The Dire Wolves are an organisation that has tasted success. The organisation has two League of Legends World Championship runs and four Oceanic Pro League titles under their belt. Once again the title is within reach. This time, regular split winners Legacy Esports stand in the way.

In the past, the Wolfpack have been Oceania’s team to beat. Their dynasty was forged across a four-split run that saw them net silverware in every split in 2017 and 2019. The core roster for the team was one of the dominant the region had ever seen.

Then, 2019 arrived. The Dire Wolves shifted focus, and with it came a huge roster shuffle. They kept top laner Brandon “BioPanther” Alexander at the time ?— he’s now departed to Pentanet ?— and a roster of Challenger Series talent was built around him.

This shake-up saw them crumble in the standings. They sunk to a 1–20 record in Split 1. Their fortunes were a little better in Split 2, but a first-round exit in the Gauntlet at the hands of an unstoppable Order outfit put a fullstop on a year to forget.

Off the back of 2019’s struggles, the Dire Wolves pulled the plug again. Ryan “Chippys” Short returned at the beginning of 2020. He was joined by Park “Mir” Mi-reu, Avant’s breakout mid laner Ari “Shok” Greene-Young, and a bot lane assembled from bot laner Ha “Vital” In-seong and support pair Andy “Cupcake” van der Vyver and Daniel “Decoy” Ealam.

Chippys is no stranger to the Dire Wolves squad. He played under their banner during 2017, when the team made their Worlds debut. He was also clad in dark green when the team lifted their 2018 Split 1 title. Now he’s back, and he says it “feels good.”

“It feels good to be back on my old team. All my success has been on this team, and heading into these finals there’s another opportunity for success,” he told Snowball Esports.

However, even with success, the top laner feels like he was “too confident [in the past],” which resulted in “inconsistent performance.” Learning from the past is what Chippys is working on now, and he’s “prepping every minute, every day, to make sure [he’s] ready.”

Week 9 of the Pro League saw the transition from live studio games to a fully online schedule due to the current ongoing climate surrounding COVID-19. This markedly affected many teams, including the Dire Wolves, who departed the Esports High Performance Centre.

Since their departure from the Sydney Cricket Ground locale, their form has dipped. It’s something the whole team has noticed, including head coach Ben “Kai” Stewart, who broke the situation down while speaking to Snowball.

“It [adjusting to online matches] was the hardest thing I think I personally, and likely the whole team, has faced in a while,” Kai explained, and added they had attempted to keep their work and home separate. It’s something he strives for due to his traditional sports background.

For him, the key to success is making sure “training doesn’t feel like training.” As they battled this, form slipped. Kai admitted it wasn’t ideal, especially because it’s “lovely to have some momentum” heading into playoffs. But regardless, Dire Wolves are ready.

“It’s not like we got worse. I could still see flashes of how good we are. All the info, plays, mechanics, macro was still in the boys, we just lost what made us good ?— not being afraid of making a mistake,” the Wolfpack coach said.

“They needed to play without restraint, and to trust the four other players to follow (each other) into the thick of it” and regardless of the outcome, to “get into a position to play from again.”

The finals run for the Dire Wolves has been a real testament to their fortitude and ability to adapt in any situation. Their first series was against the Chiefs, who they fell 1–3 to after the wolves were overrun in the first game by the Chiefs.

Luckily for the Dire Wolves, their finals campaign didn’t end there. They fell into the losers bracket and took on Order.

The series ended up at match point in favour of Order heading into game three, but with the steadfast mental fortitude of the Dire Wolves, they clawed their way back from the edge of defeat and took them down in the best of five.

Our head coach @DireWolvesKai gives us insight into his thoughts on the @LegacyOCE squad in the lead to our grand final this Friday!#wolfpack | @udysof | Powered by @LGITMonitorsAus pic.twitter.com/N6Srp68FxD

— LG Dire Wolves (@DireWolves) April 23, 2020

After the mammoth effort by the Wolves, they still had to face down the Chiefs, who had already tasted success over the Wolves earlier in the playoffs. In their second matchup, the Chiefs weren’t going to make it any easier for the boys in green to get through.

These games were full of excitement and chaos, leading to another exciting five-game series. In the end, however, the Dire Wolves came out on top and claimed their seat in the final.

Adapting in a best of five is one of the Dire Wolves strengths, and that has been shown in their previous playoffs matches. They’ve played half the amount of games in a regular OPL split in one week, and are not short on practice heading into the final best of five against Legacy.

Chippys shared that “we adapt well to whatever we need to win”, and as an example of that, “many of the champions we played we haven’t had a single scrim on.”

Playing so many playoff games is a double edged sword. On the one side, Kai shares, “we’ve been pushed to five games twice now” and in doing so, they’re getting “more game practice and more pressure practice.”

“However, Legacy have played four games compared to our fourteen, and this allows them to scout us. Lucky with the new players on my team we never run short on unique strats,” he said, before wishing Legacy luck too. He added: “They’ll need it.”

It’s looking like the key for a Dire Wolves victory is perseverance. They’ve proven twice that they have what it takes to these series all the way to the final match, but with a fresh-faced Legacy ready to take them down, it’ll be a true battle.

With the drive of claiming that OPL crown igniting the passion from the players, these finals are not to be missed. Make sure to tune in at 5pm this Friday.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by Josh Swift

META High School Esports (META) hosted their League of Legends preseason tournament over the last two weekends, filled to the brim with emerging high school talent.

The tournament saw 16 teams composed of players from high schools across the country face off in a single round robin tournament on March 21-22. The top two teams in the three brackets then moved into a single elimination round on March 28.

