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From hobby to career: stories of professional Esports players

Do you ever sit at home watching CS2 Major or LEC and LCS and wonder how the pro players became what they are today? There are many great pro players on the esports scene at the moment. Many of them started playing video games at a very early age, but each story is different. I chose to talk about the best, or at least, some of the best players in CS2, League of Legends, and VALORANT and their journey to greatness. Let’s dive in.

Stories of greatness

Without a doubt, the majority of video game lovers play games for fun and out of a hobby. In some rare cases, the hobby can become a very well-paid career. That’s what happened to s1mple, Faker, and TenZCS, League of Legends, and VALORANT best.

Faker and T1

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is considered the best in League of Legends. His story begins with a single parent who was sure his son would make it as a pro player. Since the inception of the esports industry eastern Asian countries have first recognized the potential of the industry and invested in it. Faker’s father nudged the Unkillable Demon King to start playing games. T1 midlaner began his journey with a MOBA game called CHAOS. After that, he switched to LoL, sometime in late 2011. It wasn’t long after that T1 (SKT1) contacted him to play in their second team.

Faker who had just started high school decided to pursue the gamer dream and drop out. The rest as they say is history. Only two years later, in 2013, he won his first World Championship, and now as we know he has four, along with countless domestic titles in LCK.

S1mple’s struggling journey

Another player considered (and probably is/was) the best in his game is Oleksandr ”s1mple” Kostyliev. Just like Faker, s1mple also started gaming early on. He started by playing Counter-Strike 1.6 inspired by his older brother who he used to watch play. As there was only one computer in the house, s1mple didn’t have the possibility to play whenever he wanted, but to wait his turn. Something I think many of us with a sibling can relate to.

S1mple started playing CS:GO as soon as it was released in 2012. He played the game for one year before he stepped into the competitive scene in a semi-pro tournament with the local team Lan Dodgers. After that, he signed for Courage Gaming and then HellRaisers who had many superstar players in the team. This led to one of the problems in his early career resulting in toxic behavior. That and the ban from his CS 1.6 days made him miss a couple of majors. However, in the end, as we know he became a well-respected AWPer and now has around 20 MVPs, Major, and other high-tier tournament titles under his name.

Race for best VALORANT player

Pro VALORANT players in most cases switched from CS:GO to the Riot’s FPS. The same thing goes for TenZ, who is considered one of the best in the game. Tyson “TenZ” Ngo started playing video games when he was only three years old. At the age of 15, he competed at his first LAN event which his mom first had to approve. Similar to Faker and his father, TenZ’s mother also saw the potential in gaming (even though it took some convincing).

After high school TenZ signed for Cloud9 and competed shortly for their CS:GO team. Some time he was a streamer for the org and then VALORANT beta came knocking on his door. TenZ became the first player to hit Radiant on VALORANT and that brought him a lot of recognition and respect. The fact that he is protanomaly colorblind didn’t stop him from making 40 kills on Breeze at VCT 2022: North America Stage 2 Challengers tournament. As VALORANT is still young we have yet to see what Tenz will do in the future. So far he already has two VCT titles and a couple of MVP awards.

Check out what happened in the third A1AL qualifiers week!

The third week since the beginning of the 12th A1 Adria League season is already behind us. Many interesting matches were played, and excitement wasn’t absent. We even crowned the first champion in this A1AL season in League of Legends. Read on to learn more about FIFA23, FIFA Mobile, CS: GO, and LoL tournament results.

Shaq wins the second FIFA Mobile qualifiers

Unlike the first qualifier in FIFA Mobile, our new A1 Adria League tournament, the second didn’t see many surprises and upsets. At the top of the leaderboard are currently Kayozz, the winner of the first qualifier, and Shaq. These two players bested their opponents on their side of the bracket and made it to the finals. There, Shaq managed to snatch a victory from Kayozz and claim 120 points.

This puts him in the second place, while Kayozz remains the first with 200 points. He obtained 80 points in second place in the second FIFA Mobile qualifier. Ivand and Nerko are sharing the third spot with 90 points overall.

