🏆 $500 ESOC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 🏆

[Joshua667746]

The year is almost out, and it wouldn’t be complete without one final AoE3 tournament! Celebrate the spirit of togetherness and join us for the ESOC Winter Championships 2024! Throw your hat in the ring and sign up before November 24th or tune in with a warm cup of coco and watch the holiday entertainment live and free on ESOCTV Twitch! The cold’s setting in over on this icy tundra, so players won’t have time to reach the Fortress Age. Instead, they’ll have to find faster ways to defeat their opponents in this snowy region. The Prize Pool for the event is $500 provided by Spanky!

Tournament Schedule:
Round of 16 - Bo7: November 25 - December 1
Round of 8 - Bo7: December 2 - December 8
Semi-finals - Bo7: December 9 - December 14
Bronze match - Bo7: December 15
Finals - Bo9: December 15

Map Pool:
Round of 16 - Bo7 : Unknown, Sudd, Hokkaido, Bayou, Anatolia, Guianas, Baja california
Round of 8 - Bo7 : Unknown, Courland, Korea, Cascade range, Central plains, Balkan mountains, Caucasus
Semi-finals - Bo7 : Unknown, Finland, Pomerania, Gran chaco, Portugal, Hungarian plains, Korea
Bronze match - Bo7 : Unknown, Mexico, Ivory coast, Himalayas Upper, Dakota, Dnieper basin, Malaysia
Finals - Bo9 : Unknown, Karelian Lakes, Scandinavia, Painted desert, Saguenay, Siberia, New England, Parallel rivers, Pripet marshes

Event Rules can be found Here. If you have any further questions regarding the rules please contact the tournament admins in ESOC's Official Discord!

Sign-Ups will end Sunday, November 24th. You may sign up using the tournament center in MyESOC (Login to your ESOC Profile and then find the top right corner of your profile name and then select MyESOC.

[kevinitalien]

so this is an age2 only tourney ?

[moonshine]

so this is an age2 only tourney ?

yes

[kevinitalien]

so i summarize, we have a tournament called "ESOC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP 2024" which is in fact only an event financed by spanky for an age 2 only tournament, it's very nice of spanky really but this is not "ESOC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP 2024"

[moonshine]

agreed

[Goodspeed]

Disabling fortress age is going to be a lot less interesting than it sounds

[look]

so i summarize, we have a tournament called "ESOC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP 2024" which is in fact only an event financed by spanky for an age 2 only tournament, it's very nice of spanky really but this is not "ESOC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP 2024"

I agree, this isn't a major event
but will be good to watch
especially because I think colonial games explore more the players skills than the normal game.
FF, Revolutions, ETC ETC is boring actually.

[KINGofOsmane]

i was about to waste another month of my life into aoe3, thanks for saving me

[callentournies]

im a fan of the tournament, less so the title.

it isn't like we have a currently excellent, burgeoning competitive community with perfect tournaments and high turnout. disabling age 3 may be strategically shallow-er but I think it allows for exciting age 2 brawls with many units around the map and big, decisive battles over natural res with lots of vills. possibly mechanically richer? Map control is important because it can't be re-gained with a tech advantage. There is an interesting meta-game late age 2 if games ever go there regarding which civ to select. A couple of civs may be so strong as to be boring but surely there's some outplay potential. The least competitive thing is that every series plays on DE Unknown. Not sure what to think of that yet. It's without a doubt the strangest thing we will see in a sup tournament.

But seasonal tournaments hold a certain prestige and have traditionally always been the "classical" events a la chess and are important laurels to competitive players. This is a (fun) gimmick tournament, it both doesn't make sense as a player and as a viewer that the Winter Tournament 2024 is played on Unknown in only age 2. The prize pool is also smaller. Both that it's gimmicky and pays less is OK, but is inconsistent with ESOCs history somewhat. If the money isn't there, the seasonal isn't there (that's my opinion). In the end it literally doesn't matter and I will always support the effort to organize any event. Personally I've always liked the funky tournaments and put more stock into who wins them than most. I think it lets people whose talents lay outside the meta shine.

[Garja]

Age2 only is definetely refreshing in a very age/tech oriented meta. There are probably some civ balance concerns but also tons of civs to pick with decent to very good age2.
The issue with unknown is the gimmicky extra building/res or w/e you get at the start. On one hand it can mix things up and give some inferior civs a chance, on the other it adds dumb rng and inevitably makes it less competitive.
Either way, as a game spectator, it is good to still have tourneys going (and hell no, I wouldn't be playing this evil game regardless of rules).

On the title subject, ye maybe don't call it ESO seasonal tourney with these rules.

Wondering which civs give the best chances of winning (let's assume a TP land map). Surely some DLC civs must be extremely good in this format. Like Malta/Mexico (can mexico age2 revo btw?) and maybe Hausa/Ethiopia sound quite strong on paper.

[dicktator_]

Yeah I think Winter 2024 should've been a more standard tournament and the Age 2 only tournament should've been a fun side tournament. It would've fit perfectly into those ESOC Grand Tours (series of weekend tournaments) we used to have.

[Joshua667746]

Whilst it’s already published and too late to change now, we totally agree that the naming should’ve been different, and will keep that in mind for 2025.

[spanky4ever]

I am super happy that this tournament will happen, no matter what name it got. I would prefer another name, like the II tournament or something like that. But a dear child has many names? (Norwegian saying )
I have watched streams with the top players, for a long time. If you are are watching streams, you will know I have been a fan as well. But never have I seen the top players choose "unknown"?? That puzzles me, ngl. I really, REALLY love this map.

At the same time, I know ppl who play treaty, often play on Unknown.
I like that you cannot always predict exactly what you will have as your recourses when you enter a game. You have to play it "flexible", and you cannot always do your mechanic build orders. It makes it much more exiting to me. I hope the players will enjoy some x-factors. I am sure the spectators will.

[risi321]

Hello,
info to me. I am from 28.11. - 01.12. not online.
I cant see any matches for now. I got time this week until 27.11. 13gmt

[Guigs]

Hello,
info to me. I am from 28.11. - 01.12. not online.
I cant see any matches for now. I got time this week until 27.11. 13gmt

Brackets and scheduling channels are available, check your discord

[P i k i l i c]

Hello,
info to me. I am from 28.11. - 01.12. not online.
I cant see any matches for now. I got time this week until 27.11. 13gmt

Brackets and scheduling channels are available, check your discord

Oh so it's really 16 players and the 14 worst candidates who signed up don't play ? I did'nt understand that but gl hf to all others !

[GuiliuG]

A bit sad not to have increased the number of players as there were like 30 players registered, ngl

[Joshua667746]

We would’ve loved to extend the tournament to a ro32, but this would increase the schedule to go right through Christmas, which not many people, organisers or players, could adhere to. Next season will definitely be open to atleast a ro32!

[Oliveza]

FYI the pricepool distribustion from the posted image and the event rules are different. Should prob clarify before finals are played. @Media Team

[Guigs]

FYI the pricepool distribustion from the posted image and the event rules are different. Should prob clarify before finals are played. @Media Team

Typo mistake, prize pool distribution follows the event rules :

1st place : 250$
2nd place : 150$
3rd place : 100$