Legacy’s drought is over. After ten crownless campaigns— including four grand final defeats, three bronze-place finishes, and a year best left to distant memory ?— one of Oceania’s storied founding fathers has finally claimed the throne in 2020 Split 1.

For many, it was a foregone conclusion as the season began in earnest. 2019 had seen one of the league’s original titans slip into a battle to avoid the misnomer of the spoon. Those struggles were forgotten as Legacy assembled a roster dripping with Oceania’s top talent.

Chief among them stood returning champion Leo “Babip” Romer. The youngster, once dubbed “Baby Bip” as he trained under veteran Pro League jungler Tim “Carbon” Wendel, had thrown off the mantle to become an OPL king.

The beginning of 2020 saw Mammoth crumble as their stars ventured overseas for international conquests, however, and Babip’s eyes turned home. He, alongside reigning MVP and 2016 victor Quin “Raes” Korebrits, signed as the core of the squad.

Joined by Mammoth’s Kim “Topoon” Ji-hoon, rookie pickup Jonah “Isles” Rosario, and lauded LCK trainee Jang “EMENES” Min-soo ?— the latter of whom would not last the split ?— the team marched to a 6–0 record. Only arch-rivals the Chiefs remained close.

Then, the season imploded, at least on paper. The world went into lockdown due to COVID-19. The Pro League, like many other League of Legends tournaments around the world, entered a state of limbo. A short Week 7 marked the high-water mark of the chaos.

The spreading global pandemic wasn’t the only moment in the season that threatened to derail Legacy’s march to the title either. EMENES, who had been one of the best performers in the OPL up to this point, was punted from the starting roster.

The official line was Legacy would not “compromise values” for star players. Between the inked release, it was clear there had been backroom drama forged by the Korean rookie. Despite his early strengths, he was quietly shown the door.

• Read more: Ties’ Takes – Emergency Back-Up Mids

Enter James “Tally” Shute. Formerly Order’s top lane, and before that Legacy’s bot laner, the OPL veteran had found himself teamless for 2020. According to sources, he was preparing for a big swap back to ADC. Instead, he was thrust into Legacy’s mid lane.

He clicked nearly immediately, outside of a “two week transition period,” Legacy bot laner Raes revealed. Many saw Tally’s hurried recruitment as a stop-gap method. Instead, he became the leading voice in the center of Summoner’s Rift.

“Having Tally join when he did definitely helped us a lot, I think,” Raes told Snowball Esports after the championship victory. “He’s communicative and has a ton of experience, and it helped us to have someone that could lead from mid lane again.”

At the same time, Legacy thrived in the online environment. There were a few slip-ups ?— before heading online, Tally’s debut weekend slipped to a 1–1 result with a major upset from one of the lower teams ?— but overall it was near-smooth sailing.

According to Raes, the shift was almost “more relaxing” than the usual rigmarole of Pro League life. Not having to travel made it “much easier on game days,” and the removal of the “long wait” in the studio eliminated any nerves the team may have had.

“That really was the only difference for us, that we didn’t have to travel anywhere for matches on gameday,” Raes explained. “Gameplay-wise it wasn’t that hard. Maybe we played better and I did not notice, but overall it was just better. We went better.”

The final weeks were like the seasons of old. Legacy and the Chiefs duelled for the top spot, with each trading it out across the bumper final rounds. A landslide 17–2 win in the very last game of the split, however, handed first-seed to the Trees.

Legacy only played two series in the playoffs after earning the top spot in the regular season. The first was an edgy 3–1 victory over their arch-rivals once more, with a “Baron throw” from Raes the only difference-maker in the overall scoreline.

“I was very confident. They always failed to perform when it mattered, and yeah… that seemed to happen again.”

The eventual champions then got to watch from the sidelines as the Chiefs locked horns with the Dire Wolves. It was an epic five-game series, and Legacy got to watch their arch-rivals ?— dubbed by Raes “the biggest threat” ?— fall out of contention.

It was a moment that Korebrits says “sealed the title” for the team: “Going up against the Dire Wolves [after they beat the Chiefs], I was very confident. They always failed to perform when it mattered, and yeah… that seemed to happen again.”

And so, Legacy were crowned Oceanic Pro League champions for the first time. It took a four game series against the Dire Wolves on April 24. It took a role-swapped mid laner settling into the team, and it took battling through new online conditions, but Legacy triumphed.

And yet… Raes admits it feels a little “hollow.” He’s happy, that’s for sure. But there’s just that next step missing from the puzzle: the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational, originally slated to be held in May, was first moved to July, then binned altogether by Riot Games.

