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Stevan Mačkić: The viewers can expect big surprises!

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We witnessed an interesting four qualifiers in FIFA22 this season. The group stage in A1 Adria League is starting soon, and the competition has never been more intense. Before the beginning of the SWISS group stage, we talked with a well-known FIFA caster Stevan Mačkić about the qualifiers, this year’s competition, his expectations, and more.

Last season FIFA22 was a brand new game. How different is it this season?

The transition from PS4 to PS5 included the transition to Hypermotion, and the difference is noticeable but difficulties exist every year and the players are adapting over and over again. The autumn season is always challenging for players in A1 Adria League because it comes at the transition from one to the other game, and they (the players) SWISS style part of the league play with new teams, but I think the quality always comes to the surface.

This season’s qualifiers were one of the most intense ones ever. We didn’t know who was going to advance up until the last qualifiers cup. What does this tell you about this year’s competition?

It is enough to point out the fact that for the winner of the second qualifier Luka, not even 100 points was enough for him to advance to the SWISS stage, and it’s clear about what kind of competition we are talking about. The bar has been raised to the next level and to enter the league stage is not enough for you to shine in one qualifier, but to constantly play well and earn points from week to week.

Many familiar names made their way to the group stage. Who do you expect to see in the finals? 

As a caster, I must remain impartial and objective. All I’ll say is that the viewers can expect big surprises.

FIFA Stevan Mačkić

What do you think about Amke’s performance in the qualifiers, seeing that he didn’t manage to win a single cup but still advanced to the next stage as the second seed?

I have always seen Amke as one of the most talented Balkanian players. The three consecutive titles in A1 Adria League prove that. Do I agree with everything he did and wrote after the sixth, seventh, and especially the eighth season, that’s a completely different question. In the ninth season maybe Amke had a slightly weaker start, but I have never doubted that he will be able to adapt to the gameplay and secure his spot in the top 8.

Do you think that someone can dethrone Amke, or the championship is his once again?

Amke’s confidence is on a high level, after the eighth season’s finale he himself pointed out that it was “the easiest ever A1 Adria League title to win”. Is he going to effortlessly win another title in the ninth season we will find out in the next month.

The ninth season finals will be broadcasted as a part of Reboot Online Games Week in Osijek. What is your experience from the finals last year, and are you looking forward to the one in Osijek? 

After the one in Zagreb in June last year I thought it can’t get any better than this, but then in Šibenik, I received the stage and studio which can compete with the production of FIFA Global Series tournaments. I am convinced that the management of the league led by Leonardo and Marijana will exceed expectations once again and that all of us from the FIFA Balkan Community will provide the audience with the best experience that the regional scene can offer at the moment. I would also like to thank our tournament admins Maid Korić and Tarik Gagula for taking care that every week everything goes well during the preliminary phase of the qualification tournaments. Regarding us casters, Mole and I are ready and we can’t wait for the beginning of the SWISS stage.

 

killax: We are where we deserve to be, at the top!

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The VALORANT championship in A1 Adria League is completed, and after two weekends of great games, we have gotten our first champion in this game. Balkan Stars managed to defeat everyone and win the title. We talked with the captain of the team killax about their experience, the championship, as well as their plans for the future.

How does it feel to be the first winner of VALORANT in the A1 Adria League?

Firstly, I would like to thank the whole Adria team for the chance to compete. Regarding how we felt at the beginning of the competition, we were pretty euphoric, but right now we feel like we are where we deserve to be, at the top. We plan to stay there.

You justified the role of favorites. What do you think about the competition, and who would you single out as the toughest opponent and why?

That’s right, we even fulfilled our own expectations. The competition was solid, and we would like to single out team Minima who showed us for the second time that we shouldn’t underestimate them and that they are worthy opponents. They were the toughest opponents, and the reason is exactly the resistance that they put playing against us.

You didn’t lose a single match in the playoffs. What influenced such good performance of the team?

I want to thank the whole team. Everyone remained calm and kept a good mentality throughout the whole tournament. My teammates and I worked really hard to get to this point, and I’m glad we played the way we did. I would also like to thank everyone who showed their support. All the time we spent practicing really paid off.

This year we have had a change in the format, some games are only played for two weekends in a row. VALORANT fits this category as well. What do you think about this way of competing? 

