Under the name “Iron Squid” hides a brand New tournament that should entertain every StarCraft II Fan. The name Iron Squid was chosen to refer to the ability of multitasking that the progamers develop throughout their career. It is sometimes so developed that they lead us to believe they have more than two arms, some even get a nick name out of it, like the very famous Leenock(topus).
In the Iron Squid, 20 world class players from all around the globe will battle for a Juicy prize pool of $25,000. 14 players (+4 surprises) will be announced during the second half of January and two qualifiers will be run to get the last two spots. The group stage – 4groups of 5 players – will be played online as well as the round of 8.
Prize Distribution :
$12.500 $6.250 $3.750 $2.500 In addition, the final four will get their trip to Paris paid.
The game will be casted by two famous duos:
The French casters Pomf & Thud are the most active casters in their country, they casted big events such as the ESWC Paris and are famous for their funny and spectacular Way of casting. No need to introduce Total Biscuit and Apollo to TLers, the Brits have been casting many quality events lately, and their Britsh touch will fit perfectly the entertaining Iron Squid. Every games of the tournament will be casted from replay and uploaded as VOD on the Youtube channels of your favorite casters.
Regarding the Ro4 and the final, they will be played in a famous place in Paris, the 5th of May 2012. Over 2500 spectators will be gathered to attend this Live event and ENJoY the final games.
14 invited players means 2 spots left. These 2 spots will be up for grab with two qualifiers. In addition to his ticket for the Iron Squid, the winner will get $500 for his 1st place.
MarineKing One of the most impressive Micro all around the world. He was BoxeR, then Foxer and he was named MarineKing due to his Crazy Marine Gestion. His Clan is Prime, ONE of the oldest clan on Sc2, and he is their most charimatic player. His Only flaw would be that he is yet to win in a Major international Tournament. Will IronSquid be the ONE ?
Ret Macro Monster since Starcraft Broodwar, Ret continues his path on Starcraft 2 with his beloved Zerg race. When he is in Shape, he can be one of the most dangerous Zerg, as he beat up the European invitational and Assembly Winter. Ret is always a fan favorite as a member of the very famous Team Liquid, TL has been the corner stone of the SC community since BW and its team is among the fiercest.
The Terran was revealed to the whole world during the TSL3. His astonishingly tailored builds which carried him till the victory and the trophy made him famous. IronSquid will allow him to prepare his games and impress everybody once again. As the Ace Terran of Mousesports, the Swede can rely on very strong practice partners.
Practicing very hard in Korea, ToD is one of the very rare famous French of RTS. As a former WC3 legend, he is determined to extend his legacy to SC2. After his victory in Europe during the SEC, ToD is now aspiring to rule the world. His team –Fnatic – is one of the most accomplished teams in many games, Fnatic’s ambition was just demonstrated by the addition of Moon to the roster.
For more than a year, the Polish wonderkid has steadily increased his skill changing his online legend status to become a scary offline player. As he used to dominate the European ladder playing random, the Zerg knows every race in depth and knows how to give a rought time to any opponent. After his first offline title at the Battle in Berlin he aims at a bigger target with the IronSquid. The Pole joined Team Acer as soon as it was created, and still he's the spearhead of the line-up.
One of the very first Korean players to have been transfered to a foreign team, PuMa is a true winning machine. Unfortunately he has been experiencing difficulties to win on his own soil. He won nearly everywhere in the world, accumulating piles of money, but in Korea. Winning IronSquid would give PuMa a new country to check on his winning list and a new big cash to his name. The Terran joined Evil Geniuses right after his first NASL win, becoming part of one of the most powerful team.
If NesTea definitely won the most in 2011, the end of the year was marked by the burst of another Zerg player: Leenock. The Korean had a remarkable run to the victory at MLG Providence and came short as he was the runner up in the last GSL Code S. Leenock is one of the rare Zergs able to scare the Korean Terrans, a fear created by his constant aggressions allowed by top notch multitasking. Once in the shadow of his teammates sC and GuMiHo, Leenock is now FXO’s ace and winning the IronSquid would definitely fit his “Leenocktopus” nickname.
The Pole is one of the most appreciated players on the circuit, by both players and other people gravitating around esport. In addition to being nice, the Protoss is a fierce player who already has an impressive list of achievements of his own. Unfortunately, MaNa has been making a trademark of ending up in the second place. From DreamHack Winter 2010 to the ESWC, he accumulated the silvers but could never secure a big win. With the help of his Mousesports teammates, MaNa will play the IronSquid to finally break his curse and stand on the highest step of the podium.
Playing competitively since WarCraft III, the German has been one of the most consistent players since the release of StarCraft II. The protoss is known for his extremely cost effective way of using his units. The German already wandered the globe to play both WC III and SC II but he will give his best to be in Paris to play the finals. As the team captain of Mousesports, he will try to show the way to his teammates.
Arrived on WarCraft III when quite late, Stephano steadily improved on StarCraft II before his reputation skyrocketed as he won IPL3. Then he offered a ESWC world title to France and become one of the most dreaded Zerg in the world. He will try to conquer a second major title in Paris and increase his lead on other foreigners in tournament earnings by winning the Iron Squid. Stephano is Millenium’s lethal weapon and they made him the first progamer on French soil.
aLive has always been the most under the radar elite Korean players. Nevertheless the Terran never dropped off GSL Code S even with the new system saving only 8 players. aLive is a threat in every tournament he enters and the only thing he lacks to be recognized by the fans as he deserves to be is a major title. Just hired by Fnatic, he will soon become the corner stone of the line up thanks to his consistency.
Jjakji is one of the latest revelations on the Korean scene, among all the great terrran players of the November 2011 GSL edition, his success was unexpected. In a very tough GSL tournament he entered every game as the challenger, but it did not prevent him from winning the whole competition. Jjakji is now looking for glory in international tournaments and he will try to start his world conquest with the Iron Squid. His Team –New Star HoSeo – has several confirmed GSL level players, but as a GSL champion, Jjakji is definitely their ace.
