Esports

Mid-Season Showdown Finals Weekend: Who Plays, Who Will Win and Where to Watch

Published

1 week ago

April 6, 2021

On Saturday, April 10, North America’s League of Legends Championship Series will cap off its 2021 Spring Season with the Mid-Season Showdown finals. All eyes are on the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational and, with the voracious Cloud9 as NA’s final boss, Team Liquid and TSM will clash for the chance to upset the domestic and international hopes of the league frontrunners in the Grand Finals on April 11.

Cloud9 on top

Cloud9 barreled into 2021 with a fat wallet and even bigger mouths; so far, they’ve backed it up. With their mid lane superstar Perkz finally settled in, Cloud9 looks like the world-class roster that fans had hoped to see perform at MSI in 2020. Their competition is Team Liquid and TSM. Their dismantling of TL in the second round of the MSS means it will likely be an uphill battle for the challengers.

When Cloud9 are online, they look to be a clear tier above their opponents in terms of teamplay and individual performance. Even the team’s “weakest” link, Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami, has played well as a pressure gauge for the team. Despite being a major point of focus that enemy teams try to exploit, he’s still raking in about 254 earned gold per minute, tying him for third out of all top laners in the stat. Despite his inexperience, his teammates view him as an invaluable asset to the squad.

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C9 sport arguably the two best duos in the league to enable their snowball-y playstyle. Perkz and jungler Robert “Blaber” Huang are able to consistently outperform their LCS counterparts in the early and mid games through individual skill alone, but especially when it comes to making plays around neutral objectives. Their bot laners, Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen and Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme, rarely fumble in lane and routinely transition whatever early advantages they get to accelerate the pace of the game.

C9 are the clear favorites to win it all, but they’re not without weaknesses. Their affinity for risks, and their own cockiness, can sometimes translate into over-aggression, leading to random deaths on their carries or overzealous plays. Both TSM and Team Liquid have shown their ability to take advantage of this during the regular season, but whether or not they can replicate that success in a best-of-five series remains to be seen.

TSM vs. Team Liquid: rematch from the upper bracket

Losers Finals between TSM and TL kick off on April 10, and the winner will move on to the main event. TL handily defeated TSM in the first round of the MSS upper bracket, and they’re primed and ready to repeat that success on their journey to Finals.

As the saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race,” and Team Liquid have definitely hit their stride in playoffs after a rocky split. Yes, they lost to C9 in round two of playoffs, but they showed a much stronger foundation to build off of in both draft and individual play. ADC Edward “Tactical” Ra, who’d been struggling for most of the year, looked much better than he had in previous games, and MVP-caliber top laner Barney “Alphari” Morris has been as dominant as ever. He still holds the highest creep score differential at 10 minutes out of all top laners in the LCS; his being 12.5 and the next highest being 3.6. As TL’s most powerful weapon, he’s a player that can never be counted out.

While TSM were in close contention with TL during their games in the regular season, LCS caster Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley called out that TSM will have to clean up their play in order to stand a chance against TL.

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“They showed a lot of holes against 100 Thieves which is a weaker team,” Cummings-Bentley said. “We already saw how this went the first time around where it was quite TL favored, so it does require some pretty exceptional performances from these guys.”

Individual play and decision-making in the mid and late games have carried TSM’s success this year, and it will be their saving grace against TL and potentially C9. The problem is, they have to make it to that point in the game.

At times during the regular season, TSM has looked like a top two team overall and maybe the best mid-late game team in the LCS. Some of their biggest wins, especially against top teams, were achieved through creative shotcalling from behind and a quick trigger finger to capitalize on enemy mistakes. During the MSS, however, their teamplay left a whole lot to be desired and their early game has looked worse than ever.

Top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon has been TSM’s anchor in even the direst of situations. His newly honed weakside play enables the team to draft for comfort and feel more confident in trading the map. But, it may not be enough against a player like Alphari who excels in both tank and carry matchups.

Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh and Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage must have an excellent series for this rematch to go in TSM’s favor; otherwise, it’s looking like another easy 3-1 for Liquid.

When and where to watch the Mid Season Showdown Finals

The Mid-Season Showdown Finals weekend opens with TSM vs. TL on Saturday, April 10 at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The headliner between C9 and the winner of Saturday’s match will take place on Sunday, April 11 at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Cloud9, TSM and Team Liquid headline the 2021 LCS Mid-Season Showdown finals weekend.

Image via Riot Games

For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LCS will be returning to its live event roots, albeit without an audience. Both of the weekend’s matches will host players on stage at the Greek Theatre, an outdoor arena in Los Angeles, California.

