2012 Season Championship Dates Winter Championship: March 23-25 (Columbus) Spring Championship: June 8-10 Summer Championship: August 24-26 Fall Championship: November 2-4
StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Full StarCraft 2 Winter Season Schedule Regional Online Qualfiers: First two weeks of February Winter Arena: Feb 24-26, New York, NY Winter Championship: March 23-25, Columbus, OH
Note also that for the Winter Arena, and for the top 16 at the Columbus Winter Championships, full travel is being paid for all of these players.
Don't forget that the Winter Season Championship at Columbus will have an Open Bracket. Competitor Passes for the Columbus Championship will go on sale February 14th at 7PM ET. Spectator passes will be announced shortly.
On January 27 2012 01:39 Dodgin wrote: So if I am to understand this right, the four " championships " are replacing the MLG *insert city here * events?
On January 27 2012 01:39 Dodgin wrote: So if I am to understand this right, the four " championships " are replacing the MLG *insert city here * events?
Yes. The 4 championships will be in different US cities. Columbus is the first one.
On January 27 2012 01:39 Dodgin wrote: So if I am to understand this right, the four " championships " are replacing the MLG *insert city here * events?
Yes. The 4 championships will be in different US cities. Columbus is the first one.
On January 27 2012 01:39 Dodgin wrote: So if I am to understand this right, the four " championships " are replacing the MLG *insert city here * events?
Yes. The 4 championships will be in different US cities. Columbus is the first one.
Thanks for the quick response. Four big events per year sounds good to me, especially with this massive prize pool increase!
This looks great. Only weird thing is that they aren't evenly distributed at all. I guess November, December, and January will be the off season still? Not a huge deal, though, just thought from the titles that the plan was to switch to a year-round schedule.
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
As I said above, look for more arenas per quarter. Also, please keep in mind that just in the present structure, we're paying 100% for 48 global trips per quarter (Flight, hotel, airport, etc)
Also, we have heard you loud and clear about more open online qualifiers for the arena. We agree. It will happen.
Nice to hear--I think this is extremely important for the long term integrity of the competition and a complete merit-based competitor list.
I 100% agree. Aspiration to compete at the top level has ALWAYS been a core tenet of MLG. We believe in that idea. For Q1 we wanted to make sure we could operate this online component up to MLG standards in the short window we had to execute. Similar to how our first SC2 tournament had 32 players, the 2nd 64, and now 272 in the same # of days.
Also, we have heard you loud and clear about more open online qualifiers for the arena. We agree. It will happen.
Nice to hear--I think this is extremely important for the long term integrity of the competition and a complete merit-based competitor list.
I 100% agree. Aspiration to compete at the top level has ALWAYS been a core tenet of MLG. We believe in that idea. For Q1 we wanted to make sure we could this online component up to MLG standards in the short window we had to execute. Similar to how our first SC2 tournament had 32 players, the 2nd 64, and now 272 in the same # of days.
We'll get there.
You rock. This (plus extended series, but that ship unfortunately seems to have sailed) were my only problems with the format. Everything else looks..... AMAZING.
Also, we have heard you loud and clear about more open online qualifiers for the arena. We agree. It will happen.
Nice to hear--I think this is extremely important for the long term integrity of the competition and a complete merit-based competitor list.
I 100% agree. Aspiration to compete at the top level has ALWAYS been a core tenet of MLG. We believe in that idea. For Q1 we wanted to make sure we could operate this online component up to MLG standards in the short window we had to execute. Similar to how our first SC2 tournament had 32 players, the 2nd 64, and now 272 in the same # of days.
We'll get there.
And it would be such a baller narrative if some random dude no one's ever heard of managed to qualify for the Arena.
this is very very promising. a HUGE prizepool, a clear and reasonable tournament structure. Even paid trips for the qualified players. You can't ask for more. MLG again is setting the new standard and it' s very high!
Another thing I think is super cool about this format of paying for players to fly out is that $1000 prize really IS a $1000 prize. It's not just $1000 that pays for the plane ticket that took you there and the hotel room.
On January 27 2012 01:42 MLG_Adam wrote: Look for more arenas per quarter in coming seasons (spoiler?).
This is really big. Two arenas plus a championship every 3 months is a major MLG event every month, and then you add qualifiers for each of the arenas... MLG is producing a lot of content. That is going to put a lot of pressure on the scene in terms of how many tournaments can keep getting lots of viewers. (I don't say that in a bad way. The competition is good, and some sort of consolidation is probably good too. MLG has clearly said it's going to fight to really be the undisputed top organization outside of Korea, which is awesome.) Also, they've talked about stuff happening in Europe or South America... The arenas seem like an obvious choice.
Is it me or does the prize money seem kinda low compared to other events. I noticed that they do have a good spread of money though which is great but the overall prize for winning seems low.
This will be the year of MLG vs IPL it seems. Great to see MLG stepping up BIG time with these announcements. Putting it all together, slowly but surely. I'm loving it guys.
On January 27 2012 01:59 OldManZerg wrote: Another thing I think is super cool about this format of paying for players to fly out is that $1000 prize really IS a $1000 prize. It's not just $1000 that pays for the plane ticket that took you there and the hotel room.
