNa and Nerchio. Or Sweden, which has 1/9 of our population and has ThorZain, Naniwa, Sjow, Morrow, Jinro, Sase, Lalush, Haypro, Jimpo, Bischu, Merz, Seiplo(...).
First of all, there is no doubt, that Sweden is the number one country outside Korea. Their player pool is ridiculous and that goes beyond SCII. I think the acceptance of esport is greater there than in Germany. Maybe its the long winters, I dunno.
Second, define "real wrecking machine", because the ones you named from Poland are very similar to the best germans. Nerchio is by all the hype around him an extreme strong and active online player, who needs to back up his results in major lans. His showing at IEM Cologne was good, but thats not enough to put him above players like Socke or Hasu. Actually Goody fits Nerchios description pretty well.
Mana is on fire lately, no doubt about it, but he is overall not better than Socke. Going by both results and skill, they are on the same level (although Socke earned a good chunk more price money, because he is more consistent over a longer time). Right now, Mana has the edge in TvP, while Socke is a little bit better against Zerg. Their Mirror is dead even, which was the reason for their extreme close bronze match in Cologne. Hasu is not far behind both of them.
Poland is very strong and with Tarson and Diestar on the same level as Germany, which is amazing going by their population size. They build together with Ukraine and Germany the second line behind Sweden, which as said above stands at the top.
Sure Germany is one of the Top-Nations in Europe, no one doubts that, but altgough we have many good players, there is no real wrecking machine. Look at Poland for example, they have 1/4 of our population and they have two beasts with MaNa and Nerchio. Or Sweden, which has 1/9 of our population and has ThorZain, Naniwa, Sjow, Morrow, Jinro, Sase, Lalush, Haypro, Jimpo, Bischu, Merz, Seiplo(...).
First of all, there is no doubt, that Sweden is the number one country outside Korea. Their player pool is ridiculous and that goes beyond SCII. I think the acceptance of esport is greater there than in Germany. Maybe its the long winters, I dunno.
Second, define "real wrecking machine", because the ones you named from Poland are very similar to the best germans. Nerchio is by all the hype around him an extreme strong and active online player, who needs to back up his results in major lans. His showing at IEM Cologne was good, but thats not enough to put him above players like Socke or Hasu. Actually Goody fits Nerchios description pretty well.
Mana is on fire lately, no doubt about it, but he is overall not better than Socke. Going by both results and skill, they are on the same level (although Socke earned a good chunk more price money, because he is more consistent over a longer time). Right now, Mana has the edge in TvP, while Socke is a little bit better against Zerg. Their Mirror is dead even, which was the reason for their extreme close bronze match in Cologne. Hasu is not far behind both of them.
Poland is very strong and with Tarson and Diestar on the same level as Germany, which is amazing going by their population size. They build together with Ukraine and Germany the second line behind Sweden, which as said above stands at the top.
No offense but if Poland played Germany in a team league format I would bet on Poland every day of the week. Mana is a top foreigner, Nerchio and Tarson are beasts. Socke is sick though
Honestly, she is attractive but is by no means a goddess... and she really doesnt have much influence or involvement in SC2. Cmon guys, I know it was probably meant to be funny but it was over the top and came across as annoying to me anyways....
Great writeup about all the participants though. I'm all about the free HD on week 1 so I guess I'll have to tune in tonight!
Sure Germany is one of the Top-Nations in Europe, no one doubts that, but altgough we have many good players, there is no real wrecking machine. Look at Poland for example, they have 1/4 of our population and they have two beasts with MaNa and Nerchio. Or Sweden, which has 1/9 of our population and has ThorZain, Naniwa, Sjow, Morrow, Jinro, Sase, Lalush, Haypro, Jimpo, Bischu, Merz, Seiplo(...).
First of all, there is no doubt, that Sweden is the number one country outside Korea. Their player pool is ridiculous and that goes beyond SCII. I think the acceptance of esport is greater there than in Germany. Maybe its the long winters, I dunno.
Second, define "real wrecking machine", because the ones you named from Poland are very similar to the best germans. Nerchio is by all the hype around him an extreme strong and active online player, who needs to back up his results in major lans. His showing at IEM Cologne was good, but thats not enough to put him above players like Socke or Hasu. Actually Goody fits Nerchios description pretty well.
