Daily News

[paiNISTHESHIT]

The star Albanian player talks about his DotA life and a little about the teams plans in the future in an interview conducted by well-known Russian site, Dota.by

Hi, introduce yourself, please.
“I'm Illy, also known as garter, I'm 19 years old.”

You're not really a famous player in the DotA community, so you could tell us little about yourself, where you live, and where you study or work?
“I do not even know what to say; I am an economics student, living in Kosovo (Pristina). I spend my free time playing DotA or playing with my friends.”

When and how did you start playing DotA? Did you play for some teams earlier?
“I started playing six years ago on a local network, but it was only three years ago that I started playing at a serious level with team eZ. Also, I played for X-Team with my friends from Albania, and after that I joined Annie, and now here I am [with A-Team].”

Tell me about your new team, A-Team. How long have you been acquainted with you teammates? Why did you decide to create a team?
“I was familiar with Vein for quite a long time, and I've always loved playing with him, so he offered me the chance to build a team with him and vigoss, and of course I agreed. We needed more players, but at around the same time, some teams like TeG and zG disbanded, and some of their players joined us.”

What can you say specifically about Vigoss? After all, he was once a 'living legend' for the fans. Do you think he could now return to his former level?
“I cannot say anything, but I think that if they gave him that nickname, he certainly deserves it. Before, his skills were lower when he had just returned, but now back to his previous form, and he has undoubtedly improved.”

Soon you will take part in the tournament Intel Challenge SuperCup, and your opponents in the group will be the Danish teams, shift and Nordic eSports, as well as the Belarusian team PowerRangers. Which team are you most afraid of playing against?
“I have absolutely no fear; I just want to wish them luck, because I am familiar with many players from those teams.”

If you are able to overcome the group phase and progress into the play-offs, which team would you most like to play against?
“I don't know; if I were to say a name then they will think that I'm underestimating or mocking them, so they are all welcome.”

Do you and your team have any special plans for this year?
“Our main goal is to participate in LAN tournaments. I hope that we will be able to take part in many of the upcoming tournaments to be held.”

Are you going to look for a sponsor in the near future?
“Yes; I think that with sponsors we will arrive at a more serious level. We will be very glad to cooperate with any organization that would be willing to help us get to take part in LAN tournaments.”

How popular is DotA in your country, Albania? Are there any professional teams that could compete with top European teams?
“In Albania, this game is very popular and many people play it. There are several professional teams, but they are currently inactive. I know the guys from the team Explode; I played with them often and I think that if they train they may be able to compete, if not with the top European teams, then at least with the best Balkan teams for sure.”

This morning there was a new version of the map, namely 6.72. Have you tried it yet?
“I have not played it, but I read the change log and I know that there are some changes for Treant, Terrorblade, and many others. I think that all these improvements are good, but please remove the Smoke of Deceit, because I have always get ganked hard in the middle lane.”

Do you generally support the global changes in new versions, or do you think that IceFrog should only fix the bugs and make changes to balance the game?
“Well IceFrog is no fool, he knows how and what to change. He will continue to make global changes and I support him in this.”

Who do you think is the best player in the world and why?
Vein, because he can be!

Who's your favorite hero?
Shadow Fiend

Who's your favourite music artist?
Linkin Park.

Well, the interview comes to an end. Any final shoutouts?
“Hi to krenar, ditushi, beci, Luci and Toxi. And of course all Haters!”

Roster: A-Team
Kev (Captain)
Garter
Vigoss
Vein
Freezer
RMP

Links:
| [URL="http://gosugamers.net/dota/news/15414"]GGnet[/URL] | [URL="http://dota.by/viewtopic.php?t=14756"]Dota.by[/URL] |

[Shoocky3V]

iCCup DotA season finale

iCCup-DotA has come to an end for its sixth season. To celebrate they have hosted a tournament with $1,000 up for grabs.

The said tournament will be divided in two stages;

I.Ladder Qualifiers

The first stage will be done through a ladder system, which an individual player will try to gain as much points as he/she can in order to reach the top of the ranks. Players wishing to qualify for the next stage need to reach top 16 in the 5x5 ladder system by the end of the season.

II.Tournament Playoffs

The play-offs will start once the top 16 players has been determined. They are now able to bring their own teams to battle each other on the DotA Ladder Tournament, the best team will get the gold from the bag.

