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IEM World Championship to be Winner Takes All for $100,000…

Forum Index > SC2 General
1003 CommentsPost a Reply
Prev 1 5 6 7 8 9 51 Next
Fusilero
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United Kingdom50293 Posts
January 27 2014 19:55 GMT
#121
On January 28 2014 04:53 Serinox wrote:


Basically my first reaction as well.


Ye he's a bit unhappy
Glorious SEA doto
IncubusSC
Profile Joined December 2013
Canada57 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-01-27 19:56:17
January 27 2014 19:55 GMT
#122
It's just one of many tournaments. It's nice seeing an intense high stakes format once in a while instead of these school-like "everybody is a winner!" tournaments.

The competition will be KICK-ASS!
"Growing old is natural, growing up is optional."
Tobblish
Profile Joined August 2011
Sweden6404 Posts
January 27 2014 19:55 GMT
#123
On January 28 2014 04:51 Aeromi wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 28 2014 04:49 Serinox wrote:
This is awesome and deserves to be shared in this thread: Waxangle just posted on Twitter an old Carmac blog about SC2 top players getting too much money and a dying middle class of players
http://mbcarmac.tumblr.com/post/35729479257/five-problems-of-starcraft-ii

Dunno if I have to put it on the OP. :/


I doubt Carmac actually had any say in it, it's a PR stunt.
The curse is real
Epamynondas
Profile Joined September 2012
387 Posts
January 27 2014 19:55 GMT
#124
On January 28 2014 04:44 shinobi112 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 28 2014 04:39 Epamynondas wrote:
On January 28 2014 04:36 ProBot wrote:
So let me get this straight, most of you are telling me you would turn down the chance at an free trip to a tournament at a chance of winning 100k just because there's only 1 payout?


No, but as an spectator I feel that all games of this tournament besides the finals will be less meaningful than if a player increased their prize for every match they won.


Really, you only watch the games to see how much a player can increase their prize winnings? Every game will be high intensity for who takes home the 100,000… that makes no sense

If the players decided to split the money in finals or to other players that is their choice….

I didn't say "meaningless", I said "less meaningful". I don't watch tournaments to which player gets the biggest prize, I watch for the games. But the money a player gets is part of what makes a big tournament game different than a random ladder one, so yes, it's part of the attractive at least for me.
ThePlagueJG
Profile Joined May 2013
Sweden1010 Posts
January 27 2014 19:56 GMT
#125
On January 28 2014 04:43 NovaMB wrote:
Seriously IEM, dont invite anyone, let the remaining 6 qualify. Inviting would be a really really bad move


I agree 100% Invites to a tournament like this would be like very weird considering that most of the players had to fight through a smaller event to get there and then someone just get a free trip there.
ThorZaIN | NaNiwa | SaSe | PartinG | sOs | Jaedong | sOs restored passion!
Sprouter
Profile Joined December 2009
United States1724 Posts
January 27 2014 19:56 GMT
#126
Collusion!!! hahah good stuff IEM
Mensol
Profile Joined September 2012
14536 Posts
January 27 2014 19:57 GMT
#127
Naniwa will love it.

Just wait for his comments on it.
If you don't know what the fuck you are doing, how are your enemies supposed to know what the fuck you are doing. - imaqtpie on NA teams at Worlds.
SpikeStarcraft
Profile Joined October 2011
Germany2095 Posts
January 27 2014 19:57 GMT
#128
Well everyone that qualifies to be there was either first or second at an IEM, so they already had 10k and 4k for that. And they get all their expenses paid to travel there.
The players that attend the IEM Finals are not on the poor side of the progamer spectrum in the first place.

For IEM its hard because WCS is so dominant in the scene and all other tournaments have to find a place to be relevant.

I would say last year the ranking for relevance was
1. 1x Blizzcon
2. 3x WCS Season Finals
3. 3x WCS Korea
4. 3x WCS AM
5. 3x WCS EU
6. 1x Dreamhack Finals
8. 1x IEM Finals

I can see why IEM would want to move up in relevance. It makes it a lot more interesting for the top players to attend.
guys like taeja who said before that they would like to win a little more than 10k if they travel to a major event.
Plansix
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United States60190 Posts
January 27 2014 19:57 GMT
#129
On January 28 2014 04:54 Tobblish wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 28 2014 04:50 BisuDagger wrote:
This is going to be epic. Think about how intense the grand finals will be with everything on the line. Already this is generating so much hype. I'm loving the adversity created and in the end it's going to be super fun.