Booking flights out of Seoul, parts of Europe (etc) generally are well over $1000. Each player gets a 4 night hotel stay (no sharing with other qualifiers). Its a big spend.
Looking very healthy for MLG, hopefully with the Blizzard world championship kicking in as well 2012 can be a year in which SC2 gains a lot more new supporters.
Are the Arena events going to be casted? What about the qualifiers? What level of coverage should we expect for these events relative to, say, a regular MLG event from last year?
On January 27 2012 02:03 GeorgeForeman wrote: Are the Arena events going to be casted? What about the qualifiers? What level of coverage should we expect for these events relative to, say, a regular MLG event from last year?
On January 27 2012 02:00 FlukyS wrote: Is it me or does the prize money seem kinda low compared to other events. I noticed that they do have a good spread of money though which is great but the overall prize for winning seems low.
The amount of money they are spending on travel more than make up for the prize pool. This is money teams don't have to spend and instead can use for player salaries. IIMO this is a much better and more sustainable business model than what organizations like NASL are trying to do. Prize pool should come second to production and player accommodation costs.
best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
I have followed MLG since 2006 and there has always been a "National Championship" that had an a larger prize pool than the rest of the events. Is the fall championship going to be like the national championship of old?
I know this is a new structure so probably not. Anyways it all sounds amazing.
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
With all of the players they'll be flying in from all over the world, the seasonal championships will be the closest SC2 has to a true world championship. The very top GSL players will qualify and be flown over, so it might be the same players (probably actually....), but it might not be!!
Hope they go to Dallas or San Antonio! Would definitely have a huge turnout! Can't wait to see this year. Also, those who are complaining about the prize pool have to remember that MLG is flying these players out, paying for their hotels, etc. This adds up very quickly.
Total Speculation Warning: MLG Will Handle the Canadian National Championships that feed into the Battle.Net2 World Championship Series BLizzard just announced
Wow, you really up'd the prize money involved, that's awesome to see. You're near $100,000 when you include the arena flights and prizes, for just the Winter Championship.
And you have 3 other Championships this year? Plus these special events you're alluding to? I am really stoaked for MLG this year!
On January 27 2012 02:55 1st_Panzer_Div. wrote: Wow, you really up'd the prize money involved, that's awesome to see. You're near $100,000 when you include the arena flights and prizes, for just the Winter Championship.
And you have 3 other Championships this year? Plus these special events you're alluding to? I am really stoaked for MLG this year!
The flights, hotel, airport runs, etc for 48 players in a single season is a lot of money. These are not domestic flights, 3/4's (at least) are international.
It is over 100k in prize money alone per quarter, not counting T&E spend.
I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
On January 27 2012 01:48 joen05 wrote: MLG Boston! I would LOVE that!!!
YES!!!!!
Over the summer while I'm at home and not school down south...... where I'd want to see another MLG Orlando. Or even better and more convenient, MLG Miami! DO IT
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
I wish Chicago fixed their shit with their unions too and bring an event to Chicago! Unions are pretty expensive here too. I've got a feeling MLG has wanted to come here for a while.
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
What was it? 5 events vs the 4 + the possibility of more now? They are paying for hotels and flights for a lot of players in the arena events, and have upped the prize pool. Guess they are saving money!
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
I wish Chicago fixed their shit with their unions too and bring an event to Chicago! Unions are pretty expensive here too. I've got a feeling MLG has wanted to come here for a while.
Chicago, the general North East, Pennsylvania, and the big houses in LA are all bad.
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
As I said above, look for more arenas per quarter. Also, please keep in mind that just in the present structure, we're paying 100% for 48 global trips per quarter (Flight, hotel, airport, etc)
Isn't that something that sponsors should be acustomed to paying for? I understand there may be players who qualify for the event without sponsorship, and thus may not be able to make it, but a disclaimer prior to registration could fix that situation. (i.e. if you have no means of making it to the live event, you cannot register or else you will be accountable etc) I just feel like the money could be be better spent increasing the 1st place prize, or total prizepool. Thats a bit nitpicking but great work nonetheless, I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring.
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
Dawg, you should probably read a little more carefully. MLG is spending way more this year than they did last year (on SC2 anyway). 14,000*5 + 120,000 < (26,000 + 76,000) * 4 + 400*32*4 (assuming everyone who qualifies did so in a region in which they don't live, and only get a $400 stipend) + 32*250*4 (a conservative estimate of how much a cheap hotel in NYC will cost for a weekend)
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
As I said above, look for more arenas per quarter. Also, please keep in mind that just in the present structure, we're paying 100% for 48 global trips per quarter (Flight, hotel, airport, etc)
Isn't that something that sponsors should be acustomed to paying for? I understand there may be players who qualify for the event without sponsorship, and thus may not be able to make it, but a disclaimer prior to registration could fix that situation. (i.e. if you have no means of making it to the live event, you cannot register or else you will be accountable etc) I just feel like the money could be be better spent increasing the 1st place prize, or total prizepool. Thats a bit nitpicking but great work nonetheless, I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring.
For big teams like EG, Fnatic, SK etc its a nice bonus not to have to pay. For Korean teams its a godsend. For European teams its fantastic as well.