Korebrits knows he’s standing in a special moment. It’s the first time in four years he’s been an OPL champion. It’s the first time ever Legacy have tasted success in Australia & New Zealand’s top-level League of Legends competition. But it’s not enough.

“Obviously it feels good… it’s been a long, long time. But I can’t help but think about wanting more. The situation… the massive exodus of good players to America, and Europe, and the fact MSI is cancelled. It doesn’t feel as rewarding,” Raes admitted.

“We had a fantastic split. We worked hard to get here, and win. I think we had some of the best players in the league ?— Ji-hoon [Topoon] was robbed of Most Improved this season I think, and Jonah [Isles] should have got the tip for Rookie of the Split. We had a fantastic season.

“It’s just that little bit more, you know? Before winning the title, that’s what I wanted. But for me it’s like 40% winning the title, 60% going international again, for the first time since 2016, to get the chance to prove Oceania isn’t the worst region in the world.”

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for Raes though. The 2020 World Championship is still full steam ahead, Riot has confirmed. There’s expanded slots for China and Europe, and OCE has retained its Play-In seeding. It makes Split 2 all the more exciting.

“We’re going to win again,” the now two-time champion bot laner said. “I don’t feel insane about winning this Split 1 title, but I know how much it means to our progress. We’ve only gotten better, and we will again. I want to take Legacy to the international stage.”

It’s an ambition shared by Legacy founder Tim “Carbon” Wendel, who has lived through the trials of tribulations of the trees since their classic wars with the Chiefs. He was there when the OPL was founded, and now he’s seen his team bring home the silverware.

“We are extremely excited to have earned our first OPL title, and to do it with a mix of former players and new talent makes it even sweeter!” he said. “It’s a shame MSI isn’t going ahead, but I’m choosing to take that as extra motivation to get to Worlds.”

Legacy have ticked that first box they’ve chased for so long: they are now Oceanic Pro League champions. Now their eyes are fixed on the World Championship.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by Josh Swift

After a series of mixed weekends, followed by one particularly disheartening 0–2 round, Order has finally pocketed an undefeated two-match run in Week 6, firing them into the Oceanic Pro League’s top four.

First up for the Melbourne squad was Pentanet.GG, in perhaps one of their most vital fixtures of the season. Win, and step into the top four. Lose, and the Perth org would leapfrog Order at a vital point in the season’s story.

Order rolled over Pentanet. In particular, mid laner Harry “Haeri” Kang shone. His Irelia was lethal into Jarod “Getback” Tucker’s Syndra. He ended 5/1/3, with a hefty 2k gold lead over his opposite number. Order finished 15–3.

“I’m very experienced with that mid matchup ?— Syndra vs Irelia ?— so that helped us a lot. It gave us confidence when I started going well with that early lead, and then we were able to snowball off that to win,” Haeri told Snowball Esports.

Confidence is key for Order now as they move into the mid-point of 2020’s Split 1, Haeri said. After their early-season struggles, finally leaving Sydney with a double-header victory means they’re on the right track to success.

“Confidence has been key for us, and I think the 2–0 weekend is great too. Pentanet beat us last time, and shook us a little, so to come back and get revenge when we were tied up in the standings was big for us too,” he said.

“We did make a few mistakes… we’re still figuring those out. We played confidently on stage though, and that’s what we need to do now. I’m pretty proud of all my teammates for the 2–0 this week, it was so important for us.”

Having faith in each other will now be vital for Order. After beating their rival for fourth, they now have another key challenge: a rampaging Dire Wolves, who were only stopped in their run up the ladder by Legacy Esports.

The Wolfpack finally joined the race for the top spots two weeks ago after their own mixed start to the year. Despite a 1–1 round ?— they recovered from their Legacy defeat on Friday to stun league leaders Chiefs ?— they’re on the right track.

Haeri knows Order’s meeting with the former four-time champions will be a defining moment in the season. If they can bundle-up the Dire Wolves, his Melbourne squad will finally be in a position to “split the gap.” Lose, and it only grows.

“Dire Wolves are one of the strongest teams right now, they just beat the Chiefs last weekend and I think they’re probably even better than Legacy right now. With our momentum though, we have to aim for another 2–0,” the mid laner said.

“We want to have the momentum going now, we have a lot of confidence from this undefeated weekend and beating Dire Wolves gives us a great chance to catch up to the top three. It will be a huge win if we can knock them over.”

best bot lane duo in the league change my mind pic.twitter.com/6pUD4zi8uW

— ORDER (@ORDER_army) March 9, 2020

There’s another factor to next week’s battle that Haeri says will be key ?— some teams in the Oceanic Pro League have been playing in double-header weekends this split. Order has had the most so far. Haeri has been “absolutely loving them.”

