The qualifiers and grand finals of the Inter-University Esports Championship 2019 is now out as a 1-hour tv programme. You can watch it on the TV1 YouTube channel!
Call of Duty Modern Warfare(CoD4) is a game that needs no introduction to the Sri Lankan eSports community. A game that constantly clocks in over a hundred teams each year at SLCG, CoD4 has cemented its place in competitive eSports.
A game with so much history to it naturally has fierce competition. Despite this nA| Team Spite has remained at the top of the rankings.
Current Roster :
SvTuE (C)
Peace
Sylax
Ghost
Hope
Garfield
Kwickstep
We met up with captain Sameera ’SvTuE’ Vidushanka for this interview.
Q: “Team Spite” is an interesting name. Where did it come from?
A:Truth be told I made this team just out of “Spite” because everyone said we didn’t have what it took to win. 3 years later we are one of the most accomplished teams in SL esports, and I have to thank everyone who has helped us on our journey.
The team was formed in 2016 when things were looking bad for us . No one gave us a
chance . We even had to leave the clan where we initially formed the team. When I formed the first roster no one thought we would last or be able to win anything.Thankfully the Noob Alliance admins saw our true potential and took us in, with their
support and our players we’ve dominated the CoD4 scene ever since.
Q:What’s the secret to your success?
A: Well I believe that we have the best group of players that have the ability to
work as a team. Also we’ve been playing together now for the better part of 3 years.
When a team plays together for long you develop synergy which makes preparation easy. We have our ups and downs like any team but I think that’s the major reason we’ve been able to stay consistent through the years.
Q: How much time do you guys commit to practicing?
A: To be honest , we don’t get a lot of time to practice. All our players now have work related commitments so we only have a limited amount of time for prep. We always
allocate time however possible before major tournaments.Other than that we play
scrims whenever possible to stay in touch with the mechanics of the game.
Q:What do you think makes you stand out above the rest and is there anything you’d like to work on moving forward?
A: I think our major strength is that we have a perfect balance of experience and
new blood. Some of our players have been part of the community since the very beginning, so are able to handle pressure really well.In the past we have at times struggled to maintain precision in our plans so I would say that’s something we need to work on.
This week we dive into the battlegrounds of DOTA 2.
Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The game is a sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which was a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Dota 2 is played in matches between two teams of five players, with each team occupying and defending their own separate base on the map. Each of the ten players independently controls a powerful character, known as a “hero”, who all have unique abilities and differing styles of play. During a match, players collect experience points and items for their heroes to successfully defeat the opposing team’s heroes in player versus player combat. A team wins by being the first to destroy the other team’s “Ancient”, a large structure located within their base.
PNX| Indomitus are currently #1 for DOTA 2 in the country.
Notable achievements:
Battle of the Mortal Gods Winner
SLCG 17 2nd place
KOL 17 Winner
Gamerfest 17 Winner
Acer Predator League 2019 : Sri Lankan Qualifier – Winner
SLCG’18 – Winner
SLT Esports Championship 18 – Winner
Battle of the Mortal Gods: Season 4 Winner
We got in touch with Viren ‘Hawkie’ Dias to figure out how Indomitus keep winning.
Q: Over the past few tournaments we’ve seen you play with alternating rosters. Will we seeing a stable roster anytime soon?
A:Well, the team isn’t currently active as there has been a lull in tournaments, plus I have been a little burnt out after all the marathon practice sessions leading up to the Acer tournament in February.However, there should be a tournament coming up towards the end of this month and we’ll probably discuss it among ourselves and announce a roster shortly
Q: What makes helps you to constantly stay on top?
A:Well, it’s a mixture of keeping up to date with the meta and staying in form. You do this regularly playing ranked matchmaking, reading patch notes and watching pro games. And then when it comes closer to tournaments, you scrim daily.
.
Q:How much time do you commit to practicing?
A:Up to 4 hours a day on weekdays and up to 8 hours a day on weekends depending on work and other life commitments. Ideally you want to be playing more if you’re really serious and want to go pro. But hey, life.
Q: How did Indomitus come into being?
A:Well that question would be better posed to some of the older members of the team since I wasn’t around when it was originally formed. However, I can tell you about how I joined Indomitus.
As you well know, I was in Thé Kadé for a very long time before this. It was originally a team of friends, but as time went on life caught up and several of our friends became inactive. Eventually, it was just down to 2 of the original members: Mirsab and myself. With Mirsab being unable to attend a lot of the local tournaments as he was in Malaysia, I decided it was time to put Thé Kadé to rest, and I considered retiring myself as well.
That was when Muntha approached me and convinced me to join Indomitus to play SLCG 2017.
Q:What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are
A: Strengths – we’re a good team.
