EPTSimultaneously, companies like Justin.TV, IGN, and MLG have taken notice of the StarCraft community and pushed the competitive scene forward in a way most of us could have never imagined outside of Korea. We feel that their approach, both in effort and professionalism, should be matched by teams and players so that competitive gaming can keep moving forward in the West. Perhaps to a point where it can one day stand alongside any professional sports league in the world.
To support that, VTG Network has set out to create a new type of StarCraft 2 team...
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wUs9n.png)
Reign
A team dedicated to the most serious and motivated players in StarCraft 2. Following the Korean model, Team Reign will be placed in a pro team house in the San Francisco Bay Area under VT Gaming LLC. The house will not only accommodate Team Reign, but provide unique opportunities to players from other teams around the world to come train. It is scheduled to open later this year.
The Team
Brian “Spades” Francis
One of the visionaries behind Team Reign, Spades has been invested in competitive gaming since StarCraft 1. After graduating from The University of Central Florida, Spades set out to become a full-time professional gamer. He is a regular winner of online series, such as Go4SC2 and CraftCup. He has cashed in half of the VT Gaming Open Series, and was invited to the IGN Pro League Season 1. He is one of the few players to make it through the MLG Open Bracket more than once.
In January of this year, Spades travelled to Korea to play in the Code A qualifiers. While there, he trained in the MVP and IM pro houses with some of the best players in the world.
Jonathan “KiWiKaKi” Garneau
Known as one of Canada's best WarCraft 3 players during the lifespan of the game, Kiwikaki has made professional gaming his career. Playing StarCraft 2 full-time, he's seen repeated success with his creative and cunning playstyle. Nicknamed the “Mad Scientist Protoss," Kiwikaki has collected over $10,000 in StarCraft 2 prize winnings. He has finished 2nd at two MLG tournaments, the IGN Pro League Season 1, and placed in the top ten of all but one MLG tournament.
Kiwikaki has also travelled to Korea for Code A qualifiers and can currently be seen playing in the NASL.
Paul-David “SLush” Pagé
Perhaps one of the most underrated players in StarCraft 2, SLush is often only discussed in the shadows of his former teammates from Root Gaming. Despite this, SLush's tournament accomplishments are impressive, finishing in the top 12 at every MLG, including a recent finish in 5th at MLG Columbus.
SLush's history as a competitive gamer is split between Counter-Strike and StarCraft: Brood War, playing in Canadian-based teams Nameless and X'Ds, respectively.
Jeon “Phoenix” Young Sik
Still commonly referred to as “PhoenixWerra”, Phoenix became famous in the StarCraft community for streaming games on the North American server from his home in Korea. Though he hasn’t played much in the GSL, he has trained for many months in the houses of former pro team Werra and team MVP. Since that time Phoenix has been anxious to move to the United States and is joining Reign to get that chance.
Josué “Fayth” Sauvageau
Another veteran of Root Gaming, Fayth maintains careers in both StarCraft 2 and professional poker. He was renowned in StarCraft: Brood War as a member of the legendary team pG and was arguably one of the greatest players in Canada at that time. Fayth’s biggest accomplishment is finishing 2nd at LAN ETS.
Captain Team Reign, Brian “Spades” Francis:
Reign is the culmination of everything I would ever want in a professional gaming team. During my 3 month stay in Korea, i got a first person view of how the Korean teams operate. I realized although the Korean method for training produces the best results, they were lacking something; A professional business approach. The goal of Reign is to fuse the structured professional training regimen of Korea, and couple it with the promotional machine of western E-Sports. The long-term goal is to create salaried professionals who become celebrities in the field of professional gaming. It is our belief that with our business ventures as well as our professional approach we can have players making a very comfortable living, as well as promoting Reign and themselves as a brand. I am very confident with the team we have assembled, and i look forward to taking the first steps in bringing the idea of a professional gaming organization to a whole new level.
VT Gaming President, Frank “Mirhi” Fields:
Reign represents a different business approach than what I have done so far at VT Gaming. It was truly a team effort to assemble this group of talented and motivated players, but I have done this for many reasons, the foremost is professionalism and accountability. I believe these players represent a real chance to take our industry to another level. Plans for the team house are underway and we are all extremely excited to get started!
Team Reign Lineup:
Spades
KiWiKaKi
SLush Phoenix Fayth
TBD TBDFor further information and updates on Team Reign, follow us at VTGaming.net and on Twitter @ReignSC2 and @VTGaming
Thank you,
VT Gaming
