Bellum Gens Elite: Stara Zagora 2025

by Wax

The StarCraft II scene continues to rush through its summer season at a breakneck pace, making its next live tournament stop barely a week after DreamHack Dallas. This time, sixteen players are convening on Bellum Gens Elite: Stara Zagora, where they'll fight for their share of $10,000 of prize money and a single ticket to the Esports World Cup.

Format, Schedule, and Players

BGE Stara Zagora is played as a 16-player double-elimination tournament. The grand finals are BO7, winners' and losers' finals are BO5, and all other matches are BO3.

• Official stream: Twitch.tv/BulgarianStarCraftLeague
  • Commentators: RotterdaM, BeoMulf, Exalted, NoThx
• June 4: 12:00 GMT (+00:00) start
  
• June 5: 11:00 GMT (+00:00) start
  
• June 6: 11:00 GMT (+00:00) start
  
• June 7: 12:30 GMT (+00:00) start

Tournament Preview: The DreamHack Aftermath

DreamHack Dallas upended our expectations from the off-season, which had made it seem like Serral, Clem, and herO (and technically MaxPax) were a tier above everyone else in the scene. Instead, the Texas showdown saw all three of the title favorites fall out in the quarterfinals, while Maru shrugged off his off-season slump to win the championship in almost casual fashion.

With the results of Dallas in mind, Serral and Clem still have to be heavy championship favorites at Stara Zagora. It's partially due to the field being weaker, with five of the top eight finishers at Dallas not competing. It's also due to the fact that Clem and Serral have banked so much benefit of the doubt over their careers that one bad event isn't going to lower our estimation of them.

Instead, BGE feels more like a test of how much of a fight other players can put up, and whether or not the rest of the field can team up to eliminate at least one of them before the finals. Reynor is the obvious candidate to be the wildcard, as he brings world champion credentials to the event. He's looked slightly better in every tournament he's played in since returning from his spring sabbatical, recently qualifying for EWC alongside Serral in the European regional. Depending on who you ask, some might say he's right back to being a cut above the rest of the EU pack, although others might say there are still kinks in his game he has to iron out (ShoWTimE nearly upset him with Protoss trickery).

The other darkhorse I want to point to is Zoun, who was notable for his rapid improvement during the off-season. While he disappointed once live competitions began with Code S Season 1 and DH Dallas, he recently showed us why he was one of the most intriguing off-season players by taking first place in the EWC Korea regional with wins over Rogue, ByuN, and Cure. During his pre-military career, Zoun had a knack for elevating his game in big tournaments, and I have to wonder if BGE Stara Zagora will be his chance to return to being such a clutch performer.

Outside the championship picture, there will be an intense sub-competition for the single EWC spot that's up for grabs. The EWC ticket will go to the highest player who doesn't have a seed already, which gives the eleven non-seeded players a huge incentive to try and finish as high as possible (Serral, Clem, Reynor, Zoun, and Trigger are already seeded).

Writing this preview before the bracket is public, it's just inevitable that match-up luck will play a huge role in how this race pans out. ShoWTimE, Spirit, SKillous, and Lambo are the most prominent names amongst the contenders, but the road feels especially perilous for the Protoss in a tournament that projects to be PvP-heavy (especially since most rounds are BO3). Even players on the fringes like like Krystianer and Ryung have a chance if everything breaks their way.