Weaknesses – we’re not a great team
Maximum Ladders 2k19 was a LAN COD4 tournament held on the 29th and 30th June at Play Arena. The tournament amassed a whopping 30 registered teams. Over the course of the two days teams fought it out on the familiar terrains of COD.
nA Team Spite came in first place after an extremely intense final where the match had to go to a tie breaker.
M-eS- IMEX took home second while Team Zu came in comfortably at third place.
The 15th and 16th of June saw Esports athletes representing over 50 universities across the country congregate at Stein Studios to compete for a place in the grand finals of Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship powered by Sri Lanka Telecom. All regions across Sri Lanka were represented, from government universities such as the University of Moratuwa, Peradeniya, Jaffna and Sabaragamuwa, to private universities such as APIIT, NSBM, IIT, ICBT and the defending champions SLIIT as well as many others. 700 Esports athletes signed up to compete.
After two days of nail biting Esports, chants and cheering, wins and losses, encounters between seasoned veterans and amateurs alike, fueled by the energy of the Esports commentators and fans, the Championship drew to a close with SLIIT and IIT being chosen as the worthy competitors for the Grand Finals.
With the spotlight now shining on the Esports teams from SLIIT and IIT, both teams got busy with practice for the grand finals. Winning the largest university-level sporting event in Sri Lanka requires passion and dedication, and the Esports athletes from both universities took it to heart in their preparations.
Conceptualised as a university-level big-match, the grand finals included a unique digital entertainment experience with music and performances by mainstream artists intertwined with Esports matches. The audience was able to take in the intense Esports action alongside engaging giveaways by event sponsors.
The two universities were given 4 titles to perform in, with a 5th title being introduced in the event of a tie breaker. Both universities put forward their best talent for each game title – Mario Kart women’s, DOTA 2, Call of Duty and PUBG Mobile.
Sri Lanka’s leading percussion band NAADRO opened the day with their ground-shaking beat, getting everyone ready for the battle to come. Dhanith Sri and DRILL Team highlighted the afternoon with their performances.
MARIO KART
Games kicked-off with Mario Kart, the world famous go-kart-style racing video game. The two female contestants take each other head on in a best of 3 encounter where the contestant from SLIIT, Nadeeshani Jayasinghe more commonly known by her gaming name Foxy, cruised to victory against IIT’s Imanthi Jayakody marking SLIIT’s first win of the day and putting them ahead in the Championship.
DOTA 2
Up next, Dota 2 – the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game.
The two teams from SLIIT and IIT took their time to plan out their strategy in the game during the initial phase also known as the draft phase of the match. Thereafter the action began with the match going both ways close to an hour as the two teams traded team fights and strategic locations on the map. Showcasing pure talent and an enduring team spirit, the team from IIT eventually came out on top reeling in IIT’s first win of the day and leveling the points at the Championship.
DOTA 2 teams:
IIT:
Pavan Perera
Nigel Gunawardene
Jayath Marasinghe
Thilan Malaka
Kavisha Wijeyasuriya
SLIIT:
Mandula Sugathapala
Uvin Ratnayake
Gamith Medagama
Thisura Weerakkody
Harun Hussein
Nisal Sugathapala
Isuru Masinghe
CALL OF DUTY
Up next was Sri Lanka’s most popular gaming title, Call of Duty 4. The two teams from SLIIT and IIT emerged into the battlefield with the intention of proving their might. The match was closely fought with SLIIT and IIT both showcasing their skill and talent in being the top two Call of Duty university teams in the country. With IIT going into the match as favorites, the match was intense and had moments where the underdogs looked like they would triumph. SLIIT, down one-man from their usual roster due to disciplinary action by the Sri Lanka Esports Association, had to make up for it with smart play and perseverance. IIT eventually managed to edge ahead of their opponents to claim the win. This put IIT ahead in the points table with only one title left to go.
Call of Duty teams
IIT:
Dillon Paulusz
Vishal Perera
Aqeel Sirraj
Toran mayantha
Oshada
Sith Indunil
Dilakshan
SLIIT:
Bhanuka Jayamanna (c)
Rashinda Sandaru
Harry Manoharan
Pinsara Randunu
Nisal nidarsha pathirana
PUBG Mobile
The fourth and final game of the day – PUBG Mobile. IIT was one point away from winning the championship, and SLIIT needed to win this to push into a tie-breaker.
Teams consisting of 25 players from each university jumped into the battlefield and the battle began. Momentum continued to shift back and forth with each passing minute as player by player got eliminated at the hands of an opponent.
