Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) has taken the entire gaming community by storm ever since the launch of prominent battle royale titles in 2017. This list includes Playerunknown’s Battleground, Fortnite, Apex Legends and it goes on. However, not every game had a joyride to become an esport title, few did, some didn’t.
Fortnite was launched a little after PUBG, however, being a RNG, esport did have its own requirements which didn’t suit the developers’ roadmap. In order to flourish Fortnite as a competitive esports title, Epic Games is organising a $30 Million USD event which is underway at Arthur Ashe stadium in New York, USA.
The tournament has received tremendous support from across the community. The numbers on live streaming platform Twitch are touching new heights and the game is surely living upto the mark. However, popular Twitch streamer Dr Disrespect has his own view which has sparked a controversy on social media.
He has been very vocab about his conflicting views and this time, he suggests that instead of Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive should have a $30M USD event. Although Counter-Strike has been like a stepson to Valve. The big brother, Dota 2 is always well received by the developers. Dota 2’s upcoming The International 9’s prize pool has already crossed $30 Million marks while the Valve sponsored major events for CS:GO are fixed at $1M all-time.
Dr Disrespect initially bullied other popular Fortnite streamers and further went on, โImagine Counter-Strike putting on a $30 million dollar tournament. Wooho! Now youโre talking real.” “Now youโre talking stakes, now youโre talking entertainment. Now youโre talking true, pro gaming at its finest,” further added the streamer. Dr Disrespect seemed quite agitated by the fact that he was not invited at the Arthur Ashe arena due to his recent shortcomings.
Yesterday, in celebration for several of
their pro players being selected for upcoming Fortnite World Cup 2019 in New
York, Faze Clan decided to setup a standalone pop-up shop at a nearby Sporting
Goods Store. Several of Faze Clan players and staff were present at the shop to
meet up with fans.
But things went a little overhead when more
than thousands of fans showed up for the meetup.
Faze Clan had only expected hundreds of fans to show-up and made arrangements accordingly. But, due to many people showing up things got out of hand and police had to shut down the pop-up shop for safety and security reasons.
According to Ricky โBanksโ Banks co-founder of Faze Clan, thousands of fans showed up on street and were clogging 15 blocks in New York City. Due to sharp rise in number of people the police decided to take charge and shut down the shop.
In a Tweet he said:
โThis is f*d. Thousands and thousands turned out. It looks like this for 15 solid blocks. Unreal. Speechless. I fkn love you guys more than youโll ever know. Literally the craziest meetup of all time. Police shit it down Iโm sorry. Peep everyoneโs socialsโ
This is fucked. Thousands and thousands turned out. It looks like this for 15 solid blocks. Unreal. Speechless. I fkn love you guys more than youโll ever know. Literally the craziest meetup of all time. Police shit it down Iโm sorry. Peep everyoneโs socials ๐คฏ pic.twitter.com/t8juEF2Bfy
Crowd was heard shouting for players and
Banks to show-up and meet them, but police didnโt allow Faze Clan to leave the
premise until the situation was under control.
Many of Faze Clan players were present at the shop such as their superstar streamer Nick โNICKMERCSโKolcheff, Temperrr, Rain, Replays, Sway, H1ghSky1, Blaze, and many others.Nick also confirmed in a tweet that police had restricted everyone from leaving the building and meet with the crowd of fans and shut down the shop.
Fortnite World Cup 2019 will be played this
weekend at New York with players competing for a share of the staggering $30
million prize pool.
LOS ANGELES โ July 25, 2019 โ World-renowned Norwegian DJ and producer Alan Walker is teaming up withย PUBG MOBILEย again to release an exclusive song โLive Fastโย as a brand-new collaboration. The acclaimed musician will also drop in live on Day 1 ofย PUBG MOBILEย CLUB OPEN 2019 SPRING SPLITS GLOBAL FINALSย atย July 26,ย to participate in a show match and debut his new tune with an exclusive live performance.
Earlier this month, players logged into PUBG MOBILE and participated in an in-game event with Alan Walker challenges. Players who completed all challenges unlocked the opportunity to listen to the upcoming Alan Walker x PUBG MOBILE track โLive Fastโ ahead of its global launch date. Players can still also get two sets of rare Alan Walker in-game items to customize their avatars to match Alan Walkerโs signature style.
As a special part of his collaboration with PUBG MOBILE, Alan Walker is also set to team up with nine community-selected influencers and celebrities from around the world, including 2018-2019 NBA Most Valuable Player Award recipient Giannis Antetokounmpo for a star-studded show match in Day 1 of PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019 Global Finals at July 26.