With the one-day focus, Order has been shining. Haeri feels the squad has been “more productive” with their preparation because of the squeezed schedule, and believes it will play a big role in their run-in to the playoffs too.

“The double-header days are great because we get an extra day of break. The other thing is on the day, we warm up with the first game so we’re a lot more confident in the second. It’s been helping us a lot, I’ve really been enjoying it,” he said.

“Staying for two days, we have to do the same travel so we may as well just do one day. It’s more productive. Not sure how my teammates feel, but I love it.”

All of this comes together for one thing for Haeri and Order ?— they’re finally in a position to push for the top spots. Their split weekends, and that final rough 0–2 to dump them into a mid-table battle, have been learning experiences.

Now, mixed weekends are a thing of the past, hopefully, the team’s mid star said, and they want to “push on” from here. After “being bad” for nearly the first half of the season, Order wants to push back with a vengeance in part two.

“I think our team is a very strong contender for the first place. Obviously, we’ve been playing pretty for in the first few weeks, but practice is been going well and we’re finally ramping up and showing what we can do,” he said.

“We want to catch up to Dire Wolves now, and gun for that third place. Our early losses have benefitted us more. Being bad has only helped Order, we know why we are losing now and we can fix it. This is much better than losing in playoffs for sure.”

Order face Dire Wolves first-up on Saturday at 5pm AEDT. They then play a resurgent last-placed Mammoth two hours later as they look to walk away with their second undefeated round of the season.

The OPL returns on Friday, March 13th from 4pm AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games
Produced by Josh Swift

Mammoth have had a rough ride through the first round-robin of the Oceanic Pro League’s first split of 2020. Aside from a victory over struggling Gravitas, the defending champions’ refreshed roster has suffered nine defeats.

That’s going to change though, the team’s rookie mid laner Tristan “Lived” Fulcher promised when speaking to Snowball Esports following their first win. With the 0–21 record no longer possible, they can play with more freedom.

Beyond that, there’s been near-zero expectations on the team stacked with rookie players who graduated from the Challenger Series between 2019 and 2020. It’s a far cry from the roster that 3–0’d the Chiefs in Melbourne, but that’s fine with them.

What it has meant, Lived explained, is that no one is worried about Mammoth. As the team settles into life in the Pro League?—from getting used to matchdays and even just playing on-stage?—they’re growing. Soon they’ll be a threat.

“We want to have this mentality that we can always win games, no matter who we’re facing every weekend. There are some tougher games, of course, like Legacy or the Chiefs, but we want to believe we can take any of them down,” Fulcher said.

With the freedom of knowing they’re working their way through a development year, the new Mammoth lineup can become a banana peel for the teams battling at the top, Lived added. If the big boys don’t take them seriously, anything could happen.

Gravitas may be near the bottom of the table, but that may have happened last week anyway too. Mammoth made the call to swap their bot lane, and Matthew “Mboma” Desa and Andy “emelg” Chen. They picked up their first win of the year.

As well as the “big help” that came from getting Mbomba onto the stage?—Lived’s old Emprox squadmate has apparently been acting like a coach for the team as well as a sub up to this point?—the team has just hit a new level, the mid laner said.

“We were pretty confident we were going to win that one [against Gravitas] because of how scrims had been going, and how we’ve been improving. We’ve improved a lot since the start of the split, our teamwork has gotten a lot better,” he told Snowball.

The roster change was big for us too. Mbomba is like the brains of the team. His impact alone has changed so much. We’ve been doing things a lot more… thorough. Practicing things over and over again, getting good at them.”

Re-watch one of the key teamfights that led to our victory on Friday against @Gravitas !

Insane Tempered Fate from our support @emelg__ that led to a huge CC chain. Let’s not talk about the @LivedOCE part though ? #TUSKSUP@OPL | #IAMOPL pic.twitter.com/KxXarCaRlx

— MAMMOTH (@MAMMOTH_OCE) March 3, 2020

Now, Mammoth are ready to unveil their new roster, one that has finally begun to calm the nerves of settling into the Oceanic big leagues, and finally helmed on-stage by their guide and leader Mbomba. It’s almost a new dawn.

“You’ll see a different Mammoth, we’re getting more comfortable on stage with our bot lane. It will all be uphill from there, and I think we have a lot more to show the OPL before the end of Split 1,” Lived promised.

Now there’s just one thing left to do ?— play the iconic David role in one of their upcoming top-vs-bottom battles. They missed a chance against Legacy last weekend, much to Lived’s chagrin, but there’s always other matches.

