The Evolve Proving Grounds tournament is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for its competitors. Fully encompassing the notion of ‘zero to hero’, the relatively open field and lack of an established pro scene allows anyone with a love for the game to find a group of friends (check our recruitment forum if you still need a team!) and take a shot at playing in front of a live audience for an incredible US$100,000 prize pool.

We talked to a few of the participants of the first cups, who all agree that this is an opportunity not to be missed. Austin “BIGG QUANTUM” Howell, who plays in team Mammoth Bird OP, said of the event: “It will be very thrilling, especially as for many of us it will be our first time at a livestreamed event.” As to how they ended up playing: as with many players who wind up going pro, they simply took a shot at it: “We are an extremely competitive group of gamers and really love Evolve, so when a tournament of this magnitude was announced it was only natural that we were going to compete.” On being asked of his expectations, BIGG QUANTUM remarked: “We expected to go against the best teams that the competitive Evolve scene has to offer, and that expectation has not gone unfulfilled. We have had very close games with several high level teams.“

Anthony "TH3BANISHED" Renard of team SHLINGUE EVO wanted to encourage other players to join, saying: “I think that this is an excellent idea and should be organized more often”. With US$100,000 and two trips to play Evolve onstage on the line, TH3BANISHED thinks that “everyone who likes the game should be in this tournament.” He summarizes what it takes to compete quite well by revealing his own preparations “Training every day with my team”.

In the end, it’s not just about the prize money and prestige: even if you don’t manage to qualify for the finals in Los Angeles, the qualifying cups are a great way to get competitive experience against your region’s top-tier teams.

All you need is to gather a team of five, sign up and and take part, regardless of whether you’ve played competitively before or not. It could be you and your friends who travel to Los Angeles to play in front of a live audience for a share of the massive US$100,000 prize pool!

The last qualifier is set to take place this Sunday the 17th of May, so if you’re lacking a team or players, be sure to visit the ESL Evolve forum to find others who also want to take a shot at this great tournament.

Find your teammates here!

Sign up for the EU qualifier here!

Sign up for the NA qualifier here!

For more information about the Evolve Proving Grounds tournament, visit the official website.