The Wargaming.net League Challenger Rumble in New York City is fast approaching on November 19! We will have six great teams in attendance from the regions of North America, Europe, and APAC. From North America, Apex and Eclipse will be in attendance. From Europe, DING and Kazna Kru, and from APAC, El Gaming and B-Gaming will be present. We are excited to have such talented teams at this Rumble and their skill should translate into great games to watch!
KAZNA KRU
Kazna are long time veterans of the WGLEU and might be one of the most experienced teams in this competition, especially in the area of international competition. Kazna have traveled to two Grand Finals finishing up with a fourth and sixth place finish. Tigers from Eclipse said that he expected Kazna Kru to make it through the group stage of the Challenger Rumble because of their wealth of international experience.
This season during the WGLEU, they had a strong year where they finished fourth in the regular season. They used their playoff experience to their advantage and secured second place after beating Utopia, but ultimately losing a close match to DING 5-7. If you want to watch that match, you can check it out on the WGLEU Youtube.
Check out the @KaznaKru team trailer for the Challenger Rumble! #NYCRumble @worldoftanks
More Info: https://t.co/GsEPlHePeb pic.twitter.com/o1CkhTmztR
— ESL WoT (@ESLWoT) November 11, 2016
EL GAMING
Another team with a wealth of international experience, El Gaming have, similar to Kazna Kru, participated in two Grand Finals. In the Grand Finals 2015, they shocked the world with a second place finish after losing to Hellraisers in the finals. Last Grand Finals, they struggled and didn’t make it far in the competition, but they are back looking to prove themselves against some of the best teams in the world again. They have already proven they can take on any team here and we will see if they can do it again.
In the last WGLAPAC season, El Gaming were far and beyond the dominant force. Finishing the regular season with a perfect 18-0 record, they were the favorites going into the playoffs and they showed up to perform. El Gaming won the offline finals convincingly over B-Gaming with a 7-4 victory. If you would like to watch the finals from APAC, check it out on their Youtube!
APEX
They may be a new team, but their players are some of the best and most experienced around. Formed with some of the most talented players from Noble to SIMP, Apex took the North American server by storm this season, only losing a single match the entire season. That match was only lost by a single game as well.
Apex continued their dominance by winning the WGLNA this season. They defeated the rookie team Deja Vu in the semifinals in convincing fashion with a 7-0 shutout victory. They then managed to overcome the previous NA season champions, Eclipse, in a thrilling overtime final match to with their first championship.
Check out the #APEX team trailer for the Challenger Rumble! #NYCRumble @worldoftanks #WGLNA
More Info: https://t.co/JqsxTtCzxn pic.twitter.com/N4OT6nvje1
— WGLNA (@WGLNA) November 11, 2016
DING
The WGLEU powerhouse team this season, DING finally broke through the wall to take the European Scene by storm. If DING does have a weakness, it would be their lack of international match experience. However, many people consider them the favorites to win the Challenger Rumble and advance onto challenge Na’Vi and Hellraisers in the Champion Rumble.
DING is the other team outside of El Gaming to have a perfect season, finishing 18-0. No one was able to stop them in the regular season and no one was able to stop them in the playoffs either. Kazna Kru gave it a shot in the finals but they ultimately fell short and DING won the match 7-5.
ECLIPSE
The previous WGLNA season champions continued their careers with a strong sophomore season. Picking up valuable additions from the remnants of High Woltage Caballers, Eclipse can now claim to rival even Apex’s all-star roster for the team with the most talent in North America. They have had some Grand Finals experience last season in the Grand Finals 2016, but they ultimately didn’t make it to the quarter finals. However, they did gain valuable experience and will be looking to prove themselves on the world stage at the Challenger Rumble.
The regular season of the WGLNA World of Tanks Gold League was regularly described as a two horse race between Eclipse and Apex and they both proved their reputations with their arrival at the Challenger Rumble. Eclipse had an impressive season with a 13-3 record, which left them in second place. They continued to shine in the playoffs after beating o7 Gaming before barely losing to Apex in the finals 6-7. You should definitely watch the final match on the WGLNA Youtube!
The NYC Rumble kicks off on November 19th. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon! #WGLNA pic.twitter.com/gUZSFCHrJN
— WGLNA (@WGLNA) November 2, 2016
B-GAMING
B-Gaming have regularly been described as the wildcard headed to the Challenger Rumble with their relative anonymity in the international scene. They haven’t been to any international competitions before, so teams outside of the region had a very limited time to research them after they finished second in APAC. Be on the watch for this team in the group stage as they try to prove their worth in their first international appearance.
In the regular APAC season, B-Gaming finished third, only one point behind Meltdown, with a 10-8 record. They shined in the offline playoffs, even putting a dent in El Gaming with a 4-7 loss in the finals.
WATCH
You can watch all of these teams battle it out for a share of the US$200,000 prize pool and the right to travel to the Champion Rumble on wgl.gg/watch! The NYC Challenger Rumble will take place on November 19 starting at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific
To watch for all the latest Challenger Rumble news, follow ESL World of Tanks on Twitter and Facebook!
