The Arena Opens its Gates

When many of us at Team Liquid first started playing video games, the only mobile game around was 'Snake'. Much has changed since then, and the rate at which mobile games have advanced—in both technical and gameplay aspects—has been astounding. We no longer chase dots on a screen with a wiggly line; the games now have as much sophistication as other platforms.

Two things make mobile games truly unique: the popularity of smartphones and the touch screen input method. The smartphone is quickly becoming a necessity of daily life, and the fact that mobile games can be played by almost anyone at any time is a big opportunity. We all dream of a sci-fi future with touch screens and computers at our fingertips.

Granted, mobile gaming is still very young. There is still so much to explore and understand about how to turn the experience into a more competitive affair. However, it is difficult to ignore the potential, and mobile gaming world is an arena worth studying.

The game that has caught our attention the most is Arena of Valor. It is one of the most popular games in the world right now, and the Chinese version of the game, Honor of Kings, has a rapidly developing competitive scene in its home country. Aside from being a well crafted and skillful game, the developer, Tencent (who owns Riot Games), has given the game its full support.

Arena of Valor has a lot of potential, and we have been exploring ways to get involved in order to learn more about the space. Mobile esports is still a very young and underdeveloped area of the platform, and the game was only recently released, so it’s still a bit too early to dive right in. However, a tournament in the near future will give our fans an opportunity to experience the world of mobile esports first-hand.

North America’s Representatives

With the advent of esports for Arena of Valor, Tencent will be holding the AOV International Championships, beginning with its Asian leg. The tournament will be held from November 23-26, 2017 at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, and Team Liquid was invited to sponsor a North American team to play at the inaugural event. This team will be representing the continent in a series of showmatches to introduce the western world to AoV Esports. The team will be playing 2 event matches on day 4: one best of 1 against a celebrity team, and one best of 3 against the EU team. OGN will be hosting the tournament, and international fans will be able to tune in via Twitch.

A familiar face leads this North American squad: Cheng-Long “Nyjacky” Wang. He is one of the best AoV players in the region and helped select the members of the team that will represent NA in AOV International Championships.

Team Liquid will be supporting the team during the tournament, and we hope to learn more about the mobile gaming space by getting involved. Arena of Valor is a new game and mobile is still a young platform, and there is still much we have to learn about the space. We are hopeful about the future of Arena of Valor and this new experience, and we encourage our fans to give the game a try along with us.

A Potential Giant

It's impossible not to notice the buzz surrounding Arena of Valor, and it's now one of the most played games in the world. The scene in China has exploded and shows no signs of stopping, with King Pro League — China's top AOV league — drawing over 100 million viewers. The English-speaking market might be more than a little different, but Tencent has approached localization with a great strategy: using familiar characters. Time will tell if AOV in North America and Europe will catch up to China, but signs have so far been positive.

200M

Players in China
70M+

Active Daily Users
116M+

Viewers for King Pro League
No. 1

Downloaded Mobile Game in China

Meet the Team

These are the six players that will travel to Korea in North America’s first taste of AOV esports.

Nyjacky

Name:: Chen-Long Wang
Age:: 29
Esports Background:: Retired League Of Legends LCS Player. Team Liquid (Former Team Curse) is my first and my last team.
Win Rate:: 72% (250 Games)

Most Played Hero

Lauriel - 128 Games
Highest Win Rate

Valhein - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

AoV is pretty similar to the games I used to play (League of Legends, Vain Glory, Mobile Legends, Honor of Kings). I can pick AoV up really quick and get MVP most of games.

Q: What position do you play?

Mid - Mages.

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

Lauriel. She has low CD abilities, lots of mobility, and deals burst and AOE damage.

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

Harley Quinn, she is the badass and hot!!!! Wonder Woman.

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

I know how big Honor of Kings is right now in China, and AoV is developed by the same company, Tencent. If Tencent is willing to put resources into AoV, AoV is gonna become the Top 1 Moba game in NA for sure.

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Assassin Dave

Name:: Dave Mao
Age:: 24
Esports Background:: None
Win Rate:: 68.2% (610 Games)

Most Played Hero

Zuka - 181 Games
Highest Win Rate

Alice - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

I am trying to get there.

Q: What position do you play?

Jungle

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

Zephys

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

Deadpool

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

Amazing~ Need dem money bro~

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abrownbag

Name:: Christian Gage Bachik
Age:: 23
Esports Background:: None
Win Rate:: 54.3% (593 Games)

Most Played Hero

Wukong - 128 Games
Highest Win Rate

Wukong - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

Confidence. Confidence in my team and my own abilities allows me to play aggressively. While this can be a double-edged sword, big plays win games. High-risk high-reward trades are extremely important in AoV because the game moves so fast.

Q: What position do you play?

AoV is heavily role-based and assassins/marksmen fit my style as a damage dealer. Because of this I tend to go jungle or duo lane based on the ban/draft.

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

“I’m king of the world! Wait… No… EVERYTHING!” - Wukong

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

Oh we definitely need Beast Boy! AoV could use some Teen Titans love and because I personally want a character that changes shape.

