Good Monday to you all! This is an extremely light news week; as we saw with the last update, that alone is big, but SEMC does get very quiet after an update, as they probably need a nap. Fear not, there’s still stuff for me to chop into little bits and feed you like a mama bird.

VGL NA Live Finals

We are only five days away from the start of the North America Winter Season championship at the Red Bull eSports Studio in Santa Monica, California. The full schedule is up, kicking off with VIPL 2 champs Alliance versus relative newcomers Rage Pingers. If you’re feeling spontaneous, you can still buy a ticket. You can always see these matches on Twitch too, but whatever you do, grab some popcorn!

Night Shadow Taka Card Event

Now 3599 ICE (up from 1799 ICE for previous LE skins), Night Shadow Taka has an alternative unlock if you weave 16 Legendary Night Shadow Taka cards. During the weekends of update 1.15, you’ll automatically receive the needed card with your third win of the day, but this can only be redeemed once per day. So if you missed this past weekend, you can still get up to 6 Legendary cards (2 a weekend) for the next three weekends. You can also craft the necessary cards with essence or buy them from a permanent ICE box containing only Night Shadow cards. Yes, there are many ways to get this skin, but I hope SEMC doesn’t choose to go this route again in the future. Premium skins at a premium price are acceptable, as is having to grind out materials to unlock a skin, but effectively requiring both play and pay seems to fit about as well as a thrift store homecoming suit.

Redbull Article

Gadianton, (aka Dadianton (aka Johnathan)) wrote another stellar article for Red Bull eSports about the impact of the Winter Season and how it’s changing the face of the competitive scene for Vainglory. For those like myself, who are just getting your feet wet in the professional eSports scene, this is a great wave to ride. Vainglory is experiencing a meteoric rise and will go through every iteration of success and growing pains for both the game and the players.

How Much Does A Skin Cost?

In light of the new mechanic for unlocking Night Shadow Taka, this Reddit post from lawranc about the cost of a Vainglory skin is pretty relevant. The poster argues the extreme cost of skins in Vainglory, especially when compared to League of Legends and other MOBAs. I’m not going to argue with his math, but on the whole I find the regular in game skins to be reasonable and entirely unlockable without spending money if you play regularly and prioritize which skin you really want.

Warding Guide for Beginners

Another interesting post on Reddit provides valuable information on scout trap placement to those just starting out and even veterans. xKarantesi breaks down the best spots to drop some scout traps around the map to get optimal vision and track your enemies. Clocking in about eight and half minutes I recommend giving it a view. There has been a healthy influx of new players on Reddit lately, nice to see the “old guys” offering some help.

Many Thanks to Our Guest Authors!

We have had the pleasure of having several fantastic guest writers in our flock. Owens with his spectacular Halcyon Fold distance and speed breakdown and Xinyi with her much needed EU professional scene coverage, just to name a few. This week, Broken Myth will feature the writing of a huge celebrity in the Vainglory community, so keep an eye out for that!

Can’t wait to report on the Live Final results next week! Remember you have less than a month to get your rank and guild up as high as possible before the Spring Season begins. Happy grinding to all those stuck in middle tier purgatory or having your raging carry tell you a ping story.