Alan Walkerโs collaboration is just one of the events at this weekendโs global finals in Berlin, where the top 16 PUBG MOBILE teams from regions around the world will duke it out for ultimate rights and a slice of the $2.5 million USD prize pool. Community members can tune in to witness this historic competition unfold live at July 26 from the official PUBG MOBILE Esports YouTube Channel here.
The European Minor is always a CR4ZY affair. But, it was more so this time around, with the likes of fnatic, mousesports and North among the teams vying for the two spots available at the Starladder Berlin Major.
Photo Via HLTV
It was CR4ZY though, that stole the show, beating fnatic and North on their way to securing the second of the two spots available from the Europe Minor, with North set to take part in the Minor Play-In.
Beating teams such as Fnatic and North to make it to the Major is a big achievement for Hunter
CR4ZY star Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovac shed light on the team chemistry, his individual journey and the road ahead, along with the feeling of qualifying for what is set to be his first appearance at a CSGO Major.
First of all, congratulations to you and your team on qualifying for your first Major. How were you guys feeling going into the decider against North and what did you make of the matchup that ended in a slightly one-sided scoreline?
Thank you very much. North had beaten us before the playoff stage. So, we were focused on beating one of fnatic and mousesports, which we did. Going into the matchup, we were confident in our preparation. North are a really good team with good players. Although, it did end in a rather one-sided 2-0, it is never easy to face a team of their calibre.
It must be a CR4ZY feeling to have qualified for the Major and have your stickers inside the game!
Of course, that is what everyone wants, to qualify for big events, and Major is on top of the priority list. That was our goal when we created this lineup. I can’t wait to see my sticker on weapons!
You guys have continued to progress towards the top end of the CSGO circuit, slowly but surely. What is the general atmosphere within the team?
The atmosphere in the team is great. We have been together for around eight months now; played a lot of events and qualifiers. We wanted to beat the best and believed in ourselves. We are all good mates and good personalities and I couldn’t be happier!
Almost everyone has taken turns to step up to the plate frag-wise. How does it feel to have a well-rounded roster with raw firepower and how is it different from the previous iterations?
We knew it (of the firepower) when we wanted to create this lineup. Earlier, LETN1 was the IGL. But, we wanted to change our style. So, he stepped down and for the first 2-3 months, our coach Emi acted as the IGL in online matches and we just created our gameplan match-to-match on LAN. It wasn’t ideal. Then, nexa took up the IGL role on every map except Nuke, where I do the calling. Our current setup is better, it’s working well for us and we feel comfortable in it.
Coming to you, you have been on a tear in 2019. How confident are you in your individual ability compared to the players, let’s say, of Liquid and other top tier teams?
I have always been super confident in my own ability. I always try to improve and I practice a lot. Although, I haven’t yet had a chance to play against Liquid or Astralis, I think it will be really hard. We have to work a lot to be on the level that these teams are. But, we are confident in ourselves.
Over the years, we have seen you establish yourself not just as a top player but also as more of a commitment type of a guy, who likes to stick to one team and one lineup.
Yeah, I have been with the guys (me, LETN1, Emi and manager peca) since iNation, then Binary Dragons, Valiance and now cR4Zy. I had many offers over the last couple of years. In some cases, I was not interested and in some, the organization did not want to sell me. But, I am happy with the current lineup and my current teammates.
How hard was it for you when this lineup happened, which saw only you and LETN1 remain as active players from the original lineup?
To be honest, it wasn’t that hard as we knew what we were up for something huge when we added nexa, Otto and Espi. We couldn’t qualify for Katowice but we have now proven we can perform against the top teams and that we deserve to be at the Major.
Now that you guys have qualified for the Starladder Major, what are your plans and schedule leading up to it?
We have a two-week vacation lined up and then we will start preparing for the Major. We will start with some practice from our homes and then bootcamp before the Major starts. Our aim is to first manage to get to the next stage at Berlin.
Thank you for taking out the time for this interview. Any shoutouts or message you want to give to your fans?
No problem. Shout out to the organization for supporting us on our journey. I also want to thank the fans that were with us before the Minor and during the Minor matches. I think we showed some good Counter-Strike and hope we will have more fans rooting for us at the Major. We will continue to do our best to make our fans proud. Thanks once again!
Just a few days ago, North American organisation Forward Gaming shut down operations, citing lack of funds, thereby rendering its DOTA 2 squad homeless, just before the biggest event of the year, The International.
The Forward Gaming DOTA 2 line-up had
already qualified for TI, hence it was obvious that their line-up would have no
trouble in finding a new organisation to call home.
But no one, in their wildest dreams, expected a premier Chinese organisation like Newbee to acquire the North American squad.
