Category: Team

Cheating in eSports

Cheating in esports: can you? Will you get away with it? Does it happen? You’d think professionals on the highest level would know better than to cheat! Just think of all the cameras looking at your every move. But it happens more than you think! And probably also more than we think, cause probably not every cheater gets caught!

Different ways to cheat?

There are multiple ways that esporters cheat on tournaments. We made a list of the most common ones and have added some juicy examples:

Throwing

Throwing a game cause you have something at stake. Usually money, but it can be anything. Even skins. A famous example is that of CS:GO where iBuyPower had to play against NetCodeGuides in 2014. On the website CSGOLOUNGE you could bet skins on matches and the odds were 83% for iBuyPower against 17% for NetCode. The gentlemen of iBuyPower made a big (skin)bet against their team and played as if they played for the first time. They got caught and lost everything, you can see the entire story here:

using the audience

There are multiple ways for players to use the crowd to their advantage. Imagine a guy in the audience holding a sign with an innocent: GO Cloud 9!! It’s written in blue letters, but if you look five minutes later he has the same sign written in red letters. It’s a way to sign the team that the opposing team is going to the blue buff or red buff. It’s extremely difficult to recognize this kind of cheating in an audience of 10.000 people.

Sometimes the audience is simply yelling coordinates, but these people are asked to leave the arena.

exploiting a mechanic

Games are programmed and programmers make mistakes. Is it cheating when you discover a mistake and use it to your advantage? Usually players don’t receive a ban for doing so, but it is considered unprofessional and not sportsmanlike. In the following video you see a bug that players used to get the location of their opponents without being seen themselves. When discovered, teams were asked not to use it. But it appeared very hard for people to resist the temptation.

The game H1Z1 punished mechanic cheaters by banning them and only alowing players to come back if they did an apology video on Youtube. The videos are actually really hilarious!

Drugs

The biggest danger to the competitive scene is probably drugs abuse, as in any sport. When cheating in esports, it’s usually the medicine people with a attention disorder. The drugs, basically speed, heightens the concentration and senses. But needless to say, are extremely addictive and dangerous when used in a non medication way.

This is a good time for betting on League of Legends!

Remember a couple of years ago? You had Telecom T1 with their Messi of Lol, midlaner Faker. You had Team SoloMid with Bjergsen and G2’s Perkz. Greatness existed on midlane and whoever got out on top on that lane had a good chance of carrying their team to victory.

Things have changed.

There is no Faker, no Bjergsen and no PerkZ in the Mid-Season Invitational of 2018. We are entering an age where the AD Carry will determine the outcome of a game. It’s the dawn of the marksman. The Meta will shift to bottom lane. The four regions that are automatically qualified for the main event group stage that consists of six teams, namely South Korea, North America, Europe and China, have all brought forth their ruthless sniper.

Meet the gamemakers of this years season

Kingzone’s Kim “PraY” Jong-in, Royal Never Give Up’s Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao, Fnatic’s Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and Team Liquid’s Yiliang Peng are the names that not only rival for the trophy, but for the honour of being the most skilled ADC as well. Of these, we expect to see the most from Pray. This HAS to be his big year. Qualifying yearly for the World Championships with his trusted support GorillA, he never got to take home the prize. Always standing in the shadow of Telecom T1. But that team doesn’t participate and PraY’s Kingzone is now the only Korean team to contend. There is much at stake, which can be a good thing or a bad. Time will only tell.

Follow PraY in mid-season for world championship betting!!

The Mid-Season Invitational will be the perfect opportunity to see if PraY can handle the pressure. If he shines this tournament, you want to place your bet on Kingzone in the World Championship. PraY has proven to have the skills, dominating with Kog’Maw many times as a solo carry.

A good AD Carry must above all have a lust for gold. So let’s see the art that is last hitting into action during the following weeks! Expectations in his words: ‘World Championship, nothing less.‘

Make sure to place a bet on these all female teams!

Rumours have been going on about making esports an official Olympic sport in 2024. One of the things standing in the way is (was) that esports were male dominated. We expect that by the year 2024, this will be all in the past. Already we saw a female player taking home the Starcraft II Championship in South Korea recently, which is like the lions den inhabited with a million lions breathing fire. Female exclusive teams are forming in the far east and taking the scene by storm. Something unthinkable just a decade ago. Let us introduce a couple of teams that you need to keep your eye on and that deserve your bet once in a while!