To enter the event as a team, only one player should be sent to play in the first stage.


iCCup DotA Season 6 Prizes:


Champion $500
First Runner up $300
Second Runner up $200

[Shoocky3V]

CCM Wins VSEL

With the onset of VSEL, the stage was set for the biggest names in Chinese DotA to go head to head. From close calls to glorious finishes, find out how it all unraveled.

With 8 teams left to battle it out for the Vs E-sports League Championship, the renowned Chinese DotA clans like CCM, Tyloo and LGD were no doubt the favorites. After a comprehensive victory over Tyloo, LGD looked confident and arguably the most competitive clan to meet fellow finalists CCM, who in comparison had a fairly smooth ride up the championship bracket, beating clans Rogue" and WE.

In the 3 games CCM and LGD played against each other, CCM's Ferrari_430 chose to play Invoker twice and had done so with great balance and poise, giving his team a major advantage. There was also brilliant warding by both teams, but neither managed to gain a significant advantage due to excellent defensive gameplay by both sides when it was necessary.

With a great deal of support from ddc, SanSheng and timely domination from Xiao8 and Zhou in ganks, and overall brilliant gameplay, CCM staged a flawless performance to beat LGD and take the 2011 VSEL Championship tag.

Final standings

First Place CCM 4500 RMB (~$700) +VS Client Rewards
Second Place LGD 3000 RMB (~$450) +VS Client Rewards
Third Place Tyloo 1500 RMB (~$230) +VS Client Rewards

[Shoocky3V]

Romanian team sTurtle is now sponsored by SoftAreaGaming.

SoftAreaGaming officially announces its partnership with Romanian powerhouse sTurtle. SAG, an organization which emphasizes the players of the games and their needs in the first place, has many active inhouse leagues for games as DotA (#SFG.DotA) and Counter-Strike. SAG is participating in the Intel Challenge Supercup 8, enrolled in group B along with Sharks from Russia, SKZI from Sweden and GC from Macedonia. The team captain bOne7 feels confident that his team should be able to advance to the second stage. As for SAG roster, no major changes were made and the team composition is as follows:

SAG Current Roster
Cristian 'Method' Ciutacu (Manager)
Pittner 'bOne7' Armand (Team Captain)
Chenderes 'Ly0n' Ovidiu
Zisu 'Zizou' Andrei
Ionescu 'Ro-Coco' Alexandru
Andrei 'Crassus' Zavoianu
Alex 'ComeWithMe' Craciunescu

Team Captain Pittner 'bOne7' Armand on SAG:
"Well zizou talked some more with 'kiddoq' (SAG's CEO) about sponsorship and it seems that we're doing fine at the moment, and if we could show some professionalism and good results in the future, our sponsor should be able to reward us in a respectful manner (*smile*), maybe trips to some eu lans or something like that."

[GoodanGeL]

Where is pasarel?

[paiNISTHESHIT]

Pasarel as i know is playing solo atm.

[paiNISTHESHIT]

MYM CPL season one is finally over, and guess who tops the chart? GGnet's very own team captain, Puppey.

For his great performance in season one, Puppey will now be $200 richer. Coming in second place is the Croatian star, Mitch, who will add $100 to his bank account. Third place goes to Druidz player, Wagamama.

With the end of season one comes season two, a few changes are made in the upcoming season. The first change is the prize pool, which has increased from $300 to $700. Season two will also be sponsored by Darer Entertainment.

Map version for the new season will also be changed to 6.72b as opposed to the current season's 6.71b. The final change is the captain of the winning team will have to send the replay to MYM.

Links:

| [URL="http://www.mymym.com/en/news/20049.html"]myMYM[/URL] |

[paiNISTHESHIT]

The DotA scene is slowly gaining momentum, this time in Serbia will be host to a 1,000 Euro DotA Tournament.

From 28-29 May, Belgrade, Serbia will be host to a large gaming festival and what is considered the first "professionally" organized tournament.

Four games will be played with more expected to be added in due time. Current game list include, CS1.6, DotA, PES and Guitar Hero.

The goal of this tournament is to promote gaming in Serbia as well as the Balkan regions. More info on the DotA tournament is available below.

