I hope the salary is decent otherwise he won't be getting anything, because TL isn't cashing even in the penny tournaments.

I just had a look through their roster and looks like original Starcraft pro Elky is a Team Liquid Hearthstone pro (lol)

after looking at http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/ElkY he's had quite a successful life!

watched him play vs daniel negreanu on stream

is daniel any good at that card game? as good as poker?

I don't think so. I don't know the game at all but the way he talks about it I think he only plays casually for fun.

I really hope Quake Champions or Diabotical has the cash to bring these amazing players back. Overwatch is such a waste of their talent.

I see TL is also familiar with 5 steps ahead haha

Liquid is a loser team in every game they compete in. Why would a champion like rapha sign for losers

Mr positivio!!!

Their dota 2 team did amazing this year. Over 1.5 million dollars in prizemoney.

did they even win one tournament :D

They're not at all bad in SC2. They've always had some of the best non-Korean players and back when they still had a Korean roster it was very strong also.

CS:GO finalists

lets not bring csgo in to it, but other than that, liquid is a solid team these days.

Gotta pass the time until Quake Champions somehow I guess.

I wish but if TL ends up being any good at OW then I doubt any of the players will switch to Quake even if QC somehow doesn't end up sucking. If Bethesda throws some money into esports it won't be comparable to OW and by the time new Quake comes out, the players will invest a lot of time into the game, develop skill and earn $$$ so it wouldn't make sense for them to move to less popular title. So either OW esport has to fail completely or Quake has to become really fucking big.

Quake players want to play Quake though, thats why they stuck with QL so long, only giving one other game a chance basically (shootmania).

OW is a 'fun' game, but only time will tell if it satisfies the competitive urge of a top Quake dueler. If there is money to be made in QC, and Overwatch becomes boring, or the skill level of all the top teams outgrows the game and rises to a point where the outcome of games basically becomes a coin flip , then maybe they'll take a good look at QC.

I honestly thought this was a joke thread until I clicked the link.

WTF

Is this the state of arena fps games? Rapha playing Overwatch is like Magnus Carlsen switching from chess to fucking tic tac toe.

Ohhhh. I love this comment

Cypher and Cooller both said QL 1v1 feels "simple" compared to OW.

Yeah, QL is simple, and that allows it to be a great platform for skill vs skill. Chess is simple too.

OW is a complicated mess with all the shit going on during the game. And the pros going to Atlanta next month are not happy at all that the tourney is single elim. Dahang on his stream said the game is too 'wonky' to only play one best of three match to determine who the best team is.

Good-sounding argument, but I disagree.

Current 1v1 QL is mostly about aim/movement. Yes, the pros lay out plans for themselves before the game, but during the actual game, its really mostly about raw FPS-skill, and very little about tactical thinking.

And while raw FPS-skill is something that QL has with no doubt, OW on the other hand requires much more tactical thinking.

And about DaHang: Single Elimination is always more punishing and risky than a double elim format, in EVERY game. Yet Rogue has won both LANs they attended so far, convincingly. And meanwhile, DaHang has a big name but so far hasnt delivered at all in OW.

Current 1v1 QL is mostly about aim/movement. Yes, the pros lay out plans for themselves before the game, but during the actual game, its really mostly about raw FPS-skill, and very little about tactical thinking.

What drew you to this conclusion? Your own professional Quake Live duel experience, comments from pros or watching pro matches from afar?

All of the aspects you mentioned together, actually.

I remember you were around 1400 elo on qlranks back then, so please correct me if you don't agree!

Your own professional Quake Live duel experience

Yes Mr. Professional Player, I was between 1400 and 1500. Forgive me but I have a different interpretation of what your peers, such as rapha and cooller, had to say about duel. But let's drop this, I don't believe there is much to be gained from this conversation.

