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An Introduction to Major League Gaming
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MLG is the big fish in North America, and Starcraft 2 is the newest addition to its Pro Circuit. Starcraft 2 will debut at MLG Raleigh on August 27th-29th. It will be the largest ever Pro Circuit Competition and the 50th of its kind. Fans from around North America will be watching the event, and this may be their first introduction to Starcraft 2, allowing an unprecedented chance for Starcraft 2 progaming to gain a foothold on this chunk of land between the Pacific and Atlantic. There's a lot to like about MLG taking on Starcraft 2, and not only because of exposure, prize money, and high level competition.
Why, exactly? Well, in addition to TLAF-Liquid'Tyler competing in the event, TeamLiquid's very own Hot_Bid and intrigue will help administer the event, and Day[9] will be commentating along with many other great casters. From the very beginning, TeamLiquid and its users have been involved in helping MLG promote Starcraft 2 competitively through forum feedback. MLG Raleigh will be a tremendous chance for Starcraft 2 to gain fans and reach wider audiences in North America.
The Hosts
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Founded in 2002, MLG is one of the oldest professional gaming organizations in North America and the world. Raleigh will be MLG's 50th Pro Circuit event, bringing a combination of professionalism and experience that Starcraft 2 will greatly benefit from.
MLG is the most recognizable professional gaming brand in North America, and has hosted professional competitions for such titles as Super Smash Brothers Melee, Halo 3, and Tekken 6. They will host five Pro Circuit Stops culminating in a national championship, offering over $700,000 in prizes across its games and events, all of which we can expect to see great games and high level insight in.
The Spectacle
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The tournament will be a 64-man open bracket. The format is double elimination, best of 3 per match, with the winners of the brackets taking each other on for champion of the event. The top 8 will receive cash prizes for a total of 7000 USD with the following breakdown:
1st: 2500
2nd: 1500
3rd: 1000
4th: 700
5th: 500
6th: 350
7th: 250
8th: 200
The seeding for future events will be based on a point system determined by MLG by means of their Pro Circuit Starcraft 2 Rank Points, but for this event the seeding will be random. Many familiar faces will be making the trek out to Raleigh and filling the brackets, including TLAF-Liquid'Tyler, qxc, HuK, Gretorp, Sheth, LzGamer, KiwiKaki, CauthonLuck, and PainUser, as well as many others.
There is more at stake than simply prizes, as placing high at MLG Raleigh and MLG D.C. (Oct. 15-17) help players earn points to qualify for MLG's National Championships in Dallas (Nov. 5-7). At Dallas, the prizes are traditionally 4-5 times higher than at their regular Pro Circuit events, and thus the total prize pool for all three MLG SC2 events this year could exceed $50,000. That's more than enough to entice the best players out to play.
Undoubtedly the greatest part of this event will be the live stage and live crowd, something that MLG brings more naturally and easily than any other gaming organization in North America. We'll get to see Liquid take the stage for the first time in Raleigh, with TLAF-Liquid'Tyler holding down the North American front while fellow Liquid members make preparations for invading Korean shores.
How to Watch
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Here, TeamLiquid.netizens, are the magic words: A stream. For free. MLG promised that, as usual, they will provide a stream on their website free of charge, with high level commentary spearheaded by the magical, charismatic Sean Plott. Some shows and features will pepper the lay time between matches, adding some intriguing production value and a better look at what MLG adds to Starcraft 2.
How can you watch? All you have to do is go to their homepage (http://www.mlgpro.com/) and follow the link to the free stream. Alternatively, you can pay $10 for MLG HD and watch the entire event in 480p. So, tune in this Friday and Saturday and support this big step forward for Starcraft 2 and progaming in North America. We'll see great games, high quality production and video, and stellar organization surrounded by an enthusiastic live audience, with the winners taking away considerable cash. TeamLiquid is proud to add MLG to the number of events it covers, and we look forward to all their future events.
For more insight into MLG's plans for StarCraft 2, the Pro Circuit Raleigh event, and Major League Gaming in general, check out our in-depth interview with MLG representative Lee Chen here.
