Nexon Sponsorship League Preview September 27th, 2013 18:34 GMT Text by K-poptosis Graphics by riptide Table of Contents

Tourney Overview



Interview with EoT Manager



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Tournament Preview







It's been a long time coming, and the Nexon Sponsorship League is finally set to begin this Saturday, the 28th of September. Two Sundays ago, nearly a hundred teams gathered into a crowded Techno Park in Seoul for Nexon's qualifiers, hoping for a chance to make it to where these teams are now. The excitement and urge to prove oneself was almost palpable amongst the crowd. The biggest heavyweight region in all of eSports was stepping into the ring for Dota 2, and doing it in a big way.



The fact that it's just Korean Dota 2, though, isn't the only reason to want to pay attention to what's going on over here. The first place team will win 100 million KRW (~$93,000), with the total prize pool amounting to 300 million KRW (~$279,000 USD). On top of this, though, is quite literally the opportunity of a lifetime: Nexon will get the winning team a big sponsor on top of the already substantial purse, to be paid out as a team salary over the course of the year following the conclusion of the tournament, an unheard of opportunity.







Schedule



Saturday, Sep 28 3:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

FXOpen vs. SushiandYasha

MVP Hot6 vs. #SymphonyDota

UnderRateds' vs. Team NJ&KIDS



Tuesday, Oct 01 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Eye of Tiger vs. MVP Hot6

UnderRateds' vs. Ace Online

FXOpen vs. Season One_



Saturday, Oct 05 3:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Moonlight United vs. SushiandYasha

Moonlight United vs. Season One_

Team NJ&KIDS vs. Ace Online



Tuesday, Oct 08 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Ave~ vs. Virtual Throne

FastGG^^ vs. #SymphonyDota

Eye of Tiger vs. FastGG^^



Saturday, Oct 12 3:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

SushiandYasha vs. Season One_

StarTale vs. Ave~

StarTale vs. Virtual Throne



Tuesday, Oct 15 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

StarTale vs. Virtual Throne

Eye of Tiger vs. #SymphonyDota

FastGG^^ vs. MVP Hot6





Tourney Overview by rkffhk

Many in the community are unaware of the teams that will be competing over the course of the next one and a half months for this highly coveted prize, so we thought that a proper introduction was in order. So with no further ado, here is an introduction to the best that Korea currently has to offer to the world of Dota 2:







Tier 1 Teams



FXOpen Esports



FXOpen is perhaps the most well-known and well-funded team in Korea, being the only team with a sponsor normally associated with Western teams. Furthermore, they are by far the most reputable team going into this tournament when taking into account past tournament results. They won the Nexon Starter League, the Fomos Dotanism League (the most recent big Korean tournament), the Korea Dota 2 League, and finished in the top 4 in almost every other Korean tournament that they had participated in.





StarTale



Formerly known as BirdGang, the brand name sponsor StarTale is well known to the Starcraft and League of Legends communities. Just like FXOpen, they have finished in the top 4 of almost every tournament they have participated in, including a 2nd place performance in the Fomos Dotanism league, and therefore fully deserve to be in this top tier of the teams going into the Nexon Sponsorship League.





Eye of Tiger Gaming



Considered one of the top 4 teams in Korea, and easily one of the most experienced, this team has had issues finishing strong after great early performances in tournaments so far in Dota 2. However, in a scene rife with constant transfers, unstable rosters, and flaky sponsors, Eye of the Tiger has stood the test of time all the way from WC3 DotA to today. This tournament will be the ultimate test to see if that stability can pay off.





UnderRateds`

A complete dark horse team who had a top finish during the qualifiers, UnderRateds` is a team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to just demolish the majority of the competition. As a result, there is hardly any information available from which to extrapolate how far they might go. Regardless, they've definitely gotten the exposure and therefore the attention of future team sponsorships will await them regardless of how they perform over this next month.





Tier 2 Teams





MVP HOT6



Although this is "technically" their first tournament together as a team, this team's roster is an amalgamation of former top Korean players who were either kicked from their original team or left of their own free will who quickly made a name for themselves by toppling one of the best teams in Korea.





Virtual Throne

Formerly known as 1st Challenger, this is a team that made the switch from competitive World of Warcraft some time ago but unfortunately fell short of the quarterfinals in past Korean tournaments. One of their players, DrakeDog, was a somewhat popular competitive player in the Korean World of Warcraft community and so he brings a lot of attention from that segment of eSports onto Dota 2 with his appearance here in the Nexon Sponsorship League.





Sushi and Yasha

Friends (and rivals) of the currently ranked "unknown team" known as Season One_, this group of players performed better than most of the other "unknown" teams and thus were seeded into the Tier 2 category of players.





Ace Online

A team that has trained almost exclusively with the Chinese and Southeast Asian scenes, they have appeared from the mist to join this tournament. They are almost completely unknown in every way: no interviews, no track record, and no names that can associated to WC3 Dota accounts. Nevertheless, their performance in the qualifiers two weeks ago has demonstrated that they are at least good enough to hang with the better of the best.