Mana is on fire lately, no doubt about it, but he is overall not better than Socke. Going by both results and skill, they are on the same level (although Socke earned a good chunk more price money, because he is more consistent over a longer time). Right now, Mana has the edge in TvP, while Socke is a little bit better against Zerg. Their Mirror is dead even, which was the reason for their extreme close bronze match in Cologne. Hasu is not far behind both of them.
Poland is very strong and with Tarson and Diestar on the same level as Germany, which is amazing going by their population size. They build together with Ukraine and Germany the second line behind Sweden, which as said above stands at the top.
Surely I am just a single person, who has just a subjective view, but I would rate MaNa over Socke at this time, because he had major achievments more recently. In one month, he finshed Top 3 in 3 Premier Tournaments, beating players like Idra,ThorZain, HuK, NaDa, Puma. Socke is more consistent in raching top finishes for over one year, but in their current form I would give MaNa the advantage.
Also Nerchio just looks unbeatable at times. He 6-0´d his group at IEM and was only stoped by the winner of the Tournament.He made it through the IPL-Losers brackes, winnig 8 Bo3/5 in a row.
When I see those two performing, I just have the feeling, they could beat anyone at anytime (maybe except MvP/Netstea or Bomber). When I see top Germans plying I just think: "Well, there good".
Don´t get me wrong, I know that there are many good players in Germany, but I see Poland on the same level and given the fact, that Poland has just 1/4 of Germanys poulation, I had to defend the opinion, that population and amount of talent in SC2 are not (Don´t know the english word, "proportional" in german.)
i understand its the NORTH AMERICAN starleague and the elite of NA has to be a part of that but world elite is something different and certainly not Vibe cruncher TT1(not anymore) inka tyler incontrol or axlav in my opinion
most of them will just get horribly annihilated while players like nerchio goody happy adelscott tarson are just sitting around at home waiting to destroy all of them
idk ....
On September 14 2011 08:41 Sandro wrote: So many pretty pictures of Lindsay
On September 14 2011 08:40 The Void wrote: usa overastimate themself like evertime...
korean will take it... and germany - at least will go well...
edit: excellent ^^
imo it will be:
Korea #1 Ukraine #2 Sweden #3
sweden? who should take it for sweden ?
haypro - o wait did he have a single top10 finish yet jinro - maybe but i think hes not i good shape atm (maybe because of the metagame atm) sjow - yeah he has the potential but he never quite seems to be able to beat everyone who will stand in his way
"For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! "
the guy who wrote this got no clue and should get another job.comparing a strong sc-nation like germany with the USA...
1.its not about a GDP or the population.its all about the amount of players who do it fulltime.its not a provocation but the truth:the ukraine is one of the poorest countries in europe.all players can do it fulltime and 90 percent of all german players still go to college.if all of them would do it full time they would be better than the ukraine immediately because germany got the highest amount of players in europe. 2.germany took a LOT of bo3s against the ukraine recently and germany was the country with the highest amount of players in the NASL and won the european nation war. 3.a country like the UK would rock at sc2 as well but they are more into console-games.the brits dont have less skill in their blood you know? its not about the general population its all about the population who plays intensively 4.im so pissed about toplists where people only compare the top 3 of each country.you gotta compare 5 or 10 at least.so poland isnt there anymore...although i hate to say it because im half polish.
i understand its the NORTH AMERICAN starleague and the elite of NA has to be a part of that but world elite is something different and certainly not Vibe cruncher TT1(not anymore) inka tyler incontrol or axlav in my opinion
most of them will just get horribly annihilated while players like nerchio goody happy adelscott tarson are just sitting around at home waiting to destroy all of them
On September 14 2011 08:41 Sandro wrote: So many pretty pictures of Lindsay
On September 14 2011 08:40 The Void wrote: usa overastimate themself like evertime...
korean will take it... and germany - at least will go well...
edit: excellent ^^
imo it will be:
Korea #1 Ukraine #2 Sweden #3
sweden? who should take it for sweden ?
haypro - o wait did he have a single top10 finish yet jinro - maybe but i think hes not i good shape atm (maybe because of the metagame atm) sjow - yeah he has the potential but he never quite seems to be able to beat everyone who will stand in his way
Ever heard of Morrow? easily the best swede out of the ones participating.
On September 14 2011 23:34 claash wrote: 4.im so pissed about toplists where people only compare the top 3 of each country.you gotta compare 5 or 10 at least.so poland isnt there anymore...although i hate to say it because im half polish.