“We would have loved to get a win against Legacy, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” he said. “That game wasn’t what we were hoping for, which is unfortunate, but hopefully next week against Chiefs we can get an upset. That’s the plan.”

The newly-refreshed Mammoth, as well as a confidence-infused Lived, take to the OPL stage again this Friday when they face Avant Gaming. Then comes the next chance to play David ?— the defending champs play the Chiefs on Saturday.

The OPL returns on Friday, March 6 from 4pm AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

META High School Esports (META) invites all interested players to register their interest for a preseason League of Legends tournament, with the chance to play alongside ex-Oceanic Pro League players Juves and Pabu in a tourney showmatch.

Registrations for the upcoming preseason event are open now. Players looking to hone their skills ahead of the 2020 High School League season will have until Wednesday, March 18 to register interest.

All registered teams will be split into groups with up to six-teams in each, with the top one or two teams—to be decided based on registration numbers—invited to the tournament’s third day. After the finals series, the best-of-three bracket final will be played on Day 4.

• Read more: META High School Esports 2020 Roadmap

The four-day tournament is slated to begin March 21, with two days of group round-robin matches kicking off the event. The preseason series’ single-elimination finals will be played the next weekend, on March 28-29.

All matches across the first two days will be played from 10am AEDT. Each day during the round-robin is expected to run until 4pm with a half-hour break after two games. The finals days are expected to run 10am to 5pm AEDT.

As well as the preseason bracket, the League of Legends tournament will also play host to an exhibition match for chosen students, to be played on Day 4.

This exhibition match will see former OPL stars Brandon “Juves” Defina and Jackson “Pabu” Pavone draft two teams from the pool of players involved in the four-day tournament, before competing in a best-of-three format.

How to register for the META preseason tournament

1. Register your interest here.
2. Get your friends to register too.
3. You will receive an email about next steps, and a Discord invite.
4. Complete team registration form.
5. Check the META website and META social channels for updates.
6. Come on the day, check-in on time and compete!

META will release more information on what to do on the day once you have registered, and how to see results once matches have been played soon.

If you are a high school student that is also interested in the 2020 META season, make sure you check out the teacher’s hub. If your teachers have any questions, feel free to email META’s school engagement manager Amy Lau at [email protected].

The Dire Wolves have finally joined the hunt for the Oceanic Pro League title after an “extremely decisive” 2–0 weekend, and Ryan “Chippys” Short believes his team can build on momentum after the clean-sweep round.

The four-time domestic champions had a mixed start to life in the OPL in 2020, clocking up three straight 1–1 weekends to leave them trailing the dominant pacesetters Legacy Esports and the Chiefs, who both surged to undefeated starts.

Finally, after nearly a month of split rounds, the Wolfpack finally clinched the double-dub, edging mid-table rivals Order 13–6 in an all-important battle for third, before rolling over defending champions Mammoth in just 22 minutes.

The Friday and Saturday triumphs gave the Dire Wolves a one-win buffer over their southern contenders. The win also pushed them to within two of Legacy, who had tumbled to a defeat in their table-topping OPL Classico battle with the Chiefs.

It wasn’t just the 2–0 that will prove key this weekend, however. According to the Wolfpack’s returned star Chippys, the “extremely decisive” nature of the back-to-back “stomps” has fired a surge of confidence into the boys in green.

“The double victory itself isn’t that important… being able to see our progress as a team so quickly is really important for my teammates’ confidence moving forward,” the 2018 MVP told Snowball Esports after his team’s successful weekend.

“Beating Order and locking ourselves into top three of the first round is a good start [to our season], in my opinion, top three has a big advantage in playoffs [this time] since they get two lives in a best-of-five, instead of first-seed just being overpowered.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that by the time we play [the top two] again, it’ll be Dire Wolves/Legacy/Chiefs all having a gap over the rest of the chasing pack.”

That’s not to say everything hinged on the Dire Wolves vs Order battle that played out in 28 minutes on Friday evening. Externally, the Wolfpack looked like they were struggling to find their feet with a 3–3 record, but Chippys wasn’t phased.

“There wasn’t much to worry about for us since two of the losses were against the top two teams, Legacy and Chiefs. The only concern that I had was the loss to Pentanet, but I think they’re a bottom two team,” he explained.

“We’ve improved massively since Week 1, however, so we’re at the point now where we can consistently beat most teams, even in best of ones.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that by the time we play [the top two] again, it’ll be Dire Wolves/Legacy/Chiefs all having a gap over the rest of the chasing pack.”

The race for the top two spots may be heating up as the Dire Wolves finally lumber into top gear four weeks in, but for Chippys the season has been just as much about “settling in again” as it has been chalking up results.

