Just a few days after MDL Macau and ESL One Katowice there is yet another tournament on the horizon. However, this time it’s online. The JJB Sring Cup will be the first edition of a series of tournaments within the Asian scene. The primary goal here is to continue the “development” of the teams in the region. The event will feature twelve teams, most of which are Chinese, as well as a roughly $30,000 prize pool.

Format

The format is quite similar to that of ESL One Katowice. All twelve teams are directly invited, and they come either from China or South East Asia. They are divided into two best-of-one round robin groups. The top two will advance to the Upper Bracket of the playoff, 3rd and 4th place go to the Lower Bracket and the bottom two teams of each group have only one place they can go - home.

The playoffs themselves will be a double elimination bracket. All games beside the Grand Final are going best-of-three.

Participants

Newbee

Signing session at MDL Macau 2019. Thank you again for all the support from our fans.??? pic.twitter.com/UzdOl8xdz0 — Newbee (@newbeecn) February 24, 2019

Once a formidable foe, Newbee are now a mere shadow of their former glory. They have not performed well in the new DPC season so far. Not only were they unable to qualify for most of the big tournaments but even when they did, they were playing like a tier two team. The TI 4 winners showed some signs of hope during the MDL Macau, despite losing against Virtus.Pro in the lower bracket.

That’s probably one of the main reasons why a team of their caliber is playing in such an event. They need to get as much practice as possible. As a big Sccc fan myself, I really hope that we will see the old Newbee back again.

Tigers

WHAT TIME IS IT??? — Danil Ishutin (@DendiBoss) February 26, 2019

The second exciting team here is Tigers. Dendi’s new team is still struggling to show it’s full potential. They surely have the needed players to do so, which means that it’s just a matter of time before they find their rhythm. This tournament could be precisely what they needed to sort of “free” themselves.

Keen Gaming

Another favorite to win this tournament is Keen Gaming. The Chinese team had a lot of ups and downs before coming here. Their most recent accomplishment was the third place at the Bucharest Minor just over a month ago. Keen Gaming is one of those teams that can “burst” at any given time. That’s why they are always fun to watch.

WG.Unity

WarriorsGaming.Unity is yet another team that will try their luck in the JJB Spring cup. They have recently added the Bulgarian carry Nikobaby to their roster which is definitely step in the right direction. They are slowly but steadily becoming one of the best teams in the region. The 2nd place at WESG 2018 SEA further proves that.

The Rest

The other remaining teams are For The Dream, iG Vitality, Invictus Gaming, Team Admiral, Room310, Geek Fam, Team Serenity, and Mr Game Boy.

FTD have just finished playing at ESL One Katowice where they got eliminated in the Group Stage. Mr Game Boy have an extraordinary player on their roster - Ferrari_430. The legendary Chinese mid-laner is trying to get back into the game, and I can’t wait to see if he’s still got it.