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
Dawg, you should probably read a little more carefully. MLG is spending way more this year than they did last year (on SC2 anyway). 14,000*5 + 120,000 < (26,000 + 76,000) * 4 + 400*32*4 (assuming everyone who qualifies did so in a region in which they don't live, and only get a $400 stipend) + 32*250*4 (a conservative estimate of how much a cheap hotel in NYC will cost for a weekend)
in other words, 190,000 < 491,200
Your math is also super conservative with $400 stipend math. Even with that said, remember the stipend is only for flights for those not flying out of their qualifying region. We're still doing 4 nights of hotel, per event, for every qualified competitor. Not to mention some meals, airport runs, etc.
On January 27 2012 01:36 MLG_Lee wrote: StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Maybe I'm horrible at maths, but $62750 does not equal $76k in prize money. Add up the amounts yourself. Even if places 17-24 get $1k each, that still totals less than $72k. Does your total include prize money for other games? If not, where's the rest of the money?
On January 27 2012 01:36 MLG_Lee wrote: StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Maybe I'm horrible at maths, but $62750 does not equal $76k in prize money. Add up the amounts yourself. Even if places 17-24 get $1k each, that still totals less than $72k. Does your total include prize money for other games? If not, where's the rest of the money?
On January 27 2012 01:36 MLG_Lee wrote: StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Maybe I'm horrible at maths, but $62750 does not equal $76k in prize money. Add up the amounts yourself. Even if places 17-24 get $1k each, that still totals less than $72k. Does your total include prize money for other games? If not, where's the rest of the money?
On January 27 2012 01:36 MLG_Lee wrote: StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Maybe I'm horrible at maths, but $62750 does not equal $76k in prize money. Add up the amounts yourself. Even if places 17-24 get $1k each, that still totals less than $72k. Does your total include prize money for other games? If not, where's the rest of the money?
5/6th is $3,500 EACH 7/8 is $2250 EACH
9-12 IS $1500 each
13-16 is $1000 EACH
Yep, I'm just horrible at maths. Sorry about that.
On January 27 2012 01:36 MLG_Lee wrote: StarCraft 2 Winter Championship Prize Money $76,000 in total 1st Place: $25,000 2nd Place: $15,000 3rd Place: $9,000 4th Place: $5,500 5th/6th Place: $3,500 each 7th/8th Place: $2,250 each 9th- 12th Place: $1,500 each 13th-16th Place: $1,000 each
Maybe I'm horrible at maths, but $62750 does not equal $76k in prize money. Add up the amounts yourself. Even if places 17-24 get $1k each, that still totals less than $72k. Does your total include prize money for other games? If not, where's the rest of the money?
Go MLG! I love the prize pool (especially the balance). I like it more even. The boast should be mostly the 'I'm the champion' rather than 'I won 75% of the prize pool'.
On January 27 2012 03:14 vardsun wrote: so much money though for you guys. you'll still be making profit after all the hotel rooms, travel and food + prize money?
even so, must be a huge investment so thank you
MLG has reserved Hall D, which, according to this, looks to be the biggest. And, according to this, each hall seats a maximum of 120,000. With all the gear MLG is bringing, though, they can probably only use about 1/6th* of the space for seating, so about 20,000. 20,000*25 (assuming price is constant from last year) is $500,000 which will cover almost the whole year's prize pool :D -- dat eSports economics
I'm sorry if I'm misrepresenting data, a lot of it is pretty fuzzy, and I'm, by no means, an expert on this sort of thing.
*totally made up-- no foundation for this claim
EDIT: clarified that by "whole year" I meant "whole year's prize pool"
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
I wish Chicago fixed their shit with their unions too and bring an event to Chicago! Unions are pretty expensive here too. I've got a feeling MLG has wanted to come here for a while.
Chicago, the general North East, Pennsylvania, and the big houses in LA are all bad.
I really like the new format. Seems much better than last years.
It will be even better when the Areas get spectors though. Having just the casters and players there kind of makes it less exciting. As much as I love the charsima and excitement that casters like Day 9 and Husky bring, it's even better when a live audience is into the game and cheering and what not.
On January 27 2012 03:19 starslayer wrote: MLG needs to come to DC PLEASE
THIS.
I'll probably still make it out with my buddies to Columbus tho, since it's right on my birthday.
However I must have missed where they announced the venue. Nice hotels in walking distance? I wanna party it up. Maybe bring strippers... not sure MLG's policy on strippers. I'll share with the sc2 finalists and casters tho ^_^
Speaking of casters, have we any idea? I haven't seen Day[9] in a while, I'd love to see Day[J]Wheat and Tastosis again, but some of the traditionally tier 2 casters have made huge improvements in the last couple months.
For example, I'd really love to see CatsPajamas and Husky (probably the two most underrated casters) together - tho I suspect CatsPJs probably can't do MLG if he's employed by IGN. Or Apollo and Mr.Bitter would be sweet.
On January 27 2012 03:14 vardsun wrote: so much money though for you guys. you'll still be making profit after all the hotel rooms, travel and food + prize money?
even so, must be a huge investment so thank you
MLG has reserved Hall D, which, according to this, looks to be the biggest. And, according to this, each hall seats a maximum of 120,000. With all the gear MLG is bringing, though, they can probably only use about 1/6th* of the space for seating, so about 20,000. 20,000*25 (assuming price is constant from last year) is $500,000 which will cover almost the whole year :D -- dat eSports economics
I'm sorry if I'm misrepresenting data, a lot of it is pretty fuzzy, and I'm, by no means, an expert on this sort of thing.