After finishing as minor premiers with the Wolfpack in 2018 Split 1, being crowned MVP, and earning a place at the Mid-Season Invitational with a 3–2 win over the four-time defending champions the Chiefs, it felt “strange” to drop down the rankings, he said.

Now he’s back in the green and black he spent three years in?—minus a little slice with Sin Gaming in 2016—and he couldn’t be happier.

“It feels really good to be back. My last few splits away from the Dire Wolves I was on quite weak rosters with low chances for success,” he said, and admitted he sees a bright future for the team as they continue to build in 2020 and beyond.

“Now I’m back with the Wolves and able to help build a strong roster of hard-working players, it gives me a lot of confidence that I can work my way back to being the strongest team. Our goal is that we improve the most out of anyone, so even if we finish second or third, we will dominate best-of-fives. That’s the plan.”

Elsewhere in Round 4 of the split, the Chiefs remain undefeated at the top after winning the OPL Classico on Friday evening. Legacy, Pentanet.GG, Avant Gaming, and Order all scored split rounds—the fourth time in a row for the Melbourne org.

Finally, cellar-dwellers Gravitas and Mammoth continue to languish at the bottom of the standings after 0–2 weekends. Mammoth was defeated by the Wolfpack and PGG, while Gravitas failed to fire against Order and Avant.

Chippys and the Dire Wolves’ plan continues this Friday, when they face Pentanet last up at 7pm AEDT. They then battle Gravitas (2–6) at 5pm on Saturday.

The OPL returns on Friday, February 28 from 4pm AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

Oceanic esports organisation The Chiefs have announced a historic two-year partnership with Marvel Entertainment, which will include a run of limited-edition co-branded merchandise.

As well as the limited-edition merch run, the org has also announced their newly-unveiled Marvel partnership will see all the entertainment giant’s properties?—from Star Wars to The Avengers?—involved in Chiefs activations around Australia.

This will include the Chiefs’ upcoming pop-up gaming experience, the QV Gaming Dome, which is set to begin at QV Melbourne from February 24, and run until March 15. The Chiefs have confirmed fans can get a “first glimpse” at the partnership there.

According to the Chiefs’ chief executive, Nick Bobir, the org is hoping this historic deal will “redefine” the Oceanic gaming and esports landscape.

“This is a historic partnership for video games and esports in our region that will redefine what can be achieved in the market, and make a significant impact on video game and esports events moving forward,” Bobir said in the org’s release.

“At the Chiefs, we are all about developing the next generation of gamers, and fans of esports, through creating these unique experiences. We will continue to raise the bar for esports in our region.”

• Read more: Thien admits Chiefs true challenge lies ahead: “We have to beat Legacy”

This isn’t the first time Marvel has dipped its toes in the Australian market either. In 2018, Docklands Stadium venue owners agreed to a sponsorship agreement with Walt Disney Company Australia to rename the Melbourne arena to Marvel Stadium.

Marvel has also already partnered with another gaming and esports org, Team Liquid, in a similar deal that saw the North American franchise don branded matchday jerseys. That partnership also included a series of limited edition merch runs.

Victor “FBI” Huang played a major role in Golden Guardians’ first 2–0 weekend of 2020, but all of his post-match praise was for his role-swapped support, Yuri “Keith” Jew, who has been in the firing line with LCS fans since the split began.

Golden Guardians announced on November 22 they would be retaining their star Australian bot laner heading into the new year, no small surprise in itself. What was a surprise was who Huang would be paired with—Academy bot laner Keith.

The team’s decision to forego a proper support in favour of an AD carry many believed had proven less than stellar in stints with Echo Fox and during his time in LCS Academy drew ire, but Golden Guardians stuck firm despite the backlash.

While Keith himself has been stalwart, every little slip up was called out across social media. Now, as GG tuck a 2–0 weekend into their back pocket—earned with wins over Counter Logic Gaming and Dignitas—FBI believes its time for the tune to change.

“I think it’s been pretty hard, being forced to role swap and having everyone flame you,” he said on-broadcast after GG’s 15–9 win over CLG. “Keith has done really well to recoup from that, and he’s improving really fast. I’m really happy for him.”

Not only did FBI say he was proud Keith was able to throw off the constant pressure from the community to excel in his new role, but he also added the former bot laner had already been a huge help in improving the Australian’s game too.

“I think Keith has taught me a lot about being an AD actually, about lane management and wave management, he’s a really smart player,” FBI said. “When we’re in lane, I just trust and follow him and we’re normally pretty good.”

That gameplan seems to be paying off well for Huang, who scooped up his first player of the match award of the split against this season’s surprise package Dignitas. Now, FBI added, he hopes the team can kick on from their 2–0 triumph.