PandaCute

Meet PandaCute, founded in 2016 and based in Hong Kong by captain ‘Deer’ Chan Ka-ching. Along with members ‘Dream’ Shek Hoi-yee, ‘Rispy’ Lau Lai, ‘Momo’ Mo Tsz-ching, and ‘Godlai’ Lily Yim Nga. As well as their coach, ‘Kane’ Li Chi-Hung. Training with J Team, the esports team owned by pop singer Jay Chou. Being Hong Kong’s representative for the 2017 EWG tournament and having won the Shero and HKXP Championship last year, they are really launching their reputation as a force to reckon with. Did we mention they won the League of Legends 5v5 Tournament Championship of Hong Kong the year they were founded?

LLG China

Formely known as EHOME’s female squad, the girls of LLG Gaming won the female division of WESG 2017 against Etab in the Finals. Guaranteeing themselves a chance to win in the $170,000 tournament of next year. It’s safe to say they destroyed the competition, so keep an eye out for these girls!

And many, many more

Not only in Asia, but everywhere female teams are being formed. Crowns esports in Europe has a female CS:GO team and in Brasil Keyd Stars is taking the scene by storm with their female division. LGG from Taiwan and Blossom from Korea on the other side of the planet make waves in LoL as we speak. Yes, males have a head start, yes, males are still dominating; but it’s just a matter of time before the female ‘Faker’ makes the scene.

Sweet taste of revenge: Fissure Style

What is the best way of letting your former team know that benching you was the wrong decision? Exactly; by stomping them ruthlessly. This is exactly what Overwatch tank player Chan-Hyung ‘fissure’ Baek had in mind last weekend. Spending stage one on the bench as part of London Spitfire, he got his revenge by taking the team from London on with his new team LA Gladiators and completely dominating his former teammates.

Feeling like a Gladiator, Chan-Hyung must have felt the lust for glory in the arena, throwing London into the sound. Who were the winners of OWL stage one. Ofcourse it was a team effort with LA DPS’er ‘Asher’ Choi harassing London without giving them a moment of peace and using Tracer to infiltrate their backline like a ninja. Disrupting London over and over again with well placed pulse bombs. The Gladiators made the performance from London on the first and second map, Lijang Tower, look almost childish in comparison.

No hard feelings

Though it has to be noticed that London was playing with a B squad, composed of members mainly from a dismantled Korean team called GC Busan. They played like London, but it looked like a London in slow-motion. On the third map, the Londoners intervened by switching to the regular team. Among which KongDoo Panthera; Fissure’s long lost friend. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Gladiators from LA on the third map, despite some awesome plays like a devastating Reinhardt/D.va ultimate combo. The third win was enough to convince the world that this wasn’t a fluke, but it was an outcome few on MasterMazuma saw coming. Even though London took the 4th map and regaining some of their glory.

LA Gladiators are at 4-2 this season, making them a surprisingly serious contender for the lead of the pack. Until now they were usually seen as the outsider. Things just seem to fall into place for the Gladiators. The recent addition of Fissure is just further proof of that. Though there was no hatred in this revenge; Fissure hugged his former teammates as soon as the match ended.

Team Vitality Gears up with Renault: Enter Renault Sport Team Vitality

After years of providing engines for Formula 1 and cars for rally racing, Renault strengthens its ties with sports once more. This time they set their eyes on eSports, and once they have their eye on something the teeth usually follow. This is no exception. The French eSports Team Vitality and the car brand team up on a new eSports team called Renault Sport Team. The three team members will compete in Rocket League, a car-based football game with over 25 million players worldwide.

  • Philip Paschmeyer – Paschy90
  • Victor Locquet – Fairy Peak!
  • Sandro Holzwarth – FreaKii

Based in France like Renault, Team Vitality seems to be the perfect partner for the manufacturer. Formed in 2013, Team Vitality has had success in tournaments of games like League of Legends, Call of Duty and FIFA, among others. Though starting with Rocket League, chances are that the team will compete in the eFormula 1 in the future as well.

