Burgeoning StarCraft II managers will be pleased to know that ESL Fantasy will be returning for the StarCraft II competition kicking off at gamescom next week. With five exciting days of StarCraft action and a US$25,000 prize pool (and 4,000 WCS points) up for grabs, ESL Fantasy is a great way to get involved in the action.

How it works

ESL Fantasy for StarCraft II at Intel Extreme Masters gamescom will encompass the entirety of the event from the open bracket right through to the playoffs. It will use a bracket challenge format, meaning that managers must predict the winner and results of all tournament matches correctly in order to score points.

Fantasy points will be awarded as follows:

• 3 points for picking the correct winner
• 2 additional points if the predicted result is also correct

You can make your open bracket predictions now as well as those for the group stage matches that have already been decided. Missing matches will be decided via the open bracket and then added so managers can pick their winners and results, with the same applying for the playoffs after the group stage is complete.

You can edit your predictions right up until the relevant match starts, and while new managers can still join after the first matches have been played, you won’t be able to pick anything for any matches that have already happened.

Private leagues

In addition to taking part in the main ESL Fantasy league, you can also create your own private leagues for friends, family and anyone else you might want to pit your StarCraft II knowledge against.

You can create as many private leagues with as many members as you like, with your rankings at the end able to settle the question of who among your friends has superior StarCraft II knowledge once and for all.

So what are you waiting for?

Sign up for the ESL Fantasy bracket challenge now!

For all the latest about StarCraft II at Intel Extreme Masters gamescom, be sure to follow IEM on Twitter and Facebook as well as the dedicated ESL StarCraft II account.