Here we go then - step into a new direction. But is it really? It's still the same old game, played by the same (sometimes old) players and in the same, at this point pretty much ancient, community, of which we are an inseparable part since way back in 2001, just with a few new toys now - can those make for a completely new experience and upend the status quo established after 41 seasons of RTS League's Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Clan League That's kind of what we're looking to find out here with the brand new Rise of the Rajas Clan League , so let's get down to it, as it's not going to resolve itself - it will take all the skills and effort the players from all across the Age of Empires community can muster to see the best clans climb the treacherous competition all the way to the coveted Banners designated for the tops - and the prestige of succeeding in the true Clan Championship coming with them!This premiere season is going to be a bit different than the previous AoC seasons, as we have just a few clans with multiple teams, and a lot of new clans coming forward to become part of history - that's great to see, as it means more connected community and more engagement all aroundWe have seen 38 sign-ups in total, and even though we had to clear up a few things with some, resulting in the delay (we just really take care with checking the clans out and trying to make sure the spirit of the competition holds true), in the end we were able to work through the issues and didn't find a reason to disallow any applicant right from the start - we will though, as always, keep a vigilant eye on the proceedings to make sure things are working out. After a careful deliberation from many angles, we have seeded the clans into these five Divisions:- CZ, Gaucho, MeX, Rus_F, Straya, VLNS, Weljet- DaRs, Eycofcu, kLu, nC, RoR, SURU, VN- Arg|B, CiD, CM', LoS, RFR, Straya|B, TK, VN|B- Arg, ByT, BzK, CHI, LAT, LyF, NHN|B, RBTV- CoS, CRG, DaM, NHN, QlS, R'C, stsn, WOTCThe level is quite high, with many top skilled 1v1 and mainly team players participating, but with RTS League's specifics (well, pretty much being played as you play your standard games every day :d), surprises are often not too far away and time and again we see seeming favourites stumble and lose a game to the underdogs! The long-term format (we're a League, after all) is great at that, as it measures consistency over time, which is not something everyone can achieve, and so opportunities arise for those with deeper line-ups, or a solid plan. And in the end, just having good fun and playing with true experts of the game, that's also worth something, and not a common opportunity - that's how skill improvement is achievedWell then, do you have your clan to root for already, or a tip who will win it all? Make sure to let us know in the comments and also on our Facebook and Twitter where we're preparing a continuous coverage of all the rounds and interesting things going on in the League (you could've noticed our clan introductions already) - and yeah, we'll stream a lot of it live on twitch.tv/RTSLeague and twitch.tv/RTSLeague2 as well, with uploads to YouTube after - follow all that to not miss a thing(We're also sure there will be plenty of PoV streams from the players themselves if that's your groove, and if you'd like an opportunity to help us stream the games live, do message us, as we'd like to hear from you and see how to help you out.)--------------------We're always on the lookout for engaged players, newcan help us run the competitions better,would make things nicer,could make our web and services to the community so much better!And if you're a budding or experiencedinterested in broadcasting the valiant efforts live, wanting to help fellow gamers and getting some real good games to stream in the process, also using our partnered channel with dedicated following, do let us know! With the amount of matches, we need quite a teamIf you think you can help, give us a hit and we can talk it through, we would especially be super-glad for, as we're sure you can see for yourselfRTS League is the foremost and longest running "Age of" clan competition ever, with a history of hosting numerous other strategy games (like StarCraft II, Empire Earth, and Dawn of War) in the past. Fun and friendliness are the prominent aspects of RTS League, with the unquestionable prestige and fame the triumph brings to the top finishing clans following close behind.