There is still time to earn more points and secure the group stage by signing up for the third qualifier set on September 22nd. You can do it HERE!

Third FIFA23 qualifier without a winner!

In the third FIFA23 qualifier, Teo “Sibirski_Plavac” Radman was the one who reached the finals and won 100 points. However, we found out another player was playing on his account and climbing in his place. Harun “Hara” Parla, a known FIFA player in the region, was boosting Teo, leading to both players being disqualified from the league.

Since these two players are now out of the league, the leaderboard in FIFA23 looks a bit different. Novo and Marac are still at the top with 140 points each. Haris, who made it to the finals in the third qualifier, has 90 points, followed by Esad Memic and Brstimir with 80 and 70 points, respectively.

The last FIFA23 qualifier will be played on September 23rd. Sign up for it HERE!

Underdogs Salamander and Megnatos made it to CS: GO group stage!

Out of 36 teams, only two could secure the group stage in the last CS: GO qualifier. Those teams were Salamander and Megnatos, who bested some familiar CS: GO players in the region and wider. They are the last two teams to make it to the group stage and join 4 qualified and 2 invited ones.

GhoulsW made another appearance but couldn’t get past ZGOINGON in the quarter-finals with HOLMES-, aidKiT, and choiv7 in their roster. However, this team didn’t make it far from there. They lost in the next round to Megnatos. Some of the names worth mentioning that also couldn’t secure groups are cerber-, deb0, v1w, and vAloN9, who we know from Kosovo organization X, and gejmzilla, who returned to A1 Adria League after a couple of seasons. Unfortunately, he will have to wait for the next one.

DZANGLERI are the new LoL champions!

Out of 16 teams, DZANGLERI made it to the end and won the first mini-tournament of the 12th A1 Adria League season, League of Legends. Another title goes into the hands of DZANGLERI, who also came on top in the ninth A1AL season. Panj also took another trophy home after showing up in many A1AL seasons.

The champions defeated VoidEsport in the finals 2:0 and rightfully claimed the throne and the 750 euros prize.

Close to winning were HARMONY and Stara Garda, previous champions in the A1 Adria League in this tournament. Both teams made it to the semifinals but weren’t successful. They battled against one another in the match for third place, where Stara Garda celebrated with a 1:0 score.

More new games and mini-tournaments are coming, so make sure to check our social media accounts and follow us for the latest news!

We’re kicking off A1 Gaming Weekends with League of Legends

The A1 Adria League is excited to unveil the next installment of the A1 Gaming Weekends, a series of tournaments encompassing various popular games. We are pleased to present the inaugural tournament of this series, featuring the widely acclaimed multiplayer online battle arena game, League of Legends (LoL), specifically targeting the EUNE region.

A1 Gaming Weekend League of Legends Details

Game & Region: League of Legends on the EUNE server.

Time & Date: On July the 16th, 17:00 CEST

Check-in Period: Teams are required to check-in 45 minutes before the tournament start time. Prompt check-in is crucial to ensure smooth proceedings.

Team Size: The tournament will follow a 5vs5 format, with each team allowed to have two substitutes. It is essential for participants to have their substitutes ready to step in if needed.

Entry Fee: We are delighted to announce that the A1 Gaming Weekends’ first LoL tournament is free to enter. We aim to provide an accessible and inclusive environment for players of all backgrounds to compete.

Format: The tournament will be conducted in a Single Elimination format. Teams will face off against each other, with the victors advancing to subsequent rounds while the defeated teams exit the competition. This intense format promises thrilling clashes and fierce battles throughout the event.

Prize Pool: Participants will have the opportunity to secure 250€ for the first place.

Registration Link: To register your team and secure a spot in this tournament, please visit the following link: https://www.challengermode.com/s/A1AdriaLeague/tournaments/36be9e70-ca61-4366-b5a9-08db7bd77ad4?UTM_Campaign=SharedTournament

Join Us for the A1 Gaming Weekends: LoL Tournament on EUNE Server

The A1 Adria League invites all passionate League of Legends players in the EUNE region to join us for an exhilarating showdown in our first A1 Gaming Weekends tournament. This is an excellent opportunity for teams to showcase their skills, test their mettle against worthy adversaries, and vie for the prestigious hardware prizes at stake.