Counter-Strike has lived along all ages of casual and competitive esports. The game has grown as the time progressed and alongside, several remarkable moments are immortalized within the game. Valve, the developers, have made sure these dynamic plays find a place at the heart of Counter-Strike.
Let us take a look at each of these graffiti-plays that have left their mark in the game.
The Buring Defuse
The first graffiti to acknowledge outstanding plays in CS:GO dates way back to ESL One: Cologne 2014. Fnatic was fighting against Team Dignitas (today’s core of Astralis) in the semi-finale and the scores were tied 14-14 on overpass. The bomb was planted on B-site in a 2vs4 post-plant scenario favouring the Swedes.
However, Nicolai “device” Reedtz threw a Molotov over the bomb, but, Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer began to defuse at the very same moment. Next second, he was defusing the bomb while the flames were revolting under his feet. Olof died, though, the bomb was defused just in time.
This helped Swedes secure overpass 16-14 in regulation and advance to the grand finale. Unfortunately, they lost to their local rivals, NiP, in the grand-finale and secured the runners-up position at the third major in the history of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Controversy: Olofpass or Overpass?
Not every great play is rewarded with a graffiti, some might get a warning sign as well. This is what happened at DreamHack Winter 2014 when Fnatic were matched against LDLC (then French firebrand). The Swedes already warned that they had ‘crazy stuff’ planned for overpass. But, no one expected this cheeky boost.
This incident takes us back to the quarter-final matchup when the scores were tied 1-1 and LDLC had a ten-round lead on the third map. Fnatic were able to see their opponents over at monster and washroom while being on CT spawn. On the other hand, LDLC were absolutely clueless.
As the map concluded and Fnatic won on overpass, tournament admins called out for a replay of the third map due to ‘texture transparency and immortal bug’. However, Fnatic rebelled, not abiding by the decision and they forfeited the third map of the quarter-final. LDLC advanced to the semi-finale and later, went on to win the major.
apEx Fights quad-AWPs
It was the grand-finale of ESL One: Cologne 2015 between EnVyUs and Fnatic. The first map went into overtime and fnatic secured initial two rounds on T-side. They had abundant money in the final round of first half. They went ahead and bought four AWPs to peek mid.
On the contrary, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire peeked mid through the double doors and he witnessed quad-AWPs looking to knock him down. This early advantage helped fnatic secure third round in the first half. Swedes did not let EnVyUs get back as they convincingly secured the first map. The second map was quite a straightforward affair, Fnatic won the major.
Jumping Double from Cold
“What is this going on?” “How does he do this?” “Unthinkable scenes there on the B-apartments” “Ridiculous stuff!”
Talking about best plays then how can one forget about a two-time best Counter-Strike player on the planet? Yeah, that’s Marcelo “coldzera” David! Luminosity Gaming (today’s core of MIBR) were 9-15 down on mirage in the semi-finale of MLG Columbus 2016.
Luminosity Gaming (LG) were eventually is a disadvantage situation when terrorists aggressed towards the B-site. Marcelo easily took down the initial terrorist with his AWP over at van. He jump-peeked and killed two enemies in one shot that too mid air and history was being written then.
Marcelo’s quad kill over at B-apartments boosted his team’s morale and they initially tied the game at 15-15 and secured the map in overtime; winning ten rounds in a row. The Brazilian star has a tattoo of this graffiti on his right hand beside it being immortalized on mirage. LG won the major and Marcelo grabbed the MVP award.
Scope-less AWP
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev these days is a go-to man for Natus Vincere, but, in 2016, he was exploring options in North-America since most of the CIS teams maintained distance with then prodigy.
Oleksandr was fragging hard during those days as well but the chemistry within the team was not always good. At the semi-finale of ESL One: Cologne 2016 between Team Liquid and fnatic, Oleksandr made this huge play in the fourteenth round.
He clutched the round 1vs2 after hitting consecutive no-scopes with the AWP, while the first being mid-air shot. The graffiti is immortalized not just on the B-site of the cache by the creator of map, FMPONE but the CIS star has commemorated it on his hand similar to the Brazilian counterpart.
Via Adamo (Adam’s Road)
As the new inferno was unveiled by Valve in October 2016, the developers went a step ahead and added “Via Adamo” at a wall on banana. Via means street in Italian and Adamo refers to friberg’s first name.
Adam “friberg” Friberg during his prime days had made several outstanding plays at multiple instances on old inferno. Valve paid tribute to all his huge plays through this road sign.
200 IQ Grenade
This graffiti/poster dates back to PGL Krakow 2017 major finale between Gambit Esports and Immortals. In eleventh round of the third map, Immortals successfully plated the bomb down and three terrorists were alive safeguarding the bomb against Mihail “Dosia” Stolyarov.
