Let's go Phillie!

Interesting how both teams while still playing GOATs play it "differently" than most contenders teams, mainly looking at how the use Zen ults way more proactively.

Btw Boombox giving troubles to Bdosin.

Gotta feed those sponsors man. :(

Eh after 200ish days it finally is back!
And a first map goes to Phillie, let's go Phillie!

The very first part, about the pun for the FiatLux tag, is SO European. :)

I doubt many NA (even less Asian) guys would think of that, I mean it's true that Fiat bought Chrysler, but I don't see their cars in NA so directly bonded with the Fiat brand. :)

Besides, I'm not much into Twitter tags, but I believe it was used countless times in Italy already, and for various reasons.

Rare Flag back to EU! PogChamp

If I understood corectly HSL will get a 4-0 win. :(

Also every future match ion this season vs CIS Hope will be a 4-0 win, a pity 3 teams already played against them and won't benefit from this very sad disband.

There's always something that leaves me perplexed about these initiatives, and mind you I'm past 40 so yes grew up with no internet, but what has "television" to offer to OW (the game and its scene, not Activision/Blizzard as a company) in the current age?

Viewership? What's the target age for an esport, how many of the people inside that target age do actually watch "TV" and not Twitch or any other form of online media platform?

I'm not complaining, in the end OW is their toy, they can rightfully do with it whatever they prefer, and I know money talks, and that TV rights are still worth a ton of money, but where is all that money going?

Would be nice to see part of it (even just a fraction could be enough) go to really invest in the T2 and T3 scenes around the globe...

I...
These guys have been styiling all over Contenders for months and months, a real pity an huge candle watching them disband. :(

Please someone pick them all up as a team or individuals, some of these guys are OWL material.

Recorded OW, best OW...
A pity they couldn't broadcast these games live this weekend, instead of the meme OWL games, but eh.

Meanwhile SA Trials are on and nobody's casting them... :/

ResidentSleeper MEME GAME ResidentSleeper MEME GAME ResidentSleeper

GGs, let's go NOS!
Thebigone popping off on Ashe and very consistent on Zarya.
Also, ecLipse is nuts, bright future ahead.

I'm still amazed at how none of these guys has been picked into OWL, yes this season wasn't very likely (they are not Koreans), but in season 1 a LOT of worse players made into the league.

Whatever the reason is, it's always great to watch them play!

It's starting! Well at least the "pre season". :)

So now ZP and Chanmanv are considered streamers? I mean they were both casting, commenting and analyzing OW when Koreans were still losing all matches VS European teams...

Eh the "issue" is that instead of bringing in the duo ZP was part of (with Hex) they decided they HAD TO bring in Semmler.

I hope he has improved a lot during the break, as even at the end of S1, even thou if slightly improved was by far the worst of the casters.

Wolf and Achillios are good, what I mean by "budget version" is that their style of casting, probably due to the fact both duos come from LOL, is very similar, with Monte and Doa thou being slightly better.

Bren and Sideshow are good, but the complete lack of pro experience on the desk is bad imo.

The league has already announced that Reinforce will be one such guest.

Eh this sounds like pandering after all the ruckus when they dropped him, but I could be wrong.

Good for Wolf and Achillios, even thou they always sounded to me like the budget version of Monte and Doa.

Also still no ZP and that's the worst part.

Another great match, as close as the first one, despite the different ending.
GG Both and let's go SMS!!

Well, as much as I love Caspere, watching Hqrdest play Zarya at the Assembly tournament made me... Hqrdest.
Again welcome to Italy Hqrdest!

Let's go duuuude! :)

Note: do NOT bring Hqrdest to Hollywood, a grav every single fight (both won and lost ones)

Great match, let's hope the final will be even better!

Holy friggin... Hqrdest charging gravs like 1 every single fight. :O

What the... lul. :D

They are investing a lot, and not just into OW, but also other esport scenes, but I think probably the fee to get an OWL spot is a bit too high to commit to?

Yep totally agree.

A local team should have at least a couple of players from its nation (if from the same area/state even better but that's more difficult), then go mixed roster.

This even more so for Academy teams which as the name implies should be considered academies, not B teams just to win the lower Tier league.

And here he is, welcome to Bergamo - Italy Hqrdest!

Agree, from a skill perspective I wouldn't rate Hqrdest way higer than Caspere.

From a personal point of view I'd say I'd prefer my home team (literally) to be as varied as possible, more EU than let's say IT or FR or whatever other nationality.

I strongly believe that mutlinational teams (not just in esports and sports), if properly handled are the best.

Samsung Morning Stars: gaming house and players paid

I know for sure they also have the team house, it's about 2/3 kms from the gaming house, but I believe they are about to provide apartments closer to the gaming house.