Gather your team, register, and prepare for an adrenaline-fueled battle in the Summoner’s Rift. Stay tuned for further updates and announcements on our official website, a1adrialeague.com.

Together, let’s embark on an unforgettable gaming journey and embrace the spirit of competition in the A1 Gaming Weekends.

Battle for Glory: A1 Adria League’s League of Legends Tournament

Are you a League of Legends player looking for a chance to compete and potentially win big? Look no further than the A1 Adria League’s Season 11 one-day League of Legends tournament! This exciting event is open to all League of Legends players from the region and features a total prize pool of 1000 euros.

Taking place on April 6th, the tournament will be played in a single elimination bracket format, ensuring that every match is intense and competitive. With no qualifiers required, this is your chance to showcase your skills and potentially take home the top prize of 600 euros. Second and third-place finishers will also receive prizes of 300 and 100 euros, respectively. The matches will be Bo1 with the finals being Bo3 series.

Registration is free and open, so what are you waiting for? Sign up now at the link below and get ready to compete against some of the best League of Legends players in the region. This is a great opportunity for amateur players to test their skills and potentially make a name for themselves in the League of Legends community.

SIGN UP FOR THE A1 ADRIA LEAGUE LOL TOURNAMENT

Whether you’re an experienced player or just starting out, this tournament promises to be an exciting event that you won’t want to miss. With a chance to win big and compete against some of the top players in the region, there’s never been a better time to join the action and showcase your skills on the League of Legends stage.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a part of the A1 Adria League’s one-day League of Legends tournament. Register now and get ready to battle it out for your share of the 1000 euro prize pool!

S11_LOL_Prizepool

 

Stara Garda is the new A1AL LoL champion!

Once again the tournament in League of Legends appeared in the A1 Adria League. After a very exciting qualifier, four teams took their spot in the playoffs. The League of Legends playoffs were played last week and we got the champion for the tenth A1AL in the most popular MOBA game. Stara Garda was the best team in the competition and took the title.

Stara Garda on top

The four top teams in this season League of Legends competition were HARMONY, Fantastic eSports, Whatever Esports, and the new champions. The bracket brought us two semifinals where we saw Stara Garda compete against team Whatever Esports, while HARMONY took on the Fantastic team.

LoL playoffs bracket

As expected, the teams that advanced to the upper bracket’s finals were Stara Garda and HARMONY. The latter we know very well in A1AL as they also made it to the grand finals in our eighth season. However, Garda took down their opponents with a 2:0 win and sent HARMONY to the lower bracket. There HARMONY waited for either Whatever or Fantastic Esports. HARMONY came out victorious in the lower bracket’s final and went on to face Garda again. This time there was no time for mistakes as the prize was waiting.

The scenery was the same. Stara Garda demolished HARMONY once again with the same score of 2:0. This team actually didn’t lose a single game in the playoffs, which showed how dominant their performance was. The roster made out of Coatpustmain, Velja, MarrowOoze, Lelouch, and Shone took home the title and the 700€ prize.

 

Sign up for the League of Legends qualifiers!

It’s time we get back to the Summoner’s Rift. League of Legends qualifiers for Season 10 of the A1 Adria League are coming closer. Start watching Worlds and getting ready to claim that prize money and trophy.

A1 Adria League Season 10 League of Legends Qualifiers

League of Legends will consist of two phases in the tenth season. The first phase is an open qualifier in which all the teams from the region will have the opportunity to secure the playoff. Only the Top 4 teams will advance to the playoffs. The qualifier will be played in a single-elimination format with all matches being in the Bo1 series while deciding matches will be played in the Bo3 series. This way only the best teams will advance and have a chance to compete for the 1000€ prize pool. Already 36 teams have signed up for the qualifiers so make sure to claim your spot in time and don’t wait for the last moment. The qualifier will take place on the 8th of October.

