[TAhackdZ]

Starcraft 2 Scene News - with Ridiculisk

Ladies and gentle Cerebrates, I welcome you all to a special edition of the SC2 Scene News, with me, your pal, Ridiculisk. It has been some time since my last article, so I decided to do a special MEGA CATCH UP EPISODE! Where I will try to cover as much of what has happened in the SC2 Scene over the last few months. So if you missed any of the juicy stories, gossip, or drama, read on and be enlightened....

HIGHLIGHTS

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1. Jan 5th, Kim 'pepe' Sung Jin joins eSahara...or does he?

It would seem that after the triumph of sending Naama & DeathAngel to Korea, Team eSahara were tricked into acquiring a fake pro! Current member of WeMade Entertainment 'pepe' was allegedly acquired by Team eSahara, who only later, through the efforts of the wonderful SC2 fanbase, and Teamliquid.net, discovered that the 'pepe' they had acquired was an imposter!

Fortunately everything was sorted before the proverbial hit the fan.

A follow up statement was issued by eSahara' Valentin "RetoX" Berrouka after the incident;

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[quote]Yesterday, we were annoucing the arrival of Kim Seong "pepe" Jin in eSahara's roster. Following the announcement, we've been informed by two differents persons that said pepe was an impostor trying to scam eSports organisations.

Pepe's recruitment has been done a few weeks ago. While we were dealing with the player, he showed a very good knowledge of the Starcraft : Broodwar scene, including confidential information about some of the players and the KeSPA itself, intel that was confirmed by several different Korean sources.

After observing him for several days, fake pepe showed lot of potential in his gameplay, performing very well against masters and top masters players, and after his run on the NA ladder, we decided to officially have him join eSahara's roster.

I want to thank personnally, as well as on behalf of eSahara, the Teamliquid.net community for making the truth come out before our organization spent anything on this player.

We also would like to apologize to our fans, to Kim Seong Jin as well as WeMade.Fox for this unfortunate turn of event. We learn from our mistakes and despite the damage done by this to our credibility, which I take full responsibility for, I hope you can keep on supporting and cheering for eSahara and its teams and players.[/quoute]

Sourcehttp://www.esahara.net/en/news/1586


2.Jan 4th, Tt eSports announces global partnership with Prime.

On January 4th 2012, world leader in E-sports Thermaltake signed a partnership agreement with the Korean powerhouse team PRIME for Korean and global events in 2012.

Global Esports Community Manager Eric Brinkley comments on the partnership:

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“I have been a huge fan of the PRIME team for a very long time, and since his desire to attend MLG had been made public, I have been trying to find a way to make this partnership possible. Following our strong entrance into the Korean market later in 2011, I worked with our Korean distributor as well as our internal staff to make this wish a reality. I am very excited to see the PRIME team join the Tt eSPORTS family and I am even more excited to help players like MarineKing provide more possibilities in 2012.”

In addition to representing the Tt brand in Korea, the partnership also opens doors for PRIME branded Tt products in the future.

Sourcehttp://www.ttesports.com/press/Press...px?s=214&cid=1


3. Jan 14th, StarTale & Quantic unite!

I'm sure we all know how awesome Korean Team StarTale are, players like July need no introduction. Likewise by now I'm sure most of us are familiar with Quantic Gaming, and their players like NaNiwa, well this two pronged announcement promises to bring these two teams together in a way unlike previous partnerships between professional teams.

For Starters, it contains a message that American Team Quantic will be opening a Team House sometime in March this year. Additionally, SaSe and NaNiwa, the powerhouse foreign players have been given a chance to go and practice and live in the StarTale Team House in Korea.

This exchange promises to give these foreign players a chance to live and experience the Korean training house atmosphere, while also allowing the Korean players a chance to come and live in America, and perhaps participate in more foreign tournaments.