The Melbourne High School team sat at the top spot in group one after the first weekend, with an undefeated streak in their five games. They had an impressive no-death, under 20-minute win against the second placed The Seven Shreks on the second day of the competition.

Charles, who competed in the Melbourne High team, admitted his favourite moment of the event was the team’s 8-minute Rift Herald against The Seven Shreks during their rampaging victory.

“It allowed us to get two mid lane towers, leading to complete domination of the enemy’s jungle. The confidence that our team showed over the weekend allowed us to close out all our games within 25 minutes,” he told Snowball Esports after the tournament victory.

Their game was cast by Juves ?— an experienced ex-Oceanic Pro League star ?— and Pabu, who is currently fifth-placed Gravitas’ top laner in the same national competition. The duo shared out plenty of compliments for the Melbourne squad.

In particular, they highlighted the team’s excellent macro, dubbing it “impressive.” The overall map play contributed in a big way to Melbourne’s eventual success, they said.

• VOD: Melbourne High vs. The 7 Sharks as casted by Juves and Pabu

While Melbourne marched to an undefeated 5–0 victory in Group 1, BOLD secured the top spot in the second group with a similar, 4–0 undefeated record. INT IQ finished in second place in Group 2 with a 3–1 run.

In the third and final group, Cyber Athletes also clocked up an undefeated record to finish top of the pile. The Science Team placed just behind on 3–1.

• VOD: Cyber Athletes vs. OCS Ready

Day 3 of the META tournament saw games begin at 10AM AEDT. First off the bat in the quarter finals was the Science Team, who faced off against The Seven Shreks. The Group 1 runners-up claimed the all-important win to kick-start their day.

Melbourne High struggled to hit the same heights of the group stage, however, falling to INT IQ in a best-of-one competition in the second quarter finals.

The semi-finals were exciting too. The Seven Shreks were bowled over Cyber Athletes, and BOLD fell to INT IQ. With those two victories, the stage was set for Sunday’s final.

Juves and Pabu were once again on the mic for an action-filled battle. In the end, the game went to 49 kills in just 25 minutes. Unfortunately for INT IQ, 36 of those were for the Cyber Athletes, and they used the mega-gold pile to steamroll to victory.

Impressively, two members of the team ?— Maxamize on Mordekaiser and Exeden on Senna ?— even managed to avoid a single death in the bloody game.

Game 2 saw even more kills, in less overall game time, with 50 total kills across the board in just over 20 minutes. Once again, the Cyber Athletes had the majority of the kills, with 38 of them on their members and this assured their victory, scoring the 2–0 victory in the finals over INT IQ.

Maxamize was a key player on the Cyber Athletes team, and spoke about the tournament and the competition.

He felt “that they were stronger individually” across the board, and going into the weekends matches, “felt confident” that they could take out the overall win.

The only player they were wary of was INT IQ’s mid laner, Totoriffic, who they target banned. He reflected on the tournament, which he felt overall was “easy” due to his team “individually outclassing almost all other players in the tournament.”

• VOD: META High School Esports Preseason Final

After the conclusion of the grand final, the players participating in the preseason tournament also had the opportunity to play on in a showmatch. The two teams facing off were led by Juves and Pabu, aptly named Boomers and Zoomers.

This completion of the tournament marks the way for the upcoming META High School Esports competition, with the Melbourne High School team featuring members who have competed in previous years. They’re looking to make the state title win a hat trick this season, after already claiming the previous two years titles.

The League of Legends competition kicks off on May 5, details at metahse.gg

Imagery courtesy of META High School Esports
Produced by Josh Swift

The Oceanic Pro League train is an express ride to hype city. There are only three weeks remaining ?— including this one ?— and the excitement has not slowed down at all.

With only a handful of games remaining, it’s as good a time as ever for teams to prove to the league that they have what it takes to make it to the playoffs. There’s been undefeated teams being defeated, as well as teams triumphing in seemingly dire circumstances.

There’s at least something to be certain of in times like these, and that’s the uncertainty of who beats who in these matchups. Especially after defeating a high placed team but being defeated by a lower-placed team ?— I’m looking at you, Legacy Esports.

Emma van der Brug, Harry Taylor, and Alex Leckie-Zaharic are here to talk about the biggest matches of the week, with playoff positioning on the line as Avant Gaming take on Legacy Esports on Friday at 4pm AEDT.

Emma’s Feature Pentanet.GG (6–7) vs The Chiefs (11–2)

Prediction: Pentanet def. by the Chiefs

Last weekend only saw one of the two matches played. Pentanet.GG and The Chiefs both faced off against Legacy last Friday. After their huge win against Legacy last week, Pentanet will be feeling confident, especially knowing they triumphed where the Chiefs couldn’t.

That confidence will be key, especially against a Chiefs side who can snowball any small lead into a win. Mark “Praedyth” Lewis had a fantastic match against Legacy, with a 7/1/4 score on Miss Fortune. Alongside Jake “Rogue” Sharwood, the bot lane was unstoppable.

The Chiefs’ bot lane of Robert “Katsurii” Gouv and Kang “KoreaCK” Cheol-gyu didn’t fare as well against Legacy, with a 2/9/6 score between them. The Chiefs will be reviewing that game to see where it all went wrong and ensure they are ready to take the win this week.

Although they had a rough loss against Legacy, the Chiefs will bounce back and take this win against Pentanet. They have had their only two losses of the split in the last two weeks, but as playoffs approach, it’s time for them to truly show the rest of the competition what it takes to have remained undefeated for five and a half weeks.

The key for the victory lies in the jungle of the Chiefs roster. Park “Croc” Jong-hoon has been a dominant force and has been named in three Snowball Team of the Weeks.