To do that, the team will continue to look to their explosive new recruit, Turkish jungler Can “Closer” Çelik. If he’s doing well in his aggressive pathing and gank-heavy play, the Aussie bot laner said, the whole team can continue to succeed.

“I think the confidence really comes from whoever is strong in the game,” he said, and admitted a lot of the team’s play is built on trust. “I think Closer is really aggressive, and so that makes us really trust him, and be able to follow his plays.”

The Golden Guardians return to the Rift midday Sunday when they face FlyQuest (5–3) for the first time in Spring. FBI also plays fellow Australian Tommy “Ryoma” Le’s 100 Thieves (3–5) on Monday, from 9am AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

Ricardo “Rickeh” Mulholland has joined Order, the Melbourne org announced on Thursday. The former Complexity rifler will also be joined by Tyler “tucks” Reilly, who joins the roster as coach.

With the end of the first round robin approaching, the Oceanic Pro League has seen a fair share of fixtures but has also left some of it’s best for last.

The returning 29-year-old has had a tenured career in CS:GO so far, playing for Aussie rosters Team Immunity and Renegades before moving to Counter Logic Gaming in 2017.

After eight months with CLG, Rickeh joined Rogue, then spent most of 2019 with Complexity Gaming. He last played for them in Berlin, at the 2019 StarLadder Major.

Back in Australia, Order has been left short-handed since the departure of Jordan “Hatz” Bajic to Renegades, and the retirement of Chris “emagine” Rowlands.

Rickeh has been playing as a substitute for the team in the ESEA Premier Division and the IEM Masters Season XIV Oceanic qualifiers since January 8. Now, the Melbourne org has officially welcomed the veteran star into a starting role in 2020.

“Today, we are excited to welcome Rickeh and Tucks to Order!” the team’s announcement read. “Having played with the team under a trial capacity since January 8th, we are very happy to finally be able to announce Rick becoming a permanent member of Order.”

Alongside the Rickeh announcement, Order also confirmed rumours that tucks—who had been listed on the team’s ESEA page since February 5—would be taking over the coaching role for the Melbourne team.

Tucks’ has been a powerhouse in the Oceanic scene since its inception, representing the Chiefs Esports Club at multiple international events, and leading them to a host of LAN titles at the ESL ANZ Championships and CyberGamer Pro League, and more.

The 23-year-old’s crowning moment came at IEM Sydney back in 2017, when he and the rest of the Chiefs marched to a 16–5 victory over Renegades, and a 16–13 triumph over North. The Chiefs ended their IEM campaign in 5th, defeated by OpTic Gaming 16–10.

According to tucks, the move is the “perfect fit,” especially considering the “eagerness” the roster boasts. On top of that, he told Snowball Esports, he has full faith everyone involved will be able to “listen and apply anything [he] brought to the table.”

That’s not to say he hasn’t had a quick glance over his shoulder before departing the playing life. He spent years under the Chiefs banner, and the move “is a bit sad,” but it’s one that he has to make to keep progressing, he explained.

“I still do miss playing, but I always wanted myself to end up coaching, and tried to make sure I had the right qualities of a good coach while I was playing,” he said.

“So far, the Order organisation has been nothing but amazing, constantly making sure everything is going great, and reassuring me they trust me and team in what we want to do. It’s already been a real treat working here.”

Now its eyes front for the rookie coach and the new-look roster under his command. While nothing is set in stone, tucks certainly believes they have what it takes to continue onward and upward on the path Order set themselves in 2019.

“It’s hard to really give a prediction, but we will just be focusing on the process of becoming the best team we can, and putting in as much effort as we can to hopefully achieve some great results overseas,” tucks said.

Until they add another permanent member, Order will be using Jireh “J1rah” Youakim formerly of Avant as a temporary substitute for ESEA and other events.

Order’s current lineup

• Alistair “aliStair” Johnston
• Matthew “Valiance” Hartrick
• Karlo “USTILO” Pivac
• Ricardo “Rickeh” Mulholland
• Jireh “J1rah” Youakim (substitute)
• Tyler “tucks” Reilly (coach)

Order is currently contesting Season 33 of the ESEA Premier Division – Australia, where they boasted an undefeated 8–0 record ahead of their Thursday evening matchup with the Chiefs. From there, they are also set to contest the Asia Minor Championship Oceanic closed qualifiers for a potential spot at the 2020 Major in Rio de Janeiro.

Three weeks into the Oceanic Pro League, two top dogs have emerged — Legacy Esports, and the Chiefs. Behind them sit a host of teams, all of whom face an early question: can they catch the pacesetters, or fall into the mid-table scrap?

