The victory comes two years after French star, Depraz’s last major appearance in the tournament, with his performance showing he remains the top dog in Magic: The Gathering.

Meanwhile, Simon Nielsen edged out the competition to be crowned Player of the Year, after an exceptionally consistent 2023.

The grand finale unfolded in the Standard format, showcasing an eclectic range of decks among the top eight contenders. In a single-elimination, best-of-five series, players had the option to incorporate sideboards after the second game.

The esports tournament, the largest Magic gathering of the year, not only conferred Nielsen with Player of the Year but also marked the initiation of phase two in the improvement of the Standard format. Depraz, piloting his Esper Legends deck, eventually secured the much-coveted World Championship title.

Esper Midrange emerged as the most popular deck, competing alongside other formidable decks like Domain Ramp and Esper Legends. Despite strong performances by Hall of Famer Reid Duke and Willy Edel, both players fell during the quarterfinals, paving the way for the final clash between Depraz’s Esper Legends and Kazune Kosaka’s Esper Midrange.

Depraz, who previously finished as runner-up in the 2020-2021 MTG World Championship, entered the final match with palpable determination. He commanded the first two games, sweeping Kosaka with a 3-0 match-win to clinch his first Worlds title.

Nielsen, who made it to the top eight on the second day, took the rest of the day to prepare for the critical matchups ahead. The competition for Player of the Year had narrowed down to Nielsen and Duke by the final day.

Nielsen’s quarterfinal match against Lorenzo Terlizzi was anticipated to be a challenging one. However, he benefited significantly from playing the first game, sealing his win when Terlizzi couldn’t find his footing. A victory in this pivotal game paved the way for Nielsen to be named Player of the Year, especially following Duke’s own quarterfinal loss.

Depraz, as part of his prize for winning, will have the unique honour of being featured on an MTG card next year.

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The announcement, which was made during their ‘Karmine Corp vs The World’ (KCX3) event, states that they aim to welcome fans to new esports-focussed stadium by summer 2024.

Reports circulating via social media say the facility will feature seating capacity for 3,000 people and will play host to different events, including watch parties and esports tournaments.

MORE: FRENCH ESPORTS BETTING

Karmine Korp hinted at a ‘subscription-based system’ for fans, although specifics of this model remain under wraps.

Karmine Corp founder Kamel ‘Kameto’ Kebir said they are on the brink of securing a coveted spot in the LEC (League of Legends European Championship), with this expected to happen in October.

Their KCX3 event showcased exhilarating matches spanning several games, including the likes of League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT, and Super Smash Bros.

A recent trend in the esports world, led by Riot Games, involves hosting showmatches that are separate from the mainline competitions. One such event, the Red Bull League of Its Own, was fully booked within a mere three hours and will witness South Korea’s T1 team go head-to-head with top-tier European teams.

Karmine Corp is not alone in its stadium ambitions. Numerous other esports teams and even some major tournament organisers have opened dedicated arenas. Notably, entities affiliated with League of Legends’ LPL and Riot Games have established venues for fan engagement and competitions.

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This will mark the first time that the LEC will hold its finals in France, and the event is expected to draw thousands of fans from across Europe.

The report was made public by independent journalist Brieuc Seeger, who also stated that the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational will be held in London and that South Korea will once again play host to the 2023 World Championship.

The French city of Montpelier, which is located in southern France, is known for its vibrant cultural scene and historic buildings. The city has a long history of hosting major sporting events, including the Rugby World Cup and the European Beach Volleyball Championships.

The decision to hold the 2023 finals in Montpelier has been received as a part of the LEC’s ongoing efforts to expand its reach and bring the league to new audiences. The LEC has previously held its finals in Berlin, Madrid and Rotterdam, and the move to France could be seen as a natural next step for the league.

While it has not been confirmed by Riot Games whether or not the LEC will be taking place in the city, other sources have hinted that the semi-finals would be held there.

As the 2023 competitive season approaches, there has been a surge in off-season transfers in preparation for the Season Kickoff, which will replace the previous All-Star tournaments and commence in January.