His dominant style on punishing junglers makes him a terrifying opponent to face. He has a 100% win rate on three champions ?— Elise (four games), Olaf (two) and Nidalee (one game).

This match is the time for Pentanet to step up if they want a shot at taking the OPL crown, as the Chiefs are more than likely going to be standing in their way right up until the end ?— if they want to show what they have, now is the time.

Harry’s Feature Match of the Week: Gravitas (3–10) vs Mammoth (2–10)

Prediction: Gravitas def. by Mammoth

After a week of uncertainty in our world, this Saturday night blockbuster will attempt to answer at least one uncertainty: who is destined to be at the bottom of the league.

Gravitas and Mammoth will join the server this week with the wooden spoon all but given out to the loser of this contest.

Whilst both teams will want to do everything in their power to win this game to avoid being set up for the dreaded eighth-place, I think this week’s disruptions will limit any practice and raw skill and synergy will become a key factor. For this reason as well as their previous win I see Mammoth as the favourite.

Last week only saw one of Gravita’s games and none of Mammoths game played, with Gravitas falling to Avant in a relatively tight contest that saw Avant break a 5 game slide. Gravitas’s game against the Chiefs and Mammoth’s contest against Pentanet.GG and Order are due to be played in the upcoming weeks.

With the delay in games last Saturday we also saw a delay in a new debut for the Mammoth lineup. Support Andy “Emelg” Chen has stepped away from the team after his brief cameo to resume University classes.

Hone “Artek” Collier has stepped into the role, becoming the fourth player in the starting lineup who was part of the 2019 Emprox Oceanic Challenger Series roster. This move reunites a bot lane who had promising success in the OCS, having a 7–4 regular season before a 3-4th place finish in the playoffs.

This move should continue to capture the team synergy and levels of Macro that 2019 Emprox had and will hopefully translate into more gelling and comfort for the team on the rift.

Questions around the Gravitas lineup still continue to get asked with the smörgåsbord of players on their roster and their continued willingness to tweak the roster, it will be interesting to see who will be playing this week.

As long as there aren’t many changes to the formula seen in the last fortnight, Gravitas more than have the ability to put up a fight, but until gameday, it won’t be known who is going to be stepping up to bat this week.

Alex’s Feature Match of the Week: Legacy Esports (11–3) vs Order (6–6)

Prediction: Legacy def. Order

Now less than a month away from the conclusion of the regular season, both Legacy and Order are looking to step up as playoffs loom.

While already down both games against Legacy, Order can really announce their Gauntlet intentions with a strong win on Saturday. Legacy will look to put more distance between the top three and the rest of the pack in order to focus on the Chiefs and the Dire Wolves.

Legacy is flying high after avenging their defeat to the Chiefs earlier in the split, closing out a stellar game to tie the four-time OPL champions on wins at eleven apiece.

A 2-0 sweep against Avant and Order would lock them into the top three, with the final game of the split against the Chiefs likely to be the decider for first place.

Their formula for victory is simple. Play their game. Legacy looks the best when they get to dictate the course of the game, and traditionally have struggled when the laning phase doesn’t go their way.

Last week’s tank-heavy composition eliminated much of that difficulty, and something similar will be the recipe for success this week.

Order wasn’t able to play either of their games last week due to safety concerns, and a battle against one of the league’s top two teams isn’t really the best way to ease into the new online format. Luckily enough, a game against the struggling Gravitas could be the launch pad they need to build momentum from in order to challenge Legacy.

For Order to take the win, a massive step up will be required. In their favour is that Legacy has dropped games to both Pentanet.GG and Gravitas, teams Order have beaten, and soundly.

Last time Snowball covered this matchup, a particular emphasis was placed on Ronan “rare7” Swingler being put on a carry. That still holds true, but Harry “Haeri” Kang may be able to have more of an impact against James “Tally” Shute following his substitution into the side.

If Legacy repeats the plan they executed against the Chiefs by placing their solo laners on tanks, a return to the Azir he played in the last Legacy game might be another carry Order sorely need.

It’s going to be a tough battle if Order can really take it to another level, however, Legacy just look too good at the stage of the competition for Order to be taking the win.

Legacy look poised to sweep this week and move to 13–3 with only a few weeks left to play, and are one of the favourites to take the title.

The Oceanic Pro League returns this Friday.

Follow @ammeplays, @ImHarryTaylor & @Alexicon13 on Twitter.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by San Hoàng

The Oceanic Pro League has just tipped over the first round-robin of the split, and teams are starting to settle into their placings.

With the team match of the split now behind us and the undefeated team being revealed, it’s time for teams to step up if they want to have a chance at earning a spot in the playoffs.

Harry Taylor, Alex Leckie-Zaharic and I break down their chosen featured matches this week, starting with Avant Gaming taking on the Chiefs at 4pm AEDT.

Emma’s Feature Match: Gravitas (2–6) vs Mammoth (0–8)

Prediction: Gravitas def. Mammoth

The bottom two spots in the ladder are taken up by this the teams facing in this match—Gravitas and Mammoth. Both teams are looking shaky coming into Week 5, and after a full round, the latter have yet to find a win. Both teams are coming into this week off of an 0–2 week.

This week is an interesting game, with both teams not wanting to be in the final position. Each team has strengths and weaknesses, but if Gravitas play Nathan “Puma” Puma, they have the stronger bottom lane and will take out the win.

Both teams have forms of instability in their rosters. The bottom lane of Mammoth features Gian “Styled” Leon and Cameron “Nausicaa” Maine. The duo have experience in the Challenger Series, but the step up to the Oceanic Pro League has been challenging for them.