Or, as Order’s Bill “Eyla” Nguyen and Avant Gaming’s Jesse “Chazz” Mahoney both suggested after 1–1 weekends, is there something else to aim for in 2020’s first split?

Mixed results have marked the start of the 2020 campaign for a number of teams, not least of all teams like Order and Avant. Both teams made major, sweeping moves in the offseason, and have now found themselves within a win of each other.

While some may have expected the Melbourne squad to be fighting right up at the top of the ladder, defeats to the undefeated 6–0 pacesetters bumped them down the rankings, and a loss to Pentanet.GG has not done much to inspire confidence either.

Conversely, Avant was tipped to potentially be fighting for the last spot in the playoffs, even receiving a mixed grade in Snowball Esports’ Winners & Losers in the preseason. Their record may be close to that, but their performances on the Rift propound the potential for more.

Another week of 2-0s for @ChiefsESC and @LegacyOCE. Our @OPL Team of the Week for Week 3 features three returning stars and two fresh faces!

Top: @Topoon5
Jungle: @crocjg
Mid: @SanctumChazz
Bot: @RaesOCE
Support: @Korea_CK#IAMOPL pic.twitter.com/Wk1EyFGpl3

— Snowball Esports (@snowballesports) February 17, 2020

According to Chazz, who made the league’s Team of the Week for his performances against the Dire Wolves and Mammoth in Round 3, Avant is a “work in progress,” but that doesn’t mean they aren’t contenders.

“I think the season is going well for us right now, a lot of our losses ended up being really close, and I think we had serious potential to win most of them, especially the game against Legacy,” he told Snowball after Avant’s 1–1 weekend.

Their most recent matches—a 15–9 defeat against fellow mid-table rivals the Dire Wolves, followed by a 28-minute demolition of the defending champions—both showed improvements the boys in blue had been searching for.

That doesn’t mean Chazz, and the rest of Avant, think they’re going to catch Legacy and the Chiefs right off the bat. While those two leaders have proven to be the top dogs, the rest of the OPL is in a “building phase” early on.

“I think right now we aren’t focused on catching up to the top two teams, with the gauntlet format anyone can win the league as long as you place top five,” he explained.

“Our goal is to pick up as many games as possible, all while working on improving to a level where we can run the gauntlet and look to overtake the higher-seeded teams that way. We obviously don’t want to be fifth seed, but we do want realistic goals too.”

Chazz did admit the team may “not be at a level where [they] can consistently beat the Top 2,” but the young mid laner believes that has to be the final goal for any team in the Pro League if they want to lift the trophy this year.

While Avant is happy learning in the opening months of the league, Order has had a different perspective on a similar record: it’s not exactly disappointing starting 3–3, but considering the preseason hype around the team, it’s been hard to swallow.

“From a solely outside results point of view, our start is definitely a disappointment considering how strong our lineup is on paper,” Order support Bill “Eyla” Nguyen said. “Bringing over three Chiefs players, I would expect fans to see Order as a contesting top team, however, we are currently sitting middle of the pack.”

That same disappointment hasn’t seeped into the team’s training and scrim environment away from Sydney though, Eyla said, and he admitted he “doesn’t mind” where Order has found themselves three weeks into this year’s Pro League.

“From past experiences, a good season doesn’t guarantee a good playoff performance,” he explained. “Instead, my focus is on whether our team is actually improving. With the new gauntlet changes, being first place is less meaningful as they will have to play at least once before the decider. Top three is more the minimum you want to hit now.”

That mindset, Eyla explained to Snowball, was what helped lift a load off his shoulders. Last year all he chased was “victory after victory, week after week,” and when the team slipped he would feel like it was “wasted week.” This time, he—as with many of the OPL teams that have swapped rosters—are more focused on the bigger picture.

“I’m not worried at all if there’s a gap between the top two teams and the rest of the league. The old mindset I had made me undervalue scrims, and I thought as long as we were winning on stage that was all that mattered,” he said.

“Now I think differently — winning regular-season games is important, yes, but what far outweighs that is whether the team and its individuals are improving or not.”

So, one team sits 3–3, with expectation aplenty, and the other sits 2–4 with the ‘new roster’ brand allowing them time to prepare. Both, however, have the same goal: the OPL’s top spot just doesn’t seem to be as valuable this time around.

What is valuable is practice, taking regular-season lessons onboard, and being prepared for the postseason gauntlet where everything is decided.

That’s the focus now for both OPL stars, as they look to the coming weeks. Both have plans in mind for how to improve, and they want to make sure they get there. Eyla explained he wants to become a “strategic commander” for the Melbourne roster, while Chazz wants to “let the whole team play with confidence.”