It’s all about hard work

Venturing in eSports is a logical step for a company that has tight bonds with competitive sports. “The ties that exist between motorsport and gaming are obvious. Both call for mental strength and physical fitness in a highly competitive environment,” said Cyril Abiteboul, General Manager, Renault Sport Racing. “Last year’s exciting launch by FOM of the Formula 1 eSports Series has accelerated the convergence of these two worlds and created opportunities for collaboration. Our drivers, and especially those who form part of the Renault Sport Academy programme, and Vitality’s own champions will be able to trade best practices. In this area, as in F1, our objective is to build a team for the long term that is both respected and feared by its opponents!”

A whole new audience

The merge of Renault and Team Vitality opens up a whole new audience that could not be reached before this date. It gives eSporters a chance to practice in the famous Enstone Factory. With professionals who are accustomed to working in a high pressure environment. Hence giving them the skills to dominate whatever platform they choose. Though McLaren won’t be far behind, after a successful ‘World’s Fastest Gamer’ program.

Like eSports divisions of football teams like Ajax and Manchester City, this step of Renault is one in a series of development where sports en esports get more and more intertwined. Creating an audience that might have been primarily not been interested in eSports.

Fabien Devide, Team Vitality’s founder and chairman, sees the new cooperation as fertile ground for future ambitions: “Vitality’s DNA is to be seen as a French front-runner that is competitive in the international arena. Our partnership with Renault is a natural match, not only because we share the same values and colours but also because we all want to make it to the very top of the European and international scenes. At Vitality, we stand to learn a great deal from Renault Sport Racing and how it prepares for Formula 1 races. At the end of the day, many of its methods are the same as those we employ in eSports, namely data and performance tracking, physiotherapy, fitness training and mental training.”

OpTic Gaming international CS:GO roster

OpTic Gaming has signed a new CS:GO roster, which features players from both North America and Europe.

Gear up with k0nfig, Nicklas Gade and cajunb, the Danish crew that will accompany the Americans ShahZaM and Stanislaw on the Optic Gaming new CS:GO roster.

Being benched last November,  Stanislaw has been absent for most of the last couple of months. The talented youngster had came back from his nine month position on Team Liquid, after being the in-game-leader of OpTic Gaming for over a year. As such, he won three events, among which the $1.1 million ELEAGUE Season Two. At the time, the success was not enough to convince Stanislaw to stay.

Stanislaw wasn’t the only one that experienced some benching. Both K0nifg and Cajunb had to give up their seats after their team failed to win a single match during the ELEAGUE Major Boston. ShahZaM got his seat at OpTic in 2016, after being transferred form a poor performing Misfits in the 24-team major. Last but not least, Gade is the most inexperienced player and has yet to prove himself.

The lineup followed shortly after (one day!) the announcement of releasing Mixwell and transferring Magisk to Astralis. This drain left Adam Friberg, Allu and HS left as the only team members representing, with the ESL Pro League roster lock approaching quickly. The fresh blood was more than welcome, although question remains who will be the ones taking the seat during the EPL.

We are gonna see OpTic’s new roster in action for the first time during the NA region of the ESL Pro League Season Seven starting February 13.

100 Thieves are here to stay

‘Teams need more preparation time’ and ‘experienced players have a hard time putting their egos aside’. There were low expectations about the quality of team 100 Thieves going into the NA LCS. Not surprising, as the team got permission to enter the tournament last November and only got its final lineup in December. Furthermore, midlaner Ryu just returned to the scene from a 6 month break. Clichés like those mentioned above were about the only attention the press gave 100 Thieves. However, backed by the NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers, the team became star-studded. Former Counter Logic Gaming player Aphromoo features as the biggest name and team captain.

100 Thieves team roster

NA LCS

Entering the NA LCS as an outsider with no rivalries, 100 Thieves had nothing to lose and a show to steal. And they did. In their first game against OpTic Gaming, they went toe-to-toe in a close game that got closed out thanks to some premier leadership by Aphromoo. The support faced his former employee Counter Logic Gaming the next game, but the Thieves didn’t have a hard time beating them. Team Liquid was the next victim of the young team that started to gain more confidence. In the fourth match though Echo Fox got the Thieves’ heads out of the clouds and feet back on the ground with a 3-1 shutdown. The tournament isn’t over yet, but it’s clear some eyebrows were raised. This weekend will be the moment of truth featuring matches against Clutch Gaming on Saturday and especially TSM on Sunday.