Current 1v1 QL is mostly about aim/movement. Yes, the pros lay out plans for themselves before the game, but during the actual game, its really mostly about raw FPS-skill, and very little about tactical thinking

This statement and you making fun of other player's elo makes this statement even more hilarious.

at the very core, an FPS game is about who has the best hand eye coordination with a mouse and a keyboard.

Every other element to that is just an addition to the game.

OW has characters that literally needs 0 of the "raw FPS skills" you mention. Mercy and the big fucking ape for instance. You can aim for someones ass and still be effective.

So when I'm saying that Rapha is switching chess for tic tac toe I'm of the fucking course refer to the fact that he is switching from an FPS game where the very core is raw hand eye coordination to a game where Blizzard in order to reach to out to a bigger audience dumbs down the FPS part so that more people can feel good about themselves when landing a hit.

If you want to call this tactics, strategy or anal sex that's fine but let's not pretend that when we talk about players skilled in FPS games we mean anything other than having a god like hand eye coordination just as being god like in RTS games means havin god like multitasking skills, apm and decision making.

I sure hope Timmy boy is getting back the Quake pros where they belong with QC and let less talented FPS gamers feel good about themselves in OW applying their "thinking skills" LOL!

It's like some of you guys are watching completely different matches the way you talk about QL 1v1...

Watch Rapha vs Evil again and look at the way both Rapha and Evil are so aware about all the timings and all the ways they use that knowledge to try and catch each other to get easier damage or steal items. Look at how Evil got just a little out of position sometime and Rapha would steal an item (just barely, and only because he moved so fast and made the decision without hesitation and executed perfectly). Look at how they position themselves to get the easiest damage. All the moves and counter moves going on based on total awareness of the timings (in and out of control) the weapons, the opponents stack, all while moving around the map with near flawless movement and facing an enemy that is so deadly, they could easily kill almost any other player alive without barely trying. Look how Rapha knows exactly how fast he can get places in order to cut Evil off and pick up health in the middle of a fight. Look at the awareness of Rapha to catch evil with his back turned as he picks up a YA because Rapha knew exactly when the armor spawns and he knew exactly where Evil thought he would be, and knew evil wouldn't expect it.

Look at how much respect Evil was giving Rapha. Almost any other player, Evil would draw blood and then rush in and destroy without a thought. Look at the immense amount of pressure he was on playing Rapha. Forcing him to rush shots and miss, shots that he would have easily made against almost anyone else. Those guys were locked in to the game both mechanically but also mentally.

I think there was a thread with Rapha with 100+ ping vs a guy using a bot who got 70% LG or something and Rapha still beat him. To say the game is all aim is not accurate at all. (pun intended).

In top level QL, you not only need to multitask and keep perfect time, you also need to outthink your opponent based on the timings and his game style and his stack and his weapons and what you think he's going to do because he knows your style... , and move fast and flawless as possible, and execute almost perfectly because the guy you are playing is so deadly, and dodge perfectly, and make split second decisions, and do all this and more under extreme pressure.

this one comment is so perfect to describe what i could not to people who never watched!

tic tac toe is more simple than chess
therefore
quake = tic tac toe
OW = chess

tic tac toe - duel
checkers - overwatch
chess - clan arena

wow ass =backwards!

lol out loud))

Very cool news for rapha though! I haven't paid much attention to the game my self yet. But just from the little I've seen it doesn't seem to be my thing =(

Now you're playing Overwatch for Team Liquid. What drew you to Overwatch?



What drew me to Overwatch is the fact that the game itself is fun.

Familiar Statement from QL Pros... LoL

:_(

money makes the world go round ^_°

Almost missed the news. TL will be the single team I'm sure to want to see the matches of now. Doesn't hurt that I've been following them in SC2 for all these years.

BTW, both ANOX team (cooller and cypher) and TL (rapha, dahang and id) have made it to the regional finals of the Overwath Open with cash prize $300k. So, we will see them on lan in Atlanta in the end of September.

