[syfCrimson]

After almost two years as New Zealand’s premier Starcraft 2 team, Team Iris will be closing its doors. With the departure of management and a lack of consensus regarding the future direction of the team, we as a group have sadly chosen to part ways as a team.

I want to start by thanking two people in particular. IrisAnother has been with Iris since day one. Since that day, Jamie has always given his all to perform for the team, even when circumstances weren’t the best. Through all the ups and downs, he has remained incredibly loyal to Iris and has proved himself as amongst the very best in NZ and SEA. For that I’ll always respect him and I know he has an immense opportunity to go on to great things.

Then there’s IrisNavi. It’s a shame I cannot put into words how much Matt has done, not only for Iris, but for NZ esports as a whole. Since agreeing to manage the team, he’s given us countless opportunities and unwavering support. He has invested a lot of time and money into this team and I can only hope it was a worthwhile experience in the end. On a personal note, I’d like to thank him for sticking by me when things weren’t exactly going well and for honouring me with leadership of the SC2 division. I hope to see you around the scene sometime in the future.

Team Iris @ Playtech MSI tournament in Auckland

Looking back, I see we accomplished so many things as a team to be proud of, particularly in a country with a scene so small. We ran a teamhouse and an academy, both of which were unprecedented in New Zealand. In particular, our academy gave opportunities to those who previously may never have had a chance to breakthrough. With the likes of MightyKiwi and AgUy, the academy proved that there is a vast array of talent in this country that can be unearthed if you dig hard enough.

Then, of course, there are the accomplishments. Our players had some fantastic individual performances in events such as NZ Cup, Barcraft/CoG NZ and the various other online tournaments in SEA. Yet I think there’s something special about our team performances; SEACL being the obvious highlight. Myself and Cabracan spending hours predicting lineups, the team thinking up some crazy strategies to use; it was this collaborative effort that allowed us to punch so far above our weight. We went into the season considerable underdogs with a new and unproven lineup, yet came out with some incredible results and finishing amongst the very best in SEA.

I would usually be rather saddened by an event such as this; of course I am to an extent. Yet, I can’t help but think of how, from nothing more than an idea of Another and Flaunts, we achieved so much. If anything, I’m extremely excited for what both members of Team Iris and NZ esports can go on to do now. Corny as it sounds, some amazing friendships have been formed and times been had and I’m sure they’ll continue for years to come. I consider myself so incredibly fortunate to have been a part of the Iris family; it’s been an amazing ride.

To our players and management, past and present, thank you for everything you’ve given, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. To our fans, thank you for all the support. NZ fighting!

Ben ‘IrisCrimson’ Macdonald

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