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State of Origin
StarCraft II Australia

Hi guys. While there's not too much going on before the upcoming SEASL I thought I'd gather interest for the State of Origin tournament for Australian SC2 players that I want to host some time in the future. I'd be interested in finding out who wants to play and also getting ideas/thoughts on the format and teams. If you're on the fence about whether you think you'd like to play either in the A-Team or try out for a position in the B-Teams, ask some of the familiar faces who played in the original BW-based SoO and they will likely convince you, as it was a fun event enjoyed by all!

What is SoO?

The State of Origin is a two-tier, team-based league competition on the SEA server for Australian residents. The five teams are based on the states of Australia. The rivalries between the states of Australia are some of the most competitive rivalries in sport. Each year the highlight of the sports calendar down under features State vs State competitions across various codes of football, and the StarCraft II State of Origin competition seeks to bring this same competitive rivalry to the online arena. Continuing on from the popular first SoO series in StarCraft: Brood War the competition will see defending champions Queensland[1] take on season 1 finalists New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. Continuing the traditions of previous seasons, there will be a B-Team competition run parallel.

The matches will be best of 5 (First to win 3), "ProLeague" format with an ace match. The lineups are submitted confidentially by team captains and the full lineups are published before the match day. Each of the four state teams plays each other once in the round robin phase, before qualifying for an elimination playoff. The B-Team competition will follow the same format with the exception of the playoffs - the B-Team competition winner will be determined purely by ladder standings.

Who will play?

As mentioned, the plan is to represent five teams based on the main Australian states with a SC2 playing population. At this point, the teams will look like this:

The A-Teams will be mostly invite only unless a situation arises in which several players may be worthy of making the team but didn't. B-Teams will be part invite (a captain) and then the recruitment will be left up to that captain to either hand pick or host a tournament to recruit players.

Current A-Team rosters aren't finalised, but there are several players who come to mind when discussing the teams. The following players, for example, seem like obvious choices for their respective state teams:

QLD - SenSei, mOOnGLaDe, Jimdiddy, Azz, TargA
NSW - tgun, MaFia, Rossi, iaguz, YoonYJ, Ninja, PiG, Pokerface, Light
VIC - deth, Pinder, techtron
SA - EdgE, Satu, Bielsko
WA - yang, ChoBo, tbk

Is there a prize?

I will likely put in around $150 of my own money as well as add the $150 won by Team Australia way back in the second SC2SEA NationWars up for the winning A-Team to make a total of $300. Other donators are free to offer prizes for the A- or B-Teams if you contact me.

Why can't SEA/NZ nations play?

As much as I like to include our neighbours, the history and whole idea behind this event is focused on Australian state rivalries and including even a team like New Zealand takes away from that appeal. In addition, it would be unfair for a country to compete against a state, and for another country to win Australia's NW prizemoney from them!

NSW seems to have a lot more depth than the others

This is a minor problem, though the format means that only 4-5 players will be used in each round. This means the full weight of the NSW lineup can't be brought to bear each week and it will limit their depth advantage. Any other suggestions or ideas to even the playing field are welcome!

How do I participate?

If you think you are an invite possibility for the A-Team, PM or post here!

If you want to donate, try out for a B-Team, be a B-Team captain or suggest someone for the A-Team invitations post here!

Note - you may only represent a state team in which you currently reside!

Quick Comments

	FvRScrewby:
	TheGentleman:
	Baldie:
	ToRSmotPokingFish:
	MezjE:
	TAriiChard:
	DM.MCZ.Polaris:
	TAminimat:
	EXCL:
	FSDele:	why you gotta hate NT and ACT?