In 2023, the LEC competition will feature a revised format, with the league divided into three sections. The finals of the competition will be used to determine the European champion for the entire season, rather than just for a single split.

With the report of the LEC finals taking place in Montpelier, fans have predicted that the prestigious event could be held at the Arena Montpelier (Sud de France Arena), a 14,000-seat venue that has previously hosted concerts and other live events. The event is set to take place in the summer of 2023, with the exact date to be announced at a later time.

If the news of the 2023 LEC finals being held in Montpelier is anything to go by, it is expected to attract a large number of fans from across Europe, as well as international visitors. The event will certainly be a major boost for the local economy, with fans expected to spend money on hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses during their stay.

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The news surfaced on Friday, May 29, only days after it was reported the French esports organisation were on the verge of making Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro and Aurélien “afroo” Drapier their fifth and sixth signings of the year.

The roster changes come only five months after LDLC announced a new roster built around Christophe “SIXER” Xia, who joined the team in April 2019. In January, LDLC replaced Vincent “Happy” Schopenhauer, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli and Simon “tabz” Feldt with Lambert “Lambert” Prigent, Ali “hAdji” Ha?nouss, LOGAN and Gringo. LOGAN had previously played with LDLC from February 2018 to March 2019, while Gringo who was an unknown talent at the time.

Unfortunately, the new roster failed to see much success. Team LDLC began the year with a runners-up finish at Assembly Winter 2020, but their only notable result since was third-fourth finish at ESL Championnat National Summer 2020 at the start of May. Most recently, they wound up in a share of last place at the C-Tier CS:GO Fight Night event.

LOGAN and Gringo proved to be two of the main culprits in LDLC’s period of instability. LOGAN ended his second stint with LDLC with a 0.95 rating, while Gringo failed to live up to the initial hype and averaged a disappointing 0.89 rating across four months with the team.

Although LDLC’s previous punt on unproven talent backfired, it seems they are ready to take another shot at it with afroo. The 20-year-old CS:GO player is a relative unknown, but he has chemistry with bodyy from their time together at FiveG.

Bodyy, on the other hand, is a well-known CS:GO player who compiled an impressive portfolio during his three years at G2 Esports. Career highlights include gold medals at the ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals and DreamHack Masters Malm? 2017, runner-up finishes at ESL Pro League Season 3 Finals and StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2, as well as bronze medals at EPICENTER 2017 and World Electronic Sports Games 2018.

Although the arrival of afroo and bodyy has not yet been confirmed, it’s expected LDLC will announce the new signings sometime next week. The French squad are currently fighting for promotion in ESEA Season 34: Advanced Division – Europe, where they hold a 4-0 record ahead of their next match on Monday, June 1.

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With his departure from G2 Esports, SmithZz has officially ended his 14-year career as a professional Counter-Strike esports player and opened a new chapter in his life which will see him turn to streaming CS:GO on Twitch.

SmithZz’s career began in 2006 when he played Counter-Strike: Source. The French AWPer did not need long to make himself noticed in the CS scene, winning a plethora of tournaments while representing teams such as Team WebOne, H2k Gaming, EmuLate, VeryGames, Tt.Dragons, Team LDLC and Anexis eSports. Most of his success at the outset of his career came while playing under VeryGames’ banner. He also claimed two silver medals and a bronze medal representing France at European Nations Champions in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

In September 2012, SmithZz transitioned to CS:GO with VeryGames and instantly saw success, pocketing silver medals at ESWC 2012, DreamHack Winter 2012 and the AMD Shapphier Invitational at the end of the year.

VeryGames’ authority continued into 2013 when the French squad dominated the scene and hoisted numerous titles throughout the season, including StarLadder StarSeries VII, ESL Major Series One – Fall 2013, Electronic Sports World Cup 2013 and MSI Beat IT 2013. The team was highly respected in the newly formed CS:GO scene, which helped SmithZz gain a reputation as one of the best CS: GO players in the world. That was officially confirmed in January 2014 when he was recognised as the 17th-best player of the previous year by HLTV. In December 2013, VeryGames’ squad left to join Titan eSports.