IdrA is the character the community loves to hate, the bad boy is a real superstar on StarCraft II. But it is in game that the Zerg expresses his true talent, his brilliant macro allows him to step up and face the best Korean players. The one who is nicknamed “the Gracken” is one of the rare players who won a major tournament since Koreans are playing out of their homeland. IdrA is Evil Geniuses’ icon and thanks to his team’s partnership, he can practice in the Slayers’ house in South Korea.
After two GSL titles, MC went through rough time but the Protoss President found the strength to come back even stronger. When he plays his best game, MC is nearly unstoppable as he uses his insane micro to put his opponent under a constant pressure. His last trip to Europe was filled with success as he won Home Story Cup 4 and MC surely wants to confirm his domination by winning in Paris which would be imply another great show from the Protoss. MC was just recruited by SK Gaming as the German powerhouse made him its star player.
Yes, Iron Squid was made to be a 16 players tournament. But considering its instant success and the quality of the players wanting to take part, four world class players are added to an already star studded line-up. We are very proud to announce you the last four players of the first chapter of the Iron Squid!
BoxeR The Emperor, that the name that shall be used when talking about BoxeR. The Korean is one of the pioneers of professional gaming, who became a living legend by dominating BroodWar. The man created his own team on StarCraft II, and keeps on playing at the highest level while instructing younger players that are becoming the best forces on the scene. In IronSquid, BoxeR has a chance to win his first title on SC II, and use the occasion to meet his French fans in Paris. BoxeR is the founder and manager of team SlayerS, he contributes enormously to the development of e-sport in Korea.
MMA If BoxeR is the Emperor, MMA is the legitimate heir to the throne. Trained by BoxeR himself, MMA first conquered the international scene by winning the MLG Columbus before climbing the GSL ladder till he won it all in October. MMA is impressive in every match up and very few players have won more titles than he has. In his quest of world’s number one, the captain of Team SlayerS will come to Paris to win.
NesTea With the announcement of NesTea, Iron Squid enters a new dimension. The king of Zerg has been dominating in 2011, winning nothing less than 3 GSL titles. The one Artosis calls “the 1000IQ Zerg” rarely shows up in international tournaments as he rather focuses on the GSL. As Mvp took the Blizzcon title of his hands, NesTea enters the tournmanet with the strong will to finally get a first international title. Elected best Zerg in 2011 at the GSL awards, NesTea is one of the two big guns of Incredible Miracle.
Mvp Iron Squid has the ESWC world champion in Stephano, the tournament now opens its doors to the WCG world champion. A world title which was the cherry on the top a huge cake as Mvp destroyed the competition winning basically everything from the MLG to the GSL Code S. His wrist issues have prevented him to play at his best lately, but he stated that it is being healed and his talent makes him a natural favorite to win any tournament he enters. Iron Squid is no exception and Mvp will be looking for a first trophy on the European soil. Mvp share the ace status with NesTea as they both wear the Incredible Miracle tag.
The groups will eb announced very soon, stay tuned!
On January 16 2012 09:17 Xeris wrote: Does this mean the winner of each qualifier will get his whole trip paid? If this is the case, that's amazing!
Each qualifier gets a spot in group phase but the only players who will get the trip paid to Paris are the Ro4 players, the rest of the competition is played online.
On January 16 2012 09:17 Xeris wrote: Does this mean the winner of each qualifier will get his whole trip paid? If this is the case, that's amazing!
Each qualifier gets a spot in group phase but the only players who will get the trip paid to Paris are the Ro4 players, the rest of the competition is played online.
Oh i see, semi final is played at LAN and everything else online, gotcha. still very awesome idea !
On January 16 2012 09:17 Xeris wrote: Does this mean the winner of each qualifier will get his whole trip paid? If this is the case, that's amazing!
Each qualifier gets a spot in group phase but the only players who will get the trip paid to Paris are the Ro4 players, the rest of the competition is played online.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have one qualifier on EU servers and one on NA? EU -> NA lag isn't unplayable but it's annoying, it would give everyone a fair chance to qualify.
On January 16 2012 09:46 Seala wrote: Wouldn't it make more sense to have one qualifier on EU servers and one on NA? EU -> NA lag isn't unplayable but it's annoying, it would give everyone a fair chance to qualify.
For the moment NA is the fairest server for Asian - American - European players.
Anyways, I think it's a pity that there's only 2 qualifier spots and 14 invites - would've preferred if there were more qualifier spots (like an 8/8 distribution).
With such a huge prize pool, you should really spread it down to at least ro8... this kind of top heavy prize pool is really crappy for players such a bad habit of so many events.
No need to introduce Total Biscuit and Apollo to TLers, the Brits have been casting many quality events lately, and their Britsh touch will fitt perfectly the entertaining Iron Squid.
double "tt" there. Thist ournament sounds amazing! Huge prize-pool, I just hope the competition is up to snuff!
On January 16 2012 13:51 frontstab wrote: are we allowed to sign up for both qualifiers?
yes you can!
On January 16 2012 14:00 Adebisi wrote: Looks awesome, really happy to see qualifiers, and the balance between online and LAN play is cool.
Is this being held during another event? How do you know 2500 people will be spectating live? O.o
no this held as one specific event, P&T are really succesful in France and their last event was sold out in a few days (around 1.5k spectators). The place chosen this time is bigger and will be full as well.
On January 16 2012 16:24 Pokebunny wrote: What regions will the invited players be from? All EU/NA based players? Americans/Europeans including those in Korea? All regions of the world?