That would be great, the dude has always been a beast and I bet Pipou would love him here.

Both happy and sad.
Good to have another properly paid team in Contenders EU.
Bad this means one less spot in Contenders for non OWL orgs, and considering already like it is EU is the only region in which only 1 team from OD goes to the trials...

My discouragement with Overwatch and the neglect with which Blizzard has treated our region for a long time was the one thing that weighed most in my decision without a doubt.

:(

Best fo luck to him for his internship and life, and let's hope Blizzard will eventually recognize properly "minor" regions, that aren't really that minor.

Hmm in all the lists I see a lack of Chinese spots, if it goes like it did this last round I'd say at least one or 2 more slots will be again assigned to a Chinese city.

I hope not tbh, but if money is the reason why we only got 2 EU cities in 2 seasons and no SA or AU ones, I don't see it changing drastically coming Season 3, when the slots would probably be also more expensive?

Unless of course some Chinese mogul decides to buy a slot in a different region.

TBH NY area has more people than Denmark and Sweden put together so in theory there could be potential talent to fill-up a team.

Of course won't be easy, but if they really invest into it, I see this as aa good move (in my eyes), thou they could have done it a bit more carefully?

And I mean for the players that got dropped, even more so for those who are not from NA and will likely have to relocate again.

Tonic is a beast tank for any Contenders level team imo.

Imo the issue is not just the limited slots for Contenders, is more that Open Division is "completely snobbed" by most of the community, the fact BroadcastGG manages to show some of the matches is already something, but that ain't enough.

If the only way to get the bare minimum recognition is to get into Contenders (Trials), at least those should be open to way more teams.

Of course as always just my 2cents that count even less. :D

Eh evrytime I read news about Contenders, and even more so OD, this comes back to my mind. :(
https://twitter.com/Meza_OW/status/1056988219588444162

ShowCheng's Doomfist keeping LGD in the match, but Runaway is too stronk

Seems balanced...

To elaborate, there's only 1 EU team that will have some visibility, and yes I know some OD matches are broadcasted, stil...

Well take it a s badge of "Honor" mates, getting downvoted in the "Unpopular Opinions" makes sense, sort of. :)

The new tank, if it's him, didn't look so hot in Jayne's tournament yesterday. :(

Florida's staff is at it again, can we now agree their performances (as a franchise) in S1 weren't just the players' fault?

As I said back there, pleayers need some sort of union, otherwise they'll always be the first to get "shafted" no matter what.

From what little gossip it came out of Florida the guy wasn't really such a great coach.

It's of course gossip and coming from players that got dropped, so yes it is what it is, but still agree doens't make much sense to have NO Korean coach on a "full" Korean roster...

"Make sense" if you inflate a region (NA) into multiple ones, at the expenses of the regions that could really take more advantages from this kind of initiatives (e.g. South America).

But yes there are always valid reasons behind choices like these, same goes for that generic "top teams", what I fear (and since I'm always wrong, will not happen lol) is that Academy Teams will have a priority.

Taking as a possible example this last EU season, invited Gigantti and British Hurricane, in the end is not like British Hurricane aren't a top team.

Well for sure is a start, and the fact they are offline events is surely better.

What is a bit generic is, what do they mean by "top teams from XYZ Region"? The ones qualified 1st and 2nd in the latest Contenders, or teams picked from let's say the playoffs of Contenders?

And why for the Atlantic one there are 3 NA, 2 EU and 1 SA teams? Wouldn't it be better if it was 2-2-2? I can understand for the Pacific Division where you have 4 Contenders regions and would have been "uneven" whatever way they did, but 6 teams from 3 regions...

Anyway as I said above, it's a start, imo not enough, but if you never start...

And here the impeccable Scrubasaurus, always on time!

I'm honestly sad for Logix, dude is OWL material. :(

(btw I doubt I can delete my thread, but is of course deletable)

https://twitter.com/LogixOW/status/1085298035863760896

Which makes sense considering what NYXL2 just said, but still...

Btw Poko just got to top 6 playing some sick Zarya (solo), if you are at the PC/phone give it a look. ;)

Like most DVA players, usually ex DPS or Zarya/Roadhog flexing around and ending on the most constant hero throughout all these metas.

After OWL there was the brief sniper meta, with the new Hanzo for a couple of patches.

But I sort of agree, tanks are here to stay and I personally am not against it, I love playing Zarya, and yes also Rei and Winston, 3 of my top 5 favs heroes (including Zen and Tracer, yes I know I know I'm allover the place lol).

But sooner or later some team, also thanks to patches, will find a way to get around GOATS (and its variations) reliably, like Rogue used to do during the 4 tank meta "started" by Ninjas In Pijamas.