A Tale of Two Tournaments

by deezl

They’ve gone and done it. Providence has planted their shiny MLG flag squarely in center of ESPORTS turf. They’ve shown us some epic games that we’re not likely to forget in quite a while. They got their own holiday in Rhode Island (at least this year). It was the culminating point of a year where MLG has established themselves in the minds of many as the gold standard in live event hosting. They host more large scale events with the biggest stars than any other organizer in the west.

It seemed only a short while ago that anyone could host a tournament, but now all respectable ESPORTS events appear to have a minimum tier of production. They require a massive staff and black curtains. The most popular, high profile casters. Player interviews and soundproof booths with doubly soundproof headphones. MLG has been one of the driving force behind that progress. They haven’t stopped moving forward in their relentless march to conquer the American eSports scene, having interests in the live events market, invitational tournaments, and even ESPORTS talk shows. But why am I talking about MLG so much in a DreamHack preview article?

Because now DreamHack Winter wants to plant that same flag for Europe.

Make no mistake about it - Providence was MLG’s Championship, which is America’s championship. DreamHack is Europe’s championship. These are the events where Kings are crowned. One wonders if MLG was intentionally throwing down the gauntlet when they planned their event just a week before DreamHack's traditional date in the last week of November. If one side puts out a better show, with more fireworks, more iconic moments or more great games than the other, everyone will know. This is the battle of two championships - USA’s season finals vs. Europe’s premier event.

It's an interesting scenario. DreamHack Winter 2010 salvaged what was an otherwise lackluster year for ESPORTS, and laid the groundwork for what a live event in the West should be. Ever since, every organization in the West had followed DreamHack's lead, including one Major League Gaming who had a runaway 2011 season after adapting the basic quality standards set by DreamHack. DreamHack Summer 2011 was another phenomenal tournament, but MLG fired back stronger than ever. In a way, it's the classic story of the once pupil challenging the master, in order to show that he has been surpassed.

Both events boast formidable line-ups, with multiple champions and near-champions competing. While MLG Providence loaded up on Korean talent, DreamHack Winter 2011 is where the best European players will be playing (sadly enough, it looks like we will have to wait until 2012 to see the best of EU and KR playing under one roof). Though skilled players such as Leenock, Ganzi, and Oz will surely be missed, consider some of the players who will be exclusively at DreamHack: White-Ra ♦ Stephano ♦ MaNa ♦ SaSe ♦ Sen ♦ Kas ♦ Grubby ♦ Nerchio ♦ ThorZaIN.

Also, let's not forget that with a massive RO64 group stage that takes up about 70% of the alphabet, another group stage in the RO32, and finally a sick baller elimination tournament, this is a tournament where everyone has a meager but equal chance - a marked departure from MLG’s seed-everyone-the-hell-up strategy.

In addition to the abundance of video that’s going to be streamed, many players will recognize the casting committee. Another dose of Tastosis, hell yeah! MrBitter will be back as well, and Day[9] - who missed Providence to go on best man duty - sure isn’t missing an event as big as DreamHack. Finally, it's befitting that England's dApollo and TotalBiscuit will be casting at DreamHack, compared to the American duo of djWheat and Husky at MLG. Wheat and Husky are industry veterans over here in the states, but TB and Apollo have quickly become the casting royalty of the UK. Apollo details the overarching themes in easy to grasp but effective language, and TotalBiscuit handles the play-by-play with his rapid fire, sportscaster style. And those are only the official English stream casters. Alongside these guys you can expect some of the best casting in various European languages as well - a standard at DH events.

But what kind of crowd response can we expect? It's a fact: American fans make noise. It's rumored that MLG booths are made of concrete and reinforced with steel, carbon fiber and Kevlar, but you can still see a little dust falling from the ceiling when MMA wins a match. Just the sight of Boxer, MVP, or MarineKingPrime is enough to turn a room of grown men into a throng of screaming fanboys, trampling over chairs, teddy bears, other attendees and small children to get a chance for pictures and autographs.

Of course, EU fans are no slouches either. Given the opportunity, they will converge upon any deserving ESPORTS event and make their presence felt. The problem is that Europeans have lacked the kind of pure ESPORTS venue that MLG provides. While any IEM event in Germany can draw a massive crowd, it's still limited by the larger trade show it's attached to. Along similar lines, DreamHack at its core is really about the ten thousand plus gamers that come to LAN it up, despite its reputation for running top notch ESPORTS tournaments as well.

This time, DreamHack has prepared a 4,000 seat 'DreamArena,' which really shows their commitment the live audience aspect of ESPORTS. European crowds have already been formidable, but this will be a chance to see what they can really do when given a pure ESPORTS environment.

