https://stayclose.social/GailWymark74599/ Latest updates from Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6669/10-things-we-wish-we-knew-before-starting-dota-underlords/ The game is very forgiving for players who are struggling as it rewards you regardless of how well you perform. For instance, Bukovel Minor if a player loses multiple rounds in a row they achieve a gold payout to help them win the next ro


As for team fights, Slicing Maelstrom can be helpful. Kennen summons a magical storm around himself for 3 seconds, gaining bonus armor and magic resistance, and dealing 40/75/110 +20$ AP magic damage to all enemies within range every half second. This also allows you to stack up to three Marks of the St


For instance, coverage of a battle royale is going to be drastically more complex than a game like Mortal Kombat and completely different than MOBA coverage. Asking one entity to develop the infrastructure to cover all games is quite a reach. This leaves developers in charge of covering their own events and lets them dictate how they set up tournaments, pay athletes, and cover the events. Could there ever really be a unified esports community under this system? Probably not. This means a lack of regulation, consistency, and viewership will always be an industry-wide conc


Kennen was born in Bandle City and was only noticed due to a dare when he ran up the great outer wall of the Placidium. This attracted the attention of the Kinkou, which decided that the role of the Heart of the Tempest suited him. Now, Kennen is often with Akali and Shen in a never-ending mission to enforce the balance of Valo


In 2014, the story was revamped, erasing the established lore and replacing it with various mini-stories that weren’t necessarily connected and did not always have direct cohesion with the game itself. This change necessitated occasional retcons of lore and have made the game feel more disconnected from the underlying story. In addition, there are several mini-stories which focus on skins which aren't ca


Part of the original lore of the game dealt with how certain champions were bound to the league. Essentially, their power was held by the league. This allowed them to remain bound, such as Nocturne, and allowed their powers to scale back and forth between battles universa


For instance, Brawny units are almost always good to have as they earn an HP bonus, they can then help keep your Hunter units alive who get a chance to perform multiple attacks against the enemy. Mages also make the enemy weak to magic attacks which a faction like Dragons, which start combat with full mana, can expl


However, one common mistake some players makes involves realizing that following the acquisition of a first or second item completion, bruisers will usually outscale Kennen in a 1v1 in the top lane. Tanks, meanwhile, can also render Kennen ineffective through resistance paths, of which there are many. Still, focusing on developing your E can be a good choice. However, sometimes it is far better to instead develop Q, which is Thundering Shuriken, purely to keep damage as high as it can


With studios scrambling to keep up with light-speed growth, a reactive wait-and-see attitude seems like the industry-wide solution."I think it has all the tools to really go the distance and become something powerful," says Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, to CNBC about the future of esports. This roughly translates to, "it looks cool, but no ones's really thought about it too hard yet." Until it becomes something more powerful, you can find me playing games instead of watching t


But it’s mostly a farce. Those who play the most popular games at the highest level get all the limelight and all the cash. For everyone else, streaming—where personality trumps skill—is the only way to make money from gaming. If the community stays as segmented and hastily constructed as it is, it’s tough to imagine esports becoming anything better than what it already is. If you’re happy with the current state of esports, good for you. But for someone who wants a more entertaining and structured esports community, something has to cha


Similar to real chess and squad RPGs positioning is key to succeeding in this game. It’s very important to have your units positioned properly so they can provide support and protection for each ot


Many champions call the void home. These champions range from monsters born in The Void such as Rek’Sai to "The Prophet of the Void" Malzahar. Champions who carry the banner of The Void tend to have shadowy moves rooted in darkness and evil. But if the league exists to settle disputes, why welcome champions of this mysterious place of darkn


The goal of each match is simple and draws from core idea of League of Legends , where two players face off to take the opposing Nexus down to zero from 20 health. Each player has an initial drawing of cards and a single mulligan phase like Hearthstone, and like that game, the mana pool grows each turn so there is no need to worry about mana or land managem


Noticing the popularity of the Auto Chess mod that was gaining ground with Dota fans, Valve decided to create an official version and capitalize on the market with Dota Underlords . The game has eight players go head to head tournament style on boards similar to chess. Players win by buying and upgrading heroes, using items, and implementing clever strateg
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6669/10-things-we-wish-we-knew-before-starting-dota-underlords/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:38:55 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6650/how-to-play-legends-of-runeterra/ As 2019 comes to a close, esports fans are left to reflect on the best competitive moments of the past year. Jaw-dropping plays, unbelievable tournament runs, and shocking levels of consistency from the world’s best players. Five of the biggest esports titles saw their biggest talents rise to the top, taking their rightful places as some of the best players in the wo


Top Lane has always had to ride the line between tanks and carries and thankfully in 9.4, both are viable. At the top of the tier list are Riven, Nasus, Yorick, Vladimir, Darius, Sion, and Garen. For those that prefer to play on a carry, Riven is the obvious cho


During his unprecedented rise to fame, Arslan battled obstacles outside of Tekken . Coming from Pakistan, travel restrictions made his journeys to international tournaments even more difficult, and certain religious dietary guidelines resulted in stomach upset while traveling and during tournaments. Coming out victorious at every turn, Arslan Ash brought Pakistan to the forefront of _ Tekken _ espo