*totally made up-- no foundation for this claim
$500,000 definitely would not cover the whole year lol. I'm pretty sure the cost of a satellite truck for just one event is around that amount. Not that $500,000 is a meaningful number since you made it up...
On January 27 2012 03:14 vardsun wrote: so much money though for you guys. you'll still be making profit after all the hotel rooms, travel and food + prize money?
even so, must be a huge investment so thank you
MLG has reserved Hall D, which, according to this, looks to be the biggest. And, according to this, each hall seats a maximum of 120,000. With all the gear MLG is bringing, though, they can probably only use about 1/6th* of the space for seating, so about 20,000. 20,000*25 (assuming price is constant from last year) is $500,000 which will cover almost the whole year :D -- dat eSports economics
I'm sorry if I'm misrepresenting data, a lot of it is pretty fuzzy, and I'm, by no means, an expert on this sort of thing.
*totally made up-- no foundation for this claim
Yea, but this does not take into consideration cost of casters, streaming equipment and a slew of other factors. But your right I hope they make a profit, so that events like this can new sustainable.
I trust they have extremely smart people working at mlg and have run the numbers. This setup is amazing and will only become better when arenas are spectstor and qualifiers are open. Go mlg!
My god MLG keeps getting more and more epic. I can think of no other organization that is as fascinating to watch as you guys. The vision you guys clearly have for your role in the e-sports scene, coupled with Blizzards world championship announcement just makes me so proud to be a nerd right now. Way to go!
Edit:
Still salivating over the prospect of MLG Canada though DETAILS NAO!!!! lol
On January 27 2012 01:59 OldManZerg wrote: Another thing I think is super cool about this format of paying for players to fly out is that $1000 prize really IS a $1000 prize. It's not just $1000 that pays for the plane ticket that took you there and the hotel room.
Booking flights out of Seoul, parts of Europe (etc) generally are well over $1000. Each player gets a 4 night hotel stay (no sharing with other qualifiers). Its a big spend.
Not sure why they chose Columbus for the first event. Would have been much better weather-wise to go for Dallas or Orlando or even Raleigh for that. Then Columbus in early June would be really nice.
Such a shame, going anyways. Hope it doesnt snow much.
EDIT: Yeah so, Koreans, Europeans... What if there's a snow storm? Probably 95% of the best players at the event might be delayed getting there.
On January 27 2012 03:55 Nizzy wrote: Not sure why they chose Columbus for the first event. Would have been much better weather-wise to go for Dallas or Orlando or even Raleigh for that. Then Columbus in early June would be really nice.
Such a shame, going anyways. Hope it doesnt snow much.
People locally are much more likely to attend in the winter, I would think. In the summer people have a lot more entertainment options. The Midwest in March really sucks and is boring, ski season is mostly over and its cold and wet.
On January 27 2012 03:49 morevox wrote: So everyone wants to know.
More chairs?
Oh yeah.
Thank god, There was at least twice as many people trying to watch the SC2 matches as there were chairs at MLG Anaheim. Also possibly chairs at the side stages with the first person views? My legs were killing me because security kept making us stand up.
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
Dawg, you should probably read a little more carefully. MLG is spending way more this year than they did last year (on SC2 anyway). 14,000*5 + 120,000 < (26,000 + 76,000) * 4 + 400*32*4 (assuming everyone who qualifies did so in a region in which they don't live, and only get a $400 stipend) + 32*250*4 (a conservative estimate of how much a cheap hotel in NYC will cost for a weekend)
in other words, 190,000 < 491,200
Did you just call me dawg?
You're forgetting to factor in all the costs of hosting a live event, which is crazy expensive. I'm guessing this is one of the reasons they have been able to offer more prize money and stipends this season; not spending as much on venues and staff. So I guess it is better for the players in the long run, but I'm a selfish fan who liked seeing huge crowds cheering on the players
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
What was it? 5 events vs the 4 + the possibility of more now? They are paying for hotels and flights for a lot of players in the arena events, and have upped the prize pool. Guess they are saving money!
There were 6 last year. Down to 4 (at least confirmed) now. Again, it's good for MLG, good for the players, but I'll miss getting a giant MLG live even every 6 weeks...
On January 27 2012 03:04 TheToast wrote: Already missing last season's structure
I get that MLG is probably trying to save money, but the sheer number of live events last year was just so awesome. Sad to see that go.
What was it? 5 events vs the 4 + the possibility of more now? They are paying for hotels and flights for a lot of players in the arena events, and have upped the prize pool. Guess they are saving money!
There were 6 last year. Down to 4 (at least confirmed) now. Again, it's good for MLG, good for the players, but I'll miss getting a giant MLG live even every 6 weeks...
I will miss it to, but the 4 arenas will hopefully make up for it just no crowd cheers or shots(yet).
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
Wow go away... Like MLG announces a beautiful prizepool, amazing tournament structure, and this is the only way you can reply? Be hyped instead of posting negative comments already.