StarTale’s manager Won Jong Wook said

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“I’m very happy that we were able to enter this partnership with Quantic Gaming and I hope this will be a win-win situation for both teams. We’ll make sure to provide the best environment for Quantic players to produce the best results. StarTale’s first priority will be the Global Starcraft2 League (GSL) and we will send players whose schedules don’t coincide with GSL’s schedule to Quantic to participate in foreign tournaments”.

Sourcehttp://www.gamechosun.co.kr/article/view.php?no=85339

Transhttp://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=302930


4. Jan 14th, MC leaves oGs, joins SK.

Two time GSL champion and all round badass MC, has left the famous Korean team oGs.
Previously an agreement between oGs and SK Gaming had meant that MC got to represent SK in some foreign tournaments during 2010, while rep'in oGs in the GSL. However, MC announced he would be joining SK as a full time member, effectively ending the partnership, and left the oGs Team House.

The Boss Toss himself had this to say;

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"First of all I am really happy that I am a full member of SK Gaming. I think it is a big opportunity for me and a good start for 2012. I will work hard for SK and do my best for my new organization. I will try to bring good results for SK."

While manager of SK Gaming reis had this to say;

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"MC is already a legend of SC2 thanks to his accomplishments already, winning GSL titles etc. Now we hope he can increase his legendary status as an SK player and help create some of those epic moments in our uniform both in Korea and the rest of the world. I'd like to take a moment to say thanks to oGs for participating in our great cooperation with us and NaDa, who I had a great time with.

MC has already done a great job as a representative for SK, winning Copenhagen Games and HomeStoryCup IV, so we're looking forward to supporting him in Korea as well, as he fights to try and win a third GSL title. MC is good friend of mine so this move makes sense for everyone. Let's have a great year together MC and SK fans!"

Source:http://www.sk-gaming.com/content/362...ns_SK_fulltime


5. Jan 16, Fnatic acquire the legendary Moon.

eSports player of the year 2008. KeSPA Greatest WarCraft III Player Award. Those are the accomplishments of one of the best RTS players ever, Jang Jae Ho, or better known as Moon. With over 50 tournament wins under his belt for WC3, and a host of close finishes in SC2, including DreamHack Summer 2011, Moon is shaping up to be one of the big names in SC2.

Recently Fnatic Gaming announced the addition of Moon to their SC2 player roster. Joining team mates, ToD, Rain and NightenD. His switch to SC2 will prove to be full time, and his days of WC3 are behind him.

Moon commented;

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“I am very content and it is an honor to join one of the most globally renowned esports orgnaization, team Fnatic.

Because I have been extremely meticulous in regards to my decision to join the team, I will try to stay determined to remove my weaknesses and persevere to become a better player and also a player who can support the team when it's needed.

Furthermore, I would like to show my full gratitude to the fans who have been both following and observing me for a long period of time. I will try to meet your expectation values via performing as well as possible in various events. I sincerely ask for all of your attention and support.

Lastly, I would like to say special thanks to the former director of wemadefox e-sports team, Mr. Hyun Suk Shin, and Mr. Brian Hyun Choi who provided substantial amount of help for this incident to occur and allow me to have another opportunity in my career in esports.

Thank you.”

And Fnatic General Manager Elroy Pinto said;

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"After having worked with JaeHo in MYM years back it was my pleasure to help bring him over onto Fnatic. His skill and fame are legendary and with us he's eager to begin his StarCraft 2 professional career. He is one of the few professionals I have had the pleasure of working with and I am eager to see our team and brand develop further with Moon under us. This is not just a simple addition to our roster, Moon will be practicing with us and will also be taking his first steps in streaming for his fans. After months of negotiation with him we are pleased to have him join our organisation and we are also grateful for all the Fnatic fans who stood by us even when players left the team last year. A lot of speculation has gone over Moon’s current desire to play the game and I can safely say he will be devoted to practicing StarCraft 2 exclusively. Our expedition in Korea continues with the addition of the soon to be 4th Race and needless to say - much more!

