It’s an exciting time for esports in Australia, and there’s a new event tailored for Starcraft fans just around the corner to add to the excitement: Auscraft, a Melbourne-based Starcraft II tournament set to debut on January 10.

The event will feature a number of local and international talents, all of whom will compete for the $5,000 prize pool. Invitees are expected to be announced in the coming days.

The tournament will be broadcasted live on Twitch, with three days of competition planned. This isn’t their only plan, however, as Auscraft aims to place an emphasis on the banter that backs competition to sweetly encapsulate the gaming culture that is unique to Australia.

As a LAN set in one of Melbourne’s most iconic beaches in Rye, Auscraft is all about combining the casual and social aspects of gaming within a competitive setting.

Besides the gameplay itself, an equal amount of focus will be placed on the individual competing personalities themselves. Unlike a typical tournament, Auscraft is unique in providing a platform for personal narratives to be told, creating a bridge between the community the players and the audience.

A subscription system will be implemented to unlock additional content for the viewer, and will allow fans to support the creation of content that directly appeals to them.

All in all, Auscraft serves as a love letter of sorts dedicated to both the players and fans that sets the Esports community apart from others.

“The heart and soul of esports is birthed in the shared experiences we have playing games together”

“The origin of all of this is our love for the LAN event,” said Michael Carmody, who leads the operations for ce2pe, the production company behind Auscraft.

“Through Auscraft and future events, we plan to just lean right back to the origins of what we all loved in the first place, being together in the same place for fun, games and talking smack about your opponent.”

Carmody also stated this event is the initial of a series of similar entertainment-focused, house-based events for other titles coming later this year.

Follow Auscraft on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more information.

After the results of the Spring Split, numerous narratives have developed during the offseason as the OPL teams adjust themselves to shoot for the crown at MEO.

Resident Snowball Esports analyst Bernadette “Nadette” Wong breaks down four of the most interesting storylines to watch as Oceania’s premier League of Legends competition returns on June 6.

Bombers

Can the defending champions survive losing two of their title-winning players between splits?

Following numerous upsets in the Spring Split finals gauntlet, the Bombers managed to walk away with the crown, and a spot at MSI. Now as the OPL approaches its second split of 2019, the current Kings of the Ocean look to defend their title.

During the offseason, the Essendon team lost three members of the title-winning team, with ADC Victor “FBI” Huang, jungler Choi “BalKhan” Hyun-jin and head coach Scott “Westonway” Farmer making their departure from Oceania. With half of their main roster being transferring to other regions, the Melburnian team must regroup and recalibrate to achieve the same level of success with their new signings.

However, the question lies in whether or not they’ll be able to achieve it – will the team be able to defend their title without their missing superstars, or will the high-flying Bombers experience some early turbulence with their new additions?

Chiefs

Can the second-place squad go one step further, and put themselves in position for the crown?

Heading into Split 2 with a rather successful campaign behind them, and with an overall 2-1 head-to-head against the “final boss team” in Bombers, the Chiefs looked to be in a comfortable position to reclaim their Oceanic throne. Being just a point behind the Essendon super-team, and with an 18-3 record in the regular split, only bolstered that possibility.

Unfortunately, the season ended with devastation for the boys in blue, as they were just the latest team to fall in Order’s miracle gauntlet run. They didn’t record a single finals win. This hasn’t dampened the Chiefs’ morale, however. Instead, it seems to have fueled their desire, especially considering the team has only been boosted by the addition of sixth-man Romeo “Thien” Tran.

Now they look to prove their Spring failures were just a fluke, and that they’re worthy of returning to Rod Laver Arena. Can the veteran org take the extra step to qualify for Worlds, or will they fall just short of glory once again?

Order

Can the team keep their Spring momentum and make it to the Melbourne Esports Open?

What was dubbed as an “ORDERella story” saw the boys from Melbourne #ORDER(their way)UP the gauntlet standings from fifth seed. Against the odds, and after a rather flat record in the regular split, the underdogs qualified for the finals before falling to the first-seeded Bombers.