This means that players will have a great deal of customization when it comes to creating a deck that suits their playstyle, and much like Magic , feels similar to creating decks around certain powerful Planeswalker cards. Braum for example is an excellent Champion in the early game as he acts as a wall to prevent Nexus damage, and eventually begins to provide an endless supply of addition units at no extra cost. Like other Champions, the effect of his ability will snowball in power if left unchec


From there, simply make a deck that fits your playstyle and start challenging real opponents. Seeing how others have created their decks will be the best experience, and there is no doubt some manner of meta forming already. Best of luck in your venture into Legends of Runeter


MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) was once that genre in gaming. League of Legends was bringing in big money, Dota 2 was a force in esports, and copycats were springing up all pop over to this web-site the place. In truth, that hasn't really changed. Sure, everyone is streaming battle royale and auto chess now, but MOBA is still alive and well. League of Legends keeps paying Riot's bills, and Dota 2 still brings in those __ huge prize pools . The copycats have slowed somewhat as developers flock to make auto chess games. The goal for MOBA developers now seems to be to tap into empty markets. That's probably the inspiration behind Genesis , a new MOBA exclusive to P


Since there are so many heroes to choose from, it is best to experiment until you find a few that you enjoy. Few games come even close to this size of a roster, and there is no reason to limit yours


Learning to play a new game is always exciting, but not all learning curves are created equal. Dota 2 is currently the largest esports game in the world with the most tournament prize money, and for good rea

Dota 2 , like all MOBA games, pits two teams against each other on a map that is often symmetrical in its layout. In this case, each team is composed of five players each who win the match by destroying the opposing team’s Ancient building before they can destroy yours, and as one might expect, this is located as far into enemy territory as can


Support has always been the least coveted role in League of Legends, but that doesn't mean that they don't fill an important position. While oftentimes support is occupied by an autofilled player, it is still definitely possible to carry games in solo queue playing support, especially with the introduction of P


Carry Heroes – When leveled properly, these types of heroes can devastate in the late game, and they "carry" a team to victory. The trade-off is that they are weak in the early game and are wasted if not leveled properly throughout a ma


How you choose to construct a deck is in your hands entirely. However, in the earliest stages of beta, a simple tempo-oriented zoo deck will be one of the strongest options simply because players are learning what exactly is going on, and zoo ensures that there is always a focus on having and maintaining board control in the early and mid game. For the unfamiliar with the concept of zoo, check out Trump's video below. It is four years old, but the concept remains unchanged in virtually all C


Learning the fundamentals is simple, especially if one has already played other multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. Beyond the fundamentals, however, the skill ceiling is high and experienced opponents will severely punish small mistakes at high ranks of play. Here is with our guide on everything you need to know to start playing Dota 2 as a complete new


With its campaign, the one thing that could really set it apart, inactive, Genesis has your typical MOBA modes. There's training, a humans vs. AI mode, and 5v5 competitive. There's only one map in the rotation right now, the usual three lane battlefield where you aim to destroy the enemy towers and reach their core. That's not to fault Genesis for having this familiar element. The setup is just typical to MOBAs. In fact, there are some smart things going on in Genesis that address common MOBA probl
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6650/how-to-play-legends-of-runeterra/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:10:39 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6594/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/

It'll be difficult to get accustomed to Aphelios' laning phase. He starts with Calibrum and Severum and doesn't learn his Q until level 2, so depending on the lane players will need to adapt to two different playstyles. Summoners can either play aggressively to hit level 2 first, or be overly defensive and let the enemy laners push until Aphelios can get level 2 safely. What makes Aphelios strong is his versatility. Players will need to adjust their main and off-hand weapons of choice based on lane matchups. Use Calibrum (Sniper Rifle) when the lane favors poke and harass. Severum (Pistol) and Infernum (Flamethrower) are strong against defensive lanes giving Aphelios sustain and pushing power. Crescendum can be used to provide huge damage during a gank while the crowd control that Gravitum (Graviton Cannon) provides can be used both offensively and defensiv


The biggest change is the addition of a win condition. Either team could destroy the opposing base to claim victory, but they can also just get 60 kills. The idea, I imagine, is to stop that endgame drag that always happens in close matches. Both sides hunker down in their bases, carefully turning back creep tides and maybe jungling. But mostly they play it safe, retreating the moment a team fight seems to be going bad. It's tedious, boring, and only amplifies post-match toxicity because the stalemate usually ends when someone gets antsy and gives up a team fight. In Genesis, you can play it safe all you want but one side will eventually get 60 kills. In theory. In my 6-7 hours of play this only happened once. That match still went on a little too long. So while the ultimatum does pressure teams to actually push lanes, it isn't a complete cure for turtl

Nikki Lee harnesses her own Ice Bow in this amazing as Ashe cosplay. Nikki made sure to include all the bells and whistles in this cosplay, making sure to add even the most finite details like the armored hood and quilted bodice. Her other breath-taking cosplays include Xeno Jiiva from Monster Hunter World and Genji from Overwat


Marcos Maker is a cosplayer who did an exceptional job bringing to life the features of this League of Legends character. He accurately applied the hourglass facepaint and even wields his own green bat prop. Everything about this cosplay is canon. Marcos has also cosplayed as Zed from League of Legen