With the importance of getting early dragons to work towards the Dragon Soul, they’ve been successful in getting this objective. The dragon however is traded usually for a Rift Herald, which allows the opponent to claim early gold and gain advantage.

On Gravitas, the instability lies within their roster—with a roster of eight players, it’s hard for the team to build synergy, and especially so without the gaming house.

The instability is in a similar flaw to Mammoth, with the bottom lane being the weakest. With the focus being on objectives, and Rift Herald to get tower plates, it’s important to make early plays to get the gold advantage and scale into the game.

• Read more: Snowball’s Icebreakers: Project Praelus

This match is one to watch, with the battle of the bottom lanes to determine the winner. With Puma being one of the strongest players between the two rosters, he will lead Gravitas to victory alongside captain Jordan “Praelus” Fernandes.

Harry’s Feature Match: Avant Gaming (3–5) vs Pentanet.GG (3–5)

Prediction: Avant def. by Pentanet

Avant Gaming and Pentanet.GG will come face to face on Saturday evening in what has the potential to be a critical match in the playoff race.

Coming into Week 5 sharing possession of fifth place, this game has a real potential to be critical in both breaking the tie between these two teams and acting as a jumpstart for the chase for a playoff spot.

This match can easily go either way, although Pentanet is slightly more favoured and my pick to win, although arguments can be made either way. The newest OPL team should squeak this out and put a real catalyst into their campaign towards April and the postseason.

In the early game, Pentanet will likely have the advantage with the stronger two-vs-two clash in top/jungle and the bot lane. Mark “Praedyth” Lewis and especially Jake “Rogue” Sharwood will want to put the pressure on their opponents early and try to gain dominance.

Yao “Api” Jian Jing and either of his bot laners—Vincent “Gunkrab” Lin and Vincent “Violet” Wong—will want to match that incoming pressure, but with the recent swapping around of the Avant bot lane, the team’s lower-map cohesiveness has been brought into question. The ability to go to the limits—based around trust, and understanding—just might not be there.

• Read more: Dire Wolves settle into OPL title hunt after 2–0 weekend

Both teams do have a consistency issue, especially around the jungle. Both Pentanet’s Paris “Souli” Sitzoukis and Avant’s Thomas “LeeSA” Ma have submitted a mixed bag of performances and whether they will turn up on the Rift or not is a question that needs to be asked. If only one of these players turns up probably on Saturday, their team will gain advantage.

Alex’s Feature Match: Order (4–4) vs Legacy Esports (7–1)

Prediction: Order def. by Legacy

As we move into the second round robin of OPL 2020 Split 1, we’ve got a clear view on who’s at the top and who’s at the bottom of the ladder.

In the middle however, are Order, who despite being pegged one of the more likely teams to take the whole competition, now sit just inside the Gauntlet cutoff in fourth.

Having only dropped a single game to the Chiefs, Legacy beat out Order in Week 1 in a messy game but proceeded to tidy up their game and firmly establish themselves as one of the two teams to beat this tournament.

Both teams are similar in that they’ve pretty much beaten every team below them on the ladder and lost to everyone above them—with the exception of Pentanet.GG picking up the surprise victory over Order.

This week the bottom lane will be the most important, as the two ADC veterans Ronan “rare7” Swingler and Quin “Raes” Korebrits do battle once more.

In their last match, some errors in tactical decision making from rare7 was a contributing factor to their loss after Legacy capitalised on their mistakes.

For rare7 to gain the ascendancy in this matchup, coach Jake “Spawn” Tiberi could easily give him counter-pick to ensure he can carry his team to a victory.

Legacy has looked a tier above the rest of the competition, so if Order can pull it all together as the business end of the split crests the horizon, it would be a huge boost to their season.

They’ve been usurped by the Dire Wolves for third, and so taking down the second-best team in the league in convincing fashion makes a statement going forward.

• Read more: Pabu’s Top Plays: OPL 2020 Split 1, Week 3

It shouldn’t happen though. Legacy have shown remarkable cohesion this split, and with the mechanical skill of their players, they are clear favourites to take the win. They’ve knocked down Order once this split and all signs point to another victory.

However, Legacy should be looking to emphatically stomp Order this weekend and do their part to put some more distance between the two best teams in the league and the other six.

A strong victory makes this even more of a two-horse race, and the less teams Legacy have to worry about, the happier they’ll be.

The Oceanic Pro League returns this Friday.

Follow @ammeplays, @ImHarryTaylor & @Alexicon13 on Twitter.

Jordan “Praelus” Fernandes may not have an Oceanic Pro League title under his belt?—yet?—but he’s considered by many to be a top-three jungler in the scene.

The jungler has been playing the Pro League since 2018. According to the Gravitas captain, there was one pivotal moment that forced him into the spotlight: the two-match ban of the Dire Wolves star jungler, Shern “Shernfire” Tai, back in OPL 2018 Split 1.

It was a moment Jordan admits he nearly let slip away.

“My confidence was incredibly low, and even despite the opportunity being perfect,” Praelus told Snowball Esports ahead of Week 4 of the 2020 campaign.

“I wasn’t going to put my name forward due to me not believing in myself, and having a lot of doubt. That was my leap of faith. I guess it was a good one, since it was the catalyst to my years in the OPL.”

Even though he was plagued by self-doubt, the youngster stepped up to play for the Dire Wolves during the two-game ban. He assisted them in taking out their first two opponents in Split 1?—Sin Gaming and former champions the Chiefs?—and admirably played his role well.

Since then, Praelus has held a starting position on two teams. Avant Gaming was his home for Split 2 in 2018, and the jungler admits it was a big opportunity for him.

As well as a starting role, he had the chance to play alongside two of his biggest influences: mid laner Leon “Frae” Lee and top laner Jackson “Pabu” Pavone.