While they suffered a 3-0 loss against the champions, Order still claimed major scalps on their scintillating run. Mammoth, Avant Gaming, and the Chiefs all fell along the way, many of whom had bested Order across the beginning of 2019. They lost just once in the gauntlet, in their 3-1 victory over Mammoth in the opening fourth-fifth fixture.

Similar to the Chiefs, Order have made the move to a six-man roster for Summer, introducing Paris “Souli” Sitzoukis. The young jungler will share time with veteran leader Sam “Spookz” Broadley for the remainder of 2019.

With the pressure on, and eyes locked on them after their gauntlet miracle, can Order prove they’re capable of wrestling with the top half of the standings? Can the six-man roster keep their Spring momentum rolling, and potentially qualify for MEO, or has midnight struck on their against-the-odds story?

Dire Wolves

A major overhaul of the roster has seen the Dire Wolves potentially back in with a chance to bid for Worlds – can the old champions change their Spring fortunes for Summer?

After reigning over Oceania for two years in a row, the Dire Wolves came into 2019 with a roster filled to the brim with rookie talent from their development squad. Ten weeks later, however, the four-time defending champions emerged from Spring with a single win from twenty-one games.

During the offseason, the Wolfpack made the call to overhaul their roster again. Brandon “BioPanther” Alexander remains in the starting lineup, but he’s the only survivor. Every other Wolfpack star has returned to the Dire Cubs, with new signings bolstering the team.

New additions include former LCK players Oh “Raise” Ji-hwan, and Eun “Totoro” Jong-seop for jungle and support, while Oceanic talents Lo “Siuman” Pak Man (mid lane) and Dire Cubs graduate Robert “Katsurii” Gouv (bot lane) round out the squad.

With a newly brand new roster, the Dire Wolves seek redemption for Spring, and return to the race for Worlds. Can the old champions change their Spring fortunes in time for the finals, or will they fail to contest the title once more in 2019?

OPL 2019 Split 2 is just around the corner, and these storylines are just a few to keep an eye out for across season.

The OPL returns on Friday, June 6, with the Dire Wolves facing off against Legacy Esports at 4pm on twitch.tv/RiotGamesOCE.

Photos courtesy of Riot Games Oceania/OPL

The Chiefs Esports Club are currently seated just beneath the Bombers as second seed, and only need to play in two series to take the title for the split.

Led by head coach Tim “Volt” Clay, the experience of the Chiefs Split 1 2019 roster varies from top lane veteran Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland present from the team’s debut almost five years ago, to bot laner Quin “Raes” Korebrits who joined two years after, to rookie support Bill “Eyla” Nguyen, who played his first OPL match only ten weeks ago. Filling in the rest of the roster are former Legacy players, Jordan “Only” Middleton in jungle and mid lane superstar Brandon “Claire” Nguyen.

The Chiefs have been a part of the competitive League scene in Oceania since August 2014, founded by the roster of Team Immunity as Exodus Gaming before later rebranding to the Chiefs. They’ve maintained consistency to achieve massive domestic success since their debut, placing fourth or above in every OPL split to date, even spawning a winning OCS team in Chiefs Academy. In more casual domestic competition, all members – with the exclusion of Eyla – were selected to participate in League of Origin 2018.

Over the years, they’ve placed in every split to date and represented Oceania at numerous international events. This includes International Wild Card tournaments and their first place at Rift Rivals 2018 SEA-LJL-OPL alongside Legacy and the Dire Wolves. Despite this success, they’ve never represented OCE at Worlds, missing it on numerous occasions by nothing more than a hair. With their current roster, they’re looking to write new history.

Really happy for the Order boys, keen to finally vs them in a bo5.
Sadly there has to be a loser and its not gonna be me, I’ve been in this position 3 splits in a row now.