But which nation (execpt Sweden and Korea) has 10 good players, who are comparable? Do you really want to compare Farmer or Spanishiwa or Underdark, or whoever is the 10th strongest player of his respective nation, although he doesn´t have any results? The Ukraine for example has 6 Players with a liquidpedia-page, France has 16. I think it is not about the five or ten or 20 best player of one country, it is about the impact, the players of one country made on the scene and so I think you can put countries like the Ukraine or Poland up there at the top.
On September 14 2011 19:51 Sphaero wrote: For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! They're both kinda good at Starcraft II, but any compliment beyond that seems like flattery.
Not sure if serious. Especially, because the OP contradicts himself before and after with saying, that Germany is one of the countries with the most representation in this league. It is also the only country outside South Korea that had more than one player in the grand finals and the highest placing among western players.
I think it was just a joke.
The US is without a doubt the worst country in SC2 if you take into account the player base and community involvement. Even a tiny country such as Sweden that has bought 2% of the SC2 copies that the US has, has more top players. I would say that the US doesn't even have one top tier player even in the foreign scene (though a couple of mid-tier ones, such as Idra or TT1).
i understand its the NORTH AMERICAN starleague and the elite of NA has to be a part of that but world elite is something different and certainly not Vibe cruncher TT1(not anymore) inka tyler incontrol or axlav in my opinion
most of them will just get horribly annihilated while players like nerchio goody happy adelscott tarson are just sitting around at home waiting to destroy all of them
idk ....
On September 14 2011 08:41 Sandro wrote: So many pretty pictures of Lindsay
On September 14 2011 08:40 The Void wrote: usa overastimate themself like evertime...
korean will take it... and germany - at least will go well...
edit: excellent ^^
imo it will be:
Korea #1 Ukraine #2 Sweden #3
sweden? who should take it for sweden ?
haypro - o wait did he have a single top10 finish yet jinro - maybe but i think hes not i good shape atm (maybe because of the metagame atm) sjow - yeah he has the potential but he never quite seems to be able to beat everyone who will stand in his way
Ever heard of Morrow? easily the best swede out of the ones participating.
Maybe you guys have heard of Thorzain and Naniwa? There's also Jimpo, Lalush, Merz, ZpuX etc etc.
edit: Oh, I see you mean in the NASL 2 roster. Dayum, for a moment I thought people dare question Sweden's domination in foreign SC2. :D
Funny how nobody mentions MaNa as the winner od division 2, i see him loosing maybe 1 set vs HuK if he brings his best. (Mana beat Huk 2 times lately but he was travelling a lot so might by an excuse) Mana is God of PVT beating Puma and Nada without any problems, rain will fall apart like a child, PvZ is hardest for mana but he beat Darkforce in Dreamhack i belive (or w/e) and haypro is just bad.
mmm to bad only has some of european beasts in there missing alot of them. Well best of luck i chose not to buy a ticked this season but if all things go well this time i am sure to buy one for season 3.
On September 15 2011 02:00 Larryx wrote: Funny how nobody mentions MaNa as the winner od division 2, i see him loosing maybe 1 set vs HuK if he brings his best. (Mana beat Huk 2 times lately but he was travelling a lot so might by an excuse) Mana is God of PVT beating Puma and Nada without any problems, rain will fall apart like a child, PvZ is hardest for mana but he beat Darkforce in Dreamhack i belive (or w/e) and haypro is just bad.
Rain is gosu dude.. it's between him and Mana in that division imho.. Huk looks worn out.
I really do not understand Prospectus logic on why Fenix will finish last in Division A. But great write-up as usual and looking forward to a hopefully improved NASL experience.
On September 15 2011 02:22 skiptomylou1231 wrote: I really do not understand Prospectus logic on why Fenix will finish last in Division A. But great write-up as usual and looking forward to a hopefully improved NASL experience.
Hahah yeah.. he's trying to compensate.. none would understand otherwise, how you'd rank Fenix behind Vibe. IMHO, If Fenix has been training 14hrs a day for the past 2 months with MVP, Nestea and Yongwa I can't see him losing a single TvZ game tbh.. he might lose a game against White-ra and Demuslim though.
On September 14 2011 22:28 n00b3rt wrote: Judging from the pics, esports has surely gotten big in teh USA
Not so much SC2. Americans still going on with their laughable console FPS rather than SC2 that actually requires thinking.