Right now the strongest champions in the Bottom Lane are Lucian, Ezreal, Draven, Sivir, and Caitlyn. Ezreal is still not what you would think of as a traditional ADC, running kleptomancy and building Manamune. It's indicative of just how much the Bottom Lane is returning to form Caitlyn as being strong again; she is the definition of a crit ADC. It will be interesting to see how long Riot wants the bottom lane to stay more traditional, it may not be long before we see Heimerdinger going bottom lane ag

Instead of the 4 standard abilities that most champions have, Aphelios has 5 weapons that he equips throughout the game. He holds a main weapon and an off-hand weapon which alter his basic attack and abilities. While his kit can be extremely confusing, his versatility can give players the opportunity to outplay their opponents in any situation. This guide will help players learn all of the basics that Aphelios needs to dominate the R


Jinx has been a cosplay favorite since she entered the game in 2013. This wired criminal from Jaun creates chaos and destruction throughout her path. Jinx is known for her audacious crime-sprees, namely her charades in Piltover, where setting off her favorite explosive toys is done with enthusi


With proper positioning, this can move fights in your favor if you're not behind in experience considering the massive AP bonuses you should have been applying until now. Flash is an ability that can make or break the attack, so it is ruined King Best Team to save it for a moment when you can blink into the middle of a fray and unleash the st


Canadian cosplayer, Mel Colley , is a phenomenal armor builder who was able to construct the hawk-like armor of Azir. Mel masterfully detailed every element of Azir’s costume, complete with his floating staff and helmet. Mel’s original Pharah and Symmetra from Overwatch designs are some of her most impressive cosplay wo


The builds for these characters are typically decked out in intricate armor, with many of the characters also holding weapons of massive proportions. Despite the seemingly daunting tasks, these cosplayers have defied the odds to create some of the best League of Legends cosplays on the inter


Ekko is a genius prodigy from Zaun. He used his unlimited intellect to create the Zero Drive which allows him to craft reality to fit his expectations. Ekko is recognizable for his white mohawk and glowing bat, which is actually a stolen hour hand that he took from a Piltie clockto
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6594/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 20:04:30 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6593/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Blizzard, rather than come to a compromise to benefit all parties, chose instead to abandon KeSPA and partner with Global StarCraft League (GSL) . The decision was catastrophic from the start, as KeSPA prohibited its member teams from participating in any StarCraft II competitions. The ruined King Best Team talent in the world was effectively prevented from playing in any tourname


It'll be difficult to get accustomed to Aphelios' laning phase. He starts with Calibrum and Severum and doesn't learn his Q until level 2, so depending on the lane players will need to adapt to two different playstyles. Summoners can either play aggressively to hit level 2 first, or be overly defensive and let the enemy laners push until Aphelios can get level 2 safely. What makes Aphelios strong is his versatility. Players will need to adjust their main and off-hand weapons of choice based on lane matchups. Use Calibrum (Sniper Rifle) when the lane favors poke and harass. Severum (Pistol) and Infernum (Flamethrower) are strong against defensive lanes giving Aphelios sustain and pushing power. Crescendum can be used to provide huge damage during a gank while the crowd control that Gravitum (Graviton Cannon) provides can be used both offensively and defensiv


The biggest change is the addition of a win condition. Either team could destroy the opposing base to claim victory, but they can also just get 60 kills. The idea, I imagine, is to stop that endgame drag that always happens in close matches. Both sides hunker down in their bases, carefully turning back creep tides and maybe jungling. But mostly they play it safe, retreating the moment a team fight seems to be going bad. It's tedious, boring, and only amplifies post-match toxicity because the stalemate usually ends when someone gets antsy and gives up a team fight. In Genesis, you can play it safe all you want but one side will eventually get 60 kills. In theory. In my 6-7 hours of play this only happened once. That match still went on a little too long. So while the ultimatum does pressure teams to actually push lanes, it isn't a complete cure for turtl


Nikki Lee harnesses her own Ice Bow in this amazing as Ashe cosplay. Nikki made sure to include all the bells and whistles in this cosplay, making sure to add even the most finite details like the armored hood and quilted bodice. Her other breath-taking cosplays include Xeno Jiiva from Monster Hunter World and Genji from Overwat


Marcos Maker is a cosplayer who did an exceptional job bringing to life the features of this League of Legends character. He accurately applied the hourglass facepaint and even wields his own green bat prop. Everything about this cosplay is canon. Marcos has also cosplayed as Zed from League of Legen


Right now the strongest champions in the Bottom Lane are Lucian, Ezreal, Draven, Sivir, and Caitlyn. Ezreal is still not what you would think of as a traditional ADC, running kleptomancy and building Manamune. It's indicative of just how much the Bottom Lane is returning to form Caitlyn as being strong again; she is the definition of a crit ADC. It will be interesting to see how long Riot wants the bottom lane to stay more traditional, it may not be long before we see Heimerdinger going bottom lane ag


Instead of the 4 standard abilities that most champions have, Aphelios has 5 weapons that he equips throughout the game. He holds a main weapon and an off-hand weapon which alter his basic attack and abilities. While his kit can be extremely confusing, his versatility can give players the opportunity to outplay their opponents in any situation. This guide will help players learn all of the basics that Aphelios needs to dominate the R