ADD: oh, totally forgot about team Rogue (winz and his brother akm), they'll also play there. Moreover they will be favorites since they won the last major tournament Atlantic Showdown

I won't see them on LAN!

Could you recomenned any decent games from anox-tl-rogue to watch? Too many games happened in this Open, didnt have time to watch that much.

rogue vs misfits grand finals of atlantic showdown
rogue vs anox in eu qualifier 1 of the overwatch open
anox vs reunited eu qualifier 1 of overwatch open

I would also add MISFITS vs ANOX - GROUP A - UB FINAL (OverwatchOpen EU Playoffs)

Let me actually also recommend this RISE NATION vs METHOD - GROUP D - LB FINAL (OverwatchOpen NA Playoffs). Although none of the mentioned teams here, however the match was just pretty sick (especially 2nd map)

The semi-final of the atlantic showdown with Rogue and also the finals were decent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49frr59fv8g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1MO7AZv7-A

Also if you want to see a curb stopping from ANOX, check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8BKyqwoHMg

rogue vs envyus semifinal was insane

Maybe Rapha actually likes the game...

.......

A lot of people and pros like the game. I actually enjoy watching the matches. The question I think is can it stand as a competitive game for long, or at least one that Quake pros could stand playing.

To all those mocking rapha for playing what is obviously a less enjoyable game because there's money in it: quit your job and start playing QL all day to show how pure you are. All the material crap people can't do without will magically start appearing out of thin air when you reach 3000 CA elo

polish logic

Bet you wish you had some of that Polish logic now with all those pluses though hey ;)

Im actually surprised that people dont see through his rather weak argument

It's a very good argument. Quake can be as great and satisfying to play as it wants, if a real possibility of making your actual, real life income through playing some different game presents itself, I can't really blame anyone who likes videogames for taking that possibility.
From rapha's point of view, the experience of playing Overwatch all day for a salary doesn't compete with the experience of playing Quake all day for a salary (cause that's obviously not a really existing thing), it competes with having a "normal" job and maybe playing some Quake nearby, with no meaningful reward for the latter except the yearly QCon win, which doesn't require a full year's dedication (cypher said in interviews that if there's a LAN, he starts practicing (actual practice, not just memeing around in sunday cups) 3 weeks before, wouldn't be surprised if it's the same with rapha).

C'mon, man, you need to wise up to an obvious bait. He disagreed because he lacks attention, not brains.

Totally agree.

I think some people here don't understand the concept of 'pro' gaming. You play what you're paid to, providing you're good enough.
How much you enjoy the game only comes into mind if the rewards are low, other than that.... money is money. Plenty of opportunity to earn from Overwatch, and from what I've seen of 'quake player does OW' streams, they seem to enjoy it .

Watching agent play it right now!

Honestly I hope teams are paying a salary to players these days because atm OW prizepools aren't impressive at all, especially considering you have to split the prize between 6 players.

If the prize pools are weak why would the teams be paying a salary to the players?

theyre investing in the teams. players can practice a full day instead of a few hours at night, and hopefully with overwatch esports growing itl pay itself back.

Good point! Pretty risky investment though.

The salaries come from sponsorships. Some orgs don't even take a cut from prize money.

gl rapha

does this mean rapha is out of sk gaming : (

Rapha got a job.



- DKT(ESR Lifecoach, Quake rager, Gay porn actor)

LoL his head actually resembles a potato. What a chump.

Wem420 "Popularity: H4x0r "

Gotta get you to 100% to confuse the esr userbase right babe? Ugh I mean you know

wow i get good attention from this guys recently, Right Bitches ???? fuck yeah build a wall then make em climb it!

ty for putting me over 9000 btw!!!!

Mission in life completed!

Lmao @ Dahang and Rapha ending in the same team after what happened in the last year

Liquid Sparks

That would be top kek

Yeah and this time Whaz joins Liquid, then all the sudden Whaz was gone and Rapha was on the team in his place, maybe a little revenge served cold?

Didn't know that; it keeps getting better!