Always a pleasure to see new tournaments. Already showing promising quality, so I will be expecting great production and organization. I'm hoping for a successful tournament for everyone!
sounds and looks like an awesome tournament to come. Really looking forward to see the group stage and hopefully the offline tournament also! Wp Pomf & Thud to hold that and all the people in the dark behind, making this possible !
On January 16 2012 23:18 FunKaDeLiC wrote: sounds and looks like an awesome tournament to come. Really looking forward to see the group stage and hopefully the offline tournament also! Wp Pomf & Thud to hold that and all the people in the dark behind, making this possible !
To those saying that America is the best server, I would like to add: "yes, but only for those who have an American copy of the game". 60 euros for 2 qualifications is too expensive for most of us... If only Blizzard made a one day pass...
We had to choose a server who everyone can play with the best possible conditions, and that is NA since it is playable for all region with a correct delay.
@ Venue
It is a Great venue, and 2.500 places might be not enough ^^
On January 17 2012 00:09 Macpo wrote: I am so sad there is no EU qualification.
To those saying that America is the best server, I would like to add: "yes, but only for those who have an American copy of the game". 60 euros for 2 qualifications is too expensive for most of us... If only Blizzard made a one day pass...
I'm not going to lie, if you're a European Pro who can't borrow a NA account from a friend for a qualifier, or find a fan with a NA name to borrow you can buy one, but I wouldn't get your hopes up on standing a chance in this qualifier.
^Not to mention, if you're a serious enough player, it probably wouldn't hurt to make the one time 60 euro investment for an NA account. There are many other tourneys with NA only so i'm sure it would benefit you further than just 2 qualifiers
On January 17 2012 00:09 Macpo wrote: I am so sad there is no EU qualification.
To those saying that America is the best server, I would like to add: "yes, but only for those who have an American copy of the game". 60 euros for 2 qualifications is too expensive for most of us... If only Blizzard made a one day pass...
Guest passes? I think I might still have a couple if you need one.
On January 17 2012 00:09 Macpo wrote: I am so sad there is no EU qualification.
To those saying that America is the best server, I would like to add: "yes, but only for those who have an American copy of the game". 60 euros for 2 qualifications is too expensive for most of us... If only Blizzard made a one day pass...
Almost every pro player has NA and EU accounts, and a lot have all 3 (NA, EU, KR). Blizzzard has some awesome business sense, making 3409530 pros buy 3 acccounts, and I'd also guess most pros have 1-2 smurf names too, so its not unreasonable to think that a player on would spend ~250-300$ on SC2 accounts.
On January 17 2012 00:09 Macpo wrote: I am so sad there is no EU qualification.
To those saying that America is the best server, I would like to add: "yes, but only for those who have an American copy of the game". 60 euros for 2 qualifications is too expensive for most of us... If only Blizzard made a one day pass...
Almost every pro player has NA and EU accounts, and a lot have all 3 (NA, EU, KR). Blizzzard has some awesome business sense, making 3409530 pros buy 3 acccounts, and I'd also guess most pros have 1-2 smurf names too, so its not unreasonable to think that a player on would spend ~250-300$ on SC2 accounts.
On January 16 2012 23:18 FunKaDeLiC wrote: sounds and looks like an awesome tournament to come. Really looking forward to see the group stage and hopefully the offline tournament also! Wp Pomf & Thud to hold that and all the people in the dark behind, making this possible !
Will you try qualifications?
Downloading the f**cking 7gig US client to try out for the qualifications :D Probably wont make it to the top spot, but you never know !
He was interviewed and asked when his next tournament was and they couldn't be specific and say when or where as the tournament hadn't been announced but said it would be in February
On January 19 2012 08:24 Attero wrote: Any info as to the time of the Qualifier this Sunday? Sorry could not find it.
14 invited players means 2 spots left. These 2 spots will be up for grab with two qualifiers. In addition to his ticket for the Iron Squid, the winner will get $500 for his 1st place.
On January 17 2012 08:21 Naniwa wrote: damn looked so good. then i read its online. Sigh.
So was TSL 3 except that the there will be much more of an offline show for the finals!
He would probably have to play his matches from Korea = big lag, etc.
All that aside, very cool name for the tournament. Looking forward to seeing the invites.
Lag from Korea to America is actually very reasonable as has been pointed it many times in the past by people like Jinro. People playing from Korea against Europeans would be playing on the American server and neither would have an edge.
On January 16 2012 13:55 Azzur wrote: Great prize pool for the tournament!
Anyways, I think it's a pity that there's only 2 qualifier spots and 14 invites - would've preferred if there were more qualifier spots (like an 8/8 distribution).
Qualifiers seldom has a lot of the greatest players, as the IEM qualifiers show.
This will be a sick tournament, I am liking all the players announced so far and if there is a good showing of live audience the result will be spectacular!
On January 22 2012 21:09 Leviance wrote: Do qualifiers have a stream, too?
Qualifier will not be streamed, we will publish replays on www.IronSquid.tv. Also TB & Apollo will cast some of them in VOD for English audience, and P&T will do the same for French Audience.
On January 22 2012 21:49 Greendotz wrote: lol, that's some interesting attire Tod has in that picture. He reminds me of the SeeD agents from Final Fantasy VIII
On January 24 2012 02:16 dafunk wrote: Pomf & Thud are really great at finding sponsors and are very active on the French scene. What they are doing is really impressive.
On the other hand, they are AWFUL commentators. Their commentary level / analysis is below bronze. I'm not even joking.
Thud has a good insight of the game but Pomf is not that good tbh. I hope he will improve his knowlege on the game. really..
On January 24 2012 02:16 dafunk wrote: Pomf & Thud are really great at finding sponsors and are very active on the French scene. What they are doing is really impressive.
On the other hand, they are AWFUL commentators. Their commentary level / analysis is below bronze. I'm not even joking.
As I don't speak French and have never heard them, I cannot tell, but if it's true at least you frenchmen/women who got good English skills can listen to dApollo/TotalBiscuit. dApollo's analysis level is really sweet, and meanwhile the same can not be said about Totalbiscuit he's a really good commentator .
