What’s on this week? – MOBA Madness – October 22nd – 29th

“What’s on this week?” is a brand new feature to be released every Monday letting you know just what’s going on in the wonderful world of esports in the next seven days. Each week, ESI will pick three to four events and provide a brief overview of what’s going down, where it’s taking place and how you can watch it. 

We start off the series with a trip down the mid-lane, with League of Legends’ finals in full flow, Dota 2 set to light up Hamburg and Heroes of the Storm turning the Blizzcon hype dial up a notch. 

League of Legends World Championship Semi-Finals

https://twitter.com/FNATIC/status/1053953807443472384
Credit – https://twitter.com/FNATIC/status/1053953807443472384

October 27th and 28th will see titans clash. G2 Esports, the third seed from Europe will face off against the final remaining Asian and Chinese representative, Invictus Gaming (“IG”). Then there’s the not-so-small matter of  European giants Fnatic battling the last hope of North America, Cloud9.

With three western teams remaining, there’s guaranteed to be at least one western side in the final. Can IG keep Eastern hopes alive or Cloud9 put to bed the NA meme? Can Fnatic win Worlds for a second time or will G2 complete the most unlikely of storylines? It’s certainly a tournament that’s already gripped the esports world, and one we look forward to seeing conclude over the next two weeks.

Stream: Twitch – Location: Seoul – Date: Converted time – Sponsors: MasterCard – Organiser: Riot Games – Prize pool: $2.2m(£1.7m)* plus additions based on in-game item sales

 

ESL One Hamburg 2018 Dota 2 group stage

Dota 2 will kick off the week, with the group stage of ESL One Hamburg taking place between 23rd-25th, with the action concluding at the Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg from the 26th-28th. While not part of the Dota Pro Circuit this year, $300,000 in prize money and a Mercedes-Benz for the tournament MVP will guarantee teams leave nothing behind as the new season really gets underway. 

Virtus.Pro, Evil Geniuses, Team Secret, Mineski, NiP, Forward Gaming, paiN Gaming and Vici Gaming are invitees who are joined by Alliance from Europe, compLexity Gaming of North America, Team Aster of China and EVOS Esports of Southeast Asia, who have all come through tough regional qualifiers. 

Stream: ESL – Location: Hamburg – Date: Converted time – Sponsors: Intel, Vodafone, Alienware, DHL, Logitech G, paysafecard, Mercedes-Benz – Organiser: ESL – Prize pool: $300,000(£225,000)

Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Finals group stage

Blizzcon Heroes of the Storm title

With Blizzcon just over a week away, it’s time for the pre-event action to kick off. This week we focus on Heroes of the Storm, which will play out its group stage matches this week, from the Blizzard Arena.

With the top sides from Europe, North America and South Korea doing battle, Heroes of the Storm will have a chance to flex its muscles in a week jam-packed with MOBA action. Big names like Team Dignitas, Team Liquid, Tempo Storm and Gen.G will do battle with plucky hopefuls like HGC Intercontinental Class side Mindfreak and HGC Horizon Clash outfit Luna Meow. Blizzcon always makes for a good show, and HoTS will be hoping to kick things off with a bang.

Stream: Twitch – Location: Los Angeles – Date: CEST Times – Sponsors: N/A – Organiser: Blizzard Entertainment – Prize pool: $1m(£750,000)

That’s a wrap on this week’s picks, be sure to check back next Monday for another edition of the ESI weekly picks.

We want to feature at least one smaller event each week on the ESI weekly picks. If you want an event included in a future edition, send an email to [email protected].

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