One year ago many tipped two Eastern European youngsters, av3k and Cypher, to dominate international Quake but, despite their successes, it could be argued that both have yet to fulfill their true potential. The latter flys in to Dubai this weekend with a top seed to his name and a mountain of pressure on his shoulders. Since his breakout performance at ESWC 2006, Cypher has proved himself a prodigious talent but in the past twelve months the Belarusian player has been outdone by his American rival, rapha.
Famous for his fast-paced, aggressive playstyle, the now nineteen year old Cypher's only problem is putting in the practice. His prospects in Dubai rest primarily on this and it could easily be the difference for him between a shot in the final and an early playoffs exit. His recent form includes a win over Cooller in the ASUS Cup and a third place finish at Quakecon. Based on this, Strenx and Chance shouldn't provide too much trouble in the group stages and, if the work has been put in, Cypher has as good a chance as any of the top seeds of claiming the $3,000 top prize here.
Kevin "strenx" Baeza (fnatic)
Despite his lack of offline credentials, fnatic's newest recruit has been a dominant figure in a number of recent online tournaments and will get a chance to make up for a poor performance at IEM Cologne here. Playing alongside the likes of Spart1e and stermy seems to have done wonders in improving strenx's game and he is now considered by many as a dark horse to go far this weekend.
His oft-mentioned reliance on DM6, and the lightning gun in particular, will definitely be exploited by his opponents here though and the French player will be under pressure to show fans a new side to his game. Cypher might just be out of his reach but, barring an upset, it should be strenx's name going into the playoffs draw in second place.
Chance "Chance" Lacina (Evil Genuises)
America's third representative in Dubai, Chance, lacks the consistency of fellow countrymen rapha and DaHanG but remains a very capable player on his day. Most famous perhaps for his time playing Quake 4, Chance has a history that stretches right back to Quake 2. Even though he failed to break the top eight at Quakecon, his opponents in Group D are unlikely to underestimate him, especially in a best of three format.
Despite sometimes being criticised for being cocky, Chance once admitted in an interview with GotFrag that he thought he had lost more games than anyone else in the history of Quake. He'll be hoping to shake off that curse in Dubai and in particular will set his sights on upsetting strenx and nicking the second playoff place.
Michael "madix" Hindersson (Excello)
Excello's second representative in Dubai, madix, faces an even tougher task than teammate fazz and, like a number of others at this event, faces the unpleasant prospect of going home without a win to his name. Madix has taken part in a number of recent online events including the ClanBase EuroCup and should gain valuable experience from his trip to the United Arab Emirates. Chance will be his main target here.
The games will be streamed live on TEK9 vie ESL-TV.
Sorry im such a nooby so could you send me a link cheers corbi
when the stream is up you'll see it here on tek9....i guess
Yep!
Just keep an eye on TEK9. Corbie will be brining top-quality coverage as soon as it happens. All available streams will be on TEK-9 front page somewhere or another.
Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky (Serious-Gaming)
Kevin "strenx" Baeza (fnatic)
Chance "Chance" Lacina (Evil Genuises)
Michael "madix" Hindersson (Excello)
edited 2009-10-16 08:58:36
gonna be just sick :)
ESL-TV
ESL-TV
nais
prizepurse compared to Quakecon or ESWC Grand Finals is.... WTF? THIS IIIIIIIIIIIS DUBAAAAAAAAI :D
go Alexey!
The games will be streamed live on TEK9 vie ESL-TV.
The games will be streamed live on TEK9 vie ESL-TV.
Sorry im such a nooby so could you send me a link cheers corbi
The games will be streamed live on TEK9 vie ESL-TV.
Sorry im such a nooby so could you send me a link cheers corbi
when the stream is up you'll see it here on tek9....i guess
edited 2009-10-16 18:16:23
prizepurse compared to Quakecon or ESWC Grand Finals is.... WTF? THIS IIIIIIIIIIIS DUBAAAAAAAAI :D
go Alexey!
Why the fuck aren't you representing yet? :(
The games will be streamed live on TEK9 vie ESL-TV.
Sorry im such a nooby so could you send me a link cheers corbi
when the stream is up you'll see it here on tek9....i guess
Yep!
Just keep an eye on TEK9. Corbie will be brining top-quality coverage as soon as it happens. All available streams will be on TEK-9 front page somewhere or another.
not great but its not shit considering its 1on1, 3 grand for yourself is no slap in the face.
not great but its not shit considering its 1on1, 3 grand for yourself is no slap in the face.
he just means that its low comparing to the prizepurse quake used to have.
luckier than me mate..i won't be able to see the quarters semis or the final :'(((
fucking classes
luckier than me mate..i won't be able to see the quarters semis or the final :'(((
fucking classes
Sorry to hear that man. They better come up with VODs.
But anyway it's about to go down! Everyone, hit the stream tv.esl.eu/de/esltv_stream/stream/55-flv-free
edited 2009-10-17 16:37:43