On January 24 2012 02:16 dafunk wrote: Pomf & Thud are really great at finding sponsors and are very active on the French scene. What they are doing is really impressive.
On the other hand, they are AWFUL commentators. Their commentary level / analysis is below bronze. I'm not even joking.
As I don't speak French and have never heard them, I cannot tell, but if it's true at least you frenchmen/women who got good English skills can listen to dApollo/TotalBiscuit. dApollo's analysis level is really sweet, and meanwhile the same can not be said about Totalbiscuit he's a really good commentator .
Even though Pomf is not very technical, he is good at entertaining the spectator ! Pomf&Thud FTW !!!
Symbol showing the kind of care for his units that you wish all zergs would.
Prompt burrowing and retreating of his infestors as soon as the energy is used etc etc.
Very low eco game from him, can't help but feel if he had a bit more power behind his reinforcement cycles he'd be overwhelming Kawaii. Then again perhaps he chose to do it this low eco because of the map.
Kawaii has very nice control as usual though and after about 6 rounds of ultra attacks he's got sooo many marauders that its starting to become inefficient for Symbol despite good control.
Symbol's ID in BW was NeeL and he was on the Hwaseung OZ A-team for periods of time. It's quite common for players to go back and forth between A and B team. Other players from Hwaseung OZ B-team includes Liquid Hero, IM Losira and Byun.
I only saw glimpses of the first game but holy shit symbol looked good. Shame he got knocked out by what I believe to be an unknown protoss in 'lure' in the gsl preliminaries.
On January 24 2012 06:23 MrCash wrote: They updated the bracket before airing the stream? It's already posted that symbol beat Polt 2 - 1 in tournament bracket.
They are playing replays from yesterday i think.
The qualifier winner has already been found which is in the spoiler + Show Spoiler +
On January 24 2012 06:09 milesfacade wrote: I only saw glimpses of the first game but holy shit symbol looked good. Shame he got knocked out by what I believe to be an unknown protoss in 'lure' in the gsl preliminaries.
Lure is solid, he's been to code A before, I'd guess Symbol's vP might be his weakest match up though too.
That said losing first round of the Code A he did qualify for isn't looking too bad now given how well Genius has played ever since then hehe. Symbol's had quite a few good series in the ESV Korean Weeklies too if anyone was interested in finding more of his games.
When Byun used to stream the two of them had some epic ladder games too =)
On January 26 2012 00:56 Whitewing wrote: I don't even know who the rest of the players are, but ThorZaIN's got this whole tournament.
Surely you jest! Puma, Hero, Nerchio all unknown to you? How can that be?
Well some people doesn't follow the scene
-_-
I didn't mean that I didn't follow the scene. I meant that, the rest of the players hadn't been announced yet, but regardless of who it was, Thorzain is going to win. Of course I know who Puma, Hero, and Nerchio are.
On January 26 2012 00:56 Whitewing wrote: I don't even know who the rest of the players are, but ThorZaIN's got this whole tournament.
Surely you jest! Puma, Hero, Nerchio all unknown to you? How can that be?
Well some people doesn't follow the scene
-_-
I didn't mean that I didn't follow the scene. I meant that, the rest of the players hadn't been announced yet, but regardless of who it was, Thorzain is going to win. Of course I know who Puma, Hero, and Nerchio are.
LOL he was simply emphasizing how much he believed ThorZain would win despite knowing who the rest of the unrevealed players might be
When i was watching Ragequit#3 on Pomf et Thud i saw that they used a very sexy "iron" scoreboard. Are they using a software or it's just a standard overlay?
I think those are the best players on the scene atm (even if IdrA & HuK are not in great shape, they are still fan fav and would gather so much attention to the tournament).
On February 04 2012 21:26 warzag wrote: This tourney doesn't appear on the main page of TeamLiquid but the drama of Stephano does, i do not understand.... :/
Yeah, wtf, didn't people look at the player pool? So many great players... actually only great players, anyone can win this, it's gonna be sick
On February 04 2012 21:26 warzag wrote: This tourney doesn't appear on the main page of TeamLiquid but the drama of Stephano does, i do not understand.... :/
Yeah, wtf, didn't people look at the player pool? So many great players... actually only great players, anyone can win this, it's gonna be sick
it will be featured on the right time, a few days/week before it starts
On February 06 2012 06:00 Reugadrev wrote: Thud spoiled MC will be joining the line-up
I guess you could say MC... is joining the IrOn Squid!
Snort.
Serious: I hope the broadcast isn't while I'm at work - I didn't know there were any big French casters but I'd like to watch them, it would be a fun way to brush up my French.
On February 06 2012 06:00 Reugadrev wrote: Thud spoiled MC will be joining the line-up
I guess you could say MC... is joining the IrOn Squid!
Snort.
Serious: I hope the broadcast isn't while I'm at work - I didn't know there were any big French casters but I'd like to watch them, it would be a fun way to brush up my French.
French casters mainly use english when casting SC2 games.
This tournament is so stacked... Though i'd say HasuObs and ToD (can't say for Life and Symbol) are a little bit under the level of the other players. What do you think?
This is it then right? 14invites have been done? It still sais the following in the OP that is why i ask this... The next players will be revealed soon, Stay tuned and get ready for the Iron Squid!
Really like the invites except i hoped for Grubby instead of Idra but thats the fanboy in me talking and cause i dont like people that are well known mainly cause of their manners instead of skills
On February 09 2012 06:20 WallieP wrote: This is it then right? 14invites have been done? It still sais the following in the OP that is why i ask this... The next players will be revealed soon, Stay tuned and get ready for the Iron Squid!