Jinx has been a cosplay favorite since she entered the game in 2013. This wired criminal from Jaun creates chaos and destruction throughout her path. Jinx is known for her audacious crime-sprees, namely her charades in Piltover, where setting off her favorite explosive toys is done with enthusi


With proper positioning, this can move fights in your favor if you're not behind in experience considering the massive AP bonuses you should have been applying until now. Flash is an ability that can make or break the attack, so it is best to save it for a moment when you can blink into the middle of a fray and unleash the st


Canadian cosplayer, Mel Colley , is a phenomenal armor builder who was able to construct the hawk-like armor of Azir. Mel masterfully detailed every element of Azir’s costume, complete with his floating staff and helmet. Mel’s original Pharah and Symmetra from Overwatch designs are some of her most impressive cosplay wo


The builds for these characters are typically decked out in intricate armor, with many of the characters also holding weapons of massive proportions. Despite the seemingly daunting tasks, these cosplayers have defied the odds to create some of the best League of Legends cosplays on the inter


Ekko is a genius prodigy from Zaun. He used his unlimited intellect to create the Zero Drive which allows him to craft reality to fit his expectations. Ekko is recognizable for his white mohawk and glowing bat, which is actually a stolen hour hand that he took from a Piltie clockto
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6593/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 20:04:25 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6557/a-guide-to-getting-into-dota-2-for-total-newbies/ Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime, very little has been said about the story of Joker **** _ beyond it being a gritty origin story for Batman's most famous foe. Hopes are high, however, with the movie being directed by _The Hangover director Todd Phillips. The movie will also star Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, and Marc Maron. It was originally supposed to be produced by Martin Scorsese, but the filmmaker dropped out of the project and was replaced by Emma Tillinger Kosk


One such mechanisms is creep pulling and managing the runes on the map to build a clear advantage overtime against your enemy. All these mechanics are hard to learn, but outwitting your enemy through these strategies is what makes DOTA2 so much more rewarding to p


There are currently 117 different heroes to choose from, and it can be overwhelming deciding who to choose at first glance. Luckily, all heroes are divided into the type of role they can fulfill within a team composition. Broadly speaking, they are divided into the following categor


For instance, coverage of a battle royale is going to be drastically more complex than a game like Mortal Kombat and completely different than MOBA coverage. Asking one entity to develop the infrastructure to cover all games is quite a reach. This leaves developers in charge of covering their own events and lets them dictate how they set up tournaments, pay athletes, and cover the events. Could there ever really be a unified Esports tournament community under this system? Probably not. This means a lack of regulation, consistency, and viewership will always be an industry-wide conc


The best way to learn from here is to practice, practice, practice. There are some fantastic streamers to watch, as seeing the best play is a good way to learn. Check out Beyond the Summit , Dota 2 Ruhub , and Dendi for some of the best plays in the wo


Shazam! stars Zachary Levi as the grown-up superhero Shazam and Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana - Shazam's arch-enemy in the comics. The villain's origin is reportedly being changed for the movie, however, with Dr. Sivana now being one who was denied the power of Shazam because of his dark heart rather than a mad scientist determined to prove the superiority of his science over Shazam's ma


Support Heroes - This last category can also be considered simply to play at first, in the right circumstances. As the name implies, these heroes have abilities that are meant to support teammates, either through preventing damage, providing CC, and m


Supergirl season 4 saw Kara Danvers having to contend with an enemy unlike she'd ever faced before - the anti-alien militia leader Agent Liberty. Though the mid-season finale saw Agent Liberty's identity exposed to the world along with the depth of his terrorism, this only served to make him a martyr to his cause and the public backlash prompted Supergirl's dismissal from the DEO. The remainder of the season will see Supergirl having to cope with her new status as an outlaw, as well as the emergence of a Russian Supergirl clone and her first confrontation with Lex Luth

2019 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for DC Entertainment, _**** _ with 25 confirmed feature-length films, TV series, and animated movies based on DC Comics properties planned for release. Many of these are established series such as the various live-action shows making up The CW's Arrowverse ; others are new series being produced exclusively for the new DC Universe streaming service, which was released to wide acclaim last f


Sometimes referred to as minions in other MOBAs, lane creeps automatically spawn every thirty seconds throughout the game, and this cannot be stopped or affected in any way. Each lane gets a team of creeps, and left alone, they will meet the opposing creeps in the middle of the map and simply cancel each other out. Early in the game they are a solid way of earning hero experience and gold, which leads to one of the most important parts of the game: lan


While a challenge is always nice, a good game should be at least moderately accessible to new players. This is where League holds an advantage over DOTA2 , because how easy it is to get into it. There are less micro-mechanisms, and the gameplay is more simplif


Last fall, 24 teams from around the world competed for a near $5 million prize pool at the League of Legends World Championship. The finals were held in front of a sold-out, 20,000-person crowd at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. An estimated 100 million more watched online. For reference, 98.2 million people tuned in for Super Bowl L