Are you implying a grand finals with prize pool splitting is going to be more intense than your usual "normal" finals?

I really don't get why a final would be better with the winner taking everything home. (or at least supposedly taking it all)
The winner gets the glory, bigger check and trophy. Is that not enough?

I don't really care who takes home what, but I think all or nothing is pretty exciting. Sure there could be prize pool splitting, but there migh not be too.
I have the Honor to be your Obedient Servant, P.6
TL+ Member
myxoma_strain
Profile Joined December 2013
United Kingdom371 Posts
January 27 2014 19:58 GMT
#130
I would agree this is bad if the other IEM events had terrible prize pools but this is a crack at 100k with your flights and hotel paid for that takes a weekend. It's not like you lose anything if you don't win. what the winner does with the money is up to them
Kennigit *
Profile Blog Joined October 2006
Canada19447 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-01-27 20:03:07
January 27 2014 19:58 GMT
#131
Some thoughts, since the reaction is as mixed as we expected.

IEM's 5 events leading up to IEM Katowice have 125k in combined prize money.

- 40 fully paid travel + hotel throughout the season

- Guaranteed 350$ if you made it through open bracket to group stage

- Open brackets at the main season events

- Open bracket spots available at cologne


IEM does more than most to support the SC2 player player space and what we realized is that as important at it is, we want Katowice to be special - it's not about giving a little bit to everyone. The Starcraft 2 community is now competing against the likes of Dota 2, LoL and even CS:GO which will have a 250,000$ prize pool going on at the same time. If you want to talk and complain about Alive Game, then you have to take risks and make shit happen. Following the model of the last 3 years when there exists a WCS system to support players internationally just wont cut it. The WCS existence is a really important part of the equation in if doing a single event in the season as Winner Takes All Single Elim makes sense.


Katowice is not for every mid tier player and it might not even be for a few of the players who managed to win an event stop.
I expect someone will drop out who qualified if they think they cant win.


Is it a bit nuts? Yes. Could someone throw a match? Yes. Could players come up with an agreement between themselves to split it 16 ways? Yes. Is someone going to choke, get cheesed 3 games in a row and have wasted a day of work? Probably. Do i think Naniwa is going to keep his word and split 100k with the likes of Korean players he has shit on in the past? Would they split it back with him or take it to their team instead? I have no clue. Could 2 "Nameless" koreans make it to the finals and everyone rolls their eyes like the Edgy M8s they are that it will be split? Yes. Have we put a lot of thought into what could happen and expect we will still be surprised after the final is over? Yes

And that is exactly why we are doing it.


Yakikorosu
Profile Joined March 2013
1203 Posts
January 27 2014 19:59 GMT
#132
On January 28 2014 04:50 BisuDagger wrote:
This is going to be epic. Think about how intense the grand finals will be with everything on the line. Already this is generating so much hype. I'm loving the adversity created and in the end it's going to be super fun.


This is clearly the exact reaction they're hoping for, but I'm not sure what positive difference it will make. How will it make anything better? First place prize is always much bigger than second already, so it's not like otherwise people "won't try" to win. All it means is that if Finals go to a Game 7 and one player loses to a cheese or makes a micro mistake and loses EVERYTHING, that player will be crushed emotionally twice as hard as usual. I guess there's a certain type of person that will applaud gleefully at just that very prospect (I'm not referring to anyone in particular), but to me it just seems pointlessly mean-spirited.
Aiomon
Profile Joined December 2013
Canada39 Posts
January 27 2014 19:59 GMT
#133
Holy shit. This is gonna be SO SICK.
Qwyn
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2779 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-01-27 20:01:28
January 27 2014 19:59 GMT
#134
They just don't get it...Instead why not save a big chunk of cash and not rely solely on a giant, extremely top heavy prizepool (which doesn't reward 15 players AT ALL) - instead focus on establishing ACTUAL story-lines and working hard to create real hype with substance - not artificially with money...

Seriously...why don't you go the other way around IEM and create an extremely low (30k) prizepool - but use the rest of that money to make it a tourney with the deepest storylines we've ever seen?

