That being said, I'm excited to announce that The NA Apprentice makes its return for a Season 2. There are several important changes being made, all of which you can view below.
What's new?
The player count is being increased from 16 to 24 total. 16 players will qualify from the qualifiers and play in Group Stage 1.
The top 8 quarterfinalists from Season are automatically seeded into Group Stage 2. They'll be joined by 8 players from Group Stage 1.
There will be a group selection ceremony prior to Group Stage 2, which will be done on Discord. More details of that is TBD.
Format
Like the previous season, players will schedule and play their matches within a specified time frame. An additional group stage is being added due to the player count increase.
Group Stage 1: 2 Bo3 round robin groups of 8 players each. Top 4 of each group advance.
Group Stage 2: 4 Bo3 round robin groups of 4 players each. Top 2 of each group advance.
Playoffs: Single elimination bracket. Ro8 and Ro4 are Bo5. Finals is Bo7.
Links
Qualifier 1: https://challonge.com/ApprenticeSeason2Qual1
Qualifier 2: https://challonge.com/ApprenticeSeason2Qual2
Liquipedia: The NA Apprentice: Season 2
Discord server: https://discord.gg/b4VREDm
Eligibility
Only NA residents who have not reached a Group Stage 3 (Top 32) in any 2018 WCS event may participate in this.
Important Dates
Qualifier 1: February 2nd @ 7 PM EST
Qualifier 2: February 3rd @ 7 PM EST
Season 2 begins: February 4th
Group Stage 2 Group Selection Ceremony (tentative): February 17th
Prize Pool
1st -
2nd -
3rd/4th -
5th/8th - $15
EDIT: Prize pool distribution changed after $115 donation. 5th-8th place prize pool tier has also been added.