Blizzard’s decision to cancel its 2019 competitive scene came from nowhere in late December of 2018. The news hit members most invested into the community right before the holidays. It left players who had been training for the next championship out of luck, and those associated with the esports production seemingly unemployed from one day to the n

As official and fundamental as it sounds, OG’s rise to greatness started with odd compositions. The tournament went from the regular meta to hero nature bending builds, which led to surprising match wins. Most notable was Ana’s Core Build IO, which sustained and reigned alongside controlled neutral creeps. Ingeniously stumping enemy teams because of the irregular composition made it the highlight of the event. Ultimately, OG made it clear that they wanted to win fashionably and to have fun in the proc

These points sum up the basic components of the game, and the rest will come with actually playing it. If you’re lucky enough to get into the beta, spam games against the AI opponents to gain easy experience which in turn will unlock an initial bounty of cards to expand your collect

Finally, after years of mediocre performance and fierce competition from games like League of Legends , the Proleague was discontinued in 2016. Blizzard had very badly dropped its Golden Goose of a franchise that could have gone on to dominate the esports wo

Decks are made by selecting cards from up to two Regions, which include Demacia, Frejord, Ionia, Noxux, Piltover & Zuan, and Shadow Isles. There are two card types that will be used to fill out a deck, consisting of units and spells, varying in rarity from common, rare, epic, and champ

Playing it low, slow, and sneaky pays off. It reduces the frustrating instances of being victimized by a third party ambush, results in much more consistent RP gain, and will inevitably get you through the ranks much faster than challenging every single squad that crosses your p

League of Legends is rooted in its many Champions, and they are ever present as powerful cards in this game. These look similar to normal units with a powerful exception, and is that they have clear goals written in their text that when completed transform the card into a leveled-up version of the Champion, complete with new Dungeon Abilities guide and often an increase to their stats. These goals range from doing a certain amount of damage to the enemy core, healing a certain amount, casting spells, and m

There is perhaps one main reason that Starcraft II failed to reach the same monuments levels of popularity. First, there was conflict from the beginning in regards to the ownership of Intellectual Property Rights with the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), and the corresponding ability to broadcast the g

These abilities continuously pay dividends as the ring constricts and advantageous positions become increasingly limited. Having a Pathfinder on board ensures that they're always reachable, whether you're looking to seize them for an advantage or desperately need a way to counter a team that's already set up in a hard to reach s

Making headlines and defining this year is OG’s record-making win at the International 9 last August. The team became the first back-to-back winner, first team to win two Ti’s, became the highest-paid professional esport players in the world and achieved that with a clean slate of zero matches lost during the International 9. And of course won $15.6 million in the proc

Cards are played out an alternating fashion, which is a unique twist on the standard card game formula. Turns are split into rounds, and players alternate between their attacking and defending rounds. During these points, marked clearly by a Sword to Attack or a Shield to defend, each player can play cards, either spells or units. Attack rounds play out like Magic , where a player commits their units to a general advance, and the defending player chooses block

Skulltown, Singh Labs, and practically any drop site designated as a hot zone should be completely stricken from your menu as the Jumpmaster. In Ranked Mode, you're presumably being matched with players that are every bit as good as you are, and chances are you won't be walking out al

In fact, the way that mana is handled in Legends of Runeterra is distinct from most other games. Up to three unspent mana in a turn is carried over as spell mana in the next turn, allowing for the potential to make complex plays. Normally other card games do not allow for this kind of mana banking and players want to be as efficient as possible with their tempo plays, and not spending all or most of one’s resources in a turn is often problematic. By allowing a portion of that unspent mana to be banked each turn, strategies around tempo shift considera

As 2019 comes to a close, esports fans are left to reflect on the best competitive moments of the past year. Jaw-dropping plays, unbelievable tournament runs, and shocking levels of consistency from the world’s best players. Five of the biggest esports titles saw their biggest talents rise to the top, taking their rightful places as some of the best players in the wo