There was no greater influence, “without a doubt,” than Frae, Praelus admitted. As a “leader” and a “mentor” in the jungler’s fledgling moments, the mid star shaped his early days.

“I don’t think I can put into words what he did for me, and how much it helped me as a person. When I joined Avant I was very sheltered, I guess the typical stereotype for a ‘gamer’,” Praelus said.

“During the whole split, I roomed with him, and was fortunate for him… he really helped me develop both in, and out, of the game.”

His second influence, Pabu, would become a long-term teammate and friend for Fernandes. In 2019, he and his top laner dropped the blue of Avant, and took a chance in picking up the orange of newcomers Gravitas.

“I got along well with [Jackson] during my time with Avant, but especially so on Gravitas. He was a good influence and I wasn’t nearly as much of a lost sheep then. His intentions always had my best interest at heart and was a great teammate and friend,” he said.

Of course, Praelus seems to have had the same kind of effect the other way as well—Pabu, who ended the 2019 offseason as a free agent, and joined Snowball Esports as the mastermind behind Pabu’s Top Plays, speaks just as highly of Jordan too.

“He’s always been this micro-madman that spanks your jungler in solo queue, and in scrims too,” Pabu explained. “It’s just never really shown up on stage. I’m really happy that he’s finally playing without fear on stage, and I think it’s showing in his performances.”

Part of what drew Pabu to Praelus back in the Avant Gaming days, he said, was the jungler’s ‘never give up’ attitude, and a deep lust for victory at any cost.

“Even when his team has tough games, he’s always looking for ways to win, and trying to prop up his team for success, often single-handedly,” Pabu continued.

“He was so shy and reserved when he started, but he’s come out of his shell over the years and is quite an assertive and confident player now. He takes responsibility and I do think that he’s going to prove that everyone completely overlooked him this off-season.”

Unfortunately, the Pabu-Praelus duo was split heading into 2020. Four of the Gravitas starters were let go, and the new-year roster was announced to little fanfare. About the only thing fans did know about the lineup was Praelus, who was named captain.

Although Praelus admits he never saw himself taking up a leadership role, he has invested in his own personal development, and that drives him for more. “I’ve always thought to myself how can others be confident in me if I’m not confident in me?” he explained.

“Treating myself better overall and exercising regularly has helped me tremendously in gaining confidence and carry over to my team environment. I’ve still got a lot to work on as I’ve been very shy in the past. I don’t burden myself with the “leadership role”, I just see myself as more experienced. My goal is to assist wherever possible and help out whenever I see fit.”

So far, results have been mixed. Gravitas are currently sitting on-par with Pentanet.GG and Avant Gaming in fifth place with a 2–4 record. Despite that, Praelus said, the team is proving they should be taken seriously, even with a team of fresh talent.

“Absolutely we’ve surpassed everyone’s expectations already in the first 2 weeks,” he said.

“I’ve seen multiple people rank us seventh or eighth, and social media has voiced every negative opinion about our roster, so to take down Mammoth as well as Pentanet, who has been seeing some praise behind the scenes, was a huge morale and confidence boost.

“Being the best will always be my goal. Going into the split I want to prove my worth as a player. When I’m playing at my best, I can compete with the best.”

“Consistency is something I’ve been striving towards, I feel like I’ve been heavily underrated throughout my whole tenure as a player and I just want to prove people wrong. I want to prove that I can be a contender for OPL title.”

This year, Praelus is looking to prove he’s not to be underestimated. He’s already consistently received praise from both casters and fans after an explosive start to the year, and he consistently deserves it too.

With recent performances, and the all-important drive to succeed, it seems like it’s only up for the Gravitas jungler ?— is Oceanic silverware the next goal for Project Praelus?

Praelus and Gravitas next take to the Rift against Order (3–3) first-up at 4pm AEDT on Friday, before coming head-to-head with the jungler’s former organisation Avant Gaming ( 2–4) in their second fixture on Saturday evening.

Follow Praelus on Twitter.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

The Oceanic League of Legends scene has seen a massive change over the 2020 offseason.

Many of the top players have found starring roles overseas in both North America and Europe, as coaches and players. From k1ng to Destiny, Fudge to Spookz, they’ve left behind huge legacies in the region, with many players ambitious to fill their shoes.

OPL Split 1 2020 will be chaotic as we watch every team find their synergy after huge roster shakeups all across the board. With plenty of new faces, as well as veterans having to step it up, let’s check out the five players you should be watching when the games kick off on January 31.

Having placed near the top of every OPL split in recent years, Quin ‘Raes’ Korebrits understands just how elusive the OPL title can be. He is a veteran in the Oceanic scene, and has an OPL title and international experience under his belt. He’s played on his previous team, the Chiefs Esports Club, for 4 years. This year however – he’s made the leap over to Legacy Esports.

With the great migration of OPL talent in the off season, Raes is poised to take the top ADC spot in the league. He’s a consistent performer, having placed with his team at least second in the regular split since 2017.

This year is marking a huge change for Raes, as he is playing with a new group of players that he hasn’t had experience with. Joining him in the bot lane is Jonah ‘Isles’ Rosario, who is an exciting new rookie joining the OPL. This will prove to be an exciting, aggressive bot lane to verse, and it will be up to the other teams to catch them.

Raes is definitely one to watch this split as he dominates the league, alongside his new team on the Legacy Esports roster.

Harry ‘Haeri’ Kang is the mid laner of the new Order roster after Simon ‘Swiffer’ Papamarkos’ departure to Excel Esports in Europe. He comes from the embattled Gravitas with two years of OPL experience, and is looking to step up onto a roster packed with top-tier Oceanic talent.