Really like the invites except i hoped for Grubby instead of Idra but thats the fanboy in me talking and cause i dont like people that are well known mainly cause of their manners instead of skills
I believe there's two more? Currently 12 invites + 2 quals
Sosick. This will be awesome, and the french casters/production are really good for once. (usually I watch english broadcasts even when french is available for the same event)
Sosick. This will be awesome, and the french casters/production are really good for once. (usually I watch english broadcasts even when french is available for the same event)
Same here. I loved the french stream during the qualifier #2 (couldn't watch the first one) And I really look forward to the tournament itself. Suck a sick line-up + Pomf & Thud carrying french esports FTW! GO STEPHANO!!!
On February 09 2012 23:48 WigglingSquid wrote: I am somewhat uninformed on the western scene, but aren't HasuObs and ToD a bit off compared to the other invites?
Let's be honest, it would be a huge surprise if one of those two managed to win the whole thing. But the fact that they are the clear underdogs just tells how fucking stacked this tournament is. They're far from being bad. They're both top 5 protoss in Europe (with Mana, Whitera and Socke, imo, maybe I'm forgetting someone) and I don't think they're going to get owned as bad as some may expect
EDIT: I did forget Naniwa and Sase, so let's say top 7 ^__^
On February 10 2012 00:31 Sephinor wrote: Yes Hasu and ToD are clearly under the level of the others. But both are friends of the organizers so I guess they got a spot...
LOL? If they had invited Moman and Sarens, you would have a point, but this comment is clearly not fair
I am somewhat uninformed on the western scene, but aren't HasuObs and ToD a bit off compared to the other invites?
Yes Hasu and ToD are clearly under the level of the others. But both are friends of the organizers so I guess they got a spot...
When we made the Line-up and invited both of them, HasuObs was in good shape, and ToD was the 2nd French player with Stephano.
HasuObs & ToD have up & down, we are knowing that, but that is not a reasons to literately kick them out. You should wait to see the match before complaining.
Well actually they're both some of my favorite players so i'm definetly not complaining (I've been a fan of ToD since WC3). I'm just stating my opinion regarding their current skill level.
Awesome that Idra and MC were announced at the same time on the same card, hope they get to face eachother! This should be very cool, glad to see more euro tournaments, lots of talented unknown players their!
On February 10 2012 03:45 Sephinor wrote: Well actually they're both some of my favorite players so i'm definetly not complaining (I've been a fan of ToD since WC3). I'm just stating my opinion regarding their current skill level.
Sorry if you took it as an offense though.
Well it would be hard not to take it as an offence when you accuse the organizers to pick players based on if they are friends or not.
On February 10 2012 07:55 Bagi wrote: I like all the invites... Except Puma.
I'm sorry, but to me this guy just isn't very exciting or interesting to watch. All he reminds me of is countless 1-1-1's in TvP.
My god, you have only watched about 5 of his games then, and I cannot believe that you cry about Puma's 1-1-1 but don't remark on MC's 2 base timings or how 'boring' Idra is to watch? (Not my opinion, based on your statements). I think you should grow up a little bit and definatley watch A LOT more puma games before making statements like that.
On February 10 2012 07:55 Bagi wrote: I like all the invites... Except Puma.
I'm sorry, but to me this guy just isn't very exciting or interesting to watch. All he reminds me of is countless 1-1-1's in TvP.
My god, you have only watched about 5 of his games then, and I cannot believe that you cry about Puma's 1-1-1 but don't remark on MC's 2 base timings or how 'boring' Idra is to watch? (Not my opinion, based on your statements). I think you should grow up a little bit and definatley watch A LOT more puma games before making statements like that.
MC and Idra both have somewhat boring/predictable playstyles (just like you said) but their personalities more than make up for it.
Puma is just... Puma. I mean he's a pretty good KR terran, but there are a hundred good KR terrans so he doesn't exactly stand out. I am allowed to have an opinion that is different from yours without needing to grow up, am I?
On February 10 2012 07:55 Bagi wrote: I like all the invites... Except Puma.
I'm sorry, but to me this guy just isn't very exciting or interesting to watch. All he reminds me of is countless 1-1-1's in TvP.
My god, you have only watched about 5 of his games then, and I cannot believe that you cry about Puma's 1-1-1 but don't remark on MC's 2 base timings or how 'boring' Idra is to watch? (Not my opinion, based on your statements). I think you should grow up a little bit and definatley watch A LOT more puma games before making statements like that.
MC and Idra both have somewhat boring/predictable playstyles (just like you said) but their personalities more than make up for it.
Puma is just... Puma. I mean he's a pretty good KR terran, but there are a hundred good KR terrans so he doesn't exactly stand out. I am allowed to have an opinion that is different from yours without needing to grow up, am I?
Generalising a guy that has won multiple-championships because he used a stratergy about 4/5 times in tournament matches is just stupid.
On February 10 2012 07:55 Bagi wrote: I like all the invites... Except Puma.
I'm sorry, but to me this guy just isn't very exciting or interesting to watch. All he reminds me of is countless 1-1-1's in TvP.
My god, you have only watched about 5 of his games then, and I cannot believe that you cry about Puma's 1-1-1 but don't remark on MC's 2 base timings or how 'boring' Idra is to watch? (Not my opinion, based on your statements). I think you should grow up a little bit and definatley watch A LOT more puma games before making statements like that.
MC and Idra both have somewhat boring/predictable playstyles (just like you said) but their personalities more than make up for it.
Puma is just... Puma. I mean he's a pretty good KR terran, but there are a hundred good KR terrans so he doesn't exactly stand out. I am allowed to have an opinion that is different from yours without needing to grow up, am I?
Generalising a guy that has won multiple-championships because he used a stratergy about 4/5 times in tournament matches is just stupid.
All I said is Puma reminds me of the 1-1-1 build, which is a build that he utilized a lot in winning NASL s1 and an IEM championship. Its just what I remember him doing, what I associate him with, it's not like I said all he can do is an 1-1-1.