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
Wow go away... Like MLG announces a beautiful prizepool, amazing tournament structure, and this is the only way you can reply? Be hyped instead of posting negative comments already.
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
We don't need an expert, just an informed explanation so that we can understand what's going on. So if anyone else knows something, please contribute to the thread and tell us what you know. I am genuinely curious.
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
That was the dumbest thing ever.
They must be following some rules/laws, local or state. It would be excellent to have links to those laws. Also can you give us your side of what happened with that table, Diamond? How did they get in trouble?
I find it really stupid how the online qualifiers are invite only. This limits finding new talent, and as someone who has a seed at MLG and went to basically every event, will not get picked over some Korean who never even went to an MLG event before.
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
That was the dumbest thing ever.
They must be following some rules/laws, local or state. It would be excellent to have links to those laws. Also can you give us your side of what happened with that table, Diamond? How did they get in trouble?
They didn't "get in trouble". Just some union jackass that thought he was awesome cause he was in a union yelled and threw a temper tantrum like a 2 year old. There is no story.
On January 27 2012 03:02 MLG_Adam wrote: In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
So you could support unions and bring it to Philly? Sounds like a win-win to me. MLG Philadelphia, sponsored by the folks who brought you the weekend.
On January 27 2012 05:01 Siphonn wrote: I find it really stupid how the online qualifiers are invite only. This limits finding new talent, and as someone who has a seed at MLG and went to basically every event, will not get picked over some Korean who never even went to an MLG event before.
On January 27 2012 01:42 MLG_Adam wrote: Also, we have heard you loud and clear about more open online qualifiers for the arena. We agree. It will happen.
On January 27 2012 01:48 Klonere wrote: So adding in the Arena prize pools, the total for each cycle of the season is $100,100, which isn't insignificant at all.
Wow go away... Like MLG announces a beautiful prizepool, amazing tournament structure, and this is the only way you can reply? Be hyped instead of posting negative comments already.
It's SO negative you might even call it a DOUBLE negative :p
On January 27 2012 05:01 Siphonn wrote: I find it really stupid how the online qualifiers are invite only. This limits finding new talent, and as someone who has a seed at MLG and went to basically every event, will not get picked over some Korean who never even went to an MLG event before.
On January 27 2012 01:42 MLG_Adam wrote: Also, we have heard you loud and clear about more open online qualifiers for the arena. We agree. It will happen.
They have changed their mind.
I suspect it was in their plans all along, they just werent clear about it up front.
For some reason people seem to think 139 players in each region will be invited to qualify. This was then further perpetuated on state of the game and on these forums. I read it as 139 players combined from EU/KR/NA.
On January 27 2012 05:36 LaLuSh wrote: For some reason people seem to think 139 players in each region will be invited to qualify. This was then further perpetuated on state of the game and on these forums. I read it as 139 players from EU/KR/NA combined.
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
That was the dumbest thing ever.
They must be following some rules/laws, local or state. It would be excellent to have links to those laws. Also can you give us your side of what happened with that table, Diamond? How did they get in trouble?
They didn't "get in trouble". Just some union jackass that thought he was awesome cause he was in a union yelled and threw a temper tantrum like a 2 year old. There is no story.
That's basically what a union is lol.
Basically Unions ensure "equal" workers rights for all those within a Union.
It's like organized job security.
I'm a contractor in DC and some places are union sites and others aren't. And if you're not in a union you get treated like scum by those that are in a union, because not being in a union = not supporting "equal" rights for workers.
Being in a union gets you a negotiated equal wage between all employees, so you pay a "union rate" to union workers, and so on.
Basically MLG would have to pay to rent the venue, and then pay the union to "work" the venue because they are legally backed by the US Government to do the work.
The Knights of Labor (iirc) were founded in Philly so Philly is a huge Union city.
This is also why we celebrate Labor day in the US.
note: some of my views on Union workers may be skewed because most union guys in DC are jackoffs - I'm sure there are good union workers and so on. I'm just a little jaded. But you get the idea of what they are. Easily confusing to those outside of the US
Adam, can we see a more varied map pool? As in one that doesn't have year old maps? Use some of the new, user created ones that are actually good, not metalopolis.. for the love of god.
On January 27 2012 05:36 LaLuSh wrote: For some reason people seem to think 139 players in each region will be invited to qualify. This was then further perpetuated on state of the game and on these forums. I read it as 139 players combined from EU/KR/NA.
Care to clarify?
It said 139 from the whole world on their info graphic. That might change with the online qualifiers being open instead of invite only though. I would assume it is 139 from every region, not from each region.
On January 27 2012 04:46 rkshox wrote: I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for MLG NYC!!!!!!!!
Yeah I don't think there's spectating at this one. I WAS excited to take the train from DC to NYC, drink on the train, and watch MLG all weekend but...smeh... I think you'll be watching it on the interweb.
At first I was sad because only having four championships<having the six that we had last time. But then I realized that each championship would function as a separate providence-esque event, meaning that there would be qualifiers and all that good stuff. This, along with other stuff that they say they have been working on (and the better prize-pool, yay!) makes me very excited for the quality and amount of SC2 coming from MLG next year.