While you still won’t be able to catch the Mid-Season Showdown Finals weekend in-person, you can tune in to the action on the LoLesports website, Twitch and YouTube.

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Source: https://www.dailyesports.gg/mid-season-showdown-finals-weekend-who-plays-who-will-win-and-where-to-watch/

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Esports

GNC Names GHOST Gamer its Official Esports Partner

Published

5 hours ago

April 15, 2021

Republished by Plato

Nevada-based sports and esports nutrition company GHOST announced Thursday that it has signed a multiyear partnership with global health and wellness brand GNC.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the new deal, GHOST Gamer has been named “official esports partner of GNC,” making it the exclusive vendor of esports lifestyle products for the company. GHOST Gamer products featuring flavors from partner brands such as Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, and Sonic Drive-In fast food chains will also be sold at GNC retail locations.

“Authenticity as you know is super important in this category,” GHOST CEO Daniel Lourenco told The Esports Observer. “GNC doesn’t know anything about gaming, so they’re exclusively leaning on GHOST to bring them into the world of esports. I think the timing is right as gamers are not only looking for products like GHOST Gamer and Energy, but many are starting to care about overall health/fitness and looking for proteins (Ctrl good example), vitamins, etc. GNC carries the full Ghost range and has since launch in 2016.”

Lourenco added that GHOST Gamer is working with GNC on some activations such as contests and giveaways, as well as planning some future events.

GHOST signed a two-year partnership with gaming lifestyle company XSET in August of last year, which included jersey sponsorship, a limited edition XSET flavor, a merchandise line, and a content collaboration. It also sponsors several content creators and streamers. GNC has dabbled in esports in the past; in December of 2018 it partnered with U.S.-based World of Warcraft raiding guild Limit for a one-off sponsorship deal.

GNC, a brand of Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, claims more than 4,800 retail locations throughout the United States (including franchises and store-in-store operations with partners) as well as franchise operations in 46 international markets.

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Source: https://esportsobserver.com/gnc-ghost-esports-partner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gnc-ghost-esports-partner

Esports

Free Fire World Series APK Download for Android

Published

6 hours ago

April 15, 2021

Republished by Plato

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Garena has pushed a new patch for Free Fire as the next seasonal update. This patch is known as Free Fire World Series Update and the newest version is slowly being pushed on all the official application stores. If you have not received any update and want to update the game as soon as you can, use the links given below to download this new update.

Free Fire is a popular battle royale game with a very large player base. This game is well known for their in-game skin lines and unique collaborative events which bring various aspects of different industries in to the game in the form of items and cosmetic stuff.

The new update has brought in lots of changes to the game. The developers have added two new characters to the game and other overpowered characters like Chrono have been nerfed heavily. The most awaited ‘Bermuda Remastered’ map is finally being added back two Clash Squad and Ranked modes as well.

A new ranked season for Clash Squad mode begins with this update. Players can also enjoy a new weapon and weapon store alongside the dynamic changes which have been introduced in to this mode.

Free Fire World Series APK + OBB Download Links

If you are trying to download the game then use the links given below and replace the files with your old game files and the enjoy the new update. If you face any problem, redownload the files and make sure that the “Install from other sources” toggle is enabled in your phone settings.

Simply click on the links and download the files and then you can enjoy all the new features provided with this new update.

Also Read | FREE FIRE REDEEM CODE: GET WINTERLANDS LOOT CRATE AND MORE FOR FREE

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Source: https://www.talkesport.com/mobile-gaming/garena-free-fire/free-fire-world-series-apk-download-for-android/

Esports

Dota 2: Top Mid Heroes of Patch 7.29

Published

6 hours ago

April 15, 2021

Republished by Plato

New patch makes flop heroes a hit.

Valve recently launched the 7.29 patch, which was a major overhaul to the game. The update included changes to the map, items, general mechanics and balancing updates to heroes. Some changes have transformed heroes from being a poor pick to dominating in the current meta. We look at the most interesting examples in the mid lane.

Huskar

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Huskar had a very rough time before the 7.29 patch. The hero had a win rate of approximately 48%, but the new buffs to the hero saw positive growth of 6-7%. Huskar received a buff to his strength gain. They also changed Inner Fire with shard upgrade, now letting Huskar cast the ability while disabled. One of the hero’s main abilities, Burning Spear, also received a buff as it now costs less HP. These fresh changes along with a mini buff to the Armlet of Mordiggian catapulted Huskar’s win rate.