A big shout out to Brian for his work and a big thanks to our management and sponsors without whom this wouldn't even be possible. Thank you to our sponsors - MSI, SteelSeries, EIZO, GUNNAR & RaidCall."

Sourcehttp://fnatic.com/news/9473/Moon-joins-Fnatic-SC2.html


6. Jan 18th- 19th, Fnatic - TSL crisis!

A whole heap of drama erupted when Team SCV Life announced that foreign team Fnatic had signed Han 'Alive' Lee Seok behind TSL managements back. Very similar to the previous incident involving foreign powerhouse EG and 'Puma'.

Fnatic denied the allegations of foul play, stating that they would not have approached "Alive" as they knew he was under contract.

This however, only seemed the fuel the fire, and TSL's Coach Lee retorted through an article on Gamechosun.com, claiming that Alive had left TSL to join Team Fnatic.

Coach Lee said;

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"It seems he talked about transferring teams with Fnatic's translator. Fnatic is denying responsibility by saying it's something the translator did on his own, but that's nonsense. I'm angry that they didn't approach me officially, and went to the player directly."

However, Team Fnatic denied that Alive had in fact joined their Team, and through an official article admitted that there had been talks of a move between Alive and Fnatic's translator, but they were in no way official, and it was merely a conversation between two friends.

This wasn't the end of the issue though, and Coach Lee retorted once more through another article on Gamechosun.com that Alive had indeed spoken to Fnatic's translator, but had also spoken to the teams general manager, Elroy Pinto, while still living at the TSL Team house. Coach Lee also claimed that Fnatic had only spoken to Alive, and that Alive had also not mentioned anything about a possible move.

Fnatic Gaming shared their side of the story shortly after, summarising that they were upset that communications between them and Coach Lee had broken down. They mentioned a possible deal between Fnatic and TSL to share the costs of a Team house, for both teams players.

From Fnatic.com;

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The truth is that we had been talking to Coach Lee for a few months about potentially sharing his house and paying for the training and beds. Coach Lee had been most encouraging and enthusiastic with this idea and we fully respect his skills as a manager. It is also true that at this time we were approached by other Korean teams who had expressed interest in working with us. Eventually we decided to not go ahead with a house sharing deal as it was too expensive and we realised we could maybe do things in a different way for 2012. We did not even finalize our terms.

aLive is a fantastic player and we admire his skill, aLive did chat to our translator - Brian Hyun Choi , who is his friend, never with a formal offer it was a casual conversation between two friends. It is important to note that we have not signed any contract with aLive as we know he has a contract with TSL. We are in fact very sad that things had to take a public recourse as communication between TSL and Fnatic had never broken down. It seems Mr Lee wants to close the door.

Furthermore aLive never decided to leave TSL for Fnatic he left the team house out of his own personal reasons with Coach Lee and those are not related to us, neither do we have any interest in knowing the reasons.

In conclusion we highly respect both Mr Lee and aLives talents, and from Fnatic's side we will strive to work for an amicable deal with Coach Lee.

Sourcehttp://fnatic.com/news/9475/Fnatic-s...e-amp-TSL.html

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=304153


7. Jan 18th, Axslav & Strifecro leave EG

On January 18th EG announced the both Nick “Axslav” Ranish and Cong “StrifeCro” Shu, would be leaving the Team.

Both Axslav & Strifecro were invited to join Team EG in early 2010 because of their success as a WC3 2v2 Team, where their game knowledge and chemistry reflected directly over to SC2. Winning them the Machinima Realm Invitational.

They enjoyed some training time in the EG training house, with some successful finishes at tournaments such as ESWC. Ultimately however, the team decided to part ways with both players.

Cody “evoli” Conners, EG's General Manager said;

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“Nick and Cong are hardworking, driven players and both are close to everyone in the organization. It is with a heavy heart that we have to see them go, but we’ll be wishing them the best in the future.”