On January 27 2012 06:15 ChuCky.Ca wrote: how could they when there running an all day long event its not like you cant start at 7pm and go till 7am for europeans...
I'm not talking about a big change. I would be happy if the competition end a few hours early, so its not late night on sunday for us. The rest of the schedeule its fine.
So excited for Columbus! I'm going to play in the open bracket again this year. I got destroyed last year and I probably will again this year but it's just so much fun. Plus I'm hoping I can get beat by a pro! lol
On January 27 2012 04:26 ggofthejungle wrote: Can someone knowledgeable please explain in detail the union situation and why places like Chicago are affected by it? Is there anything we can do about it? Would a suburb of Chicago work-or is it a state problem?
I'm no expert, but I think he means in those states, you need to have local union workers shadow mlg workers to make sure they do things right, which in turn increases MLG's employees costs by a lot in those states. I remember during IPL 3, their staff got in trouble by local union workers for not asking for permission to move a table for sheth.
That was the dumbest thing ever.
They must be following some rules/laws, local or state. It would be excellent to have links to those laws. Also can you give us your side of what happened with that table, Diamond? How did they get in trouble?
They didn't "get in trouble". Just some union jackass that thought he was awesome cause he was in a union yelled and threw a temper tantrum like a 2 year old. There is no story.
That's basically what a union is lol.
Basically Unions ensure "equal" workers rights for all those within a Union.
It's like organized job security.
I'm a contractor in DC and some places are union sites and others aren't. And if you're not in a union you get treated like scum by those that are in a union, because not being in a union = not supporting "equal" rights for workers.
Being in a union gets you a negotiated equal wage between all employees, so you pay a "union rate" to union workers, and so on.
Basically MLG would have to pay to rent the venue, and then pay the union to "work" the venue because they are legally backed by the US Government to do the work.
The Knights of Labor (iirc) were founded in Philly so Philly is a huge Union city.
This is also why we celebrate Labor day in the US.
note: some of my views on Union workers may be skewed because most union guys in DC are jackoffs - I'm sure there are good union workers and so on. I'm just a little jaded. But you get the idea of what they are. Easily confusing to those outside of the US
Want to see a place that knows how to run Unions with business - Germany ... they have a member on the board, don't strike, and don't harass non-members, they just aim to help anyone within their business.
On January 27 2012 09:49 Special Endrey wrote: once again, does this mean that there are a total of 4 MLGs in 2012 ?
Yes, this does mean that there are four MLG's similar to the tournamaments last year. (i.e. open bracket, 3 day, live spectator etc.) But while this first arena is invite qualification only and no spectators, the ones later in the year may be open to everybody and may have spectators. So you could almost count those as mini MLGs in the future.
On January 27 2012 07:06 Sumahi wrote: Gotta wrote down these dates and see if there's anything that I can travel to the states for to coincide with an MLG.
oh wow... I just noticed I'll be stateside over summer...
On January 27 2012 02:59 chasmofcrisis wrote: I'm still holding out hope for an MLG in Philly, but it might make too much sense. Amazing, central convention center with oodles of restaurants in the surrounding area, within a reasonably short drive of every major Northeastern city, incredibly cheap compared to NYC and Boston (and probably DC but I haven't been there in ages) and highly populated with young people.
On a related note, I really hope we get the other cities announced in a timely manner so those of us with travel restrictions can make plans with our jobs, school, etc.
In your list of items that make a ton of sense, you forgot to mention that PA (and more specifically Philly) is the poster child of Union labor rates for shows like ours.
Getting shadowed by union workers to run your show drives up cost exponentially.
I love Philly too
I wish Chicago fixed their shit with their unions too and bring an event to Chicago! Unions are pretty expensive here too. I've got a feeling MLG has wanted to come here for a while.
Chicago, the general North East, Pennsylvania, and the big houses in LA are all bad.
Elaborate more. Providence is in the "general North East" as you put it.
When will MLG announce the other venues? I'd like to travel to one but it'd be nice to have more than two months' notice if I have to travel a significant distance (I live on the West Coast).
Not liking the prize distribution. It's good that the top 16 get paid now instead of just the top 8, but a $19,500 difference between 1st and 4th place? Ratio wise the distribution is pretty much the same as last season's MLG's, which wasn't a problem when the prizepool was only $14k but now that it's 76k the difference is pretty big.
That being said I'm impressed by how much money MLG is spending on the players this year. With the recent cost cutting moves of eliminating shows and firing writers I had assumed MLG wasn't doing too well financially. I mean, MLG was already the most watched SC2 tournament even with the paltry $14k prizepool so it wasn't imperative that MLG increase the prizemoney so drastically. I'm really glad MLG did so anyways and it shows MLG aren't just a bunch of cold hearted businessmen.
Not sure if this has been asked yet, but will there be a final "year end" championship event?
Perhaps all the winners from each season championship, plus all the winners from the arena/highest point getters something along those lines?
I love how things are broken up into "4 mini-season," really a cool setup. But would also be cool if there was some way to tie it all together at the end for a grand champion.
Pls pls do one in New York. So many people will come for the games alone..what more for the added opportunity to tour the greatest city in the world =) Also, you will find New Yorkers to be very passionate in promoting this and esports. Can't wait for these tourneys!