"Unknown" Tier

Moonlight United, Victory Light, PlaCeBUM, FastGG^^, #SymphonyDota, Ave~, Season One_, and TEAM NJ&KIDS are all unknown teams who were either formed just for this tournament or are Korean Dota clans that made it through the gauntlet of the qualifiers, however very little is known about these teams. Many of the pros don't even know who some of these people are. As information is sketchy at best, it's best to assume that this is a group of dark horses.



So there you have it, the field for Nexon’s Sponsorship League! With so many unknowns and x-factors involved, exciting games, stunning upsets, and dominating performances are sure to come early and often. The games will begin with group play and from there the top 8 will proceed to a Quarterfinal, which will be decided by a double elimination bracket stage, with the the winner taking home 100,000,000 Korean Won, a top-tier sponsorship, and the mantle of chief representative for Korean Dota in the international scene.



Beyond the Summit and GomTV will be broadcasting all of the Nexon Sponsorship League's action. The games will begin this Saturday, the 28th of September, with the finals to be held on the 10th of November, with matches taking place at the GomTV Studio in the center of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea.



Interview with EoT's Manager, Hwan Sung by K-poptosis



Korean Dota is an enigma to many. Likewise, the role of manager for Dota 2 teams can be a vague concept. To help gain insight into both of these, we had a conversation with Eye of Tiger Gaming's manager, Hwan sung, to talk about his team's performance, their potential, his duties, and the team's new digs.





Eye of the Tiger enjoying a meal at their teamhouse







First off, congratulations making "Tier 1" in the qualifiers! Were you impressed with how the team performed?



Not really, we just trusted our players and we lost one game. Everyone made mistakes though.



What do you think are the current strong points of your team? What are the weakest points?



We would rather not talk about our weak points so close to the NSL, we have to keep secrets. Our strong point though is our communication, we stress to our players the importance of communication.



Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became the manager for team EoT.



It is a long story. I was doing some international trade with a small company, and a coach who was my friend mentioned about making a Dota 2 team (as well as a League team). Finally we decided to make a Dota 2 team. So it was natural I eventually became manager and my friend becoming the coach.



The role of manager for a competitive Dota 2 team can be pretty varied depending upon the team. Some play an important part in determining team strategy, and some are focused solely upon managing the players logistically. What are your duties as manager of EoT?



I think I am a very unique type of manager in eSports. I do everything with the players, as well as live with them. I care for them, their health, and mental condition. I don't worry much about the tactics and the strategy, as I feel that it has to come more from the players who have to make decisions on their own, leading to a stronger team.



I heard you recently moved into a team house! What advantages do you think come from a team living, eating, practicing, and relaxing together in the same space? On the flip side of the coin, does the close proximity sometimes cause conflicts?



I think we have to dismiss a lot of the cultural differences between the rest of the world and Korea. In Korea, the culture is that of a much less private nature. Although the Korean practice house environment is a good one for eSports teams, it also allows the players to communicate with each other more easily and be better able to practice. We worried a lot about the teamhouse, because most eSports teams have a house in Seoul area. We visited a lot of teamhouses and we realized that we needed more space, because they need space to live. So the coach and I thought that even if we do it far away from Seoul we need a place for focus and not just for staying. We are lucky, the coaches father is a architect, so we can move into a house more easily than other teams.



I also heard you were expanding. What improvements to the house are in the works?



We are expanding into a new house after NSL season one, provided we get decent results. This house will have a second floor, and also will be easier to build add-ons to the house once we get bigger. We also plan on hosting fan events and other cool things like that in the future.



eSports is a much bigger fixture in South Korean culture, relatively, than it is in just about any other culture. Are players already treated like celebrities, or will that take more success and continued growth of the game itself in Korea?



This is actually a common misconception. Parents don't want kids to become progamers. It is a big worry for players and parents to figure out what to do after they retire as progamers. Most eSports players aren't treated like celebrities. When players like Boxer were around, it was a golden age in Korea for Brood War. He made the right decisions to allow him to become like unto a celebrity For our players, they aren't treated like celebrities because Dota 2 is very small still in Korea despite what many people think.



Having won several of the previous Korean tournaments, including the Nexon Starter League, Team FXO is the favorite to win the sponsorship league according to many. What does EoT have to do to take down FXO and claim the title for themselves?



We had problems before with communication, we have a new roster that is amazing and we trust them fully. Even if we don't win against FXO, we are going to try our best. We have good teamwork, which is what we needed to beat FXO, and to play our game.



Although Korea got a bit of a late start with Dota 2 when compared to the West or China, the scene is growing very quickly. How long do you think it will take until Korean teams are ready to take on the world's best and come out victorious?



I think for TI4, Koreans teams will make it to TI4 and do well.



How talented are you at Dota 2? What's your favorite hero?



I'm not very talented, and my favorite hero is Tusk, because I love his ultimate.



If you could personally have any ability from any hero in Dota 2 in real life, which would it be and why?



Nature's Prophet Teleport.







