Quake is one of the oldest esports that still has a sizable number of fans. It feels like millennia ago when FACEIT kicked off the Pro League play, as we are now fully evolved and hyped for the new season. The prize pool for the Pro League 2020-21 (Season 2) is more than $500,000 USD.
The season starts only a few weeks after the last large Quake competition – the QuakeCon Championship, won by Team Liquid player Shane ‘rapha’ Hendrixson. It’s hardly an unusual result, as he claimed his sixth world championship, right along with the 2019 and 2020 Pro League MVP award. Once again the Liquid superstar kicked off the new season heavy as he 3-0s Moses “psygib” Salas in the season opener.
Based on what we saw last night, Rapha is definitely the main contender for yet another trophy.
© Quake Pro League
Quake Pro League Season 2
The season started last night with the best Quake players in North America kicking off the action. Quake Pro League Season 2 will last for a total of 13 weeks divided into three phases, with weekly matches played online all the way through to the finals. The main difference from previous season is the lack of the point system. No longer will players stack points early on and be safe from relegation. This time around players have to keep a strong winning record at all times.
Furthermore, the prize division is different as players now earn rewards for each match they win over any competitive week. For each match players win they will be awarded $150 and for each match they lose they will get at least 50$. The new change incentivises players to keep form for every single matchup. The phase finals will have a prize pot of $100,000 and the season finals an additional $150,000 on top of the match rewards.
Bethesda and PGL, the organizers of the event series are hoping that by the Stage Finals in December, they’ll be able to have players attend in person, in the PLG studios in Bucharest, Romania.
We already had a sense of how the new season will look like last night, as the Team Liquid players (dahang and rapha) take the day with clear victories. The broadcast featured new graphics and a new and improved UI and casting experience.
Check out last night’s stream below:
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Another season, another fight
Apart from the standard EU and NA competition matches, there is another way to to get into the Stage Finals of the Quake Pro League Season 2. The Challengers qualifiers are open for all aspiring Quake players and are set to begin on September 26th.
Over 9 weeks, players will be competing in a single-elim bracket for the top 8 spots. Each week, two players will qualify for the Challengers playoffs. The top two players in both divisions (for a total of four) will be the ones who get to compete in the Stage Finals against the pros!
To sign up for the challenger stage head over to Bethesda’s official page.
Finally, the Stage Finals will be a 24-person double-elimination bracket, with placements determined based on season performance. At this stage, both divisions will be combined in order to find the best of the best, and determine the best Quake player in the world.
The action continues next weekend on the 13th at 4:00PM CEST. All matches will be shown on the official Quake Twitch channel. This includes both the American matches and the European matches.
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