Spring Arena 2 is rapidly approaching! 32 players will meet in NYC on May 18-20, and the competition will be brutal. The Top 8 will be competing for a share of $26,400 in prize money, and top finishers will receive all-expenses paid trips to the Spring Championship, where they'll begin in Pool Play.
We currently know five of our 32 Arena 2 players: our Top 4 from Arena 1–DongRaeGu, Heart, Ganzi and MC (MarineKing cannot attend, and MC replaces him as the next highest Arena 1 finisher)–and the Winner of the Dreamhack EIZO Open–Thorzain. The remaining spots will be determined by the Invite-Only Online Qualifiers. All this week on MLG.tv, we'll be broadcasting the best matches from the Qualifiers, so you can see exactly who wins and how. More details can be found here. When the Qualifier broadcasts are complete, we will have our 32 Arena 2 players. Here's what you can expect to see on the streams during the Arena.
The Casters
We're switching things up a bit this time around, to bring you even more of the best casters in the business. We'll miss Tasteless and Artosis at Arena 2, but we're incredibly happy to announce that the casters for this event will be none other than Apollo, Totalbiscuit, Wolf, djWHEAT, Rob Simpson, and JP McDaniel. And once again, Adebisi will be providing us with his superb Observing on the Central Stream. And speaking of the streams…
The Streams
Spring StarCraft II Arena 2 will have eleven streams, all in HD.
- The Central Stream: Featuring highly produced content, the Central Stream is the Arena equivalent of the Pro Circuit Main Stage
- The GamePlay Stream: Loads of matches, chosen on the fly, complete with expert casting and replay analysis.
- EIGHT POV streams: Four POV streams will show the points of view of each player competing on the Central and Gameplay Streams. The remaining four will show the points of view of each player in two more matches that will not be cast. We want to bring you every single game of the three-day Arena, so if a match does not get cast on the Central or Gameplay stream, it will be aired on the POV streams.
- The Dr Pepper Ultimate Access Stream: Expert analysis, interviews, pros playing against the community, and more.
How to Watch
The Dr Pepper Ultimate Access Stream will be free to all, all weekend long. The first match on the Central and Gameplay streams on Friday and Saturday will be free. To access the rest of the Arena, you have two options:
Spring Season Pass: If you’ve already purchased a Season Pass, your HD upgrade code can be found in your email. (Be sure to check your junk mail.) To use the code, simply select an HD quality in the stream player and follow the steps to redeem it.
If you don't yet have a Season Pass, you can purchase one today in the MLG Store for $30 (or $15 if you’re a Gold Member). With a Season Pass, you’ll get access to Spring Arena 2, as well as HD access for the Invite-Only Qualifiers and the Spring Championship.
A la carte pass: Your other option is to get a $20 pass that will grant you access to Spring Arena 2, and HD access to the Invite-Only Qualifiers– these two events cannot be purchased individually. You can purchase the pass here, and then, once the event is live, switch to an HD quality in the video player and follow the instructions given.