So this is a call to all you Europeans who are lucky enough to be there: Get loud for Starcraft! I expect to hear non-stop shouts, cheers, jeers and every kind of noise for your favorite players. I want to hear what four thousand Starcraft fans sound like. I want Denmark to file an international noise complaint. The DreamHack staff is trying to put the best ever live ESPORTS experience Europe has ever seen, so show your appreciation and get loud!

It comes down to this: DreamHack Winter can be the best event of the year, or it can be the second best event of the year.


*With massive amounts of help from SirJolt and grnp

We (WaxAngel, SirJolt, and grnp) were sitting around at a net cafe in Jönköping, wondering what to do for DreamHack Winter coverage. Some ideas were tossed around, but nothing seemed to be very interesting. There was no real way around it: After covering a few dozen tournaments, we were stuck for fresh and creative ways to preview tournaments. That, and we really didn't feel like profiling 64 players.

So we got HayprO do it for us instead.



SCENE 1. A PC Bang, Jönköping, the night before Dreamhack.






HayprO: Well, I don’t know who Kaeru is; I don’t think I’ve played him on the ladder. I think, as far as I know, Thorzain and Select for first and second, it depends on who wins, between them, for first place. Abver might have a small chance if they have a bad day, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be Thorzain.

TL: So you think Abver is good?

HayprO: He is pretty okay, I think, but I’m not really sure.






HayprO: For Group B, Puma’s gonna get first, I’m very sure, and for second place it’s gonna be-

[Enter stage left TLO]

TLO: NightEnd or Osho

HayprO: It depends who wins

TLO has arrived and decided that his views are at least as important as HayprO’s

TL: Do you know who NaRa is?

TLO: No...

HayprO: Nara is another player- I don’t know who he is.






HayprO: Mana top two for sure and I think that the other three all have a pretty good chance to make top two.

TLO: I agree.

HayprO: And Goody can make it, but he can also just fail. RunA has a good chance too and Orly also. It depends; if Goody plays well he will make top two, if he has a good day, but otherwise both Orly and RunA can make it.






HayprO: ClouD was really bad lately, but I’d still go with White Ra and Cloud. PhoeNix can make it if he all-ins ClouD or something.

TLO: I like ViprO; I think he’s a big HayprO fan.

HayprO: I don’t know who ViprO is...

TLO: He’s Swedish and he’s almost got your name! So he’s probably very good, he could beat MVP.

HayprO: I can’t go with him anyway... I think I have to go with White Ra and ClouD.






HayprO: Stephano, SjoW.

TLO: I think Stephano definitely first, then SjoW and Bischu...

HayprO: That’s actually a hard group; Stephano will be first, I’m pretty sure, unles SjoW has a really good day, then he would be able to beat Stephano, I think. SjoW versus Bischu is gonna be very close; SjoW has much more experience in tournaments so he’ll most likely win, but skillwise I think they’re very close.

TL: Okay, and DBS is...?

HayprO: DBS is a terran that- he’s not bad, but I think he has special builds that have to work for him for him to win games.

TLO: I think DBS could pull some good stuff. He’s more likely to beat Bischu than SjoW.






TLO: That’s really hard to call, because-

HayprO: DongRaeGu is going to go first, LaLush is pretty good ZvZ-

TLO: But he hasn’t played like, I haven’t-

HayprO: StarEagle, I think might-

TLO: Yeah, I’d go with DongRaeGu and StarEagle. It sounds weird, but he has some weird builds too, to be honest. He has like... weird macro builds, not weird cheese builds.






TLO: Group G obviously has insane ZvZ; HayprO beat Nestea, so Nerchio and Kenzy aren’t going to be a problem.

HayprO: I’d go with myself and Nerchio, to be honest.

TL: Who’s first, you or Nerchio?

HayprO: Ahh... Nerchio has pretty good ZvZ, he 2:0’d Ret pretty easy. I think it will depend on just who has a better day tomorrow.

TLO: Kenzy could make an upset; it’s not impossible. For Nama, the nice thing for him is that he has three zergs in his group, so he only really needs to practice TvZ. If you play fifty double barracks in a row, you will be better at it than your normal condition...






TLO: I don’t know SortOf.

HayprO: Yeah, he is a Brood War player.

TLO: Is he... SortOf good?

HayprO: SaSe first, I’m very, very sure. Second will be about whether or not merz can beat Adelscott.

TLO: It’s about how well merz can defend against a six gate...

HayprO: So merz could make second place.






HayprO: NaNiWa will get first and second place will be decided by who wins between Happy and Beasty.

TLO: I’d go with Beasty... because I think Happy is really bad. He’s very predictable, always the same thing, but Happy and Beasty are both on the same team, so it’s good for Beasty if Happy always does the same stuff.

HayprO: Mmmmm, yeah, it’s possible. I think Beasty is a better player, but both are Terrans that play kinda similar.

TLO: But I think Beasty plays it more refined; he plays less fear and more refined. For me he’s a strong favourite.






TLO: Well, HerO probably first.

HayprO: HerO first.

