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Esports
Splatoon Player Becomes A Ninja Squid
In last night’s Splatoon 2 exhibition match between Eclipse and Saikai on InkTV, one squid decided to hide and wait in ink, until the perfect moment came to spring their trap. Saikai was pushing up on Eclipse’s turf with the Rainmaker when, as their teammates fell, Eclipse player “10sion” dove into the safety of their…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 16, 2017 -
EsportsThe State Of Esports In 2017
2017 was the year that esports became harder to ignore than ever, even for the sports blog readers who are desperate to do so. TBS has been broadcasting its Eleague Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions since 2016, and in 2017, the show expanded into broadcasts of Street Fighter, Injustice 2 and Rocket League, with each event…
Eric Van Allen & Maddy Myers Published December 14, 2017 -
Esports
I Owned My Childhood Self By Beating This One Tough Jak II Mission
“Mission failed.” The text pops up on the screen over and over. I had seen it so many times I was ready to pull my hair out. It was the fall of 2003, and I had found my white whale, my Everest. I had three minutes to make it to the garage in Jak II,…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 12, 2017 -
Esports
Saul Mena Takes Down Evo Champ To Win $250K Capcom Cup
Saul “MenaRD” Mena ran through Street Fighter studs like Xian, Kazunoko, Daigo Umehara, and Itabashi Zangief to make it to this weekend’s Capcom Cup finals. But to win it all, he’d have to beat the man who beat him earlier—Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi, who also is the 2017 Evo champion. Early on in the finals, Tokido…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 11, 2017 -
EsportsSome Familiar Faces Are Coming To Street Fighter V
The third season of Street Fighter V characters was announced after the conclusion of this year’s Capcom Cup, and there’s a slew of old faces finally returning to the fight. Sakura, Blanka, Cody, and Sagat will return to the ring, alongside newcomers G and Falke. All were shown in a fancy new story trailer, as…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 10, 2017 -
Esports
Marvel Pro’s Reaction To Winning Tournament Is Fantastic
Jonathan “Cloud805″ Morales emerged victorious in today’s Battle For The Stones grand finals. After winning, he took not just the trophy and prize money, but the on-stage host, too. After beating fellow Marvel vs. Capcom veteran Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez 3-2, Morales ended Infinite’s first capstone tournament by hoisting commentator Steve Scott, also known as “TastySteve,”…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 10, 2017 -
Esports
Minions Win The Game In League of Legends All-Star Match
In game 2 of last night’s All-Star match between Korea and China, it seemed the latter had just secured a 2-0 sweep of their opponent, downing all five opposing team members. But the Chinese all-star team forgot about the sixth man: the minions. While champions, the player-controlled avatars in each match of League of Legends,…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 10, 2017 -
Esports
Dota 2 Team Mounts Incredible Last-Ditch Comeback
In the first game of last night’s ROG Masters grand finals, Team Empire was playing back from a huge deficit. Their barracks and towers were down, and their all-important ancient was wide open. How did they come back? By going straight for the enemy’s ancient. Barracks in Dota 2 are vital structures—destroying them boosts your…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 10, 2017 -
Esports
Overwatch Pro Blasts Enemy Team Into Oblivion With Moira
Seoul Dynasty’s Ryu Je-hong is one of the best flex and support players in the world, and he showed that much and more in last night’s Overwatch League match against the Houston Outlaws. Moira, the newest addition to Overwatch, hasn’t been making too much of a splash in the competitive scene. But on a control…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 9, 2017 -
EsportsSneaky Defuse Almost Works At Call of Duty Tournament
Blazt was the last man alive for Ground Zero during its match against Luminosity at the Call of Duty World League Dallas stop. But while his opponent passed over him once, unnoticed among the dead around the bomb site, a double-check quickly led to a Luminosity win. There’s been some debate over what caused Octane…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 9, 2017 -
Esports
Marvel vs. Capcom Tournament With Special Rules Lets Pro Mess With Opponent’s Controls
