The biggest LAN (local area network) party on the planet is coming to North American soil for the first time with DreamHack Austin (Texas) this week.
Since its inception in 1994, DreamHack was the answer to the question, "What group consistently puts on the largest digital competition, LAN party and gaming celebration?" Over the span of three days, DreamHack features tournaments and competitions, cosplay events, and the DreamExpo (an exposition of technology from DreamHack's partners). And now, with DreamHack Austin on May 6-8, they're checking off North America on their continent checklist. The competitions over the weekend will include: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), Hearthstone, Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft II, Pokken and Payday 2.
Because of its standing in many gaming communities, DreamHack is usually a premiere event for tournament schedules -- these games should not be taken lightly.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Number of teams: Eight
Prize pool: $100,000
Eight teams will enter this DreamHack coliseum to fight for the $50,000 top prize. There are six invited teams (Counter Logic Gaming, Team Liquid, Luminosity Gaming, Tempo Storm, NRG eSports, and Splyce) and two qualified teams (Cloud9 and Selfless Gaming). Going into the event, the favorites for the event should be Team Liquid and Luminosity Gaming. These two forces proved in the past few majors that they are legitimate threats on the international stage. Behind their leaders, Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo (Luminosity Gaming) and Spencer "Hiko" Martin (Team Liquid), both lineups boast top fraggers and tournament experience.
As for the rest of the field, the wild cards are Tempo Storm, Counter Logic Gaming, and Cloud9. Cloud9 is in the midst of another roster shuffle in hopes of finding that long-lost spark from the summer of 2015 when it was one of the world's best teams. With its closed qualifier win to make it to DreamHack Austin, it may be the start of the revival tour. Tempo Storm should no longer be considered a Cinderella story; its roster is a threat from top-to-bottom. And, Counter Logic Gaming remains consistently average with the potential to be great.
StarCraft II
Number of players: 96
Prize pool: $50,000 and 5,000 WCS circuit points
The talent involved with StarCraft II is incredible. If it's not from the hosting and commentator booth, it's through the invited players and the open sign-up player pool. It will be a celebration of a game that should never leave the esports scene. William "Chobra" Cho will lead a casting and analyst crew of big-time names: Shaun "Apollo" Clark, John "TotalBiscuit" Bain, Geoff "iNcontroL" Robinson, Nathan "Nathanias" Fabrikant and Kevin "Rotterdam" van der Kooi.
As for the players, the open signups contain some truly fearsome names: Kim "viOLet" Dong Hwan, Choi "Polt" Seong Hun, Jens "Snute" Aasgaard and Shin "Hydra" Dong Won. The invited list includes some killers as well: Zhou "iAsonu" Hang and Jarod "JonSnow" George. Many of the better players have recent experience against their opponents, and it should be fun to watch the adaption and strategy play out. Perhaps the best narrative throughout the tournament could be: "Which race will reign supreme?" With the majority of the notable player field sporting Zerg, could Terran or Protoss run the tables and take down the entire tournament?
Street Fighter V
Number of players: Around 300
Prize pool: $5,000
The tournament season for Street Fighter marches on. After the events last weekend at Northwest Majors 2016, DreamHack Austin should provide another example of the truly wide-open competition in the fighting game community. It's been the trend of the Capcom Pro Tour to see new players emerge onto the scene with different characters. This unpredictability truly separates Street Fighter from any other game because there is no glass ceiling; anyone could truly be the king of the mountain.
The usual North American elite standard will be there in force: Evil Geniuses' Justin Wong, Eduardo Perez, Kenneth Bradley, and Ricki Ortiz, Echo Fox' Julio Fuentes, Du "NuckleDu" Dang, and Ryan "FilipinoChamp" Ramirez highlight the field. However, as previously mentioned, it may not even those names that end up taking the top prize in Texas. The game's evolution is at a slow enough pace that consistency in execution and spacing should warrant success and a long tournament run. It will be a pleasure to see what new name emerges when the smoke clears.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Number of players: Over 300
Prize pool: $10,000
The middle of the tournament season is upon Super Smash Bros. Melee fans. After DreamHack Austin, there will be three major tournaments: Get On My Level (GOML), Apex and the Evolution Fighting Game Championships. Some of those notable names for DreamHack include Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, Jeffrey "Axe" Williamson, Zac "SFAT" Cordoni, and Weston "WestBallz" Dennis. The favorite, whenever he picks up the controller, is Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma. He's simply been the dominant force in a player field that is usually a little more balanced between himself and a few other Smash stars. While it is not far-fetched to see another rise to take down the crown in Austin because of the parity in competition, Hungrybox will be the biggest obstacle to pass.
While the top players should show up in force, DreamHack Austin should provide the platform for a new face or up-and-coming player to make an impact. It's the kind of tournament for a breakout to absolutely seize the title of elite and run with the momentum. The game is open to the point that any new innovation, execution variation, or creativity will reward the player more than any other fighting game -- this is the time to shine.
Heroes of the Storm
Number of teams: Eight
Prize pool: $100,000
The next step in the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship will stop in the heart of Texas. A $100,000 prize pool and some much-needed momentum will all be on the line. There will be eight teams, all qualified through their respective qualifiers, and it should be a coin-toss to which lineup truly is the best. Each team could realistically -- and some have in the qualifiers -- beat the other. There truly isn't a favorite among the pool. The game will not allow for too many gimmicks to pass through the landscape, so it will come down to the team with the best execution in drafting and in the game.
The team to watch should be Team Naventic. A consistent force in international and regional tournaments, Team Naventic crushed through their qualifier and could potentially do the same to their competition in DreamHack Austin. While it's any team's tournament, the winner will be the lineup that makes the best decision-making in neutral objectives and when to take the fight.
Hearthstone
Number of players: Around 200
Prize pool: $27,500
The start of the Hearthstone Grand Prix circuit will be in Austin. There will be $27,500 on the line in what should be a wide-open competition to crown the champion. It should be a, roughly, a mix of 200 top, hopefuls, and amateur players with the same chance to finish in the money. The talent in the commentating booth should provide for an entertaining stream throughout the main days of competition: Dan "Frodan" Chou, Jakub "Lothar" Szygulski, Marcin "Gnimsh" Filipowicz, Brian "Kibler" Kibler, and Kacem "Noxious" Khilaji.
The excitement behind Hearthstone is centered around what new decks will come from the creativity of its players. A new expansion, standard format, and new possibilities to be explored are in store. It would be a disservice to list the favorites as Hearthstone is the wild west game in esports -- anyone could realistically take home the grand prize.
Payday 2 and Pokken tournament
Number of players: Payday -- Open tournament; Pokken -- TBD
Prize pool: Payday -- $10,000 per day; Pokken -- $5,000
Overkill, the wheels behind Payday 2, will be traveling with DreamHack to find the very best crews and thieves. The Payday 2 tournaments are a love letter to the hardcore community behind the game, a daily competition that will play out over the span of the entire event. There will be three opportunities for a team of four Payday 2 players to earn the daily tournament's prize purse of $10,000. To be the best for the day, they just have to have the best time in the tournament version of the Slaughterhouse heist.
Lastly, Pokken will make an appearance at DreamHack Austin. The stakes for this will be high for a game that is seeing a surprising amount of hype. There will be $5,000 in the prize pool, the chance to qualify to the Pokken World Championships and championship points on the line. It will also be another place to showcase the Pokémon fighting game to the masses. For those unfamiliar, this game is a treat to the eyes. It may look like a casual slugfest, but behind the cute Pokémon faces is an actual deep fighting game engine. There will be counters, combination attacks and beautiful execution on display.