WCS AM Qual: A Chance to Shine [Part 2]

In the first part of this interview series, we asked a few pro players to elaborate on how they feel about the changes to WCS 2014. Most agreed that having 2/3 dedicated Challenger League spots for the region every season is a positive step and creates opportunities where there was very little. Some weren't too sure about the new bo5 format, and the use of the new maps will make for a very interesting tournament as players are still figuring them out. Overall, the changes to WCS 2014 were seen as a positive thing, with room for even more improvements.

In Part Two, we ask a few community mainstays for their thoughts. The pro players' dark horse picks were DemiLove, Lobo, Pezz, Myuu, Fenner, MegaFonzie, Pokerface, Surge and Blysk. See who the community thinks/hopes will make it through!

In 2013, SEA/Oceania received nothing from the system. Do you think the opportunities the WCS system gives us in 2014 is fair given the size of our region? In other words, are 3 spots to Challenger League (with a strong possibility of facing a Korean in the ups and downs next) fair for our region?

Duckville: [online caster] I think that it's good we finally got some representation. It was pretty depressing for the local scene and for me to see that our region's top players had to compete not only with either NA or possibly EU players in those regions (though who wants to play EU with that ping) - but also the Koreans that moved across too.

While I do appreciate Blizzard’s side in that it's a bit of a learning process, sometimes upon looking at the 2013 season of WCS and how only a few things have changed moving into 2014, it seems like not enough time was put into the decision making process, which is ironic, in a way.

Eddie: [tournament organiser and admin] 3 spots is very generous! While there is a lot of talent in SEA/Oceania, we are a small community compared to America and China. Additionally players can try for a ladder wildcard spot. So it's great to see Blizzard and America show their support towards smaller communities. The best SEA players can match it with most Koreans on the day, so if they're good enough to qualify, they certainly have the potential to go far in WCS America.

Maynarde: [IEM and ACL caster] As far as I'm concerned there's no such thing as too much opportunity, I think we had plenty in 2012 and as much as I liked it I do enjoy 2014’s format a bit more as a whole. I think that the 3 spots for Challenger is great, but don't forget there's also a cash prize for winning the Qualifier not to mention the extra money you're guaranteed if you get into Challenger. Considering the size of our region and our player base I think it's perfectly fair.

Spartaz: [ToR clan leader] Hmmm 2013 we were quite disjointed from the WCS circuit in contrast to the exceptional contribution by Blizzard to our community in 2012. Certainly the opportunities presented for 2014 come as a pleasant surprise. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t exactly expecting much when it came to the inclusion of SEA in the circuit this year. I think being placed with top tier Korean players will make the competition even fiercer, but I am glad that we have received some recognition for our top flight players in the scene.

We all know who the likely top contenders will be for the top 3 spots in SEA. Who do you think is a potential dark horse?

Duckville: Ummmmmm Probe for all kill

Eddie: I think there are a few who might surprise! Fighto is one to watch out for. A Melbourne Protoss, new to the competitive scene who has been more than holding his own against the top tier SEA players. Indian Zerg DemiLove has done quite well in some recent online cups. MightyKiwi is living in the ROOT Gaming house in America at the moment, which should result in rapid improvement. Blysk and Lobo the Singaporean Protoss's are probably underrated despite consistent placings in online tournaments, and will push hard for top 3. Pezz, ARze, MegaFonzie, and Another are some other up and coming SEA Protoss players. StoicWilly and Kreamy are two relatively unknown Terrans who are capable of challenging some of the top tier as well.

Maynarde: Well ... I don't actually have any idea who signed up and how many! I'm assuming most Masters and GMs would try their luck. As far as they go I think considering how much he's practiced that Fenner could be a possibility.

Spartaz: This might be a little biased coming from myself, but based upon his form and his massive amounts of growth over 2012-2013, I would have to say Pezz. I know I know, there is the whole ToR bias but I do honestly feel that he has the capacity as a player to break onto the international stage. He will have tough competition from the likes of other notable SEA players such as Petraeus, KingKong and PiG, but he is a player to watch out for!

Do you think the allowance of community casters for Challenger League will help us find new and exciting casters, or will we see familiar names taking this opportunity for the most part?

Duckville: I'd assume that familiar people would take part, with the lack of "expansion" of the scene lately I'm not sure as many people are interested in contributing.

Maynarde: Absolutely, I love it when a big circuit gives community casters a go and people like BasetradeTV and myself are technically community casters as well who put their hand up when the call comes. Hopefully fresh faces arrive too. Challenger League is gonna have SO many games, there will definitely be room for others.

Blizzard announced that there will be no Season Finals for each of the seasons in 2014. Do you think this is a wise move by Blizzard?

Duckville: Yeah I think its fine, it wasted time before and didn't mean much so I don't see a huge issue with it.

Eddie: I am a fan of a Finals format, as it ties everything together and offers a definite conclusion.

Maynarde: I think the thought behind this is to make the grand finale a HUGE event for everyone, similar to Dota2's International and LoL's LCS. I like it, I'm always down for more Starcraft but I think this gives room to breathe for other people / organizations to put on their own tourneys and builds up a story line all year long. Hopefully that makes up for the lack of season final's.

