IEM World Championship going LIVE - 1

All eyes turn to Hannover, Germany as the clock ticks down on the Intel Extreme Masters grand finale. ESL and Michal "Carmac" Blicharz have put on an amazing show this season, from the early heights of Dubai to the stunning continental finals, but right now it's all about the world championship and everything's still to play for. With just 24 hours to go, the players run through their final preparations and fans across the globe settle in for a true clash of the titans as the biggest QuakeLive tournament in history rolls into town.

The American Dream

Anyone who tells you that North America hasn't dominated QuakeLive so far is either ill-informed or blind to the truth. This is a results-based business and, so far, Shane "rapha" Hendrixson is the man with the results. The interesting thing about this event is that for the first time the Americans are arriving with a real air of uncertainty about them - not just with regard to their overall chances but also when it comes to their own internal hierarchy. SK's superstar is not in the position he was six months ago, mistakes have crept into his game and his competition both internationally and in the States has improved dramatically. This is not to say he's going to fail, but if he plays like he did in Edmonton then the Americans better hope someone else can carry the torch for them.

The player they'll look to is without a doubt Tim "DaHanG" Fogarty, the only other member of North America's fortuitously large travelling contingent with realistic ambitions of taking the top spot. A wildcard on the international scene for so long, Fogarty matured into a serious contender when he became the first player to knock rapha out of a major tournament at the continental finals in December. His unpredictable style of play has left him in trouble on occasions in the past but fans will be hoping the EG star has learnt from his mistakes and will turn what were previously narrow defeats into victories versus the likes of Anton "Cooller" Singov and Alexey "Cypher" Yanushevsky.

Neither of America's big names can be considered a totally safe bet, however, and you can take any online results with more than a pinch of salt. While the vast talent pool in Europe has allowed the top Europeans to distinguish themselves in recent months, their trans-Atlantic rivals have been in somewhat of a competitive vacuum since Dreamhack last year. The recent GDATA and ZOTAC results have done nothing but confirm the obvious - that rapha and DaHanG aren't going to finish joint last - but where they'll finish between there and first remains unclear. There's no doubt that the pair remains formidable opponents, but neither can afford to be complacent at any stage of this week's event.

Europe Divided

Just like North America looks to rapha and DaHanG, Europe has come to rely on its three Eastern European stars when bragging rights are up for grabs. Both av3k and Cypher have managed to pick up major titles in the months since Dubai and one suspects that Cooller might have done the same had he a bit more ruthlessness to his game. All three remain the continent's best hope of a first QuakeLive world champion and, despite the obvious differences in their respective playstyles, it's hard to pick a favourite from among them.

But where does this leave Western Europe? With three representatives of their own in Hannover, why can't one of Alessandro "stermy" Avallone, Magnus "fox" Olsson and Kevin "strenx" Baeza lay claim to serious title ambitions? Well, as was suggested on last week's Live on Three, the suspicion remains that, while the latter has potential, both fox and stermy just don't have the ability to win consistently against the world's best players right now and neither are getting any younger. Both are obviously top quality players but at no point since the release of QuakeLive has either of them shown more than the occasional flash of brilliance. This may sound harsh, but right now they just can't compete game after game with the top five and there's no point pretending otherwise.

As for strenx, he remains a somewhat more unpredictable element at this week's finals. fnatic's controversial French player was the surprise package at the EU championship and won't be at CeBIT to make up the numbers. For those who can look past his sulky interviews, the possibility that strenx has always been one good LAN performance away from becoming a major contender is more than just a flight of fancy. Sublime aim can only go so far but it certainly does no harm and if the French player is smart, he'll already be planning a way out of group B. DaHanG and dkt should be his main targets - neither will have much experience going up against him and should not be considered unbeatable for the French player. An unlikely hero at the best of times, strenx might just be Western Europe's best hope.

Highlights and Heavyweights

Picking out the must-see games and the biggest stories from a tournament with more title contenders than underdogs is never easy and if there's one thing than fans worldwide can agree on it's that ESL have outdone themselves with three different streams on the go for their season finale. rapha versus Cooller on day one could arguably be the most anticipated match-up in some time but both Cypher and av3k are also likely to draw in a huge following for their group stage encounters. The latter in particular will be under the highest scrutiny over the course of the tournament as the fallout continues to rage after his now infamous "T7 replay" in Cologne.

With such a wealth of talent on display, there's likely to be no shortage of action as events unfold and TEK9 will be here all the way to bring you latest scores, previews, reviews and more. The stage is set and all we can do now is wait...