I love StarCraft 2. Kind of like WarCraft III, the game just doesn't get old. I still pick up both sporadically, and every time I do, hours and hours of my life just melts away into sweet spacey oblivion. I also kind of suck at it, way worse than someone who has played as much as I have should. You would not enjoy watching me play, and most likely you would spend the entire time yelling at the screen, telling me everything I am (obviously) doing wrong.
These guys, on the other hand, are a lot of fun to watch, and you can even pick up a thing or two from seeing these masters do their thing. The World Championship Series (WCS) at BlizzCon 2017 is over, and much like a superbowl, a week later it's hard to remember who won, because you're already too busy looking forward to the next years tournament. Here's all the information on the 2018 campaign that serves as the proving ground for all would-be challengers to the Rogue’s WCS Global Championship crown.
WCS Circuit
The 2018 season features the same number of WCS Circuit events as last year but includes a new, supercharged kickoff at WCS Leipzig in January. At this event, and the three additional Circuit tournaments taking place at DreamHack events throughout the year, the champion will receive a direct seed into the Global Finals at the end of the year. The regional representation for each of these events will remain the same as well, with four players qualifying from Europe, four from North America, two from Latin America, two from Australia/New Zealand, two from China, and two from the Asia Pacific region.
With the new stop in Leipzig, Germany for the WCS Circuit and an absolutely packed early schedule in 2018, StarCraft II pros and fans alike will have to hit the ground running.
WCS Korea
In Korea, the Global StarCraft II League (GSL) continues for its eighth year as the most celebrated StarCraft II competition in the world. The 2018 schedule will once again consist of three GSL seasons with two GSL Super Tournaments mixed in. Each GSL season will reward the champion with a direct seed into the Global Finals at the end of the year.
Global Events
The thrill of seeing the top players in the world battle each other means, once again, there will be three global events in 2018. The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice tournament rewards its champion with a berth at the WCS Global Finals, and, for the first time, features a prize pool enhanced by the new StarCraft II War Chest, which is available now. Look for a second War Chest later in the year that will boost the prize pool of the 2018 WCS Global Finals.
In addition to IEM Katowice and the WCS Global Finals bookending the global event schedule, GSL vs. the World will return in mid-2018 for a thrilling clash between regions. Watch for further details on the format and prizing for this fan-favorite event.
Beyond WCS
Beyond the formal WCS competitions, StarCraft II continues to enjoy an incredible selection of supporting events with the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG), SHOUTcraft Kings, Nation Wars, and the upcoming IEM PyeongChang leading into the 2018 Winter Games. In addition, with so many organizers continuing to run their own community-driven contests showcasing top-tier StarCraft II matchups, fans will be treated to the full spectrum of StarCraft II competition in the coming year.