Not feeling this again, Going for pure titan domination tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/2RoDa4WiwL

— Swip3rR (@Swip3rR) March 29, 2019

This split, the Chiefs have displayed extreme dominance despite the numerous fresh faces in their roster. They’ve come together with ease, with outstanding performances from the top to the bottom of Summoner’s Rift.

Since the beginning of the split, they’ve only taken three losses altogether – one against Order, Mammoth, and the Bombers. They placed second in the regular split behind the Bombers, finishing the season off with a win streak spanning from week seven to now. On that note, they’ve been the only team to successfully take down the Bombers, giving the first-placed team their lone two losses as well as a 2-1 head-to-head lead.

During last year’s OPL season, they fell in both splits to the Dire Wolves in two agonising second-place finishes. However, with third time being a charm, they will be aiming to dethrone the Bombers next weekend, and stake their claim at the top once again.

The Gauntlet

Tonight, the Chiefs will start their Split 1 gauntlet run against Order for the final spot in the grand final. The boys from Melbourne have ran the gauntlet with victories over Mammoth and Avant, with the boys in blue stand their final challenge before the Bombers.

The Chiefs hold a 2-1 head-to-head record over Order, but this won’t stop them from giving this series their all. “While I think us and Bombers are the best teams, we aren’t underestimating Order.” Swip3rR said in regards to the run ahead.

“Our regular season results speak for themselves, but the gauntlet is a whole different environment, and our opponent will be coming in with momentum,” – Coach Tim ‘Volt’ Clay.

“They’ve shown they can be a championship team [during the past few days], and in gauntlet, anything can happen.”

“We will have the preparation edge though, so I would say we’re confident but not complacent coming into the series.” said coach Volt.

The gauntlet isn’t like the regular season sprint too – it’s an arduous best-of-five where endurance is key. “Mentally, the [best-of-five] format is a lot more exhausting on game day, so we spent the week ensuring that we’re adjusting to playing long sets of games in the evenings,”

“Mental strength and good fundamentals are incredibly important in Bo5, and I think our players have the edge over other teams in that regard.”

Player to Watch

For their matches, the player to keep an eye on is none other than Brandon “Swip3rR” Holland in the top lane.

The man known within the OPL as Big Swips has donned his blue jersey since the teams infancy, and has competed in numerous international events and domestic events outside of the OPL.

With one of the most consistent performances in the League, the veteran is dubbed the ‘rock in the top lane’ for a reason. His experience along with motivation will be key in leading his team to victory in his matchups.

“I’ve been fighting my demons since I was a champion in 2016 – I took winning for granted back then,

I will do everything in my power to not let that happen again.”
– Swip3rR

Clip: Avant overstay for an inhibitor but Eyla hits a long flank in Week 6 of the OPL.

If the Chiefs take the match against Order they’ll be no more than a series away from the winning title for Split 1. With a positive win ratio from their previous run-ins, the boys have proven that they’re more than capable of flying higher than the Bombers.

Should the Chiefs defeat the Essendon squad, the first place title will mark their return to the throne of the OPL for the first time since four consecutive titles between 2015 and 2016, and Swip3rR believes that “getting that back will make all this hard work in the last 24 months worth it.

“All three games [against Bombers] this split were coin flips in my eyes and there was never a clearly better team. I expect the final to follow these games; it should be a good one should we win on Saturday. I love these types of series, and power up from them.”

The bot lane matchup should be the most interesting, with both Raes and Bombers AD carry Victor “FBI” Huang looking to not only establish themselves as the kings of bot lane, but as the region’s best player.

“Raes and FBI are both incredible players and should be in the top two in anyone’s MVP votes for this split,” said Volt.

“I think Raes has had the edge in our matches against the Bombers this split, and should we make the grand final, I believe that trend will continue.”

The Chiefs have been a staple in the OPL for years, and have undoubtedly succeeded this split already despite the large changes made to the roster. However, taking home the trophy will be the only result they’ll be satisfied with, and they are in with a good shot.

