European [size=36pt]Championship Series[/size]
"Continuing the legacy"
Bladers. It's with some excitement but also a lot of pride that I'm happy to announce to you that a new major tournament is on its way. After another amazing Nation Cup which saw Turkey finally taking 1st place by defeating Belguim&Netherlands, with nearly 6 years of unsuccessful tries ; the clans are once more gathering their men for the battle, with one goal, and one only - the glory of being the last team standing on the field, undefeated.
We all know that Warband is heading towards its last moments, with the upcoming release of Bugatti, but as there is no official date yet, the community won't stop enjoying the competitive aspect of this game until we get something else to fight on.
Among the few people they judged competent enough to take over what they spent years to build, I've been offered the occasion to take a further step in this community and for the first time in my career, organize the tournament as a main host. While it goes without saying that bringing a warband major tournament to the level they've reached is a titanic task, I've accepted the honour which has been given to me and will try my very best to continue providing the best competitive experience possible.
Deacon, Scar, and Lust to some extent; You've been, since I've entered this scene, figures I've identified myself with when it came to community's care. Even though it's going to be a very special thing running a tournament without you, I think it's safe to assume that the community as a whole owes you a lot and that we're waiting for your full comeback. Meanwhile, you can count on me to keep home's key safe. But not for too long my friends.
Tournament Format/Name & Key Dates
The rules will also mostly remain the same, with the exception of some changes.
So it will basically be:
- A first group of invitational teams (12). A second group of qualified teams. (4). A total group of 16 teams.
- One phase of qualifiers (3 weeks). One phase of Group Stage (3 weeks). One phase of Knockout Stage (3 weeks)
- For the qualifier group : 16 teams maximum, by registration. 4 groups. 1 team qualified per group for the Group Stage joining the 12 remaining teams already qualified through the invitational phase. Format : Double Elimination.
- For the group stage : 16 teams. 4 groups. 2 qualified per group for the Knockout Stage. Format : Double Elimination.
- For the knockout stage : 8 teams. Quarter Finals / Semi Finals / Final and Bronze Match. Format : Single Elimination.
The key dates for the event will be the following (please do note that those dates are subject to change. For example if we get 16 teams by the 28th of March, and that the tournament itself is ready, we might start one week earlier. But we could also starts the tournament one week later due to complication.) :
- 7th April. - Qualifier Signs Up Deadline.
- 11 April - Qualifier Stage starting.
- 2 May - End of the Qualifier Stage. Group Stage starting.
- 23th May - End of the Group Stage. Knockout Stage starting.
- 12th June - End of the Knockout stage
The 12 team leaders which will be invited to the event are going to receive an PM tonight followed by a steam message to confirm of the receipt. If by the end of this evening you didn't receive anything, you can consider yourself that you haven’t been invited and can consequently apply for the qualifier phase.
Administration Team & Partnership
At this point of the tournament creation, a lot of things are still to be defined, and this includes the admin team, aswell as all the different helpers, that will be given the task to make the event look even more professional. What we can already assure you though, is that I will be the main hoster and that I will be joined by BlackTide as a co-administrator. Some other admins will of course join us in the process.
Moreover, one of the secondary admins of this tournament, I named Erik Le Rouge, will be joining the team. Erik is a longstanding friend and one of the most professional admins the NW scene can count on. While it might appear a bit weird to some people that I'm choosing someone with relatively no experience to the Native scene as an admin, I needed someone I have an unconditional trust in to care about some administrative tasks alongside myself. It is still to be defined, but Erik probably won't have that much of a decisional power however he is an extremely hardworking personality and I know he will contribute towards making this tournament even better. It is also a way to prepare for Bugatti a bit, by getting some of the people which are contributing a lot to the NW scene, to get to know the Native scene more by getting directly involved into the organisation of things. I hope you will give him the same warm welcome I received one year ago.
In the same idea, this tournament will have a new special addition, in the form of Knight. Knight is also a friend from the NW community and one of the most influential personalities of the French competitive community, as well as the leader of one of the best regiments of the NW era. As he has some plans for Bugatti, he is willing to get to know the community more, that's why he has been granted a special role of observer. No power whatsoever, but he will have the capacity to see directly how our scene is working from the inside and why we're so much more competitive than NW. No point trying to get any information from him though, he will be as tight as a clam.