SIGN UP FOR THE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS QUALIFIER – 8.10.2022.

The playoffs will be played exactly one week later on the 15th of October when we’ll find out who will claim the trophy! The schedule is made in a way that doesn’t interfere with the League of Legends World Championship. The play-In phase of the Worlds starts on the 29th of September and matches are played late at night since teams are competing in the United States. See you on the Rift! If you need additional motivation to hype you up, try listening to the League of Legends Worlds Anthem. More info can be found on the competition page.

 

A look back – The history of the A1 Adria League

In May of 2017, the Vip Adria League was announced. Since then we’ve crowned many champions, and seen many changes, whether it was name, format, games, or basically everything else. Five years later, as we are in the middle of the qualifiers for the tenth season of the League it’s time to take a look back.

Vip Adria League (2017.)

It all started in Spring 2017. with the announcement of the biggest regional esports league to date. Back then, there was only one season of the League throughout the year. Competitive integrity standards were set high with the open qualifiers and the group stage leading to the LAN finals. Three games were chosen to be a part of the League: League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and FIFA.

Reboot InfoGamer 2017 hosted the first ever Vip Adria League LAN finals in front of a live audience. Over the course of several days, fans had the opportunity to enjoy watching the best players and teams from all over the region competing for the prestigious title. Valiance&CO outplayed Squared Esports in the finals of the CS:GO. KilkTech reigned supreme in the League of Legends and another KilkTech player, Edinho, lifted the trophy in FIFA. It was a great year for KlikTech since they had representatives in all three games, and managed to win the title in two of them. It was hard to predict back then where it will all end up.

The new name (2018)

Year after the league got its new name. Vip Adria League became A1 Adria League in 2018. There were also some other significant changes. Hearthstone and Clash Royale were added to the mix to complement the CS:GO and League of Legends. Generally, the format stayed the same, and all four games had their spotlight during the LAN finals at Reboot InfoGamer 2018. Four years ago, adding a mobile game to the esports league was not as standard as it is today. Mobile gaming was growing really fast and with it the whole esports surrounding it. Still, it was pretty undeveloped if we’re comparing it with today’s standards.

Valiance&CO again proved to be by far the best regional CS:GO team, securing their second title and going on to compete on the biggest stages in the world. Along with the trophy came the invitation to the closed qualifier for the Bucharest Gaming Week. Unfortunately, regional representatives finished 3rd/4th, and Sprout went on to compete in Romania. ASUS ROG ELITE came from the biggest regional success in history after securing Top 4 placement in the European Masters 2018 Summer and claimed the trophy in League of Legends. Luka “vulee” Vulović became the best Hearthstone player in the region. Saša “SaSaa” Mišković won the first ever Clash Royale trophy in the history of the A1 Adria League.

The dual seasons

2019 was the first year in which we had two seasons of the A1 Adria League in one calendar year. Season 3 & Season 4. The concept was a bit different and the season were connected. Dota 2 was added to the League for the first time instead of League of Legends. CS:GO, Hearthstone,and Clash Royale remained a part of the League. Season 3 was played online, while Season 4 had full LAN finals at Reboot InfoGamer 2019. Only Nikola managed to win both seasons in Clash Royale. Not a single team or a player in other games managed to win both seasons. In the end, Level Up won in Dota 2. ex-BLUEJAYS were the best CS:GO team while Paljuha won the trophy in Hearthstone.

A1 Adria League Season 4

A1 Adria League Season 5 & 6

At the beginning of 2022 the COVID-19 pandemic started. Now it seems like it was a lifetime ago. FIFA 20 was introduced back to the League replacing Dota 2 and Brawl Stars jumped in instead of Hearthstone. The pandemic also meant we had to switch from LAN events to online events. The finals of the A1 Adria League were played during the Reboot Online Games Week ever since. In 2020 some interesting storylines took off. lvlUp proved to be the best CS:GO team in the region that year by winning both seasons. Crushers won Season 5 in Clash Royale, while Joza Esports won Season 6. Good Game dominated in Brawl Stars by securing second place in the spring season and then having both teams in the finals of Season 6. One of the biggest rivalries in the A1 Adria League kicked off that year with esad1memic winning the first FIFA trophy of the year and amke claiming the second one.