We think that this format is good. Maybe it would be better for next time to separate quarterfinals from semifinals and finals. Because playing the quarterfinals on the same day can affect the players and their performance.

Instead of the standard four games in A1AL, this season we have seven. What do you think about these changes in the league?

We are happy that VALORANT finally got the attention, and we are glad to have had the chance to be a part of this league. We also hope that in the future seasons we will be there as well.

What are your plans now, considering VALORANT competitions?

Our plans at the moment are to be on the top in VALORANT East United, the competition which hosts more than 15 neighboring countries, and the competition looks interesting and very challenging. I would also like to take this chance and mention that we are looking for an organization that would help us improve and do great things together. So if some organization is reading this, and believes in our potential – we are waiting for you.

First VALORANT championship in A1AL goes to Balkan Stars!

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The first VALORANT tournament in our A1 Adria League is successfully finished. We have enjoyed two weekends of Riot’s FPS, and seen some great teams compete for the title. In the end, it was the regional favorites who won it all. Balkan Stars are the first A1AL VALORANT champions.

Balkan Stars dominated the playoffs

We have seen a lot of great matches today. Seeing that all of them were Bo3, the fights were intense. Minima took down in the first round a familiar name in the region. Zero Tenacity fell down to them after all three maps. On the other side of the bracket, it was Diamant Esports who was dominant. They went on to secure the finals without a loss.

In the first semifinals, we have seen Diamant Esports defeat SHEEESHSQUAD with a clean 2:0 victory. They were dominating their opponents in both games. As expected they showed great skill and deserved to be the first to secure today’s spot in the finals. The other semifinal was an intense one. Even though Balkan Stars won with 2:0 the fight was closer than it looked. Both matches ended up with a 13:11 score. Minima didn’t give up at any point in the game but in the end, they failed to make it to the finals. They were really good in the second game of the semifinals and had a lead over their opponents, but Balkan Stars after changing sides managed to come back and secure the finals.

Balkan Stars gave it all against their opponents Diamant Esports in the grand final. They took the first game on Fracture and showed some amazing gameplay. The second match was a really intense one. Balkan Stars started well on Breeze, but somewhere in the middle of the match, Diamant managed to even out the score to 8:8. After that Balkan Stars picked up their game and went on to win the remaining 5 rounds, ending the second match with a 13:8 score.

Balkan Stars win the first VALORANT championship in A1 Adria League with a 2:0 victory and take home the 700€ prize. Congratulations!

Bakistuta: I expect 4glory and BLUEJAYS in the finals

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The group stage in CS:GO of A1 Adria League is just around the corner. We will be able to enjoy the best eight teams in the region competing for the title and the prize. But before the start of the league, we talked with a CS:GO caster Bakistuta about his expectations of the upcoming CS:GO competition, new season, qualified teams, and many others.

The qualifiers of A1AL S9 are completed. Which teams that qualified for the league were the biggest surprise?

I didn’t see many surprises in the qualifiers, we have seen all of these teams many times in recent years, but if I have to single out one team it would be ghoulsW with one of my favorite players desire and FURIA. They had many obstacles in the qualifiers, and after their victory over ELITE they completely deserved the spot in the league. I would also like to mention another surprise, this time negative because I don’t see Marten Rising between the qualified teams. I know they have the quality to be alongside the best teams, and when a team has Muffy and Ruda, I only have the highest expectations.

What is your opinion on the power ratio between the two invited teams BLUEJAYS and 4glory and the qualified ones?

The fact that these two teams are the invited ones speaks for itself about their form and reputation. We have great teams who managed to qualify, but my head and my heart tell me that BLUEJAYS and 4glory are one step above the others. 4glory at the moment has one of the best Serbian rosters ever, and when your manager is Dejan “BAX” Atanackovic only the sky is the limit. I don’t want to waste many words on the Macedonian squad BLUEJAYS, their results speak for themselves. Great guys, fantastic skill. Aside from this league, I predict them even bigger success than what they have achieved so far.

What do you think about who will we see in the finals this year?

If the bracket allows it, I expect 4glory and BLUEJAYS in the finals. Both teams strive to become the champions, so anything less than a final for them would be a serious fiasco.

This season we are witnessing a lot of great individuals, who would you single out as ones that are worth paying attention to?