Arrow season 7 opened with Oliver Queen in prison as a result of a plea bargain to buy immunity for his fellow vigilantes. Unfortunately, Star City went to hell in a hand-basket without its heroes, leaving a new Green Arrow ( who is apparently Oliver Queen's half-sister ) to pick up the slack. Thankfully, Oliver was freed from prison and hired on by the SCPD as a consultant so he could continue saving his city without violating the new anti-vigilante laws, though it remains to be seen if an accord can be reached between the new Green Arrow and the old
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6557/a-guide-to-getting-into-dota-2-for-total-newbies/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:55:33 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6531/every-major-halloween-in-game-event-for-2019/

You can easily make the argument that video games are a saturated market; anyone who wants to buy a game can easily do so through any number digital distribution platforms for either home console, PC, or mobile device. This doesn’t stop games from being sold, but it does make it a little harder for new games to get noticed. After all, there’s a whole wide world of huge games out there, so why would any gamer bother with something


Eight months later, we can say with absolute certainty that the statement was grown in the deepest levels of Blizzard’s PR dungeon, sprinkled with the highest quality of Corporate brand bullshit, and masked with enough perfume so as to hide its decaying stench long enough for people to forget about the whole thing. Two heroes have been released, and a number of events that focus on selling skins are all players have been given, and there is no reason to expect anything m


As with all Champions, situational awareness is key. Placing Keenen in the top lane - or mid lane in some cases - is the best choice. The main reason for placing him in the top lane is that Kennen can easily harass bruisers from a distance and kite with his E ability, Lightning Rush, which is an active ability that turns him into a ball of lightning for up to two seconds. This damages enemies he passes through, and most importantly, doubles his base Move Speed (


This League of Legends character is the gorgeous bounty hunter who plays the game with a merciless hand. After the death of her parents, Sarah made a name for herself, better known to the salon-goers of Bilgewater as Miss Fortune. She wields the powerful firearms designed by her mother and takes no prisoners on her hunt for vengea


Aphelios has 5 unique weapons that each start with 50 Moonlight (Ammo). His basic attacks cost 1 Moonlight, and his abilities (Q and R) cost 10. Once his Moonlight hits 0 he will switch to the next weapon in the queue. Also, instead of upgrading his abilities when he levels up (like the other 146 champions in the game), the player can choose to upgrade either his Attack Damage, Attack Speed, or Armor Penetrat


Mortal Kombat 11 's free in-game event begins on October 25, bringing four new Halloween-themed boss fights to the game which include flying witches and bats, falling pumpkins, black cats, and tombstones rising from the ground. To top off the fun, the event also adds new brutalities, Halloween consumables, and other in-game rewards to e


Dota2 wasn't far behind. The game was released from open beta in July 2013 and quickly climbed the Steam charts, surpassing longtime standbys like Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike (although CS:GO would later regain its title as most popular game on the digital platform). At the time of its release, Dota2 had over 520,000 concurrent players. By January of 2014, Dota2 had over 738,000 players, and by February of 2016, Dota2 had peaked at 1,291,328 concurrent play


Blizzard would have much greater success in Overwatch , a first-person shooter version of the MOBA. Others wouldn’t be nearly as lucky. Paragon , Dawngate , Infinite Crisis , Arena of Fate , and Battleborn all came around the same time and all failed to live up to expectations. Many of them simply failed altogether with servers shutting down a few short years la


With success comes imitation. Many game developers saw the incredible financial success of both LoL and Dota2 and thought they could change the classic easy MOBA heroes formula just enough to stand out. Titan Forge Games released Smite , a mythologically-themed third-person battle arena, in March of 2014. Although certainly popular by most standards and also featuring a world championship with a $1 million top prize, Smite never quite gained the rampant popularity of either LoL or Dot


As with LoL , Dota2 also got into eSports in a big way. The International, Dota2 's annual global tournament, began with a prize pool of just $1.6 million. By 2019, The International’s prize pool had grown to over $31 million--the largest offering of any esports tournament in hist


It took years for any manner of reconciliation to occur. Even then, it was purely done for business reasons, resulting in all teams playing in the Proleague as the main space for competition. This merging into one space over-saturating the player market: since there were many more teams vying for the top spots and sponsorship, large numbers of popular players retired and many fans lost interest as their favorites left the sc


As much as Blizzard tries to cover their own hindquarters, players and fans alike do not forget when a company mistreats and lies to them. When Blizzard tries to pump up interest in its esports for any of its other franchises, it is hard to put any faith in them at all as a fan, a potential competitor, or as someone interested in the production side of things. Were they to try and fix the state of things - both with esports and their franchises in general - their efforts would most likely be taken as the same empty, shallow promises they've made over and over ag
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6531/every-major-halloween-in-game-event-for-2019/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:13:34 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6482/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ The best way to learn from here is to practice, practice, practice. There are some fantastic streamers to watch, as seeing the best play is a good way to learn. Check out Beyond the Summit , Dota 2 Ruhub , and Dendi for some of the best plays in the wo


Despite apparent support for this cause, certain stories in the lore tell of conflicts elsewhere in Valoran. Whether by internal power struggles or outright aggression between two or more nations, the conflicts which prompted the establishment of the Institute of War seem to continue, Continued creating a further disconnect between lore and the storyl


For instance, coverage of a battle royale is going to be drastically more complex than a game like Mortal Kombat and completely different than MOBA coverage. Asking one entity to develop the infrastructure to cover all games is quite a reach. This leaves developers in charge of covering their own events and lets them dictate how they set up tournaments, pay athletes, and cover the events. Could there ever really be a unified esports community under this system? Probably not. This means a lack of regulation, consistency, and viewership will always be an industry-wide conc


