Esports is a global phenomenon, it is not limited to any region or continent but is admired all over the world. Most parts of the globe don’t celebrate Christmas and New Year holidays, for them they are just standard days. This means that the eSports industry has to entertain this audience and we must keep the community informed. In this article, we will have a look at some of the esports tournaments and events that will surely catch your eye over the Christmas period.
Demacia Cup
Missing League of Legends at the highest level? It’s hardly surprising, it’s been over a month since we saw the FunPlus Phoenix triumph in the Worlds 2019 final, but don’t worry – we won’t have to wait long for the next matches with the new world champions.
We are not talking about the return of the LoL Pro League, but about the Demacia Cup. This tournament presents an opportunity for the Chinese teams to test out their rosters against the most talented teams of the region.
A total of 20 participants are competing for the championship – all teams from LPL and four from the second league in China – LoL Development League.
The first stage of the Demacia Cup is the group phase which splits 16 teams into four groups. From each group, the two best teams will advance to the next round. Play-offs will start after three days of break and the winner of this year’s edition will be announced on December 30.
On paper, this competition should be dominated by FunPlus Phoenix but prepare yourselves for surprises as the teams will be eager to take a shot at the reigning world champions.
Kespa Cup 2019
One of the most anticipated tournaments of the Christmas/New Year break is taking place in the competitive world of League of Legends. The Kespa Cup 2019 is paving the way for the competitive landscape as it will host the best teams in the Korean region in a battle for pre-season supremacy. The competition is a good opportunity for the roster to showcase their new signings as we head into Season 10.
Tips: Kespa Cup predictions
The top four teams of the LCK Summer 2019, have the privilege of starting directly from the playoffs. Meanwhile, the rest of the sixteen teams are competing in a fight for survival in the single-elimination bracket. All matches of the first bracket are being played in the best-of-three format. At the end out of the sixteen teams, only four will move on to the playoffs.
The first round of the playoffs will be played in the best-of-three format. The semifinals and the finals will be played in the best-of-five format. The competition kicked off on December 23 and will run until the January 1, so rest assured you can enjoy your holidays by watching the best teams from Korea competing for bragging rights.
Obao Elite Challenge
If you were starting to think that you were going to spend holidays watching only League of Legends then you are wrong. Fans of Dota 2 can also rejoice as some of the best teams in China will compete in the Obao Elite Challenge. The competition provides a good opportunity for the sides to prepare for the minor and major DPC tournaments that will take place in January 2020. All matches of the tournament are set to be played in the latest 7.23e patch, so it is fair to say that no team will be fully prepared and will have to learn as the tournament progresses.
Twelve teams will fight for supremacy and lion’s share of ¥200,000CNY(≃ $28,540USD) prize pool. The first phase of the tournament is the group stage, where the 12 candidates have been split into two groups. All the matches will be played in a two-game series.
In the end, only the top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs. In the playoffs, the matches will be played in the best-of-three format. While the grand finale will be played in the best-of-five format. The winner of the tournament will take home ¥100,000CNY and will be announced on the 30th of December.
LBET Invitational 2
The passionate community of FPS will also be happy to know the CS:GO LBET Invitational 2 also deserve to enjoy some rich competitive action of its beloved eSports title. From December 23-29 some of the talented teams of Counter-Strike will compete in the LBET Invitational 2. Eight teams will attend the tournament and will kick off the competition in the group stage where they will be split into two groups. All the matches of the tournament will be played in the best of three format. Out of the eight candidates, only the top two sides from each group will advance to the playoffs and will compete for the lion’s share of the $ 20,000 prize pool.
Two teams to look out for in the tournament are NaVi Juniors and Invictus Gaming. The former side was recently developed as a second-team to one of the best teams in the world, NaVi. Meanwhile, Invictus has recently competed in WESG 2019 and also managed to participate in one of the biggest tournaments of the year, StarSeries Season 8. It will be exciting to see how these teams will live up to the expectations over the course of the festive season.
A word from the eSportBet.com team
Firstly, the editorial team at EsportBet.com would like to wish our readers a merry and safe Christmas/New Year period. We hope our wrap has provided something for every fan of the video gaming industry. These esports tournaments will showcase the most talented teams in action during this period in their respective genres. Remember, we have 100s of guides about the various games and aspects of the esports industry. We look forward to continuing to provide market-leading esports betting coverage into 2020 and beyond.