Over a month ago, I first reported here that a new corporate sponsor was interested in taking over the MBCGame Special Force team, MBCGame HERO plus. However, the name of that sponsor had been kept under wraps until now.
On 6th November, the MBCGame team took part in the live broadcast rounds of the Special Force 2 Super League, a competition with a total prize money of 150 million Won. The winners of this tournament were awarded 30 million Won, 2nd place 10 million Won and the losing semi-finalists, 5 million Won each. 2 560 teams applied to take part in this competition, including 12 previous FPS pro-teams that had lost their sponsors. These 12 teams (MBCGame included) were seeded directly into the Ro64. The top 32 teams earned the right to take part in the SF 2 draft which took place on 6th November, right after the finals of the Super League.
MBCGame HERO plus finished 3rd in the Super League (losing in the semi-finals to eventual winners Crysis) and were bestowed the honour of being the first pick in the SF2 draft. All the members of the MBCGame team were recruited together by the same sponsor, keeping the 5 member team intact. However, the name of this new sponsor was still not yet revealed to the public. Finally, on 7th November, it was officially announced that Woongjin Stars was the new sponsor that had taken over the MBCGame team. According to Woongjin Stars director/head Coach Lee Jae Gyun, the company had considered creating a Special Force team for some time. SF team leader Lee Ho Woo expressed his delight when Woongjin was revealed as the new sponsor, promising to repay the company as well Coach Lee by winning titles.
New recruits from the Special Force draft on 6th November
Lim Sura
The other 3 new teams created at the SF2 draft include Q'SENN, which had taken over the E1 Family team that placed 4th in the Super League, TVing (a CJ-owned media enterprise), which recruited players from team Georgia that made it into the Ro16 and IT Bank, which drafted 7 players from different amateur teams including Super League runner-ups Architect and Ro16 qualifiers Aplus. Lim Sura, the former coach of MBCGame HERO plus was also appointed as the new coach of IT Bank. The winner of the Super League, amateur team Crysis, was unfortunately not recruited at the draft.
These 4 new teams will join existing SF teams SKT T1, KT Rolster, CJ Entus, and current SF Proleague champions STX Soul in the new Proleague slated to begin in the third week of November.
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Unfortunately, the costs of running an SC1 pro-team far exceeds that of an SF team and hence we are left with the current situation in SC1 where new sponsors are hard to come by. But congratulations to the former MBCGame HERO plus players and Coach Lim Sura as well. I hope things will work out well for the MBC SC1 players who have yet to find teams. To the HERO B-teamers especially, fighting!
Good news, glad to see Woongjin supporting ESPORTS :D
The last SF finals was really exciting, I watched it live and instantly became a fan of the STX SF team. They beat KT Rolster in the final, thus denying KT dual Proleague victories.
Thought they only played SF1 :O Hope kespa will get a deal with sudden attack 2 when it's out... Not really fan of "Korean FPS'" Jump and shoot mehhhhh and it's so much spray and pray TT
Do you have any idea or know why Sudden Attack is so much popular in PC bangs then SF? OR it was at least, dno now cause I don't remember the ranking site.