Basically, something has changed behind the scenes. Players are now feeling the top spot isn’t necessarily where you want to be sitting in the first weeks of the league. Gauntlet runs like Sin Gaming, and Order, has proven the top seed isn’t always the most valuable.

Defending champions Mammoth did the same too, at the Melbourne Esports Open, as they swept past the first-placed Chiefs 3–0 despite being the lower seed.

Eyla and Chazz both know it and have revealed it’s something many of the players now hold as a key sentiment across the league. Now it’s just a matter of seeing how well the mid-table teams can improve, and if they can reach Legacy and the Chiefs’ levels.

For now, though, the mid-table scrap may be a reality for the two teams too, but they each have a much more short-term goal they think they can hit when Round 4 rolls around too: both young stars believe their team will score a 2–0 weekend.

Order face the Dire Wolves and Gravitas in dual matches on Friday evening, while Avant contest double Saturday matches against Legacy and Gravitas. The round’s fixtures will begin with Gravitas vs Order at 4pm AEDT on Friday, February 21.

The OPL returns on Friday, February 21 from 4pm AEDT.

Photography courtesy of Riot Games

The META High School Esports League is set to return with competitions in League of Legends, Rocket League, and more, starting with a preseason tournament in March, before the league itself kicks-off in April.

First off the bat for new and returning competitors is the League of Legends preseason tournament, complete with exhibition matches alongside former Oceanic Pro League stars, streamed matches, and more. This early tournament will be held on March 21-22 and 28-29.

After that first hit-out, META’s main leagues return for the year. LoL tournaments are set to begin on Tuesday, April 21 in Victoria and Tuesday, April 28 for New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and the ACT and Northern Territory.

League of Legends

The League of Legends tournaments will be inter-regional swiss competitions, with all games played kicking off from 5pm on matchday. All matches within the swiss section of the competition will be played online.

After the league play is concluded, the top four teams will immediately proceed to the playoffs, which will be online, single-elimination best-of-three matches. The top two teams from this round will proceed to the Regional Finals.

The Regional Finals will be played on a Saturday and will be played in-person at a LAN event, with the venue of the finals to be determined. Each team will play one best-of-three series in a seeded tournament, with winners moving onto the Championship Rounds.

There, each regional champion will play in a double-elimination bracket across two Saturdays, before the final two schools enter the  Championship Grand Final. The best-of-five decider will be played at a LAN event as well, with the venue TBD.

The LoL tournament also has Riot Points and in-game skin prizes for top teams in each division, as well as state championship medals. Schools that qualify for the Division 1 nationals stage will also have flights and travel to the Championship Grand Final event covered.

LoL Key Dates

• Season starts: April 21 (VIC), April 28 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT)
• Regional tiebreakers: June 9 (VIC), June 16 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT)
• Regional playoffs: June 16 (VIC), June 23 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT)
• Regional finals: July 4 (VIC), July 18 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT)

Rocket League

Rocket League is also set to start in April, with registrations closing on Wednesday, 8th. The competition is then expected to begin on Thursday, April 23 in VIC and QLD, while all other states and territories begin a week later.

The competition will be played in regional leagues, within a swiss format. Each game day will begin from 5pm every Thursday, dependent on region. All league play will be online, with teams expected to log into their matches. All games will be best-of-three.

After the league play is concluded, the top four teams will immediately proceed to the playoffs, which will be online, single-elimination best-of-three matches. The top two teams from this round will proceed to the Regional Finals.

The Regional Finals will be played on a Saturday and will be played in-person at a LAN event, with the venue of the finals to be determined. Each team will play one best-of-three series in a seeded tournament, with winners moving onto the Championship Rounds.

There, each regional champion will play in a double-elimination bracket across two Saturdays, before the final two schools enter the  Championship Grand Final. The best-of-five decider will be played at a LAN event as well, with the venue TBD.

Rocket League Key Dates

• Registrations close: April 4 (all tournaments)
• Season starts: April 23 (VIC, QLD), April 30 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT, NZ)
• Regional tiebreakers: June 11 (VIC, QLD), June 18 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT. NZ)
• Regional playoffs: June 18 (VIC, QLD), June 25 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT, NZ)
• Regional finals: July 4 (VIC, QLD), July 18 (NSW, TAS, SA, WA, ACT, NT, NZ)

While League of Legends and Rocket League are both full steam ahead for the 2020 META High School Esports League, there will also be other video game titles set to be included in the nation-wide competition, to be announced soon.

For more information, or to register a team of students to represent your school in the 2020 META High School Esports League, visit metahse.gg.