You really shouldn't lump entire countries together. America has plenty of huge SC2 fans and players, just look at MLG events.
MLG also includes console fps. They take too much of US E-sport scene. Look at the foreign SC2 scene, how many of the best are americans? The disparity wasn't large if existent at all years ago.
On September 14 2011 13:06 legendre20 wrote: What the fuck was all that shit about the US conspiracy to keep Koreans dominant in eSports?.. Because of the BEEF industry? Either you tried way too hard to troll us, thought no one would read that far down and decided to put something stupid at the bottom, or you are in fact retarded.
Ever heard of a joke before?
On September 14 2011 23:34 claash wrote: "For the most part, Germany has been the European example of how population and GDP don't seem to have any relation to Starcraft skill. You know, like America! "
the guy who wrote this got no clue and should get another job.comparing a strong sc-nation like germany with the USA...
1.its not about a GDP or the population.its all about the amount of players who do it fulltime.its not a provocation but the truth:the ukraine is one of the poorest countries in europe.all players can do it fulltime and 90 percent of all german players still go to college.if all of them would do it full time they would be better than the ukraine immediately because germany got the highest amount of players in europe. 2.germany took a LOT of bo3s against the ukraine recently and germany was the country with the highest amount of players in the NASL and won the european nation war. 3.a country like the UK would rock at sc2 as well but they are more into console-games.the brits dont have less skill in their blood you know? its not about the general population its all about the population who plays intensively 4.im so pissed about toplists where people only compare the top 3 of each country.you gotta compare 5 or 10 at least.so poland isnt there anymore...although i hate to say it because im half polish.
On September 15 2011 05:09 feek wrote: It would be hilarious if NASL really had Lindsay all over the place, North American Sporrer League. I'd like to be a pro in that.
I liked the pics, Lindsey is smoking and tasteful. The article was excellent and funny and well complimented by the pics for an additional touch of zaz + inside joke.
On September 14 2011 22:28 n00b3rt wrote: Judging from the pics, esports has surely gotten big in teh USA
Not so much SC2. Americans still going on with their laughable console FPS rather than SC2 that actually requires thinking.
You really shouldn't lump entire countries together. America has plenty of huge SC2 fans and players, just look at MLG events.
MLG also includes console fps. They take too much of US E-sport scene. Look at the foreign SC2 scene, how many of the best are americans? The disparity wasn't large if existent at all years ago.
Are you serious? SC2 is dominating in esports popularity in the US. Have you actually watched MLG? Havent you noticed the place is packed with SC2 fans and has taken over center stage? The console FPS games don't hold back SC2 in America.
Why all the hate on Jinro? The way hes been training I would have him at top three in the division. There is the lag to consider, but that shouldn't stop him from doing well. He's explained many times his drop in form and I can see on his stream he is beginning to become code a worthy and maybe higher if he keeps improving.
On September 15 2011 13:07 wtchuwahmon wrote: so disapointing this is literaly impossible to watch in australia, it either starts at 9pm in the morning (working) or 2am (sleeping) booooo =[
I know how you feel man. Really annoys me too. At least we get GSL at awesome times
Did anyone else get stung by the nasl? I went to purchase a season ticket for season 2 thru their website only to have purchasec the already complete nasl season 1. I tried contacting them and was promptly ignored bad form imo bad form indeed
On September 15 2011 13:07 wtchuwahmon wrote: so disapointing this is literaly impossible to watch in australia, it either starts at 9pm in the morning (working) or 2am (sleeping) booooo =[
I know, it makes me so sad... How am I going to watch mOOnGLaDe live!? I will need to sacrifice sleep!
On September 20 2011 00:17 Avaran wrote: I fail to see mention of Thorzain in the Swedish section? No matter where he is, he is currently very strong and deserves mention.
You will notice that the various sections on the countries are dealing with players participating in NASL only.
That you accidentally mistook these as analyses of the various countries' whole scene is just a testament to the strength of NASL's lineup, I'd say. :p
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the U.S. Department of State. Visa issues cropped up several times last season; who’d have thought that U.S. national security policy would harm ESPORTS?![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/NASL/dashingstrelok.jpg)
Very good write up btw !
HerO
Sheth
DeMusliM
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/NASL/dashingstrelok.jpg)