Spartaz: This is an interesting question, on one hand you have the pure and simple fact that you have a ton of thrilling and tense games to watch and then on the other there are sooo many to catch up on! I reckon that this change is a positive one. I feel that it would add a lot more emphasis and impact to the other finals being held, because admittedly, half the time in 2013 there was an overwhelming amount of VOD’s to catch up!

With SEA having their own qualifiers now how do you think this will affect the sc2 scene in SEA?

Duckville: I doubt it'll change much. We'll obviously get a small spike of attention from overseas (minimal though) which is great - but it's not going to do anything to change the perception of gaming here as a culture, nor will it really shed much light on some of the amazing talent we have here.

Eddie: It's great for the players, both financially and in terms of exposure playing in WCS. It's a lot of money for a standalone qualifier! I believe there will be BarCrafts in Melbourne and Sydney covering the qualifiers for SEA/Oceania, as well as livestreams, which is also great for the fans. However, it's just one step forward, the players who qualify have to make the most of their chance, and we as a community have to continue to grow the scene, as WCS doesn't come along all that often, and people forget about one off results quickly. We actually have a pretty active and healthy tournament scene, with regular competitions for all levels, we just need to make people aware of it and get involved/interested.

Maynarde: I can only see this being positive for SEA. It means we get an easier shot than 2013, more money, more attention and best of all more reason for the guys looking to reach the top level on this side of the world to practice. Really helps to legitimise the insane practice schedules and hours put in by local heroes.

Spartaz: I feel that this question is a bit of a harder one to answer. Over the past year or so we have seen a steady decline in the player base in SEA, which to a large extent has been attributed to the loss of enjoyment for the game. It makes it harder to really determine what effect WCS will have on the SEA scene. The fact that we have this opportunity doesn’t exactly guarantee that members of the community will find the game anymore fun/enjoyable than they did previously. What it can offer though is a sense of community pride and involvement. It’s something that I feel can really pull in the older members of the scene. By having SEA representatives in WCS, you have a connection with these players – for they are representing where you come from and as such you want to see them succeed.

Is there anything you believe Blizzard still needs to implement/support in the SEA scene?

Eddie: In 2014 Blizzard ANZ are coming on board as sponsors for our regular Masters Cups, and the SEA regional Championship (SCS), which is fantastic support and investment in the local scene. Working with the community and players is the best way to achieve the greatest good.

Spartaz: I believe some inclusion with the local circuits could go a long way. It seems that the ACL crew will be working closer with the Blizzard crew over the coming year, which we could see positive developments into the scene. I’ve always thought about this, whenever there is an event of some notability, say for example a DreamHack or an IEM event, the event is often featured in game for players to easily access. I’ve never seen a New Zealand event (even though the number of such events is limited at present) that has been on the community tab in game. It’s something I would like to see more of if possible over the coming years.

How do you feel about the other changes to WCS 2014 overall?

Duckville: It's a start, but I hate that we have to wait for another year to see it actually work out. The fact that many players who are already up in the higher parts of WCS will most likely stay there is rather frustrating. With the changes they made they should have just reset all the player rankings/qualifications etc and it would have been much better, but I guess it's a start.

Eddie: I think it sounds like it will be a big improvement on 2013, where it seemed at times WCS was a bit oversaturated, and heavily dominated by Koreans, rather than giving opportunities to other communities. However i do miss the 2012/World Cyber Games type model, where each nation has a representative. WCS 2014 will be an awesome series, and i hope our local guys can go far!

Thanks for the interview.
Checkout Sc2sea.com for local tournaments, discussion, and news

Maynarde: I'm very happy with it overall.

I'm a little iffy about jumping into a single elimination for Challenger but it's going be a ton of games and it's the best way to get through them fast. It's clear to me that Blizzard is taking a step back in 2014, accepting and addressing some of the things that were wrong with 2013's format and giving room for the community to grow the game as well. It's hard to imagine WCS in 2014 not being an amazing spectacle of game and production quality!

Spartaz: FINALLLLLLLLLLY WCS Korea has more weighting than the other regions! It was something that was really frustrating me in the 2013 circuit. To have a region like Korea to be of the same prize distribution as North America and Europe is nonsensical, I mean it is the most stacked region with the largest talent pool by far. It was good and bad in some ways. It was good in the sense that we saw a lot of talented players move across regions, but it did prove to result in under-representation of the local European and North American players.

Broadcast Details
Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/aclproSC2

Stage 1 - Online Open Qualifier Stage
Date: Saturday 11th January 2014
Time: 11.30am for 12pm start AEDT

Stage 2 - Round of 16
Date: Sunday 12th January 2014
Time: 12.30pm for 1pm start AEDT

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Contributors:-
Interviews: x5 Stormz
Editing: x5 Dot

All StarCraft 2 images are the property of Blizzard Entertainment

WCS AM Qual: A Chance to Shine [Part 2]

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