I'm happy to announce that the tournament will be also in direct and close partnership with :
BladeCast_TV accepted to cover as many matches of the tournament as possible, and will also be providing the event as much logistical support and advices as possible. I'm extremely glad to have them on my side. Moreover, this partnership could take a further step soon enough if things go according to plans. I don't want to spoil you guys too much but it might be big. Stay tuned for more info and don't forget to follow the guys on Twitter, and Twitch. All the information you need can be found on their Taleworlds Page.
Changes
This might be one of the most interesting, yet controversial point this tournament will have. I'm planning on performing some changes on how the competitive scene is working, knowing :
-Pick/Bans system.
-Competitive Map Poll
-Match Format
And a few other points. Of course not all of those points will be changed, not all for this tournament especially, but that's something which will be discussed within the admin team and could probably be set up, or proposed to team captains. More infos to come, especially when the rules will be done and posted.
Team Application
To submit your roster simply post their names and IDs in this thread. Please fill out the template below. Do note that the registration will be opened on the 15th of this month, in the evening, to make sure all the invited teams get their PM and don't apply by mistake.
Code:
[b]Team Banner:[/b]
[b]Team name:[/b]
[b]Team Tag:[/b]
[b]Team Location[/b]
[b]Team TW thread/steam group/twitter[/b]
[b]contact 1: name - TW profile - Steam[/b]
[b]contact 2: name - TW profile - Steam[/b]
Roster:
[tr][td] Player 1 [/td][td] ID1 [/td][td] ID2 [/td][/tr]
If you are feeling extra confident please feel free to put your details into the final format, as in this example...
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Code:
[table]
[tr][td]
[table][tr][td][table][tr][td]
[IMG]banner png here[/IMG][/td][td]
[font=georgia][SIZE=32px]C[/SIZE][SIZE=24px]LAN [/SIZE][SIZE=32px]N[/SIZE][SIZE=24px]AME[/SIZE][/font]
[table][tr][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG]
[/td][/tr][tr][td]
» [b][font=georgia]TAG[/font][/b]XX_[/td][td]
» [b][font=georgia]LOCATION[/font][/b]Europe/NA?etc[/td][td]
» [b][font=georgia]INFORMATION[/font][/b][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/P6EEJdM.gif[/IMG] [url=clan TW thread link]TaleWorlds[/url] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ler7hzy.gif[/IMG] [url=steam group link]Steam[/url] [IMG]http://s2.googleusercontent.com/s2/favicons?domain=twitter.com&feature=youtube_channel[/IMG] [url=clan twitter link]Twitter[/url][/td][/tr][/table]
» [font=georgia][b]CONTACTS[/b][/font]
[table][tr][td][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][/td][/tr][tr][td][IMG]http://forums.taleworlds.com/Themes/default/images/game_badge_wb.png[/IMG] Contact1 name[/td][td][/td][td][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/P6EEJdM.gif[/IMG] [url=Contact1 TW profile link]TaleWorlds[/url][/td][td][/td][td][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ler7hzy.gif[/IMG] [url=contact 1 steam profile link]Steam[/url][/td][/tr][tr][td][IMG]http://forums.taleworlds.com/Themes/default/images/game_badge_wb.png[/IMG]Contact2 name[/td][td][/td][td][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/P6EEJdM.gif[/IMG] [url=Contact2 TW profile link]TaleWorlds[/url][/td][td][/td][td][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ler7hzy.gif[/IMG] [url=Contact2 steam profile link]Steam[/url][/td][/tr][/table]
» [font=georgia][b]ROSTER[/b][/font]
[spoiler=Roster][table]
[tr][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][td][IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5620582193_07207bc789_o.png[/IMG][/td][/tr]
[tr][td] Name1 [/td][td] ID1 [/td][td] ID2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] Name2 [/td][td] ID [/td][/tr]
[/table][/spoiler]
[/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table]
We hope you're looking forward to this tournament as much as we do. Sharpen your swords, dust your shields, and make sure your bows are taut. War is coming and only the best will survive.