Meh. You know what...it's a one off so why the fuck not. I just think that looking at tourney quality through cash-colored lenses is a bad way of going about things.
"Think of the hysteria following the realization that they consciously consume babies and raise the dead people from their graves" - N0
McRatyn
Profile Joined January 2013
Poland901 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-01-27 20:00:09
January 27 2014 19:59 GMT
#135
I'm fine with this, especially since the only thing the players actually invest is time, everything else is covered. Due to the outcry its generating I don't think it will ever happen again, hell they might just back out of it tomorrow, so nothing to worry about. I'll be there live and plan on watching as many games I can because I don't belive any game to be pointless (I mean without the rest of the games there wouldn't be a final right?) Pretty fun new idea, is how I see it.
NovaMB
Profile Joined February 2013
Germany9534 Posts
January 27 2014 20:00 GMT
#136
On January 28 2014 04:58 Kennigit wrote:
+ Show Spoiler +
Some thoughts, since the reaction is as mixed as we expected.

IEM's 5 events leading up to IEM Katowice have 125k in combined prize money.

- 40 fully paid travel + hotel throughout the season
- Guaranteed 350$ if you made it through open bracket to group stage
- Open brackets at the main season events
- Open bracket spots available at cologne

IEM does more than most to support the SC2 player player space and what we realized is that as important at it is, we want Katowice to be special - it's not about giving a little bit to everyone. The Starcraft 2 community is now competing against the likes of Dota 2, LoL and even CS:GO which will have a 250,000$ prize pool going on at the same time. If you want to talk and complain about Alive Game, then you have to take risks and make shit happen. Following the model of the last 3 years when there exists a WCS system to support players internationally just wont cut it.

Katowice is not for every mid tier player and it might not even be for a few of the players who managed to win an event stop.
I expect someone will drop out who qualified if they think they cant win.

Is it a bit nuts? Yes. Could someone throw a match? Yes. Could players come up with an agreement between themselves to split it 16 ways? Yes. Do i think Naniwa is going to keep his word and split 100k with the likes of Korean players he has shit on in the past? Would they split it back with him or take it to their team instead? I have no clue. Is someone going to choke, get cheesed 3 games in a row and have wasted a day of work? Probably. Is it going to be emotional? Yes.

And that is exactly why we are doing it.



Please Kennigit, if you are really doing this, dont invite any players. Let everyone fight to get there. Inviting would be the worst thing you could do to this.
Squat
Profile Joined September 2013
Sweden7978 Posts
January 27 2014 20:00 GMT
#137
On January 28 2014 04:55 IncubusSC wrote:
It's just one of many tournaments. It's nice seeing an intense high stakes format once in a while instead of these school-like "everybody is a winner!" tournaments.

The competition will be KICK-ASS!

Except of course for the fact that no real sport actually works like that. Losers get payed in every major sport, and usually enough to make a decent living. Pooling all the money to the winner is a horrible idea, it will kill whatever competition it happens to.

Shit like this is precisely what we don't need, there is already far too much feast or famine in this game.
"Digital. They have digital. What is digital?" - Donald J Trump
JustPassingBy
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
10776 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-01-27 20:04:16
January 27 2014 20:01 GMT
#138
On January 28 2014 04:49 Serinox wrote:
This is awesome and deserves to be shared in this thread: Waxangle just posted on Twitter an old Carmac blog about SC2 top players getting too much money and a dying middle class of players
http://mbcarmac.tumblr.com/post/35729479257/five-problems-of-starcraft-ii


They only invited top players in the first place, who all have the potential to make very deep runs in any tournament they attend, that is how the qualified for this. I doubt that any of the players attending that event belongs to the "middle class" of players that is dying, so I don't think that the article can be applied to a tournament with this player pool.

edit: also additionally, I think that the players in the list already receive a solid salary from their teams compared to other players. At least I heavily that those players rely on prize money to be able to play full time.

I'm not saying that I generally agree with such a tournament style, just that Carmac's article is not applicable to this event.
StaNi
Profile Joined June 2011
Ukraine54 Posts
January 27 2014 20:01 GMT
#139
Very bad for noobs players, who play only ro8, but who play for win... Its very, very interesting.
PhoenixVoid
Profile Blog Joined December 2011
Canada32740 Posts
January 27 2014 20:01 GMT
#140
This is insanity...
I'm afraid of demented knife-wielding escaped lunatic libertarian zombie mutants
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