Master Mazuma will keep a close eye on this new kid on the block. 100 Thieves will be a serious contender for the prizes once they really start playing as a team. Looking for a team with good odds and great chances of surprising? 100 Thieves might just be the recipe you were looking for!

100 Thieves LCS

Newbee wins big at ESL One Genting

Facing a Nemesis: Newbee shrugs off the curse of losing to Team Liquid, winning 3-2 in the ESL One Genting and taking the championships title

Newbee’s living nightmare wore the name of Team Liquid, losing nine of the last nine matches against the setup of Miracle. But there wouldn’t be a tenth. Fully armed for war, Moogy and Sccc lead their team to victory. The pair proved too much to handle. It might be ‘just’ 1-9 for Newbee, but for now they have the last victory. And in eSports, that is all that counts.

But things were by no means a walkover.  Over five incredibly close games, it was the draft from Faith and the incredible support play of Kaka that put Newbee on top. An average fight quickly became a decisive team wipe in the final conclusion in Game 5 was the clutch Sccc buyback on Outworld Devourer. All hope and towers got fiercely crushed for Team Liquid shortly after, if any hope was left at all.

The road to victory wasn’t all paved with success. Against Team Secret, Newbee had to make a comeback from over a 25,000 deficit in the semi finals. A snowballing Divine Rapier Medusa seemed to do the trick in winning teamfights.

All teams that qualified are looking in top condition for mid-season. However, the team that we’ll be looking out for will be Newbee.

Cloud9 vs FaZe Clan in ELEAGUE Boston Major

Cloud9 Takes down FaZe Clan and claim the ELEAGUE Boston Major championship.

Cloud9 entered the CS:GO tournament as an outsider, awaiting favorites FaZe, SK Gaming, and G2 Esports to win the title and the $500,000 prize money.

Starting the finals als the prime candidate for the title, FaZe Clan took C9’s map pick of Mirage 16-14, only to lose their own pick of Overpass 16-10 afterwards. In the final map of Inferno, FaZe were up 15-11, only for C9 to make their comeback cheered on by a screaming hometown Boston crowd and 1,130,000 viewers on Twitch. An all time single channel streaming record.

Was it that intense? Was there that much suspense? Those are all understatements; there must have been lots of people with their nose pressed to the screen. The chat went wild and so did the live audience.

Eventually, they had to take it into not one but two overtimes. When the dust settled, Cloud9 was the only one standing. Maybe to their own surprise.

 

The Legend of Legends: Team Gullit

Is it possible to teach your father something about football, when that father is called Ruud Gullit? The soccer legend has two sons, both of them are serious about following their father’s footsteps. One on the field and the other from behind his console. It was the one playing the video game that taught his father a lesson about football in 2018. When the old international visited the FIFA eWorld Cup he discovered that there was an entire world behind this videogame. The strategy en choices that FIFA players make are no different from those in the ‘real’ football.

Team Gullit

Gullit was so fascinated, that he started a eSports academy called Team Gullit. The “first professional and independent FIFA-education in the world’’ that coaches talent in their quest for fame. Independent is the keyword in this sentence. Already there are talented players playing for teams like Manchester United and Arsenal, but with Team Gullit Ruud is aiming to give multiple youngsters a chance to make it to the big tournaments. He and his team helps the eSporters with analyzing their game, tactical and technical, mediatraining and how to handle management.

Black Tulip from Milan

Currently, the team consists of five people of which three are young players. Floris Jorna, Julian van den Berg en Dani Visser are the names of the first batch that Gullit wants to promote. Expectations are high, just like the talent: two of the three boys play in the top 64 of worldwide rankings and compete in the play-offs for the FIFA eWorld Cup in January.

Whatever the results, the logo already made its statement. The Black Tulip from Milan never looked so gracious. A logo with such iconic value and rich history has to impress the competition. We expect all the guys (currently 17 of age) to wear the shirt with pride and other eSporters has to envy them for it.