Everyone from 4glory and BLUEJAYS fit this category, it’s pointless naming them all. Besides them, there are old school players like Neno, pure class, to the young talents such as Depreshn and Katalic. I have to admit I recently have been watching a lot of Maki from Strive in chaos. When you take down a team like Fnatic, that speaks a lot about your game. And another man I have to mention, who isn’t a player but the coach, heart, and brain of the team Zero Tenacity, Untouched. Under his leadership, experience, and directive you can win against everyone.

How strong is this season’s competition compared to the previous one?

Every year the stage is improving more and more, new players are showing up, and blowing us away with their moves. Alongside the new players, the ones who have been there for years are becoming even more experienced and better throughout the practice and time. So every new season is better than the previous one.

Only the decider matches in the SWISS phase will be Bo3, unlike before when all the matches were in this format. Do you think that the change in format will have an impact on the final score?

I’m glad you asked this because often it happens that these kinds of changes go unnoticed. It’s a huge difference when you play Bo1 and Bo3 matches. Anyone who follows any kind of competitive game will agree that it’s much easier to upset and win against a favorite on one map rather than three. For sure this will bring a chance for us to see many surprises.

What are you looking forward to the most this season? 

I am looking forward to good broadcasts, many fantastic plays from our Balkanian maestros, and the enormous amount of quality content, as well as in CS:GO as in other games.

Clash Royale qualifiers are coming soon!

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Clash Royale is making its great return in the ninth season of the A1 Adria League. It’s gonna have a different format than in the previous seasons, but nonetheless, the fun and the competition will be the same as always. Don’t miss your chance to show the region you can be the best!

Two weekends of fun

One of the most popular mobile games is coming back in our A1AL. As you know we have had Clash Royale in some of the previous seasons. In fact, it was one of the first games we hosted. Clash Royale made its appearance in season 2 of A1 Adria League, all the way to season 6. Last year was an exception, whereas League of Legends took its place. This year every regional Clash Royale player or team will have the chance to compete again.

Clash Royale in the ninth season of the League is coming in a different format than before. Just like League of Legends, and VALORANT, this popular mobile game will be played for two weekends only. One weekend is reserved for the qualifier and the next for the playoff stage when we will get the champion.

The matches in the qualifier will be best-of-one, and they will be held in the SWISS format. The best eight teams will go into the next stage, i.e. playoffs, where they will have the chance to fight for the title and the 1000€ prize pool. The group stage will be double elimination and the playoffs will be played in three sets overall. 1v1 duels will be in the best-of-three series, while 2v2s will be best-of-ones.

The Clash Royale qualifier will be held on May 7th, while the playoff is reserved for the week after that. You can sign up at the link below.

  • STAGE

  • A1 Adria League Season 9 – Clash Royale – Qualifier

All the information and the rules about the game you can find HERE.

A1 Adria League group stage begins soon! Here’s who qualified

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The time has finally come to officially start the ninth season of the A1 Adria League. Besides League of Legends which has already gotten its champion, our three standard games, Brawl Stars, FIFA22, and CS:GO, are yet to get their own. The qualifications for these three games are finally over, and we are bringing you a recap of all the qualified players and teams.

Zidari are dominating Brawl Stars

The beginning of the Brawl Stars qualifiers was a turbulent one. Everyone expected last year’s champions Zidari to dominate the draft. But as we have seen they only managed to secure 20 points in the first qualifier. It was Jazavci who came on top and secured first place.

It didn’t take long before Zidari picked up their game and climbed to the top. From the second qualifier, it was this team who managed to beat everyone else and reclaim their own first place. They won three consecutive qualifiers, and in the end as the first seed qualified for the group stage.

During all four qualifiers, we have also seen a great performance from teams such as Big F who went hand in the hand with Zidari the whole time. Jazavci, also made their way into the next stage of A1AL, as well as Dogs who were in the top four throughout the qualifiers. These are the eight Brawl Stars teams that entered the league.

Brawl Stars qualifiers final standings

The group stage for Brawl Stars begins on May 5th.

FIFA22 and the most dramatic qualifiers

Even before the qualifiers for FIFA22 started, everyone was watching our three-time champion Tarik “amke2001” Novo. But Novo didn’t manage to win a single qualifier this year. Although that didn’t stop him from qualifying for the group stage as the second seed.