Sourcehttp://myeg.net/team/evil-geniuses-p...lav-strifecro/


8. Jan 22, viOlet joins Team Empire

A momentous occasion as viOlet finally finds a home, in an unlikely place...Russia's Team Empire!

Team Empire are one of the EU's biggest and Strongest Teams. Not just in SC2. With awards for best team in CIS, 1st place in GosuCoaching Premier League, and 2nd in the EG Masters Cup.

viOlet's personal manager, Andrew Tomlinson, and founder of the Cyber Sports Network said;

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"On behalf of Cyber Sports Network, I would like to congratulate Kim "viOLet" Donghwan on finally joining a very well-respected team both in Starcraft 2 and gaming in general. After being introduced to Donghwan by Rachel "Seltzer" Quirico at IPL3 and learning his story I decided to approach him about the CSN Training Camp opportunity. Joining our CSN Training Camp program in early November of 2011, viOLet has gone on to excel quickly and hone his skill in Starcraft 2, reaching Rank 1 Grandmaster on both the NA and EU server, winning over 30 online tournaments, and placing 4th in HSC4 within a few months of living here in the United States. We will continue to keep in close touch with viOLet, and treat him as family, not merely a friend, as that's what he is to everyone here at CSN. We wish him the very best in the future regarding his professional gaming career, and hope that he prospers under the Team Empire tags."

While Empire's HR manager, Alexander "StrangeR" Solomonov was quoted;

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"Looking at high level of team leagues, where Empire plays, it`s very important to have strong line up. It?s hard to get any top player now and today transfer is big success for Empire.

I`m very happy to announce about signing contract with Korean player - viOLet, who become the 1st Korean player in Russians sc2 pro teams. Undoubtedly, viOLet will do our sc2 squad more stronger and help us to become one of the best team in the world. In difference of many Koreans, viOLet can communicate in English, lives in USA and can play for Empire at both servers ? EU and NA. Beside European lan tournaments, he will be represent Team Empire at all major lans in USA. The first lan event for our new player will become Intel Extreme Masters in San Paulo, where viOLet will try to get a slot at the Global final in Hannover.

I want to thank all Empire`s fans for huge support and promise that we will do our best at team leagues!"

Sourcehttp://team-empire.tv/index.php?site...ts&newsID=2113


9. Jan 26, Millennium announces Team House.

French Team Millennium announced a EU training house, along with pictures and the odd special guest from Team Dignitas.

For now, Millennium players, Stephano, Adelscott, Tarson and BlinG will be living and training in the house.

Millennium are striving to provide the best possible training conditions for their players so that they can continue to improve and represent the team.

Sourcehttp://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=306437


10. Feb 7th, Nada leaves oGs.

The last bit of catch up news I've got for this article is the most recent loss from Team oGs, the 'Genius Terran' Lee Yun Yeol a.k.a Nada.

oGs announced that Nada would be leaving the team after his contract expired on Jan 31st. Nada states the reasons for his not renewing the contract is that he wanted to experience new challenges and change.

Nada stated;

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"I have delayed the mandatory military service by a year. I wanted a new start with the same mindset as when I first became a progamer. To be able to do this, I needed to give myself new challenges and motivation."

"If conditions are right, I am willing to be part of a foreign team; it's also possible that I would accept personal sponsorship. With this new change, I want to solidify my determination and show better performance in the future."

Sourcehttp://www.thisisgame.com/board/view...rderby=&token=
Transhttp://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=309697

And that unfortunately is that folks. I wont include tournament results due to length, but you can find all the latest results here;

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft...nament_Results

See you all next week!

And as always GLHF!

Quick Comments

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[QEDFridge]

excellent write up

[ToRSpartaz]

Siiiiiiiiiick bro, I really like the scene news ^^

[ROOTPetraeus]

Nice write up ^_^ I look forward to next week