Winter Championship (Columbus): March 23-25 Spring Championship (Anaheim): June 8-10 Summer Championship (Raleigh): August 24-26 Fall Championship (?????): November 2-4
MLG is amazing. I'm glad they were able to create an incredibly fair format for seeding purposes. It's that little things this company does that always makes me happy to buy a Gold pass...
so has this been talked about, is sc2 the only game now? i am not seeing any information about other games....probably going to go to Columbus and i'd like to see some LoL and halo as well.
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
I mean, I went to four MLGs and they already screwed me over at Columbus, telling me the wrong time and then walking me over when I was less than 15 minutes late.
Great format and season though... really excited! I'll definitely be making it to Columbus and Raleigh, I'm gonna guess that the June one is Anaheim to which I'll hopefully be making it too
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
And this is exactly the problem with invitational tournaments that have no open qualifiers.
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
And this is exactly the problem with invitational tournaments that have no open qualifiers.
well yes but it's not like pokebunny can't just go through open bracket in columbus like he normally does
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
And this is exactly the problem with invitational tournaments that have no open qualifiers.
well yes but it's not like pokebunny can't just go through open bracket in columbus like he normally does
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh youre completely missing the point of this
im getting less and less interested in tournaments the more they become invitational vs open and even though i traveled to 4 different mlgs in 2011 i highly doubt ill be doing that in 2012
I'm still kinda baffled as to why the big open tourney is in Ohio while the small studio event is in NY. Everyone I've talked to would rather travel to NY than Ohio, lol.
On January 28 2012 01:50 Shiori wrote: I'm still kinda baffled as to why the big open tourney is in Ohio while the small studio event is in NY. Everyone I've talked to would rather travel to NY than Ohio, lol.
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
And this is exactly the problem with invitational tournaments that have no open qualifiers.
well yes but it's not like pokebunny can't just go through open bracket in columbus like he normally does
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh youre completely missing the point of this
im getting less and less interested in tournaments the more they become invitational vs open and even though i traveled to 4 different mlgs in 2011 i highly doubt ill be doing that in 2012
Apparently you missed the part where Adam said that the first online qualifiers would be invitational due to time constraints (i.e., time between Winter Season announcement and first qualifier too short) and that future qualifiers would likely be open.
I live about a hour from Columbus and love going to MLG, but serious why Columbus in Febuary you know there could be 2 feet of snow the second week of Febuary hope you have a plan if weather is a factor.
On January 28 2012 03:35 Onegu wrote: I live about a hour from Columbus and love going to MLG, but serious why Columbus in Febuary you know there could be 2 feet of snow the second week of Febuary hope you have a plan if weather is a factor.
You realize we're not in Columbus in February, right?
On January 28 2012 03:35 Onegu wrote: I live about a hour from Columbus and love going to MLG, but serious why Columbus in Febuary you know there could be 2 feet of snow the second week of Febuary hope you have a plan if weather is a factor.
On January 28 2012 03:35 Onegu wrote: I live about a hour from Columbus and love going to MLG, but serious why Columbus in Febuary you know there could be 2 feet of snow the second week of Febuary hope you have a plan if weather is a factor.
You realize we're not in Columbus in February, right?
FWIW it will probably snow that week just because its Columbus and it likes to snow in late March/early April.
On January 27 2012 02:11 robih wrote: best thing are the online qualifiers with paid trips. this will bring more europeans to the MLGs which makes it alot more interesting for me personally
We were just as sad as the players (and their fans) to read posts like Thorzain's about his MLG experience. We want to make competing at MLG accessible for all players from all regions. For Winter season we reached out nearly 140 of the world's best to give them a shot. For future seasons, as posted earlier, we hope to open that up to everyone.
how do you pick the 140 worlds best ? .. i see some rage coming lol
MLG Rank Points Other Event Placings Blizzard's ladders
Still baffled at how I could be discluded while being in top 100 of rank points, top 50 na ladder all the time, and winning thousands in online tournaments and LANs :/
And this is exactly the problem with invitational tournaments that have no open qualifiers.
well yes but it's not like pokebunny can't just go through open bracket in columbus like he normally does
Having a paid for trip to the tourney plus seeding into the pools is an overwhelming advantage that isn't available to poke bunny because MLG doesn't think he's "good enough" or one of the cool kids.
They've said they're going to open it up, it's just a shame they didn't do it sooner.
Also a bit strange to allow euros who are currently in korea (?) to participate in the NA qualifiers. Or if players are completely free to choose their region, some players have chosen rather poorly
On January 28 2012 06:40 syllogism wrote: Also a bit strange to allow euros who are currently in korea (?) to participate in the NA qualifiers. Or if players are completely free to choose their region, some players have chosen rather poorly
It was completely free to choose, some people suck at mindgames. Only Violet is doing it right.
The Assembly scheduling conflict really fucked MLG over as well, at the moment it seems like MLG is going to take more hits than Assembly when it comes to the player pool. I hope MLG people learn from it and try to communicate in the future.
And ultimately, I hope the qualifiers are going to be free and not invite only in the next ones, I guess there are some people out there who are rightfully upset about getting denied a chance of winning a spot, Pokebunny already voiced his anger, and I think there are more players who could have had a chance but didn't get in.