Haeri initially had trouble finding his feet in 2019, but as the year progressed, it was clear that he was improving and growing with every match. He’s got a wide champion pool, has the potential to put a team on his back, and plays well right into the late game.

Now with such a strong, experienced team around him, it’s time for Haeri to unleash his full potential on the OPL.

Last year, Jake ‘Rogue’ Sharwood made his mark on the Oceanic scene. Joining a new super team and claiming his first OPL win cemented his place in the top of the Supports.

This year brings more change for Rogue, as he’s joined Pentanet.GG in their inaugural OPL split. There’s also change to his team mate in the bottom lane – Joining him on Pentanet is Mark ‘Praedyth’ Lewis. This bottom lane duo has the potential to make a huge mark in the Oceanic scene, and with so much talent moving overseas, it’s time for them to prove their worth.

Rogue has a wealth of competitive experience, and this will give him an edge over his other opponents. With a first place under his belt, he’ll be chasing the rush of the win again. Rogue is well poised to do it this year, with a new team with some experienced players.

Sources have told Snowball that Rogue is doing very well headed into this split. Watch out for the ferocious Pentanet bottom lane, as Rogue leads the charge and attempts to put another win on his resume.

Gravitas have had almost a full roster shakeup after last year. Retaining jungler Jordan ‘Praelus’ Fernandes, they’ve built a team of fresh faces around him, and it’ll be up to him to make them shine.

With four years experience across five teams, more than doubling the collective experience of the rest of his team, he will have to quickly shift into a leadership role for the team. It’s hard to predict how the players will synergise and play together on the OPL stage, but regardless of how they perform, Praelus will be central to all discussions about Gravitas in 2020.

If Praelus can step up, take charge, and shape the new OPL starters into a force to be reckoned with, Gravitas might have a chance at exceeding everyone’s wildest expectations.

Romeo ‘Thien’ Tran has titanic shoes to fill in the Chiefs top lane. Last split, he played a rotating top role with Brandon ‘Swip3rR’ Holland (now with ORDER), as well as helping the Chiefs Academy roster almost secure a spot in the OCS playoffs.

When Thien came into the main roster, he flexed his muscles on skill-centric champions like Riven and Aatrox, styling on almost everyone in the OPL. He was a consistent performer, and slotted right into Swip3rR’s shoes in the few games he did appear.

As he adjusts to a full-time starting role, Thien will have to keep those performances up across a 21-game split, and prove himself as an OPL-ready top laner for the years to come.

Between fresh faces and a variety of established talent, it’s going to be an exciting split to see them all mesh together as the OPL enters a new era. While all 40 starters are as deserving of praise as one another, these five faces will be key in the fight on the Rift as they look to climb to the top and claim the title for themselves.

The Oceanic Pro League returns on January 31.

The Chiefs Esports Club is no stranger to success. They’ve been one of the most dominant Oceanic League of Legends teams over their many years of competing, with both local and international experience.

In recent years, they’ve struggled to find the Oceanic Pro League trophy. It’s been two years and four seasons since they’ve hoisted silverware in a split, and the motivation of the team to reclaim that glory is stronger than ever.

Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland is the titan in the top lane, and boasts the most experience. He’s extremely decorated with victories, with seven Oceanic championships to his name.

Joining as his top lane comrade is Romeo “Thien” Tran. The duo has been a ferocious force in Split 2, with Swip3rR’s 75 percent win rate over 15 games only ousted by Thien’s 89 percent in seven.

“When I get on that stage on Saturday, I’ll be going demon mode,” Swip3rR promised.

On site. We ready. #IAMOPL#WeAreChiefs?? pic.twitter.com/UeQSIm7kOj

— The Chiefs #CHIEF5 (@ChiefsESC) August 31, 2019

There’s more than just the top lane duo carrying the Chiefs hopes, however.

Jordan “Only” Middleton plays jungle, and has a wide champion pool which plays to the Chiefs’ strengths of flexibility. He’s not only able to play assassins, he can also play tanks, engage, as well as AP carry champions like Karthus.

Brandon “Claire” Nguyen has a long history playing competitive League of Legends, continuing the common theme of the Chiefs roster. He’s been playing in Oceania since 2012, where he started on the fledgling myRevenge Australia. Since then he’s gone on to be one of the most respected mid laners, with the ability to perform and have insanely clutch moments, helping not only his team to victory, but also about to inject them with a healthy serving of in-game hype.

Quin “Raes” Korebrits plays in the bottom lane alongside first-year OPL star Bill “Eyla” Nguyen in support, and Andy “Cupcake” van der Vyver in the substitute support role. These three make up the bottom lane of the Chiefs roster, and bring intimidation to their lane.

For a long time I’ve been chasing both my personal goal of receiving MVP and a team goal of finishing first seed. Thrilled to say I’ve finally achieved them both – now it’s time to go and reclaim the trophy!

— Raes (@ChiefRaes) August 24, 2019

Looking back on the 2019 Split 2 results, the top three placed teams finished within two games of each other, with Chiefs finishing up with a 16-5 record. Mammoth claimed the same. In a head-to-head matchup, Chiefs claimed advantage – and the MEO bye – with a 2-1 run.

Despite the Chiefs clinching their first-spot finish, Swip3rR knows it could have gone either way in the run-in. The difference was consistency and the Chiefs stability on the Rift. “I’m looking forward to a really exciting and close series,” he said.

“Skill is only a small factor in it, preparation and mentality are just as important,” he continued.

“Best of fives requires an unbelievable amount of prep. In best of one, you can come in with two solid compositions and be pretty much guaranteed to get one in any given game, so you can practice those comps all week and not think much more about it.

