Sebastian "Baschi" Weishaar. Photo by: Julia Christophers
1
This system is clearly a step that allow the teams to have less players. Was this change majorly due to the recent rumours and upcoming team downsizing, or because you think this will be more fun to follow for the fans?
- Both actually. I think that the new system will bring more fun for the fans, more intense and high quality matches and also a lot closer matches since now teams can always use their two very best players. Of course as you mentioned the focus of competitive Warcraft 3 has shifted a lot towards 1v1 competitions, so we also wanted to give the teams some leeway when it comes to the team size but without giving up what made WC3L exciting in the first place.
2
Did you ever consider the format used by your rivalry league NGL-ONE?
- The current WC3L's format of combining several preseeded 1v1 matches with 2v2(s) has been our system for 6 very successful years now and is known as the WC3L format throughout the eSports world. We have made and will continue to make adjustments when developments within eSports demand it. For that we follow our own way and work to find the best solution and not the easiest one. In short: No.
3
Must all 5 matches be played, even if the clanwar is settled after the 2on2 match?
- Yes. Just like we have it now, all matches have to be played due to the ranking system that will remain as it is now. Right now we give one point for each win, instead of just three point to a winning team, and we will keep it that way.
4
So a team basically only needs two players in order to play the WC3L?
- Correct. The teams can decide themselves if they want to have a bigger or smaller roster now - a big roster still gives a team an advantage when seeding the matches, but it is no necessity anymore. It is possible that we might see some teams and players focusing on the 2on2, resulting in a four man team with two solo players and two team players. But as I said, teams are free to find their best solution!
5
Will WCIP, Premier League and all the other team leagues run by ESL change mode as well, or will they remain untouched?
- That has not been decided yet, time will tell.
6
Will the matches be forced to be played at the same time, or will the viewers be able to see all the matches in Davis Cup fashion?
- As we had it in the old format, we want matches to be broadcasted in a span that does not make viewers wait in between the matches, but also allows them to follow as many matches as possible. So matches can happen at the same time, but not more than two at a time.