On January 28 2012 06:40 syllogism wrote: Also a bit strange to allow euros who are currently in korea (?) to participate in the NA qualifiers. Or if players are completely free to choose their region, some players have chosen rather poorly
It was completely free to choose, some people suck at mindgames. Only Violet is doing it right.
The Assembly scheduling conflict really fucked MLG over as well, at the moment it seems like MLG is going to take more hits than Assembly when it comes to the player pool. I hope MLG people learn from it and try to communicate in the future.
And ultimately, I hope the qualifiers are going to be free and not invite only in the next ones, I guess there are some people out there who are rightfully upset about getting denied a chance of winning a spot, Pokebunny already voiced his anger, and I think there are more players who could have had a chance but didn't get in.
Or players just didn't want to play on lag, and if they don't get through it wasn't as important for them. And Violet taking EU over US when he's living in US (afaik) is stupid IMO. I think it looks easier to get top8 in US even though he has to win atleast 1 more match. But I guess it's doesn't really matter in the end.
This is exactly what i was worried about when they said they were inviting 139 people to the qualifiers.
There are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many koreans and europeans that are far far better at starcraft 2 than most of the north americans on that list. Better players don't have an opportunity to make pool play but these weaker players do because of old results from other events. This is the EXACT problem we had with pool play last year, it's just taken a different form.
On January 28 2012 06:40 syllogism wrote: Also a bit strange to allow euros who are currently in korea (?) to participate in the NA qualifiers. Or if players are completely free to choose their region, some players have chosen rather poorly
It was completely free to choose, some people suck at mindgames. Only Violet is doing it right.
The Assembly scheduling conflict really fucked MLG over as well, at the moment it seems like MLG is going to take more hits than Assembly when it comes to the player pool. I hope MLG people learn from it and try to communicate in the future.
And ultimately, I hope the qualifiers are going to be free and not invite only in the next ones, I guess there are some people out there who are rightfully upset about getting denied a chance of winning a spot, Pokebunny already voiced his anger, and I think there are more players who could have had a chance but didn't get in.
Or players just didn't want to play on lag, and if they don't get through it wasn't as important for them. And Violet taking EU over US when he's living in US (afaik) is stupid IMO. I think it looks easier to get top8 in US even though he has to win atleast 1 more match. But I guess it's doesn't really matter in the end.
I guess Violet is used to it, he has played countless daily tournaments in EU, but he should be able to qualify in any of the regions, so I agree, it shouldn't matter.
FruitDealer for Winter Arena champion, people! Mark my words!
On January 28 2012 06:58 foehammer wrote: No stephano and no liquid herO is a REALLY big surprise. Nonetheless, looking forward to this kickass season!
On January 28 2012 06:58 foehammer wrote: No stephano and no liquid herO is a REALLY big surprise. Nonetheless, looking forward to this kickass season!
Because they're going to Assembly.
Ahh i see and it is unfortunate that they can't participate. Oh well makes it easier for the others as those two are now big obstacles removed!
KR/EU look awesome. I sympathize with Pokebunny greatly after having seen the full NA list. Some of those people do not deserve to be there, IMO. But in all it looks pretty good.
On January 28 2012 07:23 hitpoint wrote: I love that the top 16 all get good money. Nice distribution, definitely better than being top heavy.
Eh I was about to say just the opposite, but I suppose its a matter of perspective...
Personally I feel like only the top 8 or so should get the major prize money.... at least 1k for everyone in top 16 seems a little much to me. Maybe prizes in the hundreds for 8th+ place would be better, and make the finals that much more interesting...
New format looks pretty awesome. Covering travel costs from regional areas is definitely an A+ move to get the players and make it easy on the teams. Lots of room for pool play turnover while still giving some advantages to those who do well.
Thanks...I don't plan on playing haha...I just wanna know if i should get a barcraft going for it. Since this is going to be aan event..then I won't be trying to organize one haha. Any idea when/where tickets are on sale??
On February 12 2012 03:47 CageMonkey wrote: Thanks...I don't plan on playing haha...I just wanna know if i should get a barcraft going for it. Since this is going to be aan event..then I won't be trying to organize one haha. Any idea when/where tickets are on sale??
Sorry, maybe i should've worded that a bit better. It will be an event in NY, but will only be watchable on the live streams !
ok nvm....haha...BARCRAFT LONG ISLAND IN FRANKLIN SQUARE!!!!!!!!!!!! Looking for a thread on it now!!!! If there is no thread...there will be one by tomorow!!!!!!
On February 12 2012 03:51 CageMonkey wrote: ok nvm....haha...BARCRAFT LONG ISLAND IN FRANKLIN SQUARE!!!!!!!!!!!! Looking for a thread on it now!!!! If there is no thread...there will be one by tomorow!!!!!!
noooooo, why are they going to the same places. They should spread the events across the whole country. Why not go to Chicago? There has been tourneys to NY and LA, but no Windy City. Well I have they have some good on though
I'm curious if they're going to stick with the PPV model for all of the Arenas, or if they'll revert back to the free stream option if they aren't selling enough passes.
Wow, can't believe there's going to be an MLG event just in two days. So many good korean players, open bracket is going to be tough to say the least. Holy shyte.
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/RA6pD.jpg)
