2 great seasons of Apex are behind us but their presence is very much felt with this seasons final 4 teams. We have 2 previous winners and a runner up among the final 4, all battling each other for the right to meet in Busan. While the quarter finals ended up being slightly lackluster, we were still privileged to some great action and now we have the top 4 teams ready to go head to head.
After a month of intense competition, 8 teams have separated themselves from the pack. These teams now face off in a double elimination quarter final series, fighting for a chance to be the champion of Apex Season 3. During the first round of 16, we were privileged to a lot of action both on and off screen as well as an interesting evolving meta that has made the current competition season very exciting. Not to mention a lot of smack talk, teams disbanding, players leaving and big teams being eliminated. If the round of 16 is anything to go by, the quarters are going to be intense!
Last week I was lucky enough to finally attend my first Apex game live at the OGN e-Stadium. I was even more lucky because that night Lunatic Hai was playing and tickets are generally sold out to those games courtesy of Lunatic Hai’s raging fan girls.
Located in Digital Media City, in the western part of Seoul, the OGN e-Stadium sits on the top couple of floors of the S-Plex center and is really set up nicely. Seating for a few hundred people on the main level and more seating on the top floor gallery gives spectators a great view of the massive main screen set up above the stage. Player booths are set to either side and fans can easily see each team and snap pictures of them through the glass. The lights and set all work nicely as a center piece of this simple yet impressive stadium.
Continue reading “OGN’s SPLEX is an Awesome Esports Stadium”
New video up, this week I talk about my new home set up and my current plans for video streaming and the reasons behind it. Also a bit about how I am focusing on esports these days and writing about Apex and Overwatch. Things are coming together nicely
The first week of games have finished in OGNs 3rd Apex season and already we are seeing some big differences from the first 2 seasons. New rule adjustments and a change in the meta has seen a shift in the premier Overwatch competition. While the format remains mostly the same, the adjustments to the rules have helped even things out and provided some exciting new options for teams. The newer patch with the 1 tick capture (tie breakers) for assault maps has come into play (even if it was a day late). The patch also features the Lucio changes and Orisa is now available to play. Also the map pool has been expanded, meaning all maps are now available for selection in each map type, removing any map selection advantages some teams were able to enjoy in season 2. Read on to see some more takeaways from the early games.
Most sports fans are use to the preseason madness of big announcements and player controversies, most of which are usually forgotten once the first whistle blows. It seems Esports and OGN’s 3rd Apex season will be following suit. With an emerging match fixing scandal, players being ‘forced’ to step down because of fan outrage and the chance that esports is set to be a medal event at the 2022 Asia Games, this season is going to be anything but dull. And the icing on the cake, 3 more Overwatch maps will be coming this year, oh happy day!
Continue reading “Big announcements and controversies ahead of the Apex Season 3 opener”
Super Week is finally over and after 4 days of competition we have our 6 teams moving on to Apex Season 3. The format this time round was different than normal due to the need to promote 6 teams rather than the usual 4. This gave us a more lengthy series than you would normally expect. 2 groups of 4 teams would battle it out with the top 2 teams in each group advancing after a double elimination tournament. The bottom 2 teams from each group would merge into a single group and again play a double elimination tournament to select another 2 teams with the 2 losing teams heading down/back to the Challengers series.
The 2nd semifinal from OGN’s APex season 2 saw a creatively rampaging Meta Athena come up against a strategically aggressive Lunatic-Hai. Meta Athena was looking to push their undefeated streak into the finals while Lunatic-Hai was looking to finally secure the number one spot after coming so close in previous tournaments.
Continue reading “OGN Apex S2 Semi Final 2: The streak falls short”
It’s semifinal time for OGNs Apex season 2 and the first match up saw dark horse Runaway take on favourites Luxury Watch Blue (LWB)
Semifinals always give promise for intense match-ups as teams and players fight that little bit extra harder when everything is on the line. Sometimes teams buckle under the pressure and sometimes the matches fail to live up to expectations. But this semifinal gave us everything we were hoping for, a gruelling back and forth exchange between 2 teams, going to a fifth deciding map in a final filled with massive plays from both sides. While Runaway might have secured the win, it was by no means easy and LWB was not going down without a fight
Continue reading “OGN Apex S2 Semi Final 1: From Relegation to a shot at glory”
I’m sure by now that those of you who follow competitive Overwatch are aware of the suspension of 2 players from Lunatic- Hai early in February. Lunatic-Hai are currently competing in OGN’s 2nd Apex season. The suspension happened mere days before their next scheduled game. While this has been covered by other outlets its worth exploring why this even happened. Was it drugs? Violent behavior?
No, they were trying to pick up girls via social media and have been suspended for an entire season because of it. Continue reading “The Lunatic Hai suspension”
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