The Chiefs will match up against Order at 4pm AEDT today for the spot across from Bombers in the grand final on the RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel.

Follow Swip3rR, Volt & The Chiefs on Twitter.

Following their second to last place finish at the conclusion of the 2018 Oceanic Pro League season, and a required 3-2 thriller against the now-relegated Tectonic in the promotion tournament, a fresh roster leads Avant into 2019 as players are gathered from all levels of the Rift.

With the exception of former Mammoth top laner Chippys, Avant Gaming’s roster hails either from the relegated Tectonic or from OCS champions Chiefs Academy’s former roster. With a majority of the players having been on teams with one another in the past, the team is more likely to click from the beginning, having an immediate advantage over lineups with no prior history.

In terms of matching against other teams in the league however, things aren’t looking fantastic due to the large gap in experience when compared to other teams heading into 2019. However the return of OPL veteran Rusty to the scene as their coach and the proper utilisation of the double jungle in the upcoming single fixture format, there’s potential for them to surprise the mid-tier teams with their play.

The Roster

Top Lane: Ryan ‘Chippys’ Short
Jungle: Ryan ‘Swathe’ Gibbons
Jungle: Lachlan ‘Sybol’ Civil
Mid Lane: Ari ‘Shok’ Greene-Young
AD: Vincent ‘Gunkrab’ Lin
Support: Ryan ‘Aladoric’ Richardson

Coach: Zack ‘Rusty’ Pye
Stage coach: Kai ‘Kai’ Stewart 

Who will provide major impact

The seasoned players of the Oceanic scene will be key in leading the team to victory, especially with the combined experience of Chippys and Sybol. In particular however, another OPL veteran in Rusty is making his coaching debut in the competition after making his return from the League of Legends Pro League in China. This will give the squad a crucial mentor with valuable experience brought back from a world title-winning region and exposing the rookies on the roster to a fresh and valuable perspective of the game.

Dark-horse in the squad

The decision to double up on junglers in Sybol and Swathe is an extremely interesting choice for Avant, with both players bringing experience from a variety of teams that have been led to success. With the newly established single-fixture format now introduced in the coming split, Avant is able to pick their starting jungler based on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents as successful teams in international competitions like the LCS and LEC have done in the past.

With the ever-present possibility of it backfiring entirely in terms of team communication, if the team is able to play in accordance with their junglers’ playstyle, it could prove extremely advantageous for them in the long run.

The draw

After their disappointing slip into a relegation dogfight last season, Avant has a long road ahead of them. The new roster will look to establish themselves as a threat in the competition, and their first test comes in their opening fixture – a showdown against Order. The boys from Melbourne are set to give them a run for their money, and that opening challenge is followed soon after by the experienced roster of the Chiefs Esports Club. The following week, their limits will be truly tested in their match against Chippy’s former organisations in Mammoth, followed by the fellow rookie roster of the Dire Wolves.

As they go up against some of the Oceanic League’s stronger teams, their true potential may not be shown in their debut fortnight, especially as they attempt to find their footing in the league, and settle on their path forward with the duo-jungle strategy they are bringing to the competition.

? Coach Profile: @RustyLoL

“I do sincerely hope that all of our fans continue to rally behind the new direction we have taken. There’s a lot of shifts, a lot of new faces and star players gone…”

?? Read here: https://t.co/I2F7agg07g#AVANTARMY | #AVWIN | @OPL pic.twitter.com/uXe9UfC0fn

— Avant Gaming (@AvantGaming) January 6, 2019

TEAM will have a strong split if

If one assumes the resources at their disposal are correctly utilised, Avant could have a strong split and easily contest the other mid to lower tier teams, with hopes they would be well clear of the relegation scrap they slipped into in 2018. As improvements in skill are seen, and if the dedication among the players remains, they could even give the stronger rosters a run for their money. If they maintain the correct mentality and don’t tilt after their difficult opening fixtures in 2019, the organisation be able to maintain a steady and humble position in the rankings.