The return of the League of Legends

Since there was no more LAN finals at the end of the year for Season 7 and Season 8 the prize pool was redistributed so both seasons are worth the same. League of Legends came back to the League while Clash Royale took a break. While we had various winners in all the games: ONYX & PORTUGAL in CS:GO, Split Raiders & METAMOON in League of Legends, Noble Elite BLK & Flow in Brawl Stars, amke continued his streak and won both seasons in FIFA. Making it a three in a row for the first time in any game in the history of the League. Again, all the finals were played during the Reboot Online Games Week. The pandemic was still bringing havoc and it wasn’t possible to organize the LAN finals.

Where are we now?

Season 9 finished several months ago. Again, during the Reboot Online Games Week. This year seven different games were introduced to the League. CS:GO, FIFA, and Brawl Stars remained in their format, while four remaining games were played in qualifiers and playoffs format. BLUEJAYS claimed another CS:GO trophy. Salada de Frutas dominated in Clash Royale and went on to win second place at the Clash of Leagues in Salzburg. Amke made it four in a row in FIFA. DZANGLERI won the League of Legends tournament, Entropiq was the best PUBG Battlegrounds team. Balkan Stars beat Diamant Esports to claim the first ever A1 Adria League trophy in VALORANT.

Qualifiers for the tenth season of the A1 Adria League are being played right now. There is still a chance for everyone to secure their spot on the group stage. How will Season 10 of the A1 Adria League end, and how? You’ll just have to wait a bit more and find out. Meanwhile, check the qualifiers for all the games on the official page. If you want to check the full history of the A1 Adria League you can do that by visiting the History page.

Start getting ready – Season 10 is coming!

We are less than a month away from the start of the 10th season of the A1 Adria League! What can you expect out of the jubilee 10th season?

A1 Adria League Season 10

Not a lot of esports competitions manage to get to the tenth edition. It’s been a long ride but we are far from done! Season 10 of the A1 Adria League will bring in some changes. Some for the players, and some for the fans. Let’s start with the things that will remain the same. Again, we will have seven games. Titles you already know will be mixed with some we recently introduced and some totally new. Sounds exciting right? We’re sticking with the tradition. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, FIFA 22, and Brawl Stars will once again be a part of the League. League of Legends and PUBG Battlegrounds are coming back as well. The remaining two games will be revealed soon enough. You didn’t think we’ll tell you everything right away, right?

There will be no significant changes to the prize pools despite the current situation. Regarding the finals and the question everyone wants to be answered – will there be LAN or are we going back to the Reboot Online Games Week? For now, we will keep it to ourselves. Formats will mostly stay the same with some minor changes but nothing to worry about. The qualifiers will kick off at the start of September so start practicing.

Regarding the fans, the most important part of the League, we prepared more activities than ever to keep you entertained between and during the matches. So stick around! Make sure to follow the A1 Adria League so you don’t miss any upcoming news about the big 10th! In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to the people behind the League itself. Enjoy!

Get ready for the new season of A1 Adria League!

The ninth season lies at the doorsteps, and qualifications for our own A1 Adria League are starting soon. Don’t wait any longer and sign up so you can start competing for the title of being the best in the region. The new season of the most prestigious tournament in our region is bringing something new each year. This year is no exception.

We are adding more games this year, alongside the standard ones, Brawl Stars, CS:GO, and FIFA 22. League of Legends and Clash Royale will also be a part of the ninth season of A1 Adria League, only with a slightly different format. And that’s not all. The best regional players will have an opportunity to compete at two new games, which will for now remain a secret.

The ninth season brings seven games

The previous year was a successful one for A1 Adria League. Fans have had the chance to follow the progress of regional players in different games, and enjoy the league. The fact that A1AL had almost 29.000 watched hours last year, and a whopping number of 463.000 views on YouTube shows that regional esports is growing every day.