On February 10 2012 07:55 Bagi wrote: I like all the invites... Except Puma.
I'm sorry, but to me this guy just isn't very exciting or interesting to watch. All he reminds me of is countless 1-1-1's in TvP.
My god, you have only watched about 5 of his games then, and I cannot believe that you cry about Puma's 1-1-1 but don't remark on MC's 2 base timings or how 'boring' Idra is to watch? (Not my opinion, based on your statements). I think you should grow up a little bit and definatley watch A LOT more puma games before making statements like that.
MC and Idra both have somewhat boring/predictable playstyles (just like you said) but their personalities more than make up for it.
Puma is just... Puma. I mean he's a pretty good KR terran, but there are a hundred good KR terrans so he doesn't exactly stand out. I am allowed to have an opinion that is different from yours without needing to grow up, am I?
Generalising a guy that has won multiple-championships because he used a stratergy about 4/5 times in tournament matches is just stupid.
All I said is Puma reminds me of the 1-1-1 build, which is a build that he utilized a lot in winning NASL s1 and an IEM championship. Its just what I remember him doing, what I associate him with, it's not like I said all he can do is an 1-1-1.
Calm down.
\ wow your troll bait rofl
anyway he used it 0 times in season 1 nasl
puma is my fav T atm PuMa has my favorite TvT play, his mech is definitely top 3, at least decision-making wise and how he plays it (not that he has even top 10, not even top 20 TvT). He also has the most beatiful drop timings in TvP, he litteraly predicts based off of gas timings when the twilight council will go down and drops to snipe it Litteraly amazing TvP, can beat anyone but maybe not some of the slayers P like Brown or Puzzle., . I think his TvZ needs improvement, but it can stand toe to toe with gods of TvZ like symbol and Leenock. Maybe not DRG, lol. I like how he is fairly even in all matchups, not just a TvZ or TvT sniper like MMA, or a ZvZ sniper like Nestea, but very well rounded, can be sent out in teamleagues and get like 3-4 kills on anyone.
PuMa: For this tournament, I didn’t use any 1/1/1 builds – instead I played my strategy according to how Liquid`HerO was playing. So I hope that fans who in the past have said negative things about me, that I use 1/1/1 builds too much, now after seeing my other style of play can see me more as a versatile player.
Thank you reddit for showing me this! the lineup is so SICK! (Sorry for IEM, but yes, this tournament brings much bigger names. I know fame is not always equal to skill, but there's a heavy correlation)
On February 10 2012 16:20 vthree wrote: Since the tournament will be played online until semis, does anyone know which server they will play on if the players are cross server? (EU vs KR)
Finally, a tournament with pretty big names. I'm tired of "big" tournaments with a bunch of nobodies, then they get destroyed by people like MC or Stephano.
On February 14 2012 06:24 Lennient wrote: It's weird that Nestea accepted to play in an online tournament. Regardless, this is going to be one hell of a tournament.
This is looking like a sweet tournament now. A shame there's no DRG though. Also, I might be blind, but when is the actual date of this tourney? I only see the ro4 date of May 5th, but when is group stage going to be played and aired?
On February 14 2012 06:24 Lennient wrote: It's weird that Nestea accepted to play in an online tournament. Regardless, this is going to be one hell of a tournament.
Cant wait to see Nestea vs Stephano <3
Weirder is that THEY contacted the Squid XD
The answered very late actually, but not late enough not to be added
I thought this tournament coulnt get any better, and then i see the last 4. . .
This is gonna be INSANE!!! Great job iron squid, this has the potential to be a VERY good tournament and certainly could be one that people will remember and want to see again. I hope everything pulls through technically sound since thats the only thing to prevent this from being so awesome.
Thanks again Iron Squid. Can't wait for the first games =D
Ooh, if only there was Huk, Naniwa, Oz, and Puzzle, then the racial lineups would be entirely even AND you'd have a legitimate case for being the one tournament to have all of the best champion foreigners and koreans in one tournament!
IMO you should do the ro8 live in paris instead of ro4 and have it the same format that Dreamhack Invational uses. Ro4 is just to short and will be a disapointment "/
I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
I hope you don't screw up this. I can bear Ponf&Thud destroying my ears with their casting but I won't survive another bad tournament in Paris; especially with the line-up here.
lol uu guyss sure idra wont just GG this time before the games start? Pretty sure he'll get demolished but anywho cant wait to see stephano play against the best in Sc2 while hes in his comfort zone :D
Edit : Seriously, it's gonna be sick. Any combination of players in RO8 will be the best RO8 ever. I could see like MMA, Mvp, MKP, NesTea, Idra, Stephano, MC & BoxeR :D
Like, 3 groups of 7, top player of each group advance, rank 2-3 fight for the last spot of the Ro4?
Edit : I understand that this may seem a bit weird, it's just that when I saw the lineup, I saw every single name that sounded like "Starcraft II excellence"... except DRG ><
Edit : Seriously, it's gonna be sick. Any combination of players in RO8 will be the best RO8 ever. I could see like MMA, Mvp, MKP, NesTea, Idra, Stephano, MC & BoxeR :D
yea, I dont think so about IdrA.
replace him with aLive, who just 4-0ed him in under 30 mins.
On February 14 2012 14:50 Motoorhead wrote: Whoa, what a stacked tournament!
I never thought I would consider IdrA to be the worst player in the pool, but damn in this tournament he is ;]
how is he the worst player in the pool? are you kidding me
I don't think people are clicking the spoiler tags and looking at the entire pool of players. Just a few comments ago one guy said replace Idra with aLive when in fact aLive is already invited
On February 14 2012 14:50 Motoorhead wrote: Whoa, what a stacked tournament!