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

I think AoV has HUGE esports potential for the simple fact that it’s so accessible. You can get it on almost every mobile device all over the world. The ability to always have my favorite games on hand is extremely underrated. Add that to all these big prize pool leagues popping up and you have the perfect formula for a healthy esports scene.

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alwaysgr33n

Name:: Drew Arthur Miller
Age:: 28
Esports Background:: I have watched every TI since TI 2!
Win Rate:: 50.1% (1027 Games)

Most Played Hero

Gildur - 128 Games
Highest Win Rate

Maloch - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

I view AOV like a chess match, always trying to stay two or three steps ahead of my opponents. If I know what you are doing before you do, the games are much easier. I am also able to make plays with far less gold than my opponents giving more to my carries!

Q: What position do you play?

Support.

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

Alice. “Let’s play!”

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

Superman and Wonder Woman — it is a tie! I bought a Superman shirt in 7th grade, now I get a new one almost every year for some occasion. And who doesn’t like Wonder Woman? (We might need a Wonder Woman IRL here soon).

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

AoV has tremendous esports potential; it is just a matter of how that potential is shaped and by whom!

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Zested

Name:: Jordan Dean Scott
Age:: 25
Esports Background:: I played Halo 3 online via Gamebattles from 2007-2010. In that time I competed in various online tournaments and online qualifiers for MLG, collecting pro points. I was unfortunately never able to attend any major LANs but did compete in local ones. I also played various other FPS between 2010-2013.
Win Rate:: 71% (317 Games)

Most Played Hero

Tara - 128 Games
Highest Win Rate

Chaugnar - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

I’ve been playing MOBAs since early 2012 when I first discovered League of Legends. — my first and only PC game. I did okay, peaking at Diamond 4 in season 5. I game hopped for a while until I found Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (a game very similar to Arena of Valor) at the start of its 3rd season. I instantly fell in love with the thumbstick control system as I am a console controller baby. I managed to reach top 50 on my server in my first 10 days of playing and top 100 global within my first month. I joined the number one team in North America at the time, OPGG. I managed to maintain a top spot in North America with a win rate above 70%.

From there I made various secondary accounts and reached legend tier on those as well while expanding my hero pool and play style. As season 3 ended I felt unfulfilled by Mobile Legends’ lack of an esports scene so I searched for another game to play and found Heroes Evolved in its 2nd season hoping for a chance to play on a world stage. I managed to reach and hold the number 3 spot on the North American servers with an 80% overall winrate in ranked play. The team I created, “Zen”, was undisputedly the best team on Heroes Evolved at the time. My discord server was receiving 20-50 new players a day with majority of them trying to join. Unfortunately I hit the same road block in Heroes Evolved as I did in MLBB.

So I started exploring other games and found AOV and loved it. Now with this opportunity to play on a world stage I’m absolutely invigorated and motivated to perform and fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a pro gamer. I feel like this is a door to open that will change my life for the good and I want nothing more than to succeed and become one of the best players in the world. I know I have the dedication and determination to succeed. I have a strong track record and I now want to see how far I can go!

Q: What position do you play?

I am very versatile and have practiced every role in my time spent playing MOBAs. However, I think Tank/Fighters with playmaking abilities is my best suited role.

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

Currently I’m in love with Taara but really want to try Airi.

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

DeathStroke, I just have a thing for ninjas >:)

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

I think out of all the mobile MOBAs AoV absolutely has the most potential because:

The developer Support
The Ownership
The traction in Asia
The opportunity of esports for mobile MOBAs here in North America

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TheBigDog

Name:: Willard Hyrum Welsey Goodwin
Age:: 17
Esports Background:: I have formerly played another mobile game, the 3v3 MOBA Vainglory. I have 2 years of Vainglory competitive experience, 2 Vainglory Live Championships, and have achieved the highest rank tier (Vainglorious Gold) in Vainglory.
Win Rate:: 59.1% (291 Games)

Most Played Hero

Thane - 128 Games
Highest Win Rate

Grakk - 77.6%

Q: What makes you so good at AoV?

Understanding rotations, map control, proper teamfighting and positioning. I am also able to easily understand the hero’s kits which can help me adapt and learn very quickly.

Q: What position do you play?

I play tank and support. My job is to protect my carries and outplay the other team. I also make sure to scout and gather vision so my team can out-rotate the other team.

Q: Who is your favorite hero?

My favorite hero so far is Thane. His valiant charge is one of the most effective CC abilities in AOV.

Q: What DC hero do you want them to add and why?

I’d love to see them add Green Lantern. Green Lantern was one of my favorite childhood DC characters, after Superman. I’m excited to see the new characters.

Q: How do you feel about AoV's potential?

I think with more balancing to the overall game it should take off as an esport competitively. The game has core MOBA strategy but is a much faster paced game, compared to other titles like League of Legends and Dota. With proper advertising, I think its popularity in viewership could skyrocket.

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