This weekend’s Battle For The Stones allowed players who had won past Marvel vs.Capcom: Infinite tournaments to activate “infinity gems.” In the case of Justin Wong, this meant the right to change his opponent’s controls before a game. Justin had gained the Reality Stone by beating its bearer one set earlier in the tournament. Pit…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 9, 2017 -
Esports
This Weekend’s Marvel vs. Capcom Trophy Is A Light-Up Infinity Gauntlet
Most trophies take the shape of a cup, goblet, or maybe the side of a mountain. For this weekend’s Battle For The Stones, Capcom has opted for a giant replica of Thanos’ gauntlet, complete with light-up infinity stones. The game (Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, as we are reminded by the commentators’ backdrop) is all about…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 9, 2017 -
Esports
Major Call Of Duty Tournament Delayed Twice After Separate Bomb Threats [Updating]
The Call of Duty World League Dallas tournament was put on hold twice this weekend due to two separate bomb threats, one on the opening day of the event and the second on finals day Sunday. Update [12/10, 5:10 p.m. ET]: Sunday, matches were put on hold as officials on-site evacuated the building. According to…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 8, 2017 -
Esports
Faker Plays With His Prey Before Eating It
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is recuperating from his heartbreaking loss at this year’s world championships by crushing lesser opponents. After tepidly accepting the 2017 Game Award for Best Esports Player, he faced off against poor Álvaro “VVvert” Miguel Martins in a one-on-one League of Legends All-Star match. League is normally a five-on-five game. One-on-one is played…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 8, 2017 -
Esports
Twitch Man Plays Super Mario World Theme With His Nose, Says He Has Perfect Pitch
Jason Yang is a musician and composer who live streams on Twitch, taking song requests to play on his violin, keyboard, and nose. Pulling up a Super Mario World video, Yang nose-whistles the game’s overworld theme. You can compare Yang’s version to the original Super Nintendo classic While that clip gained traction, what happened immediately…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 7, 2017 -
Esports
The Newest Smash Teen Is Dominating With Luigi
The Super Smash Bros. For Wii U scene is dominated by a few familiar names like ZeRo, MkLeo, and Salem. Not on that list: Matt “Elegant” Fitzpatrick. But after this weekend’s 2GG Championship, where he made a run from the last chance qualifiers to the very top, Elegant might be one to keep an eye…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 5, 2017 -
Esports
Battlerite Is A True MOBA, And Thank God
Games like League of Legends and Dota, because they cover a lot of ground, are loosely termed Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games. But Battlerite, which left early access in November, is one of the few games to actually meet the technical definition of MOBA, and that’s what makes it such a compelling alternative to the…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 4, 2017 -
Esports
The Smash 4 Championship Final Was Extremely Satisfying
The fight between Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez and Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios in the 2GG Championship final was some of the highest-level Smash 4 I’ve ever seen, with incredibly clean play and perceptive reads and adaptions. This weekend’s 2GG Championship was created to be a capstone tournament for the Super Smash Bros. For Wii U scene.…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 4, 2017 -
Esports
Pro Gears Of War Players Put On A Taunting Clinic
A top-level Gears Of War player should exhibit certain attributes: accuracy, dexterity, quick thinking, and communication. At this weekend’s Dallas Open, several teams showed it’s also beneficial to be skilled at trash talk. Sure, it’s a pro gamer stereotype to launch into a flurry of taunts after sufficiently owning your opponent, but to be honest,…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 3, 2017 -
Esports
Team Secret Is In The Driver’s Seat Of The Dota Pro Circuit
The Dota 2 pro circuit is starting to shake out, and over the course of the year thus far, one team has stood out in particular. With a huge win in Sweden today, Team Secret is cementing its place as the team to beat going into 2018. It isn’t just the points tally that sets…
By Eric Van Allen Published December 3, 2017
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