TOURNAMENT INFO

Date 28-29 May
Place Dom Omladine, Belgrade ( Serbia )
Teams 12 from Serbia + 4 foreign
Version 6.71b
Singup link Click (singups open on 12/5)

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION

First place 42,000 RSD (~500 Euro) + equipment
Second place 25,000 RSD (~250 Euro) + equipment
Third place 15,000 RSD (~150 Euro) + equipment

Links:
| [URL="http://www.klanrur.co.rs/forum/index.php?showtopic=234918982"]Klanrur[/URL] |

[paiNISTHESHIT]

After the run away success of the casual Season 1, it is now time to get down to serious business. With the ADL administrators bringing in sponsors this time around, this championship is certainly an event that cannot be missed.

Five top teams from Season 1 get an instant invite to play against 50 other teams all over Asia. Teams seeking to participate can fill in a vouch request template available on the ADL website.

Teams will now need to have 7 players in addition to a team manager who will be the single point of contact for the ADL Staff.

Five groups will be made out of the registered teams. Each of these groups will comprise of 11 teams who will battle it out, attempting to reach the top two of their group, as the top two teams in each group will qualify for the playoffs ultimately leading to the finals.

The ADL Championship is expected to last for 3 months, promising great action and entertainment. Matches will be held on weekends between 05:30 p.m. and 00:30 a.m. KST (10:30 a.m. and 05:30 p.m. CET), and each of the games will be played with a referee. The winners and runner-ups of the Championship will be rewarded with five sets of the Roccat Apuri (mouse bungee and desktop assistant). Additional prizes will be made official in the near future.

Links:
| [URL="http://www.asian-league.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=0053b6f59b1e1d7170e7bfb0939d56 d3&board=17.0"]ADL Website[/URL] - Team Registration | [URL="http://www.asian-league.com/forum/index.php?topic=381.0"]ADL Website[/URL] - Official Announcement |

[paiNISTHESHIT]

LGD, EHOME, CCM and TyLoo can safely be titled top four in Chinese DotA, considering the latest results in VSEL, DMT 2011 or now Starswar 6. The semi finals of the tournament will feature these teams again, as EHOME emerged victorious against EMP in the last quarterfinal yesterday.

4 enrolled plus eight invited teams attended this years Starswar DotA event. Except the first round which was held in best of one, all matches are played in single elimination, best of three format. Yet again, no rookie or amateur team was able to surprise.

Yet to be determined are the dates for the semi finals. LGD is set to face CCM, who already took three championships this year (WCG side event, VSEL, iCity), while EHOME is squaring off against DMT winner TyLoo.

The teams are in for converted $5400, from which $3000 go to the winner alone. In order to protect investors, no replays were released until now, forcing audiences to watch the livestream or use the Video on Demand service. Find a full bracket at the source link and stay tuned for the last matches.

STARSWAR 6 DOTA
Quarterfinals
Team 1 vs Team 2
LGD 2:0 Nirvana.cn---[URL="http://dota.sgamer.com/201105/video-detail-11050.html"][/URL]
DK 1:2 CCM----------[URL="http://dota.sgamer.com/201105/video-detail-11007.html"][/URL]
TyLoo 2:0 WE--------[URL="http://dota.sgamer.com/201105/video-detail-11033.html"][/URL]
EMP 1:2 EHOME------[URL="http://dota.sgamer.com/201105/video-detail-11067.html"][/URL]

Links:
| [URL="http://dota.sgamer.com/201105/news-detail-84914.html"]dota.sgamer.com[/URL] - Source | [URL="http://starswar.org/"]starswar.org[/URL] - [URL="http://www.tatazu.com/index.php?action-viewnews-itemid-17712"]Tournament Homepage[/URL] | [URL="http://www.tatazu.com/index.php?action-viewnews-itemid-17712"]starswar.org[/URL] - Source |

[Shoocky3V]

Balkan DotA League Season 4 brings about some new changes mentioning the usage of a new Dota client named Darer. Sign-ups are already open. In the last part, end of Season 3 will be highlighted.

As of yesterday, sign-ups for Balkan DotA League Season 4 have started. The deadline for sign-ups has not been determined yet so if you are interested in signing-up, follow the link and instructions right [url=http://balkan-league.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4][Here][/url]

Season 4 Changes

1. Balkan DotA League is shifting towards a new DotA client, Darer which in turn embodies a global gaming community. The two major assets the new client provides are automated hostbots, which will facilitate hosting procedures and a reconnection tool, which will allow players to rejoin the game in case of disconnections.