In September 2014, SmithZz and Nathan “NBK-” Schmit left Titan and created a new team dubbed Mercenary which later acquired Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey, Vincent “Happy” Cervoni and Richard “shox” Papillon. Only two days after the all-French squad was formed, SmithZz and company were signed by Team LDLC.com.

The new French powerhouse won the DreamHack Winter 2014 Major, where they bested Ninjas in Pyjamas and secured a spot in the hall of fame as well as US $100,000 in prize winnings. In February 2015, LDLC’s squad joined Team EnVyUs where SmithZz continued his career until July, when EnVyUs and Titan swapped players, which saw him make his way back to Titan. SmithZz remained with Titan until February 2016, when he decided to put his playing career on hold and joined G2 as their head coach.

In the summer of 2018, SmithZz returned to the battlefield under the G2 Esports banner and reunited with Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans, with whom he played at VeryGames and Titan. Unfortunately, SmithZz’s return to the scene was rather short-lived, as he found himself benched after just five months when the team decided to restructure its roster.

Since then, the French CS:GO legend has transitioned to streaming on his Twitch channel, where he amassed 25,271 followers to date. While by no means a number which could be comparable to some of the biggest streamers on the platform, SmithZz says he intends to keep his focus on growing his channel in hopes to “make professional Counter-Strike more accessible by the community”.

SmithZz announced his retirement on his official Twitter with a TwitLonger post titled “new beginnings”.

“It is like a fresh start, grinding as a streamer with many objectives in mind, including one that is particularly important to me, making professional CS more accessible to the community,” said SmithZz.

“Reinforcing the link between those two worlds, something that is not easy to do when you are active pro player. This new challenge reminds me of my younger years in CS, and I’m eager to take it up.”

The 31-year-old bade farewell to the competitive CS:GO scene with 11 LAN and one Major title under his belt. He pocketed $299,257 in prize winnings from 159 Counter-Strike tournaments, making him the 15th best-paid French esports player in the world.

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The announcement surfaced on Tuesday, January 21 on the FC Barcelona star’s official Twitter account, where he posted a short video unveiling the project he will launch in collaboration with his brother Theo Griezmann.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is no stranger to video games, as he made headlines back in 2015 when he was banned from FIFA 15 for buying the in-game virtual currency from a third-party website. The Frenchman is also a huge fan of Fortnite, as seen when he celebrated his goal against Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final with the ‘Take the L’ dance.

Griezmann’s new team will operate in five major esports titles:

– Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
– FIFA
– Fortnite
– League of Legends
– Rainbow Six Siege

The scope of Griezmann’s ambitions raises some concerns as to whether he will be able to run such a large esports organisation while playing football at the highest level. League of Legends, CS:GO and Fortnite all have highly competitive esports scenes that require significant financial investment, while focused and innovative leadership is essential to succeed in the rapidly changing professional gaming industry.

Besides the announcement of his new esports teams and the titles they will compete in, Griezmann did not share any specific details. He has, however, already put out a registration form where gamers can apply to become the first-ever players to compete under the Grizi Esport banner.

The news of Griezmann’s venture comes only a couple of weeks after Jay Ajayi, a former American football player and Super Bowl LII champion, announced his professional esports career as a FIFA player for MLS team Philadelphia Union.

The entry of another famous sports personality into the pro gaming scene is a huge stepping stone for the esports industry as a whole, yet it does bring some concerns with it. Just recently we witnessed the debacle surrounding Echo Fox, which was a perfect example of what can happen if the owners are not careful with their brand and don’t understand the industry.

A few days ago, we reported SL Benfica’s entry into the esports scene with the signing of their first-ever esports athlete Henrique “Zezinho” Lempke, thus joining the ever-expanding list of sports organisations which are branching out into esports.