Besides this, item selection depends on how you wish to play Kennen. A full glass-cannon build is perfectly viable once you have enough experience and a team that you can depend on for peel. However, you also have your own ways of escape, so this is not always necess


Carry Heroes – When leveled properly, these types of heroes can devastate in the late game, and they "carry" a team to victory. The trade-off is that they are weak in the early game and are wasted if not leveled properly throughout a ma


Genesis has a top-down view, mid goes solo, bottom duos, and hopefully someone jungles. Thankfully, every champion has the ability to teleport to friendly towers. There's a cooldown, of course, but it's still nice to have that ability not locked to a summoner spell. The shop is also available everywhere, not just at base. This all seems designed to expedite the laning phase. There's even an option to begin with your character at level four. It's like the Genesis devs know that farming creeps is boring and are helping players get to team fights fas

The Jungle is all the space between the three lanes, and inside there are neutral creeps that spawn at Camps, remaining stationary until attacked and killed by either team, and knowing when and how to deal with them is important. Players should be careful when traversing through the Jungle, because the opposing team may be waiting to ambush you, known as Ganking. Falling prey to a ganks is a sure way to let your team down by providing a lead to the opposing t


The above-mentioned buildings all play different roles as the match progresses. Towers work to defend important structures, and the deeper into the opposing territory one goes, the higher tier they are. Tier 1 is the lowest form and the first that one encounters, and defending the Ancient are two Tier 4 Towers, which far more armor, hit points, and damage dealing potential. Destroying these in each lane is necessary both for the advantage it provides in having creeps progress towards the enemy structures without resistance, and for the experience they prov


Factoring the lore into this equation, each champion should only be available for use on one team or the other. While this isn’t a factor in the more competitive game modes, players in the "blind pick" modes (as well as certain other limited game modes) can enter the game fighting against another player using the same champion they have cho


This comes with the obvious caveat, so you need to keep up with your experience gathering, but that hardly needs to be said. Most Champions feel less impactful when they begin to fall behind the opposing side, and Kennen is no differ


World of Warcraft Classic is also hosting a Hallow's End that many founds of the MMO will want to check out, as they can trick or treat, bob for apples, attend the Wickerman Festival, check out a new questline, and m


Despite its popularity and plethora of options, there are several aspects of the game which don’t make sense. For starters, players of League of Legends need not know much about the in-game lore to have an enjoyable play experience. Including lore, mechanics, and simple logic, here are ten things about League of Legends which will leave you scratching your h


After playing several hours of Genesis , I have this vague desire to play more. I don't totally credit that to anything unique to Genesis , however. The simplified experience is nice in some ways. I didn't use voice chat, and there's obviously no text chat, so other players couldn't be toxic without going out of the way to send PMs, which didn't happen. The connection was surprisingly stable even on wi-fi. It was also nice to play a MOBA without a definitive meta, with beginners who are just there to have fun (and don't have the map awareness to avoid my gan
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6482/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:05:55 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6481/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ The best way to learn from here is to practice, practice, practice. There are some fantastic streamers to watch, as seeing the best play is a good way to learn. Check out Beyond the Summit , Dota 2 Ruhub , and Dendi for some of the best plays in the wo

Despite apparent support for this cause, certain stories in the lore tell of conflicts elsewhere in Valoran. Whether by internal power struggles or outright aggression between two or more nations, the conflicts which prompted the establishment of the Institute of War seem to continue, creating a further disconnect between lore and the storyl


For instance, coverage of a battle royale is going to be drastically more complex than a game like Mortal Kombat and completely different than MOBA coverage. Asking one entity to develop the infrastructure to cover all games is quite a reach. This leaves developers in charge of covering their own events and lets them dictate how they set up tournaments, pay athletes, and cover the events. Could there ever really be a unified esports community under this system? Probably not. This means a lack of regulation, consistency, and viewership will always be an industry-wide conc


Besides this, item selection depends on how you wish to play Kennen. A full glass-cannon build is perfectly viable once you have enough experience and a team that you can depend on for peel. However, you also have your own ways of escape, so this is not always necess


Carry Heroes – When leveled properly, these types of heroes can devastate in the late game, and they "carry" a team to victory. The trade-off is that they are weak in the early game and are wasted if not leveled properly throughout a ma


Genesis has a top-down view, mid goes solo, bottom duos, and hopefully someone jungles. Thankfully, every champion has the ability to teleport to friendly towers. There's a cooldown, of course, but it's still nice to have that ability not locked to a summoner spell. The shop is also available everywhere, not just at base. This all seems designed to expedite the laning phase. There's even an option to begin with your character at level four. It's like the Genesis devs know that farming creeps is boring and are helping players get to team fights fas


The Jungle is all the space between the three lanes, and inside there are neutral creeps that spawn at Camps, remaining stationary until attacked and killed by either team, and knowing when and how to deal with them is important. Players should be careful when traversing through the Jungle, because the opposing team may be waiting to ambush you, known as Ganking. Falling prey to a ganks is a sure way to let your team down by providing a lead to the opposing t