After a grueling and nail-biting encounter, the end of the match saw just 5 players left on the map – a lone player from IIT, and 4 from SLIIT. Fighting against the odds and surrounded on all 4 corners, IIT provided the biggest upset as their player held his nerve to take down his SLIIT opponents one by one. The crowd erupted as the players from IIT rushed up on stage to claim what was rightfully theirs – now the Champions of the Inter-University Esports Championship 2019! “IIT, IIT, IIT” the crowd chanted as the trophy was lifted on the main stage.
PUBG M team
IIT:
Pavan Perera
Arshad Azaad
Chamal Lakpriya Perera
Nishara Ramasinghe
M.I.M Ahsan
Prasheen Jonathan
Danidu Codipilly
Janith Kodagoda
Shehan Katukurunda
Rihan fernando
Jawith Afrid
Pasindu ekanayake
Paul Melchi Zedek
Thavindu Lakshitha
Piven Ekanayake
Shehan Katukurunda
Nevjith gavina rathnaweera
Danidu Codipilly
chehan rakitha nonis
Damith Shehan
Vaseekaran
Shashika Yushan
Jayath Marasinghe
Thilan Malaka
Tharindu Maduranga
Kaushika Siyasingha
SLIIT:
Kulasinghe W D K A
Wijenayake A
Madhuwantha K A N
Wijewardana L
Wickramasinghe S M
Anuda D G R
Theeraj S M D
Habishan J
Majeed Z
Kalid A
Weerasinghe C
Giwantha Wijekoon
Thushidan
Fernando S
Wanigathunga C V
Bandara S
Fernando D
Gunasekara O W R L
Pradeep S
Dananjaya Sandakalum
Heashith V
Jayawardena D
Harsha S
Rajapaksha T
Abdul Aziz
Taco Bell awarded a Rs. 5,000 voucher and Taco Bell merchandise to the “Gamer to Taco’bout” – Ravindu De Alwis who pulled of the amazing 1v4 win in PUBG Mobile to secure the title for his university.
The University Esports calendar came to a close with SLIIT conceding their trophy to IIT in a closely fought battle. The trophy will take its place at the IIT premises, until universities will once again rise to the challenge next year as they compete for ultimate glory.
The close of the Inter-University Esports Championship marked the completion of the first of an Esports series, with the Mercantile Esports Championship coming up in August.
The Inter-University Esports Championship was powered by Sri Lanka Telecom, with all games and live streams being run via super-fast SLT Fibre connectivity allowing low latency, lagless gameplay and streaming. Sri Lanka Telecom PLC has been at the forefront of empowering digital entertainment and Esports in Sri Lanka with product offerings catering to gamers in the country.
A trusted brand in the technology sector, DELL was the gaming Laptop partner for the Championship. DELL launched their DELL Gaming line of Laptops at the qualifiers – premium design with thin bezels and lightweight for portability. The DELL G5 and G7 machines have unrivaled power with gaming-grade internals that will pump out fluid graphics with even the most demanding games thrown at them.
Red Bull was the official Energy Drink partner – giving wiiings to the gamers’ Esports sessions and facilitating performance at the next level. Red Bull conducted an engaging competition at the grand finals allowing gamers and spectators to win free Red Bull.
Samsung joined as the Mobile partner featuring the Galaxy A80, the World’s first Rotating Triple Camera with 48 Megapixels. Popular Tech Youtube personality Chanuxbro took the stage to play a friendly game of PUBG Mobile with the audience, and to talk about the new Galaxy A80 phone. Visit https://bingo77usa.com/bingo-promo-codes to find out all relevant information about bingo promo codes. The Galaxy A80 boasts a superior rotating triple camera setup which gives users the same high resolution on both front and rear. It is equipped with a new infinity display which provides uninterrupted viewing so users can enjoy their favourite movies, games and videos. Samsung gave away a brand new galaxy A80 at the Grand Finals to Ishan Maduranga who was the lucky winner of its Facebook competition.
FriMi was the official Digital Banking partner for the event. Ticket and food purchases at the venue were seamless with the FriMi app, along with great cashback offers for all participants paying using FriMi. Enabling today’s youth with an end to end digital experience, from opening their primary banking account to handling all their day to day financial transactions, payments and money management all on their mobile phone.
Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were the official food partners at the event, keeping hungry gamers fed and satisfied with food stalls situated inside the tournament premises.
In this series we try to pick into the brains of the ranked #1 team/players in each competitive game.
This week we dive into the realm of Overwatch.
Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Described as a “hero shooter” Overwatch assigns players into two teams of six, with each player selecting from a roster of 30 characters, known as “heroes”, each with a unique style of play whose roles are divided into three general categories that fit their role. Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time.
It’s basically a FPS combined with a MOBA.
nA|BlackWatch are currently #1 for Overwatch in the country.