CREDITS

Writers: K-poptosis, rkffhk

Gfx: riptide

Editors: TheEmulator

Banner photogrpah via Writers: K-poptosis, rkffhkGfx: riptideEditors: TheEmulatorBanner photogrpah via Valentin Janiaut

It's been a long time coming, and the Nexon Sponsorship League is finally set to begin this Saturday, the 28th of September. Two Sundays ago, nearly a hundred teams gathered into a crowded Techno Park in Seoul for Nexon's qualifiers, hoping for a chance to make it to where these teams are now. The excitement and urge to prove oneself was almost palpable amongst the crowd. The biggest heavyweight region in all of eSports was stepping into the ring for Dota 2, and doing it in a big way.The fact that it's just Korean Dota 2, though, isn't the only reason to want to pay attention to what's going on over here. The first place team will win 100 million KRW (~$93,000), with the total prize pool amounting to 300 million KRW (~$279,000 USD). On top of this, though, is quite literally the opportunity of a lifetime: Nexon will get the winning team a big sponsor on top of the already substantial purse, to be paid out as a team salary over the course of the year following the conclusion of the tournament, an unheard of opportunity.Many in the community are unaware of the teams that will be competing over the course of the next one and a half months for this highly coveted prize, so we thought that a proper introduction was in order. So with no further ado, here is an introduction to the best that Korea currently has to offer to the world of Dota 2:FXOpen is perhaps the most well-known and well-funded team in Korea, being the only team with a sponsor normally associated with Western teams. Furthermore, they are by far the most reputable team going into this tournament when taking into account past tournament results. They won the Nexon Starter League, the Fomos Dotanism League (the most recent big Korean tournament), the Korea Dota 2 League, and finished in the top 4 in almost every other Korean tournament that they had participated in.Formerly known as BirdGang, the brand name sponsor StarTale is well known to the Starcraft and League of Legends communities. Just like FXOpen, they have finished in the top 4 of almost every tournament they have participated in, including a 2nd place performance in the Fomos Dotanism league, and therefore fully deserve to be in this top tier of the teams going into the Nexon Sponsorship League.Considered one of the top 4 teams in Korea, and easily one of the most experienced, this team has had issues finishing strong after great early performances in tournaments so far in Dota 2. However, in a scene rife with constant transfers, unstable rosters, and flaky sponsors, Eye of the Tiger has stood the test of time all the way from WC3 DotA to today. This tournament will be the ultimate test to see if that stability can pay off.A complete dark horse team who had a top finish during the qualifiers, UnderRateds` is a team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to just demolish the majority of the competition. As a result, there is hardly any information available from which to extrapolate how far they might go. Regardless, they've definitely gotten the exposure and therefore the attention of future team sponsorships will await them regardless of how they perform over this next month.Although this is "technically" their first tournament together as a team, this team's roster is an amalgamation of former top Korean players who were either kicked from their original team or left of their own free will who quickly made a name for themselves by toppling one of the best teams in Korea.Formerly known as 1st Challenger, this is a team that made the switch from competitive World of Warcraft some time ago but unfortunately fell short of the quarterfinals in past Korean tournaments. One of their players, DrakeDog, was a somewhat popular competitive player in the Korean World of Warcraft community and so he brings a lot of attention from that segment of eSports onto Dota 2 with his appearance here in the Nexon Sponsorship League.Friends (and rivals) of the currently ranked "unknown team" known as Season One_, this group of players performed better than most of the other "unknown" teams and thus were seeded into the Tier 2 category of players.A team that has trained almost exclusively with the Chinese and Southeast Asian scenes, they have appeared from the mist to join this tournament. They are almost completely unknown in every way: no interviews, no track record, and no names that can associated to WC3 Dota accounts. Nevertheless, their performance in the qualifiers two weeks ago has demonstrated that they are at least good enough to hang with the better of the best.Moonlight United, Victory Light, PlaCeBUM, FastGG^^, #SymphonyDota, Ave~, Season One_, and TEAM NJ&KIDS are all unknown teams who were either formed just for this tournament or are Korean Dota clans that made it through the gauntlet of the qualifiers, however very little is known about these teams. Many of the pros don't even know who some of these people are. As information is sketchy at best, it's best to assume that this is a group of dark horses.So there you have it, the field for Nexon’s Sponsorship League! With so many unknowns and x-factors involved, exciting games, stunning upsets, and dominating performances are sure to come early and often. The games will begin with group play and from there the top 8 will proceed to a Quarterfinal, which will be decided by a double elimination bracket stage, with the the winner taking home 100,000,000 Korean Won, a top-tier sponsorship, and the mantle of chief representative for Korean Dota in the international scene.Beyond the Summit and GomTV will be broadcasting all of the Nexon Sponsorship League's action. The games will begin this Saturday, the 28th of September, with the finals to be held on the 10th of November, with matches taking place at the GomTV Studio in the center of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea.Korean Dota is an enigma to many. Likewise, the role of manager for Dota 2 teams can be a vague concept. To help gain insight into both of these, we had a conversation with Eye of Tiger Gaming's manager, Hwan sung, to talk about his team's performance, their potential, his duties, and the team's new digs. @Kpoptosis