The above-mentioned buildings all play different roles as the match progresses. Towers work to defend important structures, and the deeper into the opposing territory one goes, the higher tier they are. Tier 1 is the lowest form and the first that one encounters, and defending the Ancient are two Tier 4 Towers, which far more armor, hit points, and damage dealing potential. Destroying these in each lane is necessary both for the advantage it provides in having creeps progress towards the enemy structures without resistance, and for the experience they prov


Factoring the lore into this equation, each champion should only be available for use on one team or the other. While this isn’t a factor in the more competitive game modes, players in the "blind pick" modes (as well as certain other limited game modes) can enter the game fighting against another player using the same champion they have cho


This comes with the obvious caveat, so you need to keep up with your experience gathering, but that hardly needs to be said. Most Champions feel less impactful when they begin to fall behind the opposing side, and Kennen is no differ


World of Warcraft Classic is also hosting a Hallow's End that many founds of the MMO will want to check out, as they can trick or treat, bob for apples, attend the Wickerman Festival, check out a new questline, and m


Despite its popularity and plethora of options, there are several aspects of the game which don’t make sense. For starters, players of League of Legends need not know much about the in-game lore to have an enjoyable play experience. Including lore, mechanics, and simple logic, here are ten things about League of Legends which will leave you scratching your h


After playing several hours of Genesis , Continued I have this vague desire to play more. I don't totally credit that to anything unique to Genesis , however. The simplified experience is nice in some ways. I didn't use voice chat, and there's obviously no text chat, so other players couldn't be toxic without going out of the way to send PMs, which didn't happen. The connection was surprisingly stable even on wi-fi. It was also nice to play a MOBA without a definitive meta, with beginners who are just there to have fun (and don't have the map awareness to avoid my gan
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6481/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:05:50 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6442/10-things-we-wish-we-knew-before-starting-dota-underlords/ Despite the scheduling controversy, the event pulled through with its fun-stocked activities and received a surprising appearance from Dota 2 's hailed father, Gabe Newell. And a few others like Pudge God, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin to help drive the event's success even furt


You can easily make the argument that video games are a saturated market; anyone who wants to buy a game can easily do so through any number digital distribution platforms for either home console, PC, or mobile device. This doesn’t stop games from being sold, but it does make it a little harder for new games to get noticed. After all, there’s a whole wide world of huge games out there, so why would any gamer bother with something


An esport oasis at the peak of Dota 2 memery was Midas Mode 2, the perfect experience of enjoyably good gameplay with a Twist. The event was centered around an innovative mode called Midas Mode, which featured game-changing mechanisms and a whole new currency called Moonbucks. It gave professional players the chance to have more fun playing the game and earn a share of the $150 thousand prize pool in the process while playing Dota 2 a bit differently. The set of bounties each day gave an ever-changing gaming vibe while keeping things interesting for players and fans alike, which contributed to the tournament's succ


Kinpatsu Cosplay is a South African cosplayer who is known for her incredible armor builds. Recently, she put together a cosplay eBook and Youtube tutorial for Ahri’s flashiest skin yet, which includes these iridescent fox tails. Kinpatsu’s ability to craft even the most extreme cosplays is inspiring. And it shows in her other cosplay costumes such as her Artoria and Sister of battle from Warhammer 4


As official and fundamental as it sounds, OG’s rise to greatness started with odd compositions. The tournament went from the regular meta to hero nature bending builds, which led to surprising match wins. Most notable was Ana’s Core Build IO, which sustained and reigned alongside controlled neutral creeps. Ingeniously stumping enemy teams because of the irregular composition made it the highlight of the event. Ultimately, OG made it clear that they wanted to win fashionably and to have fun in the proc


Building up your hero is automated by default. If you don't "pre-order" a late-game item, the game will prompt you to buy the next affordable recommended item as soon as you have the gold. When you level up, the game will automatically apply a point to an ability. Since you can't freely choose targets with a mouse pointer, there's a priority system. With a click of the left stick, your hero will cycle between targeting creeps, structures, or enemy heroes. It's all streamlined, designed for console players who probably never played a PC MOBA. Fortunately for experienced players, it can all be turned off. Well, except for the game pad controls. The devs are planning to eventually put Genesis on PC, but have stated that they don't plan on incorporating mouse and keyboard contr


Which is kinda what happened to MOBAs. A few years ago, it seemed like Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas were taking over the world, with a new MOBA being announced almost every month. Now, most of those games have failed and only a few MOBAs live on to fulfill that ni


Kayn is a male warrior who battles to take his place as leader of the Order of Shadow. He holds one of the sentient weapons of the Darkin, which he snuggles with as it tried to consume his body and m


The farming aficionado himself proved that on the right occasions, Dota 2 could be played and dominated by one person. Day 2 of the International 9's group stage's was where Artour "Arteezy" Babaev confirmed that not


Speaking of gold, the best way to accumulate a pile of glittering coins is to rely on interest. For example, when a player has 10 gold they generate 10% interest at the beginning of the round, meaning one gold coin will be rewarded after the ro


