News

News Everything we know about Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 so far By Olivia Richman Dota 2 Could Valve release TI10 battle pass early due to coronavirus? By Steven Rondina League of Legends Doublelift reunites 2016 TSM roster for fans hit by coronavirus By gabhernandez

League of Legends

Team Liquid coach Dodo: “I’m not faulting Doublelift at this point.” Olivia Richman It’s a tough time for Team Liquid. The LCS was postponed and the team’s facilities were closed for the next 30 days. But Liquid is the type of team that professes to never give up. They always want to be the best, even during tough times like these.  WIN.gg spoke with head coach Kang “Dodo” Jun-hyeok about the hardships the team is facing, and more importantly, how TL plans to come back …

Counter-Strike

Half-Life: Alyx content for CSGO likely includes pins and patches M Alzamora With Valve’s new VR title Half-Life: Alyx releasing in a little under a week, fans are really starting to wonder what kind of “exclusive content” will come bundled with the Valve’s first original release in close to a decade. In February, WIN.gg ran down some possibilities concerning what Alyx’s exclusive CSGO content could actually be. While all of those options are still on the table, an even bigger possibility just …

News

Overwatch League returns this weekend, reveals match schedule Steven Rondina Many people are stuck at home during the ongoing coronavirus crisis and are looking for some entertainment, and the Overwatch League is finally returning to help fill that void. The league announced that it was looking to return to action in an online setting, and the first games for this return have been announced. On the weekend of March 21, the Seoul Dynasty, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Valiant, and …

League of Legends

The 2020 LPL Spring Split is back, but is this the right approach? Olivia Richman After a long delay, China’s League of Legends Pro League returned.  The threat of the coronavirus had the LPL postponed at the start of the Spring Split, leaving many to wonder if they would ever catch up to the LEC and LCS. The 17 teams, including 2019 World Champion FunPlus Phoenix, had all attempted to travel back home after the announcement and it seemed like the LPL probably wouldn’t begin any …

Dota 2 TNC Predator’s Armel joins 10,000 MMR club with Arteezy, w33, and more By Nina Forneloza League of Legends TF Blade accuses Riot Korea of being racist after KR server ban By Olivia Richman Counter-Strike Steam hits 20M players as CSGO, Rainbow Six have record days By M Alzamora

Dota 2

Epicenter Major canceled due to coronavirus, could TI10 be next? Steven Rondina The 2020 Epicenter Major is cancelled, as is the recently announced 2020 Dota PIT Minor. With the coronavirus forcing quarantines, shutdowns, and event cancellations around the world, Valve has decided to scrap the fourth major cycle entirely. The news was announced on Twitter. “After careful consideration of the current state and trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the health risk that this presents to competitors, staff and fans …

News

CSGO hits another new record with well over one million players M Alzamora After breaking the one million player mark yesterday for this first time in the franchise’s 20-year history, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has done it once again this morning. After posting an all-time high early Saturday, CSGO smashed it’s record once again on March 15 with 1,024,845 concurrent players, all planting bombs and forgetting to buy defuse kits as one. While the record-breaking weekend may have something to do with the increasing …

Counter-Strike

Match predictions for Dignitas versus Orgless in Flashpoint S1 M Alzamora Orgless will take on a reborn Dignitas and some of the most famous players in the world in what might be the most interesting matchup of Flashpoint’s opening weekend. Dignitas Dignitas doesn’t feel comfortable in North America if Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” is to be believed, but that doesn’t lessen the team’s status as a Flashpoint contender. The only thing is, GeT_RiGhT and company have a stand-in playing with them for the …

League of Legends

Roster moves that defined the 2020 Spring Split in League of Legends Olivia Richman During the preseason, League of Legends fans expect roster moves, trades, and whole new rosters to form. It’s a time when rookies are promoted from academy teams and players travel overseas to find a new frontier. But even once the Spring Split begins, League of Legends teams across the world continue to make drastic changes, with some more successful than others.  Here’s a closer look at some of the 2020 …

EPL will have NA and EU Champions and new groups in Season 11 M Alzamora Counter-Strike For the first time in history, ESL Pro League will have two league champions for Season 11. ESL has announced ESL Pro League has split into four groups in order to limit travel for participating Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams, meaning that both Europe and North America will have its own grand finals and respective champions. EPL has been split into four regional groups, according to an update posted to the …

Sccc, LaNm may face coronavirus isolation after return to China Steven Rondina Dota 2 StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3 had some unintended consequences for its victor, Team Aster. According to a statement posted on Weibo by Guo Zhili, team manager of Aster sister squad Team Sirius, Aster’s star carry Song “Sccc” Chun and substitute coach Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng are potentially facing multiple weeks in isolation. The team remains in Kyiv, Ukraine following its win at the event due to the cancellation of …