Balkan DotA League's official channel on Darer is BDL, which can be accessed by typing /channel BDL

2. Format of the league structure will be the same as last season, keeping the divisions system except this season, the league is anticipating a higher number of registrations, which would allow divisions up to five. More details on how the teams will be distributed across divisions is available on Balkan DotA League website.

3. Innovations pertaining to Balkan DotA League's website follow the integration of the league's own Replay Center where all BDL replays will be made available. In addition, BDL introduces weekly interviews where less known teams from the Balkan peninsula will get the chance to express themselves, hence raising public awareness.

Winners of Season 3

A brief recap of Season 3, in the finals Macedonian team Global Challengers met with Czech/Slovakian team Storm Games Clan. In a best of five games, GC came with a 1:0 advantage from the winner's bracket. In spite of GC's impressive start by winning the next game for a 2:0 lead, SGC came back beating GC three games in a row. It is certainly an impressive performance by SGC which found itself several times on the brink of elimination. Congratulation to Balkan DotA League Season 3 winners!

BALKAN DOTA LEAGUE SEASON 3 WINNERS
1st Place SGC

2nd Place GC

3rd Place 25cm

[Shoocky3V]

CCM, considered one of the best teams in China at the moment, adds another championship title to their list of achievements.

With only a fourth place finish in Starwars 6, the team was thirsting for victory once again. They can now rest, having won the ESpots Champions League just hours ago, taking down their opponents LGD with a 2-1 score.

CCM had a relatively easy ride to the Grand Final, facing NIUQU in round one. In the semi's they took down Tyloo and finally defeating the all-stars team DK in the winner bracket finals, gaining their one game lead.

On the other hand, LGD had a tougher time in the playoffs having to face Tyloo in the first round whom they lost too and went into the Loser Brackets. In the Loser Brackets they had to face tougher opponents, Nirvana.CN and DK. Through tooth and nail, LGD managed to pull through, setting up an epic Grand Final against CCM.

While LGD was able to equalize in the Grand Final, CCM took the third and final game back and sealed their fate as ECL Champions.

[xG4T0_M3STR3x]

CCM > TayLo ! (today)

[Spython]

Epic Dota 2 Beta Christmas Giveaway

We have another epic super deluxe Dota 2 Beta giveaway for you guys and gals. This time we have 20 keys, each one of that 20 keys contains another two which equals to 60 in total.



Instructions

[url]http://www.gamersbook.com/scene/news/epic-dota-2-beta-christmas-giveaway/[/url]

[_Dead_Shoot_]

DongRaeGu pushes MMA to game 7 in GSL Blizzard Cup



DongRaeGu ensured us that the curse of one-sided and pale GSL finals is broken. The 2011 Blizzard Cup grand finals was anything except that, as we had to witness a 40-minute game seven to see the winner's trophy get raised by MMA.

The seemingly unstoppable Terran from SlayerS, MMA, went up to 3-0 after exceptional hellion reactor play on Crossfire SE, Tal'Darim Altar LE and Bel'Shir Beach.

But the compLexity MVP Zerg DongRaeGu took three following games, on Dual Sight, Daybreak and Antiga Shipyard showcasing an immense focus and determination to not go out early.

We saw speed roaches and baneling drops, ultralisks then switching into brood lords and the whole shebang throughout the best-of-seven series.

MMA clinched the victory with marine, thor, siege tank and viking play on Shakuras Plateau after several tide-turning battles on the field.

The Terran wins 40,000,000 KRW for his run in Blizzard Cup, which is close to €26,500 EUR.

Final standings
1. MMA €26,500 EUR
2. DongRaeGu €6,600 EUR
3-4. MVP €3,307 EUR
3-4. MC €3,307 EUR

Links:
[URL="http://www.gosugamers.net/starcraft2/news/18101-dongraegu-pushes-mma-to-game-7-in-gsl-blizzard-cup"]Grand Final Table[/URL]
[URL="http://www.gosugamers.net/starcraft2/news/18101-dongraegu-pushes-mma-to-game-7-in-gsl-blizzard-cup"]Full Story[/URL]