Pass mark for Split 1

With the current roster, Avant must aim to fix the mistakes of the last split, after a ranking that was far too close to relegation for comfort – their aim is to not repeat their mistakes. At least for the first split of this season, they’ll be looking to show Oceania that Avant Gaming is here to stay, needing some ground before they’re able to establish themselves as a bigger threat in Split 2.

Question marks

A complete revamp of the roster from the top to bottom of the Rift occurred following Avant’s placement at the end of the 2018 season. Avant looks to switch things to a new formula to avoid their past mistakes, with the addition of Rusty as an unproven coach and the bold move to bring two junglers to the roster.

Will their coach’s experience in casting and analysing China’s LPL be in the key in Avant’s success, or is Rusty too far from the OPL’s chaotic playstyle? Are the two junglers going to be their greatest weapon – fueled by the power of Ice Break (Real Coffee) – or will they remain as unutilised potential?

Snowball Esports predicted finish

7th or 8th.

The OPL returns Friday 18 January and Avant Gaming will go toe-to-toe in their first match against Chiefs, Saturday 19 January. Watch live on the new RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel, find more information and the full fixture schedule at oce.lolesports.com.

Follow Avant Gaming on Twitter.

As this is the debut of the organisation in the Oceanic Pro League, Gravitas has extremely high stakes in the first split. The new-look team will be aiming to set their position among the other already established names in the league and prove themselves to Oceanic players and fans alike.

Although there aren’t any established expectations in results from previous years, it’s likely this split will be key in their bid to gather momentum as a newer unit. With the duos of Pabu and Praelus and Raid and Decoy recruited from Avant and Legacy respectively, the pre-existing synergies will potentially ease any adverse results in the process of bringing the roster together. As game veterans like former league champion EGym and regional star Juves man the reigns behind the scenes, Gravitas has the potential to be an extremely strong contender in the upcoming split.

The Roster

Top Lane: Jackson “Pabu” Pavone
Jungle: Jordan “Praelus” Fernandes
Mid Lane: Harry “Haeri” Kang
AD: Julian “Raid” Skordos
Support: Daniel “Decoy” Ealam

Coach: Bryce “EGym” Paule
General Manager: Brandon “Juves” Defina

Who will provide major impact

Following his outstanding performance in the All-Star Las Vegas 2018 1v1 Tournament, Gravitas were quick to launch the ‘Pabu Project’ after one of their strongest players. The colourfully-headed top laner comes into this split after an off-season to remember, with many considering the ‘People’s Champion’ one of the key reasons Oceania has been ‘put on the map’; if all goes well, he’ll be one of the key factors in doing the same for Gravitas.

Dark-horse in the squad

From his first appearance in the competitive Oceanic scene, Haeri has competed in the OCS and after a time in the region’s second division, expectations are high as he makes his OPL debut. With teams such as Legacy Genesis and Intuition already marked down on his resume, the upcoming split provides him with a chance to showcase his true potential in Australia and New Zealand’s professional league. Although his teammates have the advantage of prior experience with one another, if Haeri is able to stay cool under pressure in this new environment, it could prove to be his breakout season.

The draw

Heading into the split there’s certainly a challenge ahead of Gravitas as they look to stake their claim to fame in the OPL, but with the roster Juves has founded they have a fairly strong foundation, especially for a new team. For Gravitas, the key will be to hit the ground running as they play in the first game of the split against Legacy Esports, before moving on to face Juves’ old organisation Mammoth and their brand new roster on Sunday. In the second week, they face the graduated Academy roster of the Dire Wolves before their first match against the boys from Melbourne in ORDER.

For the opening fortnight, the new single fixture format provides Gravitas with an opportunity to challenge teams from all across the draw, and give an indication of their campaign’s starting point. If they’re able to achieve two or more wins, it proves they’ll be on the right path for the season. Anything less than this, and it’s likely the Gravitas boys still have some way to go in coming together as a functioning unit; they’ll need to fix their mistakes and step up their game if they want to contest playoffs throughout the remainder of the season.