For this year and two upcoming seasons, we have made a few changes. Instead of four games, as was mentioned earlier, the ninth season will have seven! The format will remain almost the same for Brawl Stars, CS:GO and FIFA 22 while in the other four games players will have a different experience. League of Legends, Clash Royale, and two mystery games will be held on the weekends with open qualifiers and the finals event.

A1 Adria League seven games

Popular CS:GO is yet again back. Last year we have seen PORTUGAL win the trophy, beating teams such as iNation and 4Glory, who are at the moment in great form proving this year’s competition won’t be any easier than last year’s. Don’t miss the chance to fight with the best teams in the region!

Last year’s Brawl Star champions were team Flow alongside Lavvek who proved that in the region this mobile game is growing more and more with each successful season. Familiar names in this game, which we have seen last year are Winx Club, Omert4, Lightning Strike, and many others.

FIFA 21 was one of the most interesting games to follow last year. Three-time back-to-back champion Amke has shown once again he is not letting go of the throne that easily. Despite the great effort of esad1memic and brstimir, Amke remained the king of FIFA. However, as the season is on its way, new opportunities to dethrone Amke are opening up, as well the opportunities for the three-time champion to defend his title.

The only MOBA in our A1 Adria League League of Legends waits for the new champion. Last year the trophy fell into the hands of Metamoon who didn’t have an easy job. They defeated Harmony and 49% winrate in order to lift the trophy. Even though Harmony was a better team in the semifinals, Metamoon got their revenge in the finals when they bested their opponents.

03-rogw-sibenik-finale

What to expect this season?

Besides the seven games we are implementing this season, A1 Adria League is bringing more to the new season. Once again you will be able to enjoy A1 Gaming Weekends. Six of these events will be held between the ninth and tenth season of A1AL, in order to provide more fun and competitions while the offseason lasts. At the A1 Gaming Weekends regional players will be able to enjoy competing with each other in a more relaxing atmosphere.

And last but not least, June will be the month of yet another gaming festival Reboot Online Games Week powered by A1. During this festival, you will be able to find out who are the winners of the upcoming ninth season.

The prize pool for Season 9 of the A1 Adria League:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – 5.000 €

Find out everything you need to know about the new season of CS:GO in the A1 Adria League by clicking the title or click here!

FIFA – 1.750 €

Find out everything you need to know about the new season of FIFA in the A1 Adria League by clicking the title or click here!

Brawl Stars – 2.000 €

Find out everything you need to know about the new season of Brawl Stars in the A1 Adria League by clicking the title or click here!

Other games – 4.000 €

For more information about the new games make sure to follow us on social media channels and visit the official page regularly. All of the important social media links can be found below!

Metamoon are your A1 Adria League LoL champions!

In the final two matches of this season, Metamoon came out on top and outplayed both 49% winrate and Harmony to win the main prize.

As the double-elimination League of Legends bracket has been slowly progressing throughout the season, only two matches remained for today. The matches in question were the lower-bracket final and of course, the grand finals. Since 49% winrate outplayed Clouded Leopards in the previous round, they were set to challenge Metamoon for a spot in the finals. 49% winrate didn’t weren’t in a good form today, so Metamoon had an easy time in the lower-bracket finals (2-0).

This win put Harmony and Metamoon in the final match. The two teams played each other a week ago when the Macedonian side was better in the upper-bracket finals. This time, however, Metamoon was clearly the better team. Harmony couldn’t win a single game, and the result was 3-1 only because they came from the upper bracket. After losing to Split Raiders in the last season, this is the second consecutive season that Harmony finish the season in second place. We are happy to conclude one more League of Legends tournament for this year. Congratulations to every team that participated and especially to Metamoon, who are your A1 Adria League LoL champions!

League of Legends Playoffs

These are the top 4 League of Legends teams for the season:

1. Metamoon – €1600
2. Harmony – €1200
3. 49% winrate – €800
4. Clouded Leopards – €400