South Korea: Where the Game Lives

Warcraft III Returns to South Korea.

South Korea has long been a nation known for it's Warcraft III prowess. "The country of scholarly gentleman" has nurtured a generation of Warcraft talents whose innumerable contributions cannot be denied. Yet, there was great uncertainty in 2010 as the glamor of Starcraft II seduced hardened Warcraft veterans. Whispers of Warcraft's demise filled the hallowed halls of eSport. However as this year draws to a close, it appears quite certain that Warcraft III will survive well into 2011 --with or without its shining stars.

Although some South Korean Warcraft III players are experimenting with or transitioning to Starcraft II, many have decided to stay. For those opting to remain, their better days may yet be ahead. RAGE eSport's new South Korean recruits: WhO and Lawliet, are already making a splash in Russia. Lawliet, RAGE's Nightelf greenhorn, recently "all-killed" Incredible Panic to win the Warcraft Pride League (WPL). A full tournament summary can be found in the links below.

RAGE e.Sports 4-0 Incredible Panic
Game 1	Lawliet	1-0	VolanD	Echo Isles
Game 2	Lawliet	2-0	Niam	Secret Valley
Game 3	Lawliet	3-0	RvS	Terenas Stand
Game 4	Lawliet	4-0	BaxaRa	Ancient Isles

Meanwhile, Lawliet's teammate, WhO, secured RAGE eSport's victory in the New Moscow League by "all-killing" Ghost - Mystery Gaming. A full tournament summary can be found in the links below.

RAGE e.Sports 4-0 Ghost - Mystery Gaming
Game 1	WhO	1-0	Kalispo	Echo Isles
Game 2	WhO	2-0	XeoS	Twisted Medows
Game 3	WhO	3-0	Ack1Y	Secret Valley
Game 4	WhO	4-0	Havoline	Turtle Rock

Finally, neither WhO nor Lawleit's victories would remotely resemble a Warcraft renaissance but for the announcement of the WTL --an amateur South Korean Warcraft III league. The new league is currently holding qualifiers for 10 amateur Korean Warcraft III teams. The winner of WTL will capture $2000 in prize money. The following teams are slated to participate:

WTL Teams
Arirang	A1	hsp	OHZZ	Project
Pst	WCB	WCB2	WeRRa	wgfz

The league will feature players from both the classical and contemporary era. Among the "old-school" notables will be names like Sweet, GoStop, and Rainbow. The contemporaries will feature the Warcraft stylings of WhO, ViOlet, Lawliet, and surprisingly. . . FoCuS. A full list of participants can be found in the links below. In 2010, the pundits of eSport pronounced the death of Warcraft III. Perhaps their voices will be different in 2011.

*This tournament is reportedly "Korea-Only" and will not be broadcast outside Korea. As such, GosuGamers will be unable to provide replays or Gosubet coverage for this event.

Links
Replays.net - RAGE Wins WPL
Replays.net - RAGE Wins NML
TATA - WTL Information