Still, I miss the accuracy of a mouse for skill shots. The characters don't quite have the charm of Ahri, Rumble, or any of my other LoL mains. I find their voice acting annoying, and their 3D models don't quite live up to their art. I don't see myself dropping cash for skins. In the end, I think I just want to scratch the MOBA itch I've been ignoring for years. Genesis definitely does that, and will do so for any curious PS4 owners. It also doesn't require PS Plus, https://Www.Mobapulse.com/articles/mastering-techies-in-dota-2-optimal-support-and-core-builds-for-explosive-gameplay.html which is a... plus. Give it a shot as your first MOBA, or first MOBA in years. If you have a PC, however, stick to the class


This League of Legends character is the gorgeous bounty hunter who plays the game with a merciless hand. After the death of her parents, Sarah made a name for herself, better known to the salon-goers of Bilgewater as Miss Fortune. She wields the powerful firearms designed by her mother and takes no prisoners on her hunt for vengea


The game is very forgiving for players who are struggling as it rewards you regardless of how well you perform. For instance, if a player loses multiple rounds in a row they achieve a gold payout to help them win the next ro
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6442/10-things-we-wish-we-knew-before-starting-dota-underlords/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:12:29 +0000 Gail Wymark https://stayclose.social/blog/6336/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Nikki Lee harnesses her own Ice Bow in this amazing as Ashe cosplay. Nikki made sure to include all the bells and whistles in this cosplay, making sure to add even the most finite details like the armored hood and quilted bodice. Her other breath-taking cosplays include Xeno Jiiva from Monster Hunter World and Genji from Overwat


League of Legends is rooted in its many Champions, and they are ever present as powerful cards in this game. These look similar to normal units with a powerful exception, and is that they have clear goals written in their text that when completed transform the card into a leveled-up version of the Champion, complete with new Dungeon Abilities Guide and often an increase to their stats. These goals range from doing a certain amount of damage to the enemy core, healing a certain amount, casting spells, and m


League of Legends is one of the most popular titles available in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre . Debuting on October 27 th , 2009, League has dominated conversations between fans of the genre for over a decade, featuring a roster of more than 100 playable characters and tons of customization opti

While in League the simple objective is to push to the enemy Nexus and destroy it, DOTA2 is much more strategic and cerebral in the sense that it has tons of micro-mechanisms that count towards you winning the ro


While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we're going to argue that DOTA2 just has a better look in general due to its slightly less cartoon-like and pixelated graphics. The terrain is really beautiful and vibrant, and the hero details in-game just provide some extra that isn't found in Leag


Many champions contribute to the items on this list, but few deserve their own entry. Aurelion Sol does both. Aurelion Sol is described in his backstory as a creator of stars, traveling the vast emptiness and creating what seems to be countless solar systems before he was ultimately tricked into servitude by a group known as the Targoni


Riot Games has launched a beta for its new online collectible card game (CCG), Legends of Runeterra . Players are flocking to try it for themselves, and some are wondering how best to play the game since it offers some large innovative designs over similar ga


The goal of each match is simple and draws from core idea of League of Legends , where two players face off to take the opposing Nexus down to zero from 20 health. Each player has an initial drawing of cards and a single mulligan phase like Hearthstone, and like that game, the mana pool grows each turn so there is no need to worry about mana or land managem


Before I talk Genesis gameplay , I feel like I have to share my MOBA experience. My street cred, if you will. I played a lot of LoL during its heyday, and made it a point to collect all of the Ahri and Rumble skins. When ranked was first introduced, I grouped up with four friends and tried to take on the world. We fought hard just to stay in Gold Rank. We once experimented with Dota 2 , which I enjoyed but also too complex to stick with. After the team dissolved, I played Smite briefly. With this in mind, I feel rather confident in saying that Genesis plays like an easier League of Legen

The builds for these characters are typically decked out in intricate armor, with many of the characters also holding weapons of massive proportions. Despite the seemingly daunting tasks, these cosplayers have defied the odds to create some of the best League of Legends cosplays on the inter


However, the age-old rivalry between DOTA2 players and LoL addicts continues to plague the gaming community: which of these two games is ultimately better? While much of it is subjective, we're here to shed some light on five pros for each g

Genesis has a top-down view, mid goes solo, bottom duos, and hopefully someone jungles. Thankfully, every champion has the ability to teleport to friendly towers. There's a cooldown, of course, but it's still nice to have that ability not locked to a summoner spell. The shop is also available everywhere, not just at base. This all seems designed to expedite the laning phase. There's even an option to begin with your character at level four. It's like the Genesis devs know that farming creeps is boring and are helping players get to team fights fas


The Philippine squad first turned heads at ESL One Hamburg with their barely scathed record of only one lost match. Subsequently, TNC won the tournament in October and took home $125 thousand because of their dominant Earthshaker and Morphling hero combination. Highlighting the superiority of meta cycling, TNC proved to be more than just a regular south-east Asian t


As official and fundamental as it sounds, OG’s rise to greatness started with odd compositions. The tournament went from the regular meta to hero nature bending builds, which led to surprising match wins. Most notable was Ana’s Core Build IO, which sustained and reigned alongside controlled neutral creeps. Ingeniously stumping enemy teams because of the irregular composition made it the highlight of the event. Ultimately, OG made it clear that they wanted to win fashionably and to have fun in the proc
]]> https://stayclose.social/blog/6336/genesis-review-yup-thats-a-moba/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:01:57 +0000 Gail Wymark