[HotS] From Russia, With Love Text by TL.net ESPORTS





From Russia, With Love

Agon Premier League

Written by: Koznarov





Agon League emerged back in 2018 in the CIS region as a semi-pro league. Despite being a local tournament, that league was the birthplace of the 2018 Nexus Contest champion, Team Russia. With the Russian victory and a fourth place for Ukraine (formed by players from different teams in Agon League) the CIS competition acquired global attention.



In 2019 Agon League allowed European teams to join their ranks, luring Lauber’s Fanclub and some of the strongest teams from the Polish scene, such as Hold my Beer or Ujemne Win Ratio. After an exciting month of Heroes esports, the Fanclub came victorious, defeating Team Russia both in the winner and grand finals. A second season was planned for 2019, but it was finally cancelled, being replaced with the Agon Heroes Cup.











For 2020 the organization stepped its format up, going for the most ambitious tournament they had ever organized. This new league - the Agon Premier League - had two main changes. First, the league would be much longer, with almost three months of games. Second, teams wouldn’t join as they used to do in previous seasons, players would join a series of pre-formed teams established by the tournament organizers.



To the casual observer, these "forced" teams may not look like a good thing, but we must contextualize them. In the current competitive scene it remains comparatively difficult to make a living by just playing Heroes of the Storm, and this situation forces teams to disband, reform and withdraw tournaments. The teams made by Agon League have a name and a logo, something easy to remember, something to root for: an identity. That’s something few teams in the major leagues have nowadays. Moreover, players don’t need to start the synergies in these teams from scratch, as the organizers have designated a coach for every team, most of them veteran players such as Denardo or CandleLight. To avoid schedule problems, teams have large rosters, with 7 players per team. Also, most matches are scheduled in a specific time window, on weekend afternoons.











These 12 teams face each other weekly in a bo2 single round-robin, fighting for the precious top-4 so they can qualify for playoffs. The playoff format is different from the previous editions. In 2018 and 2019, there were huge double elimination brackets, with teams 9th to 12th starting their run in the lower bracket and trying to make the miracle run. In 2020 things will be simpler: the best four teams match in a single elimination bracket with bo3 semifinals and bo5 finals.





The Agon Premier League lineup may look like a zoo at first glance: Bulldogs, Falcons, Flamingoes, Golden Lions, Octopuses and Sharks. But this is a special zoo, the one where you find Dragons and Unicorns, even Devils, Mouse Knights or Jedies, taking the baby Yoda memes to the next level. And above them all, the Black Queen, a tribute to the team with the same name back in 2017 and 2018. The organizers are proud of these teams and have even dreamed of how they would fit in the HGC cheer system:











These twelve teams aren’t forced to only play Agon Premier League - they are free to join other tournaments, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. We’ve watched some of them face Division S rosters and other European teams at Master Clash qualifiers. Even if they’re not yet on that level, it’s a matter of time before a new Team Russia or Synergy emerges from the CIS region to claim its place among the big names.



If you want to learn more about Agon and its teams, tune in to the Premier League on Saturdays and Sundays on















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Agon League emerged back in 2018 in the CIS region as a semi-pro league. Despite being a local tournament, that league was the birthplace of the 2018 Nexus Contest champion, Team Russia. With the Russian victory and a fourth place for Ukraine (formed by players from different teams in Agon League) the CIS competition acquired global attention.In 2019 Agon League allowed European teams to join their ranks, luring Lauber’s Fanclub and some of the strongest teams from the Polish scene, such as Hold my Beer or Ujemne Win Ratio. After an exciting month of Heroes esports, the Fanclub came victorious, defeating Team Russia both in the winner and grand finals. A second season was planned for 2019, but it was finally cancelled, being replaced with the Agon Heroes Cup.For 2020 the organization stepped its format up, going for the most ambitious tournament they had ever organized. This new league - the Agon Premier League - had two main changes. First, the league would be much longer, with almost three months of games. Second, teams wouldn’t join as they used to do in previous seasons, players would join a series of pre-formed teams established by the tournament organizers.To the casual observer, these "forced" teams may not look like a good thing, but we must contextualize them. In the current competitive scene it remains comparatively difficult to make a living by just playing Heroes of the Storm, and this situation forces teams to disband, reform and withdraw tournaments. The teams made by Agon League have a name and a logo, something easy to remember, something to root for: an identity. That’s something few teams in the major leagues have nowadays. Moreover, players don’t need to start the synergies in these teams from scratch, as the organizers have designated a coach for every team, most of them veteran players such as Denardo or CandleLight. To avoid schedule problems, teams have large rosters, with 7 players per team. Also, most matches are scheduled in a specific time window, on weekend afternoons.These 12 teams face each other weekly in a bo2 single round-robin, fighting for the precious top-4 so they can qualify for playoffs. The playoff format is different from the previous editions. In 2018 and 2019, there were huge double elimination brackets, with teams 9th to 12th starting their run in the lower bracket and trying to make the miracle run. In 2020 things will be simpler: the best four teams match in a single elimination bracket with bo3 semifinals and bo5 finals.The Agon Premier League lineup may look like a zoo at first glance: Bulldogs, Falcons, Flamingoes, Golden Lions, Octopuses and Sharks. But this is a special zoo, the one where you find Dragons and Unicorns, even Devils, Mouse Knights or Jedies, taking the baby Yoda memes to the next level. And above them all, the Black Queen, a tribute to the team with the same name back in 2017 and 2018. The organizers are proud of these teams and have even dreamed of how they would fit in the HGC cheer system:These twelve teams aren’t forced to only play Agon Premier League - they are free to join other tournaments, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. We’ve watched some of them face Division S rosters and other European teams at Master Clash qualifiers. Even if they’re not yet on that level, it’s a matter of time before a new Team Russia or Synergy emerges from the CIS region to claim its place among the big names.If you want to learn more about Agon and its teams, tune in to the Premier League on Saturdays and Sundays on their Twitch channel and prepare to choose your spirit animal. Or if you can’t wait until the weekend, go check the vods of previews games on YouTube