I never thought I would consider IdrA to be the worst player in the pool, but damn in this tournament he is ;]
how is he the worst player in the pool? are you kidding me
I don't think people are clicking the spoiler tags and looking at the entire pool of players. Just a few comments ago one guy said replace Idra with aLive when in fact aLive is already invited
You didnt read that post correctly, I have quoted a guy who predicted the top 8, and then I ve said that aLive would more likely make it out there, than IdrA (his prediction)
On February 14 2012 14:50 Motoorhead wrote: Whoa, what a stacked tournament!
I never thought I would consider IdrA to be the worst player in the pool, but damn in this tournament he is ;]
how is he the worst player in the pool? are you kidding me
I don't think people are clicking the spoiler tags and looking at the entire pool of players. Just a few comments ago one guy said replace Idra with aLive when in fact aLive is already invited
You didnt read that post correctly, I have quoted a guy who predicted the top 8, and then I ve said that aLive would more likely make it out there, than IdrA (his prediction)
Yeah I just went back and caught up on the discussion and I actually agree with his prediction :p Mainly because I predict aLive to take out this season of GSL so he should show good play here
On February 14 2012 14:50 Motoorhead wrote: Whoa, what a stacked tournament!
I never thought I would consider IdrA to be the worst player in the pool, but damn in this tournament he is ;]
how is he the worst player in the pool? are you kidding me
I don't think people are clicking the spoiler tags and looking at the entire pool of players. Just a few comments ago one guy said replace Idra with aLive when in fact aLive is already invited
You didnt read that post correctly, I have quoted a guy who predicted the top 8, and then I ve said that aLive would more likely make it out there, than IdrA (his prediction)
Yeah I just went back and caught up on the discussion and I actually agree with his prediction :p Mainly because I predict aLive to take out this season of GSL so he should show good play here
Your posts are a bit confusing ^^
Well expecting MMA, MC, MVP, MKP, aLive, NesTea, Stephano, Jjakji (or Leenock) to enter Top 8.
PuMa never did too well against Top Korean competition.
I also LOVE how great TB and apollo have become... I remember earlier in SC when TB garnered a lot of hate; he absorbed that crap up rly well and has become stellar.
My only criticism (aside from me personally not preferring Totalbiscuit) is that this tournament isn't more well known. It has a great prizepool, casting duo and the player line-up is fucking sick, incredibly good. Will be tuning in when the main event starts.
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
OK, thanks for the quick response.
Do you mean the 1st show is at the end of Feb?
I am incredibly impressed with the lineup of players. I hope the tournament goes well. If it does IronSquid are positioning themselves to be amongst the very elite of SC2 Tournaments in the world.
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
OK, thanks for the quick response.
Do you mean the 1st show is at the end of Feb?
I am incredibly impressed with the lineup of players. I hope the tournament goes well. If it does IronSquid are positioning themselves to be amongst the very elite of SC2 Tournaments in the world.
last days of Feb or first days of march (in that range), but don't worry we'll provide every information! we hope so too!
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
Every games of the tournament will be casted from replay and uploaded as VOD on the Youtube channels of your favorite casters.
So there will also be a live stream for the group stage or only VODs? I'm confused.
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
On February 15 2012 00:01 Geordie wrote: What a terrible name for a tournament.. lol " iron squid "
It's actually a very smart name as it instantly draws attention to itself. You will remember this tournament because its name is random and stands out.
On February 14 2012 07:03 Shellshock1122 wrote: I just realized that this tournament is nearly 3 months away T_T I was so hyped for it to start!!! Ahh!! I don't know if I can wait that long!! This tournament is going to be so good
The Final is 3 month away, the Tournament will start pretty soon. but we have 4 groups of 5 players that take some time to broadcast everything.
So are the group games going to be uploaded to Youtube, as and when they are played/casted? Or are they going to all be released in May just before the Finals? Can we expect to see the Group Matches before May/April?
Yes you can the 1st Show will be aired at the very end of the month and the VOD will be available within the newt few days (after the show). With the addition of 4 more players, it also means more games to be casted, so it should be just in time for the finals in Paris
Every games of the tournament will be casted from replay and uploaded as VOD on the Youtube channels of your favorite casters.
So there will also be a live stream for the group stage or only VODs? I'm confused.
Live casts from replays (then available on VOD)
Oh ok, thanks, maybe you should update the OP because it's not very clear. Can't wait for this epic epic tournament to begin!
The name is unique enough to make you click at it - it succeeded in marketing. Now let's talk about the player lineup , when I saw MC IDRa i litteraly fell off my chair. And then when I saw the last 4 invites I litteraly fell 1 floor below me the neighbours were kinda mad.
On February 17 2012 07:38 SC2NeCro wrote: 3 Koreans and 2 foreigners in each group. IdrA is not getting out of his though.
Seems silly to think that any foreigner will advance. I know people are going to bandwagon with Stephano...but against MMA and jjakji?
Good luck to Ret though, because he certainly has the best chances.
Well, it is still online and KR vs EU, Nerchio lost only 4-5 to Jjakji in IPL Fight Club, Stephano shouldn't be the favorite but he certainly has a chance.
IdrA is a bit unlucky with being in Korea, no latency advantage for him.
Impossible to call a group of death, they're all SO good.
Shame not seeing a Canadian flag up there, but HuK's the only one really on par with most of these guys anyway. (Though Slush and Kiwikaki could beat some of them for sure).
Wait but esports is supposed to be non viable and dead if we don't pay MLG $20 for a weekend. How is this happening??? /eyeroll Sounds great, and I'm sure it will have a free stream, look forward to it.
On February 17 2012 08:25 TheDougler wrote: Impossible to call a group of death, they're all SO good.
Shame not seeing a Canadian flag up there, but HuK's the only one really on par with most of these guys anyway. (Though Slush and Kiwikaki could beat some of them for sure).
