As the new year begins, so does the first major SC2 tournament of the year: HomeStory Cup IV. Hosted by Dennis “TaKe” Gehlen, the HomeStory Cups are a series of tournaments held by TaKe in his own home in Germany. This provides a fun, casual atmosphere not quite like any other tournament. The progamers present hang out and relax in between games, and often contribute casting. The past three HomeStory Cups have left us with some fantastic games and some hilarious moments, and this year is looking no different, with the 32 player list just announced.

Taking place over 4 days from January 5th-8th, the tournament boasts a $15,000 prize pool. In addition to the financial rewards, the results have IEM implications. The top two players are directly seeded into the IEM Season VI World Championship in March, and the top 16 receive IEM ranking points. As with many ESL related events, TaKe will be joined by casters MrBitter and RotterdaM.

The tournament map pool features a few changes from the qualifiers held last month, with the removal of small two-player maps Xel’Naga Caverns and Crevasse. The final 9 map pool consists of ESL Metalopolis, GSL Terminus SE, ESL Shakuras Plateau, ESL Shattered Temple, ESL Tal’Darim Altar, GSL Dual Sight, ESL Antiga Shipyard, GSL Daybreak, and GSL Bel’Shir Beach (winter). The removed maps were the subject of significant scrutiny by players and fans alike for their small and exposed nature which discourage longer macro-oriented games. As it stands, the map pool is a solid combination of the most popular maps and should serve for an interesting tournament.

In what is normally a Protoss-dominated tournament (the last two finals were both PvPs), this year appears no different. 13 Protoss players will appear, with 10 Zergs and only 9 Terran. In sharp contrast to the Terran-dominated GSL, the unusual success of Protoss players looks ready to continue. While no Zergs have ever placed in the top 3, a strong Zerg roster including Stephano, DIMAGA, Ret, and Nerchio could easily make HomeStory Cup history.

While Korea offers the most participants of any single country at 7, Europe boasts 21 of the 32 invites, led by Germany with 6 players. Often considered the second most talented region, Europe looks ready to prove its readiness to compete on an international level with Korea. With 13 nationalities making an appearance, the atmosphere at TaKe’s home studio in Germany should be quite eclectic.

Over 20 pro teams will be represented this year, with none having more than a few players attending (Team ALTERNATE brings in the most, with all four players on their roster attending). Normal foreign powerhouses like EG, Liquid, and mousesports only offer a few players each, leaving the tournament wide open for the smaller and talented pro teams to prove their worth. Many notables are absent, including last year’s winner HuK, due to commitments with the GSL in Korea. Despite these absences, the player pool is exploding with talent and many of the the less-known progamers will have a chance to prove their skill on a huge stage.

With only a few days left before first round of the Group Stages, the anticipation is building. If you’re like me, Thursday can’t come soon enough. To tide you over, here’s DarKFoRcE getting a lap dance, one of the great moments from last HomeStory Cup.