“In best of fives though, if something works then you can bet it’ll get banned the next game, and if something doesn’t work then you have to tinker with it or even drop it entirely and have other things prepared.”

Having a gameplan and solid draft prep isn’t all there is, however. The Chiefs also hold another advantage over their Saturday afternoon rivals.

“Our draft edge definitely comes from roster flexibility. Mammoth has to be prepared for Thien and Swip3rR top, Swip3rR and Claire mid, and Eyla and Cupcake support. It’s difficult to adapt to as all these players regularly draw bans.

“We also change our team style quite a lot between rosters, which gives us the ability to adapt if something doesn’t work.”

gave up my dreams of slaying goblins in azeroth to slay mammoths in rod laver arena instead

— Claire (@ClaireOCE) August 27, 2019

These games this weekend are the potential to be some of the closest and most intense matches of the Pro League’s history. There’s no doubt the series at Rod Laver Arena will be one to remember. Both teams want the prize, but only one can walk away happy.

“I haven’t won in two years. That is the most important thing for me to overcome. Nothing else matters.”
Brandon ‘Swip3rR’ Holland

Watch the OPL grand final live from the Melbourne Esports Open later today on twitch.tv/RiotGamesOCE.

Follow @snowballesports on Twitter for all of our MEO 2019 coverage.

It’s that time of year again. Five teams enter the Oceanic Pro League gauntlet, but only one can emerge victorious to reign supreme over all.

First up in the ring is Order and the Dire Wolves. The two teams both have a rich history in the OPL over the past few seasons. Now, they begin their quest for the Oceanic crown and a place at the League of Legends World Championship at the postseason’s bottom rung.

Order come into the gauntlet with a 9-12 record across Split 2. A shaky 0-3 record against finals opponents the Dire Wolves doesn’t prop up their advantage either. On the other side of the Rift, the Wolves have had tremendous improvement since last split. A mid-year roster shakeup saw four new players join the Wolfpack in May, which earned them a fourth place finish.

Order may face a daunting challenge in the playoffs, but that’s nothing new for the Melbourne squad. They again have a seemingly impossible task in running the gauntlet for a chance at the Melbourne Esports Open. If there was a team to do it, however, it would be this Order roster.

Last split saw the team charge through a near-effortless campaign in the Split 1 gauntlet, carrying them from fifth seed to an agonising 0-3 defeat at the hands of eventual champions the Bombers. This time around, Order will be hungry to go one step further. It won’t be easy though. The whole league knows their capabilities now, and will be wary of the finals’ bottom seed.

Q. @KatsuriiOCE! One day to go for the #Gauntlet! How do you feel about this? Are you nervous? Excited? ? pic.twitter.com/rm1uHOv93h

— LG Dire Wolves (@DireWolves) August 21, 2019

The Dire Wolves are the first squad to be wary. They were once the alpha team of the Pro League, winning four straight championships and representing Oceania on the world stage in both China and Korea.

With a roster shakeup from the “Baby Wolfpack” the league saw in Split 1, the team has risen back to the playoffs fight. Korean import star Oh “Raise” Ji-hwan has led the way in the jungle, Robert “Katsurii” Gouv and former LCK support Eun “Totoro” Jong-seop have held firm in the bot lane. Lo “Siuman” Pak Man has also been a revelation since his promotion from the OCS.

Looking back over their head-to-head record against Order, this match sits favourably with the Dire Wolves. Their 3-0 result against the Melbourne team give them all the momentum on Thursday evening, and a 3-0 record in Super Week leaves them in red-hot form.

Order had a fantastic Super Week as well though. A major upset over the ladder-leaders the Chiefs locked Order into a 2-1 final round, and has potentially given them the emotional boost they need to run the gauntlet again.

This first-round gauntlet match is sure to be explosive. Both teams have the opportunity to change their script from a mid-table team to a high-placed finisher in the best-of-five series. I think the meta will be quite versatile in the series too. With flex-picks a high flavour across the world, both teams will look to bring spicy choices into their solo lanes.

The jungle matchup will be crucial. Raise is a key factor for the Dire Wolves in their victories, while Samuel “Spookz” Broadley has proven his quality in the Pro League alongside mid laner Simon “Swiffer” Papamarkos time and time again.

“There is no pressure on us to win this game fast – this is not your game, this is Sam’s game.” – @ChuChuZs

Watch @Spawnlol and @Tallywhacka reminisce about our weekend qualification to the @OPL Gauntlet, and how #ORDERLOL prioritised @SpookzOCE to overcome the Chiefs & AVANT! pic.twitter.com/fSJmVrqUm0

— ORDER (@ORDER_army) August 20, 2019

This series will simply come down to experience. The Order roster has a host of veteran players. Combining the six-man roster with the addition of Paris “Souli” Sitzoukis gives the Melbourne squad a total of 27 years of experience in League of Legends’ competitive scene, and the starting roster is the same that marched to the grand final in Split 1.

The Dire Wolves may lose out in the experience-war, but commanding head coach Curtis “Curtis” Morgan has seen his fair share of finals campaigns, and grand final victories, with the Wolfpack. His old-hat strategies may be key to matching up against Order’s veteran lineup on the Rift, if he can find the right pieces to set the Wolves up for success.

I believe the overall winner of this series will be the Dire Wolves. With their previous matchups against Order, I think the knowledge of how to defeat Order’s plans will fall in their favour. It will be a series that shows which team has the spirit, drive, and passion to take their opponent all the way. The momentum from this game will play a huge role in the gauntlet’s overall makeup, and should be an interesting series in the lead-in to Melbourne.

Tune in at 4pm AEST to watch Order take on the Dire Wolves at twitch.tv/riotgamesoce.