Don’t mess with @Haeri_Oce killing it at Media Day #GravitasGlory pic.twitter.com/jpNN5ZziUw

— Gravitas (@GravitasOCE) January 4, 2019

Gravitas will have a strong split if…

Gravitas will have a strong split if they manage to cement themselves into the OPL and come together as a team. Coming from a range of different environments, there’s likely to be an adjustment period as they go against their former team members. The sooner they overcome this period, the sooner they’ll be able to push themselves and see how well they match up against the other recently changed rosters across the league.

Pass mark for Split 1

Despite the lack of former reference in terms of their placement, Gravitas aims to be a strong contender for Split 1, with a focus placed on proving this to others. For their current roster, having a consistent contest within the top four teams would be ideal.

Question marks

After SportsGeek acquired Tectonic’s slot and Juves took the helm as the organisation’s general manager, the group set about put together a roster from a variety of different teams, even plucking their members of staff from different positions within the OPL as EGym makes his coaching debut.

With pieces of the puzzle coming from all across the competitive scene, and EGym’s main behind-the-scenes experience coming in the form of GM of New South Wales in the annual State of Origin, the question remains – can this combination of players, fresh-faced backroom staff and sporting knowledge click in 2019? Will they find the winning formula to lead the team to victory, or will they fall short of #GravitasGlory?

Snowball Esports predicted finish

Gravitas has cemented themselves in a good position in terms of their roster as a strong mid tier team – 4th – 5th.

The OPL returns for 2019 on the 18th of January with Gravitas facing off against the new-look Legacy Esports. Watch live on the new RiotGamesOCE Twitch channel, find more information and the full fixture schedule at oce.lolesports.com.

Follow Gravitas on Twitter.

Alongside the various roster changes that have taken place in preparation of the new season, the OPL talent lineup has had a few adjustments of its own going into 2019.

The on-screen talent will be entertaining the audience of the OPL during and between games on the casting desk and the analyst couch.

Familiar faces from 2018 will return for the next split, including dynamic duo Bryce “EGym” Paule and Jake “Spawn” Tiberi as colour casters. EGym and Spawn both have many splits experience as players and casters in Oceania, and their ever-expanding knowledge of the region will make sure the broadcast keeps on improving.

On top of this, they’ll be able to give up a little bit of “inside analysis,” with EGym expanding into coaching for his first split under new OPL team Gravitas, while Spawn continues his term as the General Manager of ORDER heading into 2019.

This split is also the sophomore season of Nich “Nichboy” Richardson as the OPL’s charismatic host (pending Riot approval), and Bailey “the Beagle”, the broadcast’s furry mascot confirmed to reappear throughout the year.

2019 also brings the winds of change to Oceania’s rift. OPL veteran Zack “Rusty” Pye will make his long-awaited return to the broadcast alongside Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge to bring another casting duo to the top flight.

Having casted the OPL since its inception until last year, and playing in Oceania Regionals before that, Rusty will bring a refreshed voice to the OPL broadcast following his time in China casting the LPL. He will also be taking up coaching for the first time, taking the renewed Avant Garde roster under his wing for 2019.

“It’s super good to come home and be able to share my years of experience on the LPL with the region that started it all for me,” Rusty commented on his homecoming.

PiraTechnics will make his first appearance on the OPL broadcast in Week 3 for the remainder of Split 1 after leaving the EU LCS in November to become a freelancer. His impressive portfolio built over the past three years covers international events including Worlds, Rift Rivals, MSI, All-Star and the recent OPL Split 2 Grand final at the inaugural Melbourne Esports Open.

“I’m thrilled to announce my return to League of Legends casting down under with the OPL this split,” PiraTechnics told Snowball Esports.