HayprO: Dario at least only needs to prepare ZvP.

TLO: That’s the thing; I can’t practice with HerO, that sucks.

HayprO: It depends on how good Dario’s ZvP is, if it’s good then he’ll get out of it.

TLO: The random new guy, do you know how good he is?

HayprO: I’ve played him on the ladder, Seiplo is better.

TLO: I should make it to second, but my ZvP is so... sometimes I own at it and sometimes it sucks. It depends how he plays, but he’s more aggressive, I think.

HayprO: Just the normal one-gate expansion-

TLO: One-gate expansion!?

HayprO: Yeah, then make gateways, move out into the middle of the map with sentries. Seiplo is kind of the same, I think he has a better late game, I assume.






TLO: Sheth should really make it first.

HayprO: I think.... ToD is pretty good, but it’s Sheth and ToD 100%.

TL: So the other players just don’t have a chance?

HayprO: No, I don’t think so...






Passerby: Oh, this is the good Fenix.

TLO: Yeah, I wouldn’t say good.

TL: Well, he’s been in Korea for quite a while.

TLO: Oh, I didn’t notice...

HayprO: If Fenix wasn’t in Korea I’d say Ret and Cyto immediately.

TLO: I think Fenix is very- he reminds me of me a little bit; he plays with very unstable builds.

HayprO: I think Ret and it depends how good Fenix is. If Fenix hasn’t improved... he only has to practice TvZ. Actually, Cytoplasm beat Thorzain in a Swedish tournament 2:0, like a month ago... so this is a very good group for him. If Fenix is good it could be between Ret, Fenix and Cyto. If Fenix is bad then it’s just Ret and Cyto.






TLO: Idra and kas first and second

TL: Does Jimpo stand a chance at all in this group?

HayprO: Last Dreamhack he won vs IdrA actually, and he beat HuK at Assembly Summer. Yeah, he could make it, but IdrA seems to be really good lately, winning almost everything.

TL: But can he beat kas and Forsen?

HayprO: TvT is harder I think, but yeah, Forsen he will probably beat. I think kas is gonna practice harder for this after Battle in Berlin. I still go with IdrA and kas but Jimpo has a slight upset chance.






TLO: next group is gonna be pretty clear between sen and grubby

HayprO: grubby's only gonna practice pvz so he's top 2 for sure with no problems, and sen is too good to not pass the group. It's a shame for DeathAngel though, I feel that he could make it in a different group. DeViL is pretty good, I remember him from Brood War, he liked to make ‘lings.

TL: Like octzerg?

HayprO: Yeah, octzerg too.






Hayder: HuK and Naugrim.

Dario: TitaN is not bad, he's won some weekly cups.

TL: He beat Adelscott, Gandi and Kenzy in the qualifier, lost to Phoenix in the finals.

Hayder: Yeah I still go with Naugrim and HuK.






TLO: That’s actually a lucky group for elfi, only having Protoss...

HayprO: I have no idea who ReaL is, he’s a Korean I think? One of the Koreans in Germany? So then I’ll go with Genius and elfi. I think elfi first and Genius second.

TLO: Elfi is very good PvT and PvP, and Genius is Korean. So I think it’s pretty easy.

HayprO: I’d probably go with Genius and then ReaL.

TLO: Elfi has such good PvP, but if the Koreans look a little bit at his game...






HayprO: It's good maps for Zerg. Nothing to complain, pretty standard. It's all the correct versions, good map pool, no Xel'Naga.

I think it's pretty good, it's almost the same as double elimination, so it's good. The only thing I don't like is how the maps are going to be decided; it's going to be randomized for the first map, which is very stupid. When they have seven maps, they should always have the players veto two maps each and randomize the three maps that remain. They started smart, they finished strange.

The money is nice, I think first place gets too much. I think 50% is too much for first place. I think more like 35% is much better.

TL: Sixteen players to go to playoffs?

HayprO: Puma, Sjow, Select, Sen, Nerchio, Sheth, Ret, Me, IdrA, Stephano, Naniwa, HerO, HuK, Mana, Grubby, SaSe. I picked neither Happy nor Beasty, but I think they could make it... I picked many Zergs, it's strange, but that's what I think. I think there's just more good Zergs in this tournament.


TL: Are you happy or sad about there being fewer Koreans?

HayprO: Well we just had MLG, so I'm happy we didn't have as many Koreans again.

This tournament is going to be easier of course, but not easy. There's a lot of good players like I mentioned above. Oh Shit that's just the invite player list. Okay, let's see:

ThorZain, DongRaeGu, HuK, for sure.

Sen, Sheth, Naniwa, HerO, Elfi or Genius, I think one of them will make it, Nerchio, Ret, Me I hope, Kas, Grubby will make it, he's getting really good, Sase, Puma, Idra, Sjow, Stephano, Mana, Select, yeah. Those players, that's what I think. Okay.