Though impeccable in his ability to jungle and innovate the way the game is played as we know it, Diamondprox is not the pinnacle of good sportsmanship in the heat of the moment. Unfortunately for Gambit Gaming, this wasn't the first time. Though it's too soon to say the team is infamous for these dreaded statements, it was a bit of a downer to those expecting a higher integrity in their sportsmanship.
In every E-Sport a certain level of mannerisms are expected through various games and titles. Those familiar with competing will exemplify good behavior such as "gg" at the end of a match, hand shakes, and other various gestures to press a more professional sportsman-like approach in competitive gaming as we know it. Diamondprox's actions were a blatant act of rude behavior, but not one we are unfamiliar with on certain occassions.
Nonetheless, Diamondprox apologized during the Award Ceremony on Sunday night and it would appear all went well with Azubu Frost. While not much can be said about the behind-the-scenes tension after that brief debacle, everything was at least at peace with the audience and proper due respect was applied.
Learning more about the pros
League has really stepped it up in journalism, going a lot deeper into the analytics of the players and the game itself. This weekend was no exception and the kind players and staff were more than willing to have long sit downs and talk about deep and fascinating subjects. The topics could range anywhere from gameplay to the steps of being a professional gamer to the personal life of each and everyone of the personalities.
An interview with Elementz
A lot was learned from players like xPeke, Elementz, and Ocelote this weekend and the players and the event hosts are to thank. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in the shoes of a professional gamer, this event is second to none with the openness of players and availablility for fantastic interviews.
Ocelote speaks about his life growing up and his desires.
With a deeper understanding of players, we come closer and closer to the boundaries of being a professional sport. Soon, biographies will be written and professionals will have their own fashion lines. Who knows? Maybe we'll see them starring in a popular movie; nonetheless it's great that players are taking the opportunity to tell the world how things really are, no matter how far from the expectations that may be.
xPeke's Backdoor Spree
Perhaps one of the rarer spectacles of League of Legends, the often frowned upon backdoor. However, when everything is at stake, you will do whatever is necessary to win. That is exactly what xPeke of Fnatic.RC did in the final match of the group stages. After pushing and taking out both nexus turrets, Fnatic started to recall from SK Gaming’s base. However xPeke, who narrowly escaped death to begin with, was not finished with his path of destruction, finding an opportunity on the last remaining minion in the SK Gaming base, xPeke gambled the game with this final teleport after SK Gaming left their base to push the middle lane and win the game. After an initial few hits, Olaf returned to base and tried repeatedly to throw his axe through xPeke. However, with brilliant micro and luck of timing, right before the final axe swing would finish off xPeke, the nexus fell.
Even with such a close encounter and a brilliant backdoor against SK Gaming, Fnatic was not done yet. Just hours after the initial attack, Fnatic once again successfully pulled off another backdoor, led none other than by xPeke himself. Once Yellowstar and nRated successfully managed to pull out the 5 members of Blaze out to fight a 3v5, xPeke and sOAZ commenced their devious plan. With the sacrifice of the other three members, Fnatic managed to pull ahead in game 2 with another unexpect backdoor.
Although they gave their fans such exciting plays, Fnatic was unable to best Azubu Blaze in the BO3 and were eliminated in the semifinals. xPeke was later awarded the MVP of IEM Katowice with his plays.
Gambit Gaming's Surprising Run
After being completely destroyed in the opening match of IEM Katowice, Gambit Gaming escaped the clutches of elimination in perhaps the most absurd way possible. Gambit Gaming leaves group A in a three way tie between Curse and MYM with the fastest win record of the three teams by around 60 seconds, giving the opening day of IEM Katowice a very exciting start to 2013.
Coming out of near elimination, GG came out strong in the playoffs of Katowice 2 days later, looking like Moscow 5 did at debut. Almost exactly one year ago, M5 debuted at Kiev, now Gambit Gaming comes out of the playoffs with an equally impressive show, 2-0ing both Azubu Teams, giving GG the first championship of 2013. With an impressive upset and eliminating the team that destroyed them in day 1, Gambit comes out of the gates of 2013 as perhaps the strongest team in Europe.
With another debut victory, does this mean that Gambit will dominate LoL once again?
This is a new beginning for the former Moscow 5 team, with the past behind them, they are looking for an equally impressive record as Gambit Gaming.