“After the incredible experience that was last split’s finals at MEO, I’ve been looking forward to another chance to work alongside the OCE Broadcast crew, covering one of the most exciting up-and-coming regions in professional LoL.

“And with just about every roster shuffling talent across the scene, this season is sure to be a real toss-up,” he quipped.

With all of this experience under his belt, his play-by-play casting will be extremely valuable alongside the other veterans.

With seasoned talent from around the world alongside the new rosters, 2019 will be an extremely exciting year to be a fan of the OPL.

The broadcast team will be seen in action starting from January 18 when the OPL returns for its ninth split.

You can follow Bailey, NichBoy, EGym, Spawn, Rusty and PiraTechnics on Twitter.

After the performance of MAMMOTH in 2018 left them in 6th place, big changes are on the horizon as the organisation looks to rebuild their roster for the 2019 OPL season.

They had almost qualified for the gauntlet run by the end of the competitive season only falling short after dropping a heartbreaking set 2-0 to Legacy.

“We at MAMMOTH and ROAM want to thank each of the individual players for their professionalism and their efforts in MAMMOTH’s OPL debut split. The organisation and the players shared high aspirations in 2018,” MAMMOTH Team Director, Ahilleas Papantos commented in regards to the team’s performance.

“Today, we announce the official departure of our standing OPL roster of Juves, Mash, Chippys and Remind,” Papantos stated.

“Although we fell short of our goals, we hold the players in the highest regard and wish them all the best in 2019 and for all future endeavours.”
Ahilleas Papantos, Team Director

The organisation has parted ways from their standing roster as they seek a fresh start for the new season. As of yet, the only move to be announced from the previous roster has been the addition of former jungler Brandon “Juves” Defina as the General Manager of the new Sports Geek team, with the others currently free agents.

“We are ecstatic to officially announce the signing of Richard “Phantiks” Su as MMM’s Head Coach, pending Riot approval” said Papantos.

Following the reset of their entire OPL roster, MAMMOTH has picked up OPL veteran Richard ‘Phantiks’ Su as their coach for the 2019 season.

The announcement of the new coach follows rumours of Jihoon “Topoon” Kim joining MAMMOTH’s roster in the top lane.

“MAMMOTH has provided me the best opportunity to accomplish my goals: delivering a fan captivating performance on the world stage and paving a way for the future of League of Legends in Oceania,” MAMMOTH’s new coach, Phantiks stated.

Phantiks’ presence in the scene dates back to the Oceanic Regional Tournament in 2013. His other previous affiliations have built him a generous resume, including the Dire Wolves, Chiefs and most recently, Intuition where he served as a coach and substitute top laner, leading them to a 1st place victory in the OCS Regular Season and 2nd place in the playoffs against Chiefs Academy.

“We believe in the brilliance of the young coach and are excited to witness our OPL team develop under his strategic vision,” said Papantos.

His competitive experience as a player across a variety of roles including middle, top and bot lane provide him with credible insight for coaching, especially as he has worked with some of the more consistently performing teams of the OPL. For MAMMOTH, Phantiks has potential to be an extremely valuable asset at the base of a strong team.

“I believe that this framework [of players] is the recipe for success in 2019,” said Phantiks, holding confidence in his “hand-picked” roster.

Although their roster is yet to be announced, the lineup of “established veterans” may be force to be reckoned with. MAMMOTH will looking to take the OPL crown when the 2019 season begins.

For more OPL roster news, follow Snowball Esports on Twitter and the #OPLTrades hashtag.

Just a few weeks ago now, New South Wales went up against Victoria in the League of Origin Final for 2018, sporting regional pride as they competed for the winning title.

Both teams were all smiles as they walked into the Margaret Court Arena on November 17th. Victoria marched into a home crowd, sporting a 5-1 score out of groups as they were opposed by the 4-2 New South Wales. Fans had flown in from across all regions of Oceania to watch these two teams compete, and potentially even sneak in a shoey onto the broadcast.