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Once a very successful team, LDLC went through tough times in 2019 when they saw the departure of key members and failed to live up to expectations. That being said, the French squad have already forged a plan which would allow them to relight their fire and re-establish themselves as one of the best CS:GO teams in the country.

LDLC’s struggles began early in 2019 when they parted ways with Alex “ALEX” McMeekin and Fran?ois “AmaNEk” Delaunay. ALEX left the team back in December 2018 when he joined Team Vitality, while AmaNEk opted to leave for G2 Esports in January 2019. Shortly after, LDLC also lost Logan “LOGAN” Corti, who left for 3DMAC in March 2019 and later joined Team Heretics, where he remains to date.

Due to the departure of ALEX, AmaNEk and LOGAN, LDLC were left with a three-man core of SIXER, Happy and Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli that failed to make much noise. Despite LDLC’s best attempts to find the right players to join their core trio, the French outfit failed to assemble a competitive quintet. Their best results came in June 2019, when they won a B-Tier tournament ESL Championnat National Summer 2019.

MAJ3R and co. also participated in several C-Tier tournaments and qualifiers for A-Tier events, but to no avail. In December, LDLC finished second at ESL Championnat National Winter 2019 after losing to The Dice and shortly after secured a silver medal at WESG 2019 West Europe, where they lost against Phoenix in the finals.

Towards the end of the year, LDLC parted ways with their entry fragger Alexandre “xms” Forté and coach Rodolphe “rodeN” Bianco. This week they lost both Simon “tabz” Feldt and their core member and ex-IGL MAJ3R. Xms has already found a new home at Team Heretics, while MAJ3R announced earlier last weekend that he will return to Turkey and assemble his own team with his ex-Space Soldiers teammates Engin “ngiN” Kor and Ahmet “paz” Karahoca.

According to reports, LDLC have already made a plan for the future and shortlisted the members for their new roster. Former EnVyUs Academy player Lambert “Lambert” Prigent is said to play a key role in LDLC’s new project, as he would bring in his former teammate Ali “hAdji” Ha?nouss and convince LOGAN to return to the team. LDLC also announced they will be signing Kilian “Gringo” Garcia on a trial basis.

If the reports are confirmed, LDLC’s team for 2020 will look as follows:

• Lambert “Lambert” Prigent
• Ali “hAdji” Ha?nouss
• Christophe “SIXER” Xia
• Logan “LOGAN” Corti
• Kilian “Gringo” Garcia – trial
• Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni – coach

The announcement of a complete roster overhaul comes shortly after LDLC secured a partnership with French football giant Olympique Lyonnais as part of their revamped esports project. The deal also resulted in LDLC organization’s renaming into LDLC OL.

LDLC OL also field esports teams in Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, World Rally Championship and League of Legends, where they are the defending national champions.

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This year’s event marked the sixth StarCraft II: NationWars tournament in history, excluding the NationWars II Norway vs South Korea exhibition match which took place in late September 2014.

SEE ALSO: ESPORTS BETTING IN FINLAND

Unlike the previous five instalments, which featured either eight or 16 teams, the StarCraft II: NationWars 2019 event featured 24 national teams coming together to compete for a US $40,000 prize pool.

After more than two months since the tournament began, the 24-team lineup was reduced to a final four – Italy, Finland, France and South Korea – who met in the NationWars semi-finals on Sunday, December 8.

Finland vs Italy semi-final (4-1)

The first match of the semi-finals saw Finland clash with Italy in what proved to be one of the most one-sided fixtures of the playoffs.

The spotlight was on the matchup between Joona “Serral” Sotala and Riccardo “Reynor” Romiti, seeing how the duo had already met several times this season. At the HomeStory Cup, which took place at the end of November, Serral just managed to edge by his Italian counterpart to secure the title, thus avenging Reynor’s win in the semi-finals of the Blizzard World Championship Series.

Serral ended up winning both of the two NationWars meetings with Reynor. His teammate Iiro “TheMusZero” Kumpulainen defeated Alessandro “Ryosis” Rossi in round one, while Wenlei “ZhuGeLiang” Dai failed to achieve the same success against Eduard “Ryu” Condori. Nonetheless, Finland won the bout with a convincing 4-1 record to reach the final for the first time.