Their notable achievements include :
Their current roster is as follows:
Falca
Bouncyknight (C)
Sleepy
Jonaboy
Madhu22
Sukiribole
Ppeexxel
Deathshot
Naenae
We met up with Ruvin “Bouncyknight” Kularathna to understand how Blackwatch functions and what makes them the best.
Q: How was the team formed
A:Well Sukiribole was the one who convinced me to buy the game, after that i convinced some of the players from my COD4 team to buy it(Madhu, Sleepy and Jonaboy), we found out that Bouncy was also playing later, so since we had 6 players we decided to form the team.
Q: What differentiates you from other teams?:
A:I think we have got a solid dive comp, and most teams in Sri Lanka struggle to deal with dive. We exploit that a little better than others.
Q: What’s your motivation to keep practicing?:
A:These days none. When we started we practiced whenever we could to beat NWA, the top team at that time, that was our only motivation. After we beat them, the number of practice sessions decreased, since the start of 2019 stopped practicing as a team altogether. But I guess the team synergy we built is enough to stay on top.
Q:What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are:
A: Strengths definitely Dive comp, specifically Dive comp with Pharah, widow, winston, dva, mercy and zen. After ppeekxxel joined the team we swapped the zen for lucio. A rein Zarya comp is at like the middle ground of our strengths, it’s not as good as our dive, but we still can play it to a good extent.
Our weaknesses i’d say is bunker comp, with orissa and hog, our tanks are not experienced with it, so it’s a bit harder to play for us.
The 2nd Esports Academic Seminar will be held adjacently with the 4th Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) as a parallel program on August 30th, 2019. Most recent esports academic research will be shared with the public to support the enhancement and sustainability of esports
Esports Academic Seminar was introduced during GEES 2018 by IESF, announcing its vision of the Global Esports R&D Center to support Esports researches through the Academic Research Center. (Reference: https://www.ie-sf.org/news/iesf-launches-global-esports-rdcentre-for-further-esports-development/).
Upcoming Esports Academic Seminar will once again be held in Busan in 2019. Further detailed information for the Seminar will be announced in the following days.
(Reference: 2018 Research topics)
| PRESENTER | RESEARCH |
|
Peichi Chung (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) |
Eposrts Governance in East Asia |
|
Je Seok Lee (University of California, Irvine) |
Understanding & Enriching Esports (Esports research at UC Irvine) |
|
Gil Fried (University on New Haven) |
Esports Risk Management |
|
Maria Stukoff (University of Salford) |
Esports and Equality |
Czech (Czech Esport Association, CEA) and Hong Kong (Esports Association Hong Kong, ESAHK) have now officially become new National Member Federations on International Esports Federation (IESF).
IESF will be working together with both CEA and ESAHK to support their Esports ecosystem development and engage to further develop the global movement
As of July 2019, fifty-four National Federations are the member of IESF. Twenty-three federations from Asia, twenty federations from Europe, five federations from America, four federations from Africa and two federations from Oceania. Among these member nations, thirty federations were approved by the National Olympic Committee and National Sports Authority in each country.
IESF is delighted to announce that Vlad Marinescu, current Board member of IESF and President of United States eSports Federation, has been unanimously appointed as the Vice President.
Vlad Marinescu said “I am honored to be entrusted by the IESF board with the appointment to the Vice President position. I wholeheartedly believe that a strong collaboration and exchange needs to exist between traditional sport and Esports to ensure sharing of values, practices and experience with the scope of educating the youth for a better tomorrow.”
IESF, thus thanks Magnus Jonsson for the expert manner in which he acted as caretaker of this important position. Please see https://www.ie-sf.org/news/the-way-forward-the-acting-vice-president./
As Vice-President, Vlad Marinescu has the following portfolios:
With Vlad Marinescu having served as a previous Director General of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federation), IESF President, Colin Webster is confident that Vlad has the necessary experience and competencies for IESF to reach its ambitions.
International Esports Federation (IESF) is delighted to announce that registration for the Global Esports Executive Summit (GEES) 2019 is now open.
GEES 2019 will be held in Busan for the third consecutive years on Aug 29th – September 1st at the Paradise Hotel. The main conference for sharing ideas, creating synergies, and most of all, to reach a mutual consensus for holistic esports development will be on August 30th, 2019.
GEES this year will be focusing on enhancing dialogues between esports and sports stakeholders, and to openly discuss relevant issues. IESF confirmed the six themes to be discussed at the GEES 2019. The themes of this year are as follows:
Registration for GEES 2019 will be conducted via the official. (Reference: http:// gees.rsportz.com) Early bird promotion for accreditation is available until 31 July 2019. IESF looks forward to welcoming the esports and sports community to Busan.
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