LCS Spring Split suspended preemptively due to coronavirus William Davis League of Legends The LCS is suspending all operations until further notice, LCS Commissioner Chris Greely confirmed through Twitter. The LCS is following the steps of the LEC and postponing all activities for the foreseeable future, including the Academy games. The decision came after a deep evaluation of the situation and conversation with the team owners. All parties involved agreed to hit pause on the season and adapt to the changing circumstances concerning …

Overwatch patch 2.84 brings new skins, return of Archives missions Olivia Richman News Archives are back in Overwatch’s 2.84 patch. Overwatch players won’t be shocked to discover that Archives did not come with any new game modes or campaigns, but Blizzard has some new twists on old Challenge Missions to spice up your weekend, including Molten Cores and Close Quarters. Molten Cores sees eliminated opponents erupt into molten lava, a la Torbjorn’s ultimate. In Close Quarters, enemies are only vulnerable when you’re up …

Dota Pro Circuit will return to Croatia for Dota PIT Minor 2020 Nina Forneloza Dota 2 Croatia will host the next Dota Pro Circuit minor tournament. One Game Agency will bring another event to Split, Croatia. The organizer has announced the AMD SAPPHIRE DOTA PIT Minor 2020, which will take place ahead of the 2020 Epicenter Major. The tournament will be the fourth minor event of the season and is important for any team aiming for a coveted direct invite to The International 2020. Eight teams from …

Overwatch League working on online schedule after homestand shutdowns Steven Rondina News Overwatch League’s pivot to a homestand format has been utterly disastrous due to the spread of the coronavirus. Now the league is looking to get things back on track by taking things online. Blizzard has announced that it is currently putting together a schedule that would see the OWL played out online over the coming months. This will allow the league to both catch up on the games that have …

LEC Spring Split suspended due to coronavirus fears William Davis League of Legends The LEC confirmed on Twitter that the 2020 LEC Spring Split has been suspended until further notice, effective immediately. The decision came after the LEC discovered that one staff member was exposed to the coronavirus. At this time, it’s a developing situation and the LEC is yet to confirm the status of the staff member. According to host Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, no player or team was in direct contact with the affected …

Team Liquid closes esports HQ due to coronavirus outbreak Olivia Richman League of Legends Los Angeles-based esports organization Team Liquid has stated that its facilities will be closed for the next 30 days and remain closed until further notice. Neither organization staff nor members of Team Liquid’s pro teams will be allowed into the facility. Founder Steve Arhancet announced the decision on Twitter, stating that it was their way of prioritizing the health and safety of their staff and players. While their teams will still …

Early predictions for the first week of new Flashpoint CSGO league M Alzamora Counter-Strike With just two days to spare, Flashpoint secured its final two member teams ahead of the league’s opening games on Friday as we break down Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s first week of franchised play. Flashpoint got in under the wire, with organizations coming seemingly out of nowhere to take the two finals spots as FunPlus Phoenix picked up the entire Heroic roster. Group A contains two of FLASHPOINT’s founding member teams …

forZe and ESPADA are the early favorites at ESL Rio CIS Minor M Alzamora Counter-Strike This year, ESL One Rio’s CIS Minor qualifiers will feature two teams new to the Minor circuit alongside six that have been there multiple times before. WINNERS League Season 3 champions ESPADA will make their debut at the CIS Minor, competing alongside Hard Legion Esports, ForZe, Winstrike Team, Gambit Youngsters, Syman Gaming, Team Spirit, and Team Unique. Just like the other three Minor tournaments, the CIS Minor format has two …

Amouranth speaks on receiving a new three-day ban from Twitch Olivia Richman News Controversial and popular IRL streamer Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa has been banned from Twitch once again.  So far, Amouranth’s followers are not exactly sure why she’s been suspended from the streaming platform. That’s because the streamer herself is not quite sure.  “Hi everyone, I have been told that I’m being suspended for something that happened during a gym stream last week. I haven’t seen the vod yet… Waiting for them to …

Overwatch lead writer quits as Blizzard announces new COO Olivia Richman News There’s a lot of change happening at Blizzard.  Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu, who was responsible for most of the game’s lore and story, announced that he is leaving the company after 20 years. Most of the game’s fans and players knew about Chu through Twitter or Reddit, platforms where he wasn’t afraid to tell a hero’s story or discredit some ships.  “As I head out through the Blizzard doors …

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