UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Chronosphere Cup is postponed. We will post an announcement when we know of a new date for the tournament. We apologize for any inconvenience.

What: Chronosphere Cup

When: POSTPONED

Uphill Climb

Let’s face it — Artifact, Valve’s newest game, got off to a bit of a rocky start. A lot of players decried the game maker for how it implemented micro transactions, while others criticized the imbalance of some of the cards. And while the game did see a dip in its player numbers last month, there is still a deeply dedicated community who play and compete.

There are so many tournament operators who decide whether to run an event based only on the popularity of a particular game. Sure, that’s important, but we like to look at the people first; the players — the ones who grind for hours to hone their skills. It’s one of the reasons we created The National Championship Series in the first place: as a way to provide all players with an avenue to top-notch competition.

So when Michael “NoControl” Toryk approached us about running a tournament for an underserved community of players, we didn’t hesitate. “I know the feeling of being a good player and not getting tapped for events due to the lack of a social media presence,” he told us. “I want the best of the best to be showcased — regardless of who they are.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Online and In Person

The Chronosphere Cup will comprise two online Artifact tournaments with a prize pool of $2,500 each. The first will occur on February 9th and 10th, and the second on March 9th and 10th. A third, live competition at Localhost Arena in Lakewood, Colorado in early April will have a prize pool of $10,000.

All events will be live-streamed on our Twitch channel, and you’re all welcome to attend the in-person tournament at Localhost Arena. In fact, you’re encouraged to because we’ll have some special discounts on offer the day of the event.

There are 128 spots available for players, and we think those are going to fill up fast. If there’s enough interest, though, we might open up a secondary pool of slots.

For updates on this tournament all events and announcements from NSG, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re not familiar with Valve’s Artifact, here’s a good introductory video. It’s been compared (of course) to Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, but there is a lot more to this game. The mechanic of the three “lanes” alone makes my head potato.