Today The compLexity Academy is proud to announce its new League of Legends team. Formally known as Armata Gaming, the new CA.LoL squad is comprised of Guillaume “Sarasun” Hivert, Oli”Veelox” Aubry-Béland, Simon “Zhanos” Leblanc, Mark “Dragonrouge” Jreige, and Dominic “Doomtrobo” Gilbert-Julien.

As Armata Gaming, the team has had quite a bit of success in the North American LoL scene. They have brought home first place finishes at LAN ETS (the biggest lan in Eastern North America), as well as at the Bell FiberOP Spring Cup. These are some major accomplishments, especially considering that the team has only been playing together since January. With this much talent and promise, it’s easy to see a bright future for the new CA.LoL squad.

In an effort to help our fans get to know the new squad a little better, we asked each of them to provide a short introduction. Keep an eye out for more in depth interviews as we focus our next “Getting to know The Academy” posts on the new CA.LoL squad.

Guillaume “Sarasun” Hivert: Hi, I’m Sarasun, the support player for compLexity Academy. I’m currently studying Physics at the university and enjoy playing games in my off-times like League of Legends, Diablo 3 and Osu.

Oli “Veelox” Aubry-Béland: Hi, I’m Veelox and I’m the ap carry for compLexity Academy. I’m currently studying Computer Science. When I’m not in school I spend my time playing video game, swimming and watching TV Shows.

Simon “Zhanos” Leblanc: Hi, I’m Zhanos and I’m the substitute player for compLexity Academy. I’m currently employed as a QA and Marketing Analyst. I spend most of my free time playing video games, but I also dabble in Mixology, tennis, Volleyball and do music editing. My favorite video game is Ogre Battle 64.

Mark “Dragonrouge” Jreige: Hi I’m Dragonrouge, I play top lane for compLexity Academy. I’m currently an Astronomy Physics and Engineering student. When I’m not studying I spend most of my time playing League of Legends, working on improving my skills. I’m also a musician (classical guitar) and I’m a fan of 60’s, 70’s, rock, psych music.

Dominic “Doomtrobo” Gilbert-Julien: Hello I’m Trobo, Doomtrobo, jungler for compLexity Academy. I’m a currently a carpenter, done trucking for a years, currently taking life easy until further notice. I like womens, League of Legends, foods, sleeping and music (mostly Dream Theater) in no particular order (spending most time on LoL though).

Be sure to welcome coL.CA League of Legends here!

Two months ago The compLexity Academy added two new players to its StarCraft II squad; Poo & AGIANTSMURF. In the last edition of “Getting to know The Academy” we had the opportunity to learn more about AGIANTSMURF. This time around compLexity Academy commissioner Michawl “Twixz” Shane sat down with Alek “Poo” Hrycaiko to discuss his views on Heart of the Swarm.

Hi Alek. Before we really get into views on StarCraft II, why don’t you introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Alek “Poo” Hrycaiko, I’m a Canadian Protoss player residing in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Poo is quite an interesting name. How did it come about?

During my adolescence, I played Team Fortress 2 under the ID “Stealthy”. My main class was spy, and there were a lot of people using the