South Korea vs France semi-final (4-1)

The second semi-finals bout between France and South Korea ended just as many would have expected. The clash gave the Asian team a chance to avenge their 0-5 defeat to France in NationWars III, and they did exactly that.

The first match between Théo “PtitDrogo” Freydière and Lee “INnoVation” Shin Hyung did not look too bad for the French side, as it seemed like PtitDrogo would come out victorious. That was not the case, however, as INnoVation managed to bounce back from a slow start to secure the win.

His teammates Kim “Stats” Dae Yeob and Eo “soO” Yoon Soo followed, beating Clément “Clem” Desplanches and Alexis “MarineLorD” Eusebio respectively to earn the South Koreans a 3-0 lead. In round four PtitDrogo secured a win against soO but failed to see the same success against Stats, who closed out the series at 4-1 in favour of the reigning champions.

Italy vs France third-place match (4-3)

Italy ended up claiming the bronze medal after edging past France in an extremely close third-place match.

The man of the match was Reynor, who won four out of five matches and was the reason for his side’s comeback. Italy entered round six 2-3, when they decided to send Reynor on the battlefield to finish the business. The 17-year-old SCII esports star lived up to the hype, defeating Clem twice to earn the Italians their first-ever podium finish at NationWars.

Finland vs South Korea final (5-3)

With that, it all came down to a best-of-nine (Bo9) series between Finland and South Korea. All eyes were on the Koreans, who were on the verge of securing their third title in a row, but the Finns had other ideas.

Serral started the series with a convincing win against INnoVation, while Stats returned the favour in round two with a victory over TheMusZero. ZhuGeLiang reclaimed the lead for Finland in round three as he edged past soO, only to see his team lose two in a row as Stats defeated both Serral and ZhuGeLiang to give the Koreans a 3-2 lead.

After losing two in a row, Finland opted to bring back Serral to finish the business. Despite the immense pressure on his shoulders, the ‘Finnish Phenom’ once again proved why he is regarded as one of the best SCII players in the world.

Serral avenged his defeat and took down Stats to tie the match at 3-3, then kept his momentum going with wins over INnoVation in round seven and Stats in round eight to lead Finland to their first-ever NationWars title.

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G2 were seen by many as the favourites to reclaim the Summoner’s Cup from the grasp of the Asian region and bring it back to Europe, and their dominant performance en route to the grand finals inspired a lot of hope in the Spanish outfit.

FunPlus Phoenix had an exceptional season in the LPL but started slowly at Worlds. After some iffy displays in the group stage, the Chinese champions silenced their critics with dominant wins over Fnatic (3-1) and reigning world champions Invictus Gaming (3-1) to secure a spot in the finals.

In the decider, FPX used their early aggression to take the lead – a playstyle that has become a staple for all LPL teams – while G2 counted on their scaling to lift them back up in the mid and late game. Unfortunately for the Europeans, they fell too far behind to catch up with the fiery Phoenix in both game one and game two.

Down 0-2, G2 found themselves scraping the bottom of the barrel to find a strategy that would earn them the first reverse sweep in the history of LoL Worlds. However, all the momentum was with FPX, who needed just over 30 minutes to demolish G2’s Nexus for the third time and clinch the title.

With that, FPX continued the legacy set by Invictus Gaming last year and reclaimed the Summoner’s Cup for the LPL region. Gao “Tian” Tian-liang earned the grand finals MVP award for a dominant performance against Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski, G2’s star jungler.

“I did think that I did all that was required of me in the three games today, but I’m actually very surprised that I became the MVP,” Tian said in a post-match interview.

“I often read comments in the communities when I was in China, and people often said that Tian plays like this player or that player. I think I proved myself today and showed the world what kind of player Tian is.”

Next year’s League of Legends World Championship is set to take place at Shanghai Stadium in China, where the host nation will look to complete a hat-trick of Worlds titles.

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