Common items for Huskar mid are Power Treads, Armlet, Sange and Yasha and Black King Bar. Late game extension items include Heaven’s Halberd, Satanic and other situational items.

Gameplay wise Huskar dominates the laning phase against most mid lane heroes. Players should look to farm a fast Armlet and continue snowballing into the mid-game. The aim is to end the game before the hero falls off or things get complicated in the late game. It is best to get an early Aegis with the help of the Armlet and force fights to take objectives.

Medusa

The Dota 2 Hero Medusa appears in her Eye of the Beholder set, weilding a mighty bow with a draconic green eye set into it

Medusa had a 48.5% win rate before the 7.29 patch. However, buffs to the hero have resulted in around a 5% increase to her win rate. Her base HP regen was increased along with a change in Mana Shield ability, which now provides +100/150/200/250 mana on respective levels. They also rescaled mystic Snake Scepter bounce, which turns the enemy into stone for a longer period.

Core items of Medusa include Power Treads, Manta Style, Eye of Skadi, Butterfly and other situational items. An Aghanim’s Scepter pick-up in mid-game is also quite strong on the hero.

Gameplay style of Medusa rotates around farming in the early phases. As a mid laner, Medusa lacks mobility and is very susceptible to ganks. It is wise to farm the mid-wave fast with help of Mystic Snake and Split Shot and then move over to side camps. It is noteworthy that Medusa is quite ineffective as a mid laner at higher MMRs. Starting mostly at Divine and Immortal brackets, it is best to play her in the safe lane.

Meepo

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Valve generously buffed Meepo in the 7.29 patch, prior to which the hero had a poor 48% win rate. His win rate has now climbed to a healthy 53%. With the many changes to Meepo, the hero seems great in the right hands. General items on Meepo include Power Treads, Dragon Lance, Ethereal Blade, Eye of Skadi and Scythe of Vyse.

Similar to Huskar, Meepo needs to end games before the 35-minute-mark. The hero just doesn’t feel strong in the late game. Players need to farm and clear neutral camps fast in the early game. An early Aegis enables Meepo to force bad fights for the enemy team and take objectives fast.

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Source: https://estnn.com/dota-2-top-mid-heroes-of-patch-7-29/

Esports

Fortnite: Mero Joins FNCS-Winning Teammates On ENDLESS

Published

9 hours ago

April 14, 2021

Republished by Plato

The band is back together.

The niche esports organization known as ENDLESS is making waves and signing outstanding players in the competitive Fortnite Battle Royale scene. Previously named vsBANDITS, the North American-based esports team rebranded in January 2021 before acquiring several competitors. Fortnite World Cup Finalist Malachi “Reverse2k” Greiner joined ENDLESS shortly after his Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) teammate Deyy. With two-thirds of their trio in the same organization, it was only a matter of time before the final piece fell into place. Today, ENDLESS announced the signing of FNCS Chapter 2 – Season 4 winner Mero, and the entire squad represents the same brand once again.

Also Read: Team Liquid Signs Scoped to Roster

Mero Completes the Trifecta

Introducing ENDLESS @MeroFN! ♾ pic.twitter.com/qALcpBVTbu

— ENDLESS (@ENDL8SS) April 14, 2021

The former Team New Age turned XTRA Gaming member had a volatile year. Mero broke out as arguably one of last year’s most impressive controller players. While on Team New Age, he and long-time teammates Reverse2k and Deyy collected their first Axe of Champions in FNCS Chapter 2 – Season 4. Though the three players split from one another briefly and then left Team New Age, they rejoined together and finished fourth in FNCS Chapter 2 – Season 5 as members of different esports teams. ENDLESS welcomed Mero with an impressive highlight reel.

Also Read: Fortnite World Cup Winner Nyhrox Joins Red Bull Gaming

The Pursuit of Supremacy

Congrats

— ENDLESS DEYY (@DeyyFN) April 14, 2021

The stars have all aligned for Mero, Reverse2k and Deyy as they seek their second FNCS Championship in two seasons. Their victory in Season 5 seemed out of nowhere, but they consistently showed up in almost every tournament during those three months. Mero also found success in Solo Cash Cups on top of a DreamHack Open victory with Jonathan “Calc” Weber. There’s a lot to like about this player as he and his teammates look etch further etch themselves in the competitive Fortnite history books. The fact that all three are under the same banner makes it even more intriguing.

Featured Image: ENDLESS

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Source: https://estnn.com/fortnite-mero-joins-fncs-winning-teammates-on-endless/