Mihail smartly saved his gun and took down a couple of terrorists who took safe haven over at pits. The perfectly timed stealth grenade helped keep Immortals economy in check and the CIS lineup went on to win the major.
Wolf: Furlan & GruBy
At the showmatch of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2019, the winner of the showmatch was to be awarded with a Wolf graffiti over at black site map. Damian “Furlan” Kisลowski and Dominik “GruBy” ลwiderski represented AGO Esports and convincingly bagged the top position and a graffiti of their own.
Can our readers make a guess who will make a graffiti-play at the upcoming StarLadder Berlin major? ZyWoo? EliGE? woxic? LUCAS1?
Team SOUL, whose VISA for Germany was earlier rejected twice by German embassy, after all this, have finally received their VISA. Team SOUL will be travelling to Berlin to attend PMCO 2019 PUBG Mobile event held on July 26-28, i.e. upcoming weekend. Team SOUL had earlier won PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019 Indian qualifier to secure their berth for the Berlin event.
However, TeamIND and Indian Tigers were busy playing PMCO 2019 Prelims from Nodwin Gaming’s office, hence, they could not re-apply for VISA. Unfortunately, TeamIND and Indian Tigers could not advance to the main event as they were facing their opponents with quite heavy ping disadvantage.
PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019 features 16 teams and a whopping prize pool of $180,000 USD. Team SOUL’s lineup for the Berlin event is: Mortal Viper Owais Ronak
Jayanth “skillZ” Ramesh is the newest addition to Entity Gaming’s Counter-Strike roster. Soon after ESL India Premiership Summer Finale 2019 ended, Agneya “Marzil” Koushik moved from the ex-Signify lineup to BL4ZE Esports consisting of former Team w1ngs players while Jayanth started practising along with Entity Gaming. Jayanth earlier played alongside former w1ngs players.
So far, Entity Gaming have won three games out of five in the Fall Season of ESL India Premiership 2019. The lineup also had a strong start in Playtonia Conquerors Insignia 2019 qualifiers. In other updates, they have also qualified for Dew Arena 2019 LAN Finals.
However, their performance against SEA teams is still questionable. Recently, they fell down to BOOM 2-16 in the open qualifiers of MSI MGA 2019 and they were defeated 0-2 by Team Aster in Asian Emperor tournament.
“He brings raw, unbridled talent that is certainly going to add to our firepower,” claimed the organization through the announcement. The 23-year-old lad from Bengaluru has flexed sick aim and raw skills that will certainly take Entity to new heights.
ZOWIE have announced the qualifying format for the 2019 edition of their flagship grand Asian event EXTREMESLAND. There has been a visible change in the format from previous iterations. But, perhaps, the most worrying one for Indian fans is the removal of a separate qualifier for India.
Instead of a dedicated qualifier for India, a single slot has been allotted to the South Asia Region. This means that teams from India will have to compete against teams from Bhutan, Nepal, Srilanka, Bangladesh and Maldives.
We have been trying to get the widest coverage with Asia. One of the major change we are trying this year is to broaden the qualifiers into regional base. So more and more people can start to participate in eXTREMESLAND open qualifiers.
This perhaps also hints at a deviation from the LAN qualifiers format. If indeed it becomes an Online Qualifier, the major question that would arise in the minds of the Indian fans and players alike will be the obvious server choice, which is likely to be Singapore, with some of the aforementioned countries at a ping disadvantage on the Indian servers.
While this will be a blow to an Indian scene that is showing encouraging signs, ZOWIE might have taken this step as an after-effect of the forsaken incident, which saw the player qualify under the Optic India banner from the Indian Qualifiers undetected before being caught at the 2018 LAN event in Shanghai.
With just one slot being allotted to a gamut of countries, it will be interesting to see which Indian team makes it to the Main Event of EXTREMESLAND, 2019, in Shanghai from 14th-17th November, if any; and whether they are able to redeem the reputation of the Indian CSGO scene.
North-American esport organization NRG Esports earlier teased about brand overhaul previous week tweeting, “a whole new nrg coming july 22nd,” and further linked it’s online store along. As the date approached, the organization went through a radical change with their merchandise and logo.
Red and black dominated the previous iteration of merchandise while the reform has led to neon-green dominance. NRG revealed revamped merchandise and initially flexed it through it’s official Twitter handle. However, featured video is not quite upto the mark compared to other esports teams.
Although, this did not conclude as planned by the organization. The hoddie was captioned “100% unapologetic”, however, they misspelled the word. The community and more importantly their fans trolled and criticised this move. The logo disappointed us even more.
NRG Esports regulates teams in CS:GO, Rocket League, Fortnite, Clash Royale, Apex Legends and OWL franchise among others.