The rivalling states faced off against each other in a best of five, competing on behalf of their regions, with the boys in blue aiming to snatch the title from the reigning champions in slightly darker blue.

Tensions were high as the teams rode into the first game of the series. Despite Triple finding first blood onto Spookz at the beginning of the game, Team Victoria maintained a fairly stable gold lead against their opponents.

Despite this lead, NSW head coach Aaron ‘ChuChuz’ Bland remained confident in his team.

“I wasn’t really confident until I saw the first five minutes of game one,” he remarked, before correcting himself moments later, “Oh wait, we lost the first five minutes of game one. I could see them camping Triple and I noticed that our mentality remained the same.”

Refusing to be tilted by the Victorian boys, Team NSW made their slow and steady comeback over smaller skirmishes and executing on their objective control and team fights, securing themselves Rift Herald, Baron and then the Nexus at almost 27 minutes.

In game two, Victoria were looking to even the score in the shortest game of the series with Pabu as their carry on Viktor. This game was even closer, with neither team being more than 2k gold ahead of their opponent at any given time.

It was fairly back and forth but Victoria simply had more control over the map as a whole with crowd control provided by Claire and Jayke on Cassiopeia and Alistar respectively, enabling the team to win larger team fights, pushing for New South Wales’ Nexus with Baron buff on their side. With that final push, they were back in the game.

Still, the Sydneysiders remained tilt-proof and even somewhat confident, equipped with the same smiles they’d donned since day one.

“Even in game two, they came back to the room, we were like: we’re still gonna win this,” ChuChuz stated.

“I saw exactly what they did wrong and it was so easy to fix and in games three and four we just fixed it and won.”

“It feels like we just had a roster advantage. Like we definitely just had more talent; and you could just feel that in the game. At the end of the day, we just had better hands.”
Swip3rR, NSW Captain

With Swip3rR subbed back in for game three, the teams took to the Rift once more in a one-sided match in favour of the boys in baby blue, where Spookz on Taliyah would require a leash at four minutes on blue buff in order to hit level two after dying to Swip3rR’s Sion and Only’s Camille once each.

This would set the overall tempo for the game as NSW snowballed from this lead, demonstrating a confident performance in front of the former victors, taking the series to match point, much to the dismay of the Victorian crowd.

“Loved it! It was so fun! I loved it!” top laner Brandon ‘BioPanther’ Alexander shared his thoughts on the crowd with his signature smile, following up shortly after.

“You know someone’s supporting you out there, at the end of the day, so it’s fun.”

Game four saw both teams competing with even higher stakes; NSW fought for match point while Victoria fought for a chance to stay in the series.

“1000 APM!”
Destiny, NSW Support

“We all just wanted revenge… it felt like the intensity was high throughout the entire tournament,” NSW Captain Brandon ‘Swip3rR’ Holland commented in reference to last year’s loss, which had become a driving force behind NSW’s performance in 2018.

With BioPanther back into the game, both teams spawned for their final stand with first blood shed by FBI’s Tristana onto Jayke’s Braum.  Although favour in the first half of the game cycled between both teams, NSW would eventually reign supreme with BioPanther and FBI taking the helm as Victoria were outplayed, a final Baron push closing out League of Origin for 2018.

Team NSW come out on top to close out the series against Team VIC in the League of Origin Grand Final

After an extremely intense four-game series, NSW knocked down last year’s winning team, raising the League of Origin trophy in front of the former victor’s home crowd. General Manager Bryce ‘EGym’ Paul discussed the crowd’s uncharacteristic silence during this time,

“When something disastrous is happening to us, the crowd was going nuts, so it definitely felt like a more grand event this time.”

Against all odds, Team New South Wales redeemed themselves against Victoria to bring home the #NSWWIN after a great League of Origin tournament for 2018.

This regional pride will soon return to competitive rivalry as it reignites the flame for the next competitive season of League of Legends in Oceania.