World GameMasters Tournament Pune Exclusive Coverage Day 1

After it’s successful and exciting completion in Bangalore which saw the participation of big teams like aka and i5 it was Pune’s turn to keep that momentum going. Well, it sure did maintain that momentum and took an immediate liking to the format and organization of the tournament.

Incessant rains, delayed start, followed by power cuts mid-way and a few along-the-line debates about rules with the admins, didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the Pune gamers. They patiently waited for the restart and followed each game with even more enthusiasm, cheering their favorite team on. Buddha’s Paradise was the venue and 3:30 was the time. There were 60 DotA participants and over 100 spectators. The tournament was officially underway. The first day’s iternary included all the first round matches of DotA, which was thunderously appreciated by the gamers and fans alike with 12 clans registering for this comprehensive multi-player game.

With the prospect of 6 matches up ahead the atmosphere was perfect. This set a perfect scene for the first match. The first match featured clan hmp vs. clan urs with clan hmp taking the early initiative. However, midway through the first game an untimely power cut saw both teams taking a short break. But when power returned things got underway again with the same competitive edge exhibited earlier. However, even this time round when the match restarted hmp was as dominating as the first time with shaq, playing with Tide Hunter taking first blood. Then the most impressive player of the game, Rock Hound, joined the party. Playing with Bone Clinks, Rock Hound dominated the match. He was extremely well supported by Shaq who made an MKB and Butterfly. With urs playing Sentinel, the match lasted 80 min.

The second match was between .A and Greek God. This match saw a remarkable comeback by Greek God who despite suffering early setbacks rallied around to win this game. .A took the early initiative by drawing first blood and pushing the mid tower first. However, in an amazing play that turned the game on its head, Hader of clan Greek Gods playing with Rikimaru pulled the game back. With amazing support from Zeus (playing as Lunar) they managed to come out victorious. This match had its own share of excitement with the players of .A complaining about a back-dooring incident which caused a brief stall in the game. However, with very capable admins (Asim and suJ) on the job the appeal was overturned and game was continued. Greek Gods playing Sentinel won the game in 84 min.

Next it was the turn of clan DT vs. MYE to exhibit their skills in the third match of the day. In the most one-sided game of the day, MYE just owned DT, with Pumba rocking the tournament. Pumba, playing with Bone Fletcher just kept pawning the DT players’ one after the other. However, equal credit goes to Nachiket, who was playing with Medusa, who supported Pumba. The match lasted a mere 45 min. This team is one of the tournament contenders and a major crowd favorite. Gamers and crowds alike were seated around the team to watch their game. Let’s hope they keep the crowds flowing in.

Following this ownage was the most exciting and nail-biting game between clan TB and clan Xplod. TB starting as Sentinel eventually stood tall amongst the ruins but at no point of the game was it a one-sided affair. The game had the entire crowd in roars. The screams were loud and the adrenaline was pumping. Words of encouragement were showered from team-mates and the crowd. With the crowd split evenly between both teams it was hard to call who the favorite was. The hero for TB was Gaara, playing with Tiny. He was the key element in this victory with phenomenal support from Edge, playing as Crystal Maiden. However, Xstacy (playing with Sand King) didn’t make life any easier for TB. With his amazing game sense and character control he suppressed most of the attacks throughout the game against them. This game lasted a staggering 95 min. but the last 15-20 mind was pulse racing gaming which geared up all the other waiting clans and furthered the popularity of this tournament with more people filling up the venue.

The fifth game truly was a David vs. Goliath match up. With clan Noobs playing one of the other tournament favorites, AS, everyone expected the match to be a short one. A short one it was. But this time too it was David who was victorious. A few bad plays by AS caused them a very bad start and were practically forced to quit the game within 25 min. WEED, playing as Doom Bringer, and Danger (playing as Vecromancer)were the heroes of the game who upset the tournament favorites game-plan. Watch out for this team cause it looks capable of pulling some big upsets. But with this tournament following a double-elim format, rest assured, clan AS will be back with a bang!

The final game of the first round saw the Asus sponsored team, A-es. A-es had a very easy outing against a newly formed clan. This was another one-sided game. The hero of the game was the ever-reliable ViPer. Displaying the amazing skills that have pushed him to e-sport fame, he was absolutely dominating. However, he was backed up by a truly formidable line-up. They totally justify Asus’s confidence in them. This team is the other crowd favorite and is pulling crowds by the dozen.

So, with the first round complete and this tournament using a double elimination format, the winners and losers were separated and the loser’s bracket matches started. First match up was between .A and Urs. Both these teams had a point to prove here and they didn’t disappoint. However, it was Urs who came out victorious after a 55 min battle. Their success was mainly attributed to YME, who played with Morphling built a Skadi and Yasha which was enough to make the enemy submit! So we have to bid our farewell to the first team. However, clan .A who despite their guts and effort lost the game always have next year to look forward to. Who knows, maybe they will come out on top.

So despite the rains and delayed start, the organizers, Amit with his Asus team and Abhishek with his v-street.net staff, did an amazing job on the first day of the tournament. They gave us just a glimmer of the fireworks that are to follow. Day 2 will mark the start of the all-time favorite and crowd pulling Counter-Strike 1.6 (Amateur and Pro league) tournament and with the DotA competition heating up and seeing the upsets on the first day who knows what will happen on day 2. With registrations jus building up, it promises to be an enthralling experience. But we will be there each day to cover the happenings and drama in this first WGT tournament!!!!! Stay tuned!!!!!

By Piyush ‘knife’ Agrawal