If only he wouldnt act like prima donna regarding cross server play he would be there probbably
Usually on Pomf&Thud's streams, you can hear some music from this band In Uchronia (youtube sample). Is the composer a friend of P&T, and if so, will that composer make some special music for the tournament? It would be soo sweet!
This tournament is really stacked, but what is the schedule? The half finals and the finals will be played in May in Paris, but what about the other rounds?
On February 19 2012 02:00 JustPassingBy wrote: This tournament is really stacked, but what is the schedule? The half finals and the finals will be played in May in Paris, but what about the other rounds?
Group play broadcasts start on the 29th of February. Don't know if streamed or only VODs uploaded to Youtube, but I'd assume it's going to be streamed, too.
On February 19 2012 02:00 JustPassingBy wrote: This tournament is really stacked, but what is the schedule? The half finals and the finals will be played in May in Paris, but what about the other rounds?
answer is in the teaser (they should probably update OP and put the info on the website)
The date for this tournament start (29th of Feb) should be advertised more heavily. It's nowhere to be found on the website except in the teaser VOD. Should put it in the threads on TL as well.
On February 22 2012 22:55 smwatkin wrote: The date for this tournament start (29th of Feb) should be advertised more heavily. It's nowhere to be found on the website except in the teaser VOD. Should put it in the threads on TL as well.
you should give a look to the thread in the community news
On February 22 2012 22:55 smwatkin wrote: The date for this tournament start (29th of Feb) should be advertised more heavily. It's nowhere to be found on the website except in the teaser VOD. Should put it in the threads on TL as well.
you should give a look to the thread in the community news
I've had a tough time finding when things start and the schedule as well, and I'm super pumped for this.
The start date/time should be plastered at this point on each of the various threads floating around about the event.
On February 22 2012 22:55 smwatkin wrote: The date for this tournament start (29th of Feb) should be advertised more heavily. It's nowhere to be found on the website except in the teaser VOD. Should put it in the threads on TL as well.
you should give a look to the thread in the community news
I've had a tough time finding when things start and the schedule as well, and I'm super pumped for this.
The start date/time should be plastered at this point on each of the various threads floating around about the event.
It starts on February 29, at 9pm CET, rebroadcast at 10PM EST (4am CET), and then rebroadcast at 6.30pm CET the day of the next show (so just before it starts).
I'll also repost what I posted on the other thread seeing as this one has more views.
=>>Pomf, one of the french commentators, as well as one of the founding father of Alt Tab Production (who manages the various P&T projects), was interviewed by millenium:
The two most interesting things to learn from this interview are the following:
-the location of the finals will be announced towards the end of march, it is in the center of Paris.
-Pomf's explanation of the Iron Squid concept:
We did not want to make another random tournament with a pompous name that can be summarized to an unattractive anagram, we wanted to give a particular and personal flavor to the tournament, to make it part of a story, a universe. This is how the "Iron Squid" name emerged (after a lot of brainstorming with Noki), the "Calamar de Fer" and the guiding principle of the tournament:
"The best players in the world will not fight to prove that they are the best, but to receive the title of Iron Squid, a sort of silent guardian of Humanity"
The rest of the story will develop throughout the tournament, but I'll stop the spoil here.
couple infos there: The planning of Iron Squid started in June, and Iron Squid has a 6 figure budget. Moreover, they purposedly "ignored" a few good players in selecting the invitations because their style is "predictable", and they want to have interesting and cool matches.
The advertisement is not good for this tournament.
A small but clear player list should be presented on the top. That's the most interesting information of all. People will look at this thread, not see what they want and leave it again.
On February 29 2012 19:11 MapleLeafSirup wrote: The advertisement is not good for this tournament.
A small but clear player list should be presented on the top. That's the most interesting information of all. People will look at this thread, not see what they want and leave it again.
Also, it's kind of hard to navigate the website. To find out the other groups than group A, you have to go under "Tournaments -> Group stage" (http://www.ironsquid.tv/tournament/1/stg/1). I think this should just be on the front page since that's what most people care about.
But yeah, I feel like the promotion is not as good as MLG/Dreamhack, yet they have a sick players lineup.
On March 02 2012 00:32 Neelix31 wrote: Where can i watch the games that are already played? I never have time when it is streamed.
There are some rebroadcast for each live. All informations are in www.ironsquid.tv you can click on schedule in the menu.
I think there will be vods of the show in the vods section in the future. For french, the HD qualification's VOD are already in the VOD section of the french version of ironsquid.tv.
Games seem good but there are some problems with the english stream:
- D.Apollo's voice was horrible during the intro, could barely understand him because of the mic quality and the crowd. - There is a lot of tearing in the stream, if not outright lagspikes. - The video and sound are desynched. We're hearing a lot of battle sounds while there's nothing going on and vice versa. The commentator sound seems to be properly synched with the video.
On May 05 2012 20:06 robih wrote: i am surprised how little i am interested in this event
Same here, and I think it's due to the long delays between games... I was interested at some point, then had to wait some weeks, then another wait... Lost interest in this even though the line-up looks so amazing :-(
I have to criticize the stream quality of the tournament. It's just plain horrible.
1. It offers a 1080p option, when the stream itself is nowhere near 1080p. 2. The sound quality is not 128kbps/44kHz(typical iTunes quality). Makes the sound very bland, lacks sharpness. 3. Framerate looks under 30 frames per second. Units do not move smoothly and somewhat stutter across the screen. 4. The screen tearing occurs almost every second. No vertical synchronization enabled. 5. The view of the game does not synchronize with the sounds I hear(ex. we're looking at a far away commander center while we hear banelings killing 20 marines.) 6. The stream's bitrate is too low, causing the game to look blurry - especially when moving the camera.
In my opinion is quite unacceptable for such a widely viewed and universal event. You have great casters, great public, great players, great viewers - and yet you cannot manage to present it in a way that doesn't make it somewhat painful to watch.