Sydney is set to host Australia’s first GIRLGAMER Esports Festival as part of the Vivid celebrations over the June long weekend, featuring an abundance of esports related activities.

The Girl Gamer Festival, widely regarded as one of the biggest celebrations of women in esports across the globe, was first founded by Grow uP esports in Macau in 2017. It then expanded to Portugal, Seoul, São Paulo, Madrid, and of course Sydney. There is also a world championship event which is confirmed to be run in Dubai.

Snowball Esports had the opportunity to speak to one of the partners of the Australian Esports League and Critical Hit Entertainment, Sarah Jae.

The event aims to “create a spotlight, and a platform for women in esports,” Jae explained. It’s a “one of a kind tailored event” that seeks to give them the opportunity to get involved and participate in a festival that celebrates them.

The festival has partnered with Destination NSW, have been “all onboard and supportive” of the event from the word “go.” Willoughby City Council is also partnered with the event, and Jae revealed they were the ones to first suggest hosting the festival at The Concourse in Chatswood.

The event will feature a huge array of activities, including gaming, esports tournaments, panels, and keynote speakers, as well as performances from dance groups. The keynote and panel events all feature prominent women from various Australian and International communities.

Prominent female CS:GO squad Team Carnage is also set to participate in the festival’s tournament, alongside other women teams for CS:GO. There will also be competitions in the six-vs-six Overwatch title.

The competition isn’t just restricted to invitational entries. Any female can form a team and “have a go”. The festival aims to have the entire event be “inclusive”, and “give the opportunity to be seen, involved, and experience being part of the Vivid festival.”

After the event was first announced, Jae revealed more than 200 cosplayers, casters, and players from around Australia reached out to the organisers in the first 27 hours. The response overall has been “relatively positive”.

“My message to anyone who’s heard about the festival is come along, get involved. It doesn’t matter what your skill level is, just dive in and give it a go”
Sarah Jae, Project Director

She also revealed the event plans to expand next year, with aims to bring “more international talent” so that Australia and Oceanic fans travelling to the festival could “see what’s beyond our shores.”

The tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased online at girlgamer.gg/register/sydney. All tickets sold have a percentage of their price donated to the Girl Gamer Festivals charity of choice, Starlight.

The second split of the Oceanic Pro League is about to begin! This means roster changes and a fresh playing field for the teams to get rough on. Let’s take a look at who you should be keeping an eye on across split 2 of the 2019 OPL season.

Eun “Totoro” Jong-seop

Dire Wolves

The Dire Wolves certainly picked an experienced support for their starting lineup of the second split. Eun “Totoro” Jong-seop hails from South Korea, and with experience in LCK, KeSPA Cup, and the EU LCS (now LEC), he’s definitely a formidable force to be reckoned with in the bot lane.

With the ability to play a variety of supports, ranging from tank supports to casters, the flexibility of Totoro will lend to the Dire Wolves strength as they focus on clawing their way back to the top of the podium after a rough Split 1.

Ronan “Dream” Swingler

Order

Coming into this split off the back of an absolute banger of a split, Ronan “Dream” Swingler will be looking to continue his top form. After falling short of the top spot against the Bombers after a dream run in the Gauntlet, the ADC player for Order will be looking to take it.

Known for his great team fighting abilities and the ability to navigate the ever treacherous laning phase with success, he will be the player to watch for Order as he fights against other duos comprising of veterans and imports alike. Dream also brings with him experience from his OCS and OPL splits and motivation to help take his team to the Melbourne Esports Open.

Jeong “Wilder” Jin-Woo

Bombers

Jeong “Wilder” Jin-woo comes over to the OPL from South Korea, where he joins the Bombers on their starting lineup as their jungler. Wilder brings with him 2 splits of competitive experience, starting out on Burning Core in the LJL Challenger Series where he helped his team to an impressive 8-2 split.

From there, he played in the promotion tournament, where Burning Core were successful, making it into the LJL. His team then came out strong with a 4th place finish in the Summer split. Wilder will be a great addition to the Bombers squad, and will be looking to prove himself in the OPL and keep the Bombers at the top of the podium.

Oh “Raise” Ji-hwan

Dire Wolves

Adding to their pickup of Totoro, the Dire Wolves have brought over Oh “Raise” Ji-hwan from South Korea to join their starting roster as their Jungler. Raise has experience similar to Totoro, having played in the EU LCS in 2016, then moving to LCK in 2017.

After success in 2017-2018 in the LCK, Raise moved to the LMS where he played on G-REX up until last split. With a range of experience playing in both support and jungle, he’s another player on the Dire Wolves roster to watch. It will be interesting to watch how the Dire Wolves will utilise his experience and attempt to make their return to Rod Laver Arena.

Brandon “Claire” Ngyuen

Chiefs Esports Club

Nothing says OPL veteran like the household name – Claire. Brandon Nguyen has been playing competitive League of Legends since 2012, and this experience shows. Always the reliable performer, Claire is known for his assassin play and the ability to read his opponents to deliver jaw dropping plays. He helped the Chiefs to third place last split, falling just short of the finals match after losing to an unstoppable Order roster as they rose through the gauntlet.

This split, Claire will be looking to get to that top throne and crown himself the king of the OPL mid laners. With a huge champion pool backing his talent, keep an eye on this veteran mid laner and admire his skill as he dominates the rift.

With so many players in the OPL, it’s hard to determine who exactly you should keep an eye on, but the above 5 and their respective teams are all looking to grab that ever so elusive OPL title and a chance at representing Oceania at Worlds.

The second split of the OPL kicks off this Friday, 7th June at 4pm AEST at twitch.tv/riotgamesoce.