Every qualifier went into the hands of a different person. The first time around it was Esad “esad1memic” Memic who came out victorious and earned the first 100 points. While in that same qualifier Novo lost in the first round. We have seen a couple of new players also worth mentioning such as Karlo “jero” Jerekin and Luka “Zizou” Simunac. While jero made it to the group stage, the winner of the second qualifier Zizou wasn’t that lucky.

The well-known name Milos “brstimir” Majdevac came in like a fury in the third qualifier and earned himself 100 points and a place in the top 8. Our three-time champion Novo at this point was on the verge of being eliminated, he had 80 points and was the eighth player, barely making the cut.

The last qualifier was extremely dramatic. Seeing the points were close, and anyone could eliminate anyone, the battle was fierce. Petar “DrPecho” Susnjar was the best player in the fourth qualifier. He managed to take down Novo and secure a place in the group stage as the first seed. These are the top 8 FIFA22 players who are entering the group stage of A1AL.

FIFA22 last qualifier standings

The group stage for FIFA22 begins on May 6th.

Regional CS:GO giants are here

Unlike FIFA and Brawl Stars, CS:GO had three qualifiers, where we got 2 teams from each, adding up to 6 teams overall. These 6 qualified teams are joined by the two invited, which are 4glory and BLUEJAYS.

First to make it to the group stage were BLINK and XTEAM who managed to take down some well-known regional names such as Zero Tenacity, Marten Rising, MONAD eSports, and so on. The next two slots went into the hand of Strive in chaos and bitboxks, now Oto100. While we yet again saw Z10, ghoulsW, Marten Rising and others compete. It took them three qualifiers but in the end, they made it. The third time was the charm for Zero Tenacity and ghoulsW who were the last to secure their spot in the group stage of A1 Adria League. They didn’t give up, and in the end, it was worth it.

With that, we have our top 8 CS:GO teams, which are:

  • BLINK
  • XTEAM
  • Strive in chaos
  • Oto100
  • Zero Tenacity
  • ghoulsW
  • 4glory
  • BLUEJAYS

The group stage for CS:GO begins on May 8th.

Zero Tenacity and ghoulsW made it to the group stage!

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All the qualifiers for CS:GO are completed, and there are no more chances to secure the group stage in this season’s A1 Adria League. The third qualifier was a swift one, compared to the others. We have seen more than 20 teams fight for the remaining two spots in the league and the teams that came on top were Zero Tenacity and ghoulsW.

Z10 and ghoulsW secured the last two spots

After two qualifiers Zero Tenacity and ghoulsW failed to qualify for the group stage. It was clear that the battle will be fierce today seeing there was only one chance and two spots left. Both these teams were close in the previous qualifiers but there was always something missing. Today they have finally secured their spots and it was deserved. In the top side of the bracket, it was Zero Tenacity who dominated, not losing a single game today. This team came into today’s qualifier with a new signing, it was Katalic who helped the team enter the league.

GhoulsW did the same on the other side of the bracket. They managed to beat many great teams, and one of them was MONAD eSports which in the end didn’t make the cut. Another well-known team, that wasn’t good enough to qualify was Marten Rising. They were eliminated in the second round.

There were three CS:GO qualifiers overall, and one by one the eight spots in the group stage of A1AL got filled. First to secure this was BLINK and XTEAM who beat everyone in the first qualifier. The second qualifier went into the hands of Strive in chaos and bitboxks or Oto100. Including the two invited teams 4glory and BLUEJAYS and the winners from today, we have the top eight who will enter and compete in our A1 Adria League for the title and the prize, as well as the right to call themselves the best regional CS:GO team.

The SWISS group stage starts on May 8th. The best four teams from this stage will advance to the finals, while we will say goodbye to the other half.

Eight teams easily secure a spot in the VALORANT playoffs!

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The only qualifier for our new game VALORANT is completed. This is is the first season in A1 Adria League that we are hosting a competition for the new Riot’s FPS. We have seen some familiar names and some new ones, which is normal seeing that the game still has a long way to go in gathering bigger regional followers.

Top 8 advance to the playoffs

Today we have had a fight between many teams, and eight of the best qualified for the next stage of VALORANT. The first round of the competition was the best-of-three series. The other rounds were played for seed, considering we have gotten the eight qualified teams already after the first round.

A familiar team in the VALORANT competition of our A1AL were Balkan Stars, who are already a dynamic and synergic team. For some time now the Macedonian squad has been competing in tournaments for this game, and we have high expectations they will do great in the playoffs.

We have also seen teams such as Diamant Esports and Zero Tenacity A who have already made a name for themselves in some other games such as League of Legends. Their new composed VALORANT rosters took their chances today and Diamant Esports managed to qualify, while Zero Tenacity A was eliminated. The winning game for Diamant we have followed on stream and it was an easy stomp against team Kajmak.

Besides Balkan Stars and Diamant Esports, the other 6 qualified teams are:

  • AngryTeam
  • Why No Eco
  • AIF
  • Minima
  • Lost Soul
  • SHEEESHSQUAD

The VALORANT playoffs will be held next week, May 30th, where the bracket will be single elimination and the winner will earn a 700€ prize, while the second-best team will be awarded 300€. Prepare well because all the games will be Bo3! See you next week!

Pecho took down amke2001 in the final FIFA22 qualifier!

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The most dramatic FIFA22 qualifier is completed. After four qualifiers the best eight FIFA22 players of this season will enter A1 Adria League and compete in the SWISS group stage. Pecho was the one who came out victorious after the last qualifier, which also provided him the first place overall.

Pecho bested the three-time champion

Knowing that a win today might put anyone in the top 8, slots were full once again! The fact that nobody managed to secure their spot until the last qualifier got every single player to shift into their upper gear, which ended in the most dramatic FIFA qualifier we have seen in recent years.

The surprise of the day was the relegation of the two experienced and well-known players Miloš “brstimir” Majdevac and Esad “esad1memic” Memic. They didn’t manage to get past round 3 today, but luckily they had already gathered enough points from previous qualifiers, to secure their spot in the group stage. The rookie Karlo “Jero” Jerkin went only one step more through the bracket and also secured himself some screen time in the next stage of A1AL. Another rookie from these qualifiers Zizou who came on top in the second qualifier, unfortunately, didn’t have enough points to secure the group stage.

Our three-time champion Tarik “amke2001” Novo took this qualifier more seriously than those before. He cruised through the bottom side of the bracket with ease. Just like it was expected from him from the start of the new season. His enemy in the final would be Petar “Pecho” Susnjar who dominated the other side of the bracket.

Even before the final started, both players had reached enough points to secure first and second place, so they focused on making a statement for the future. Amke2001 took down the first match, while Pecho clutched in the 120. minute in the second game of the finals. The third game was a dominant one for Pecho who didn’t let amke2001 score once, ending the match with an easy 2:0 win.

FIFA22 last qualifier standings

In the end, all the players who were expected to win and ensure their place in the group stage did. It was a very close and intense competition from the start, which can be seen in the final standings.

The players will take a short deserved break after such fierce battles, and prepare for the group stage which will commence on May 6th.

 

Zidari advance to group stage as first place!

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All four qualifiers for Brawl Stars are officially over. We finally have the top eight teams that will advance to the group stage and enter the A1 Adria League. First place went to last year’s champions Zidari, who managed to win their third consecutive qualifier.

Zidari dominated the qualifiers

After four weeks of intense fighting over the eight spots in the group stage of Brawl Stars, we finally have the winners. The best 8 teams who succeeded in achieving the highest number of points will now advance to the next stage of the competition.

In this last qualifier, we have seen many familiar faces, teams such as Jazavci, Zidari, Big F, Smetlari, Dogs, and many others continued to fight in order to try and earn their spot in A1AL. The big surprise of the day was Smetlari, who lost in round 2 of this qualifier to another great team Big F. Smetlari managed to keep themselves in the top 8 during the previous three qualifiers, so this early loss didn’t cost them a place in the next stage. Big F after this victory went on to challenge the winner of the first Brawl Stars qualifier, Jazavci. They took them down too with an easy 2:0 win in the quarterfinals. They eventually lost to Zidari, who in the end went on to win the whole thing.

Last year’s champions Zidari had a great day, they went on to take the most points again, didn’t lose a single match today, and as the first seed will advance to the group stage. After a rocky start, this team proved itself to be the best once again.

You lose was another great team, that with the performance they showed today, managed to qualify to the group stage, even though they weren’t in the top 8 in the previous qualifiers. Here are the teams who will continue their battle in the next stage of A1AL.

Brawl Stars qualifiers final standings

These successful Brawlers will now take a short break, until May 5th, when the SWISS group stage will commence. Congratulation to all the teams that qualified!