EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Manifesto7/TLTourBannersm.JPG)
Introduction
In the year 2003, TeamLiquid launched the greatest online foreigner tournament in history; the TLTour. Partnering with WGT, the TLTour was a pay ladder where, for the one time fee of 10 dollars, players could compete in a four week ladder to earn a spot in the top 32. The final tournament was an immense double knockout extravaganza, featuring the best talent outside Korea. In a stunning display the smurf account LDone, who had successfully confounded replay hounds as to his real id and gained entrance to the final tournament with inspired zerg play, turned out to be Smuft. In an about face, LDone switched from zerg to protoss for the final tournament, and demolished the competition to take away the first place cash prize.
In 2005, the time of the second TLTour, the world of BW had changed. TeamLiquid was still the premiere site for BW news, but the ranks of good players were thinning as age, poker, and fatigue took its toll. PGT was still an upstart ladder, and WGT was still going strong. The second TLT saw a resurgence of good players as 243 paid participants ensured a $2450 prize pool. After a month of intense action, the final 32 gathered to do battle once again. In the face of an incredibly deep field, one of the fine Russian terrans, A2, downed Assem 4-1 in the Cold War Finals.
It is now 2007. The BW scene today looks far different from the times of the first TLTour. PGT is a distant memory, while WGT is mired in troubles integrating with Blizzard. Former greats have left in droves to play poker, while new names struggle to get the recognition they deserve. There is only one thing, one event of sufficient magnitude that can re-energize the community. That is, of course, another TLTour.
TLTour 3
When planning for TLTour 3, we were planning from the very bottom. There was no WGT and no PGT with which to pair. Instead, to ensure that TLT can be a continuing success, we decided to become independent from other ladders and create our own system. Aware that the community was looking for a ladder, the new TLTour definitely has those elements. Built with cooperation from WGTour, the TAL ladder, TL.net forum members, and Qi.Tiger, the founder of UGT, this truly was a community effort. It is the goal of the new TLTour to provide a competitive place for gamers to play, an effective ranking system, invigorating tournaments, and a convenient system of reporting and admining.On April 28th, the beta season of TLTour will begin. A beta season is necessary because, as with any new system, bugs not revealed with 20 playtesters will be revealed with 2000 regular gamers. The beta season will last for three weeks. Barring any major catastrophes, the first season will begin one week after the close of the beta season, June 2nd.
There is no final tournament for the beta season. However, five people in the beta season will receive direct seeds into the season one final tournament. These five people are:
- the top three finishers of the ladder
- the gamer with the most games played
- the gamer who discovers and reports the most valuable bugs in the system.
Season One Will hopefully begin on June 2nd. This will not be a paid event. It will be open to the public, and prizes will be funded by TeamLiquid.net. It is our hope that with this new system of gaming and a free entry, we will become a long lasting institution.
In the following week, the TLTour website will be released, the system will be detailed, and the map pool chosen. In addition, a TLTour FAQ thread will be opened where I will personally answer any questions you have about the new system.
There are no more excuses, there is nowhere to hide. Saying you were A+ on PGT isn't going to matter anymore, because you are only going to be asked about your TLT rank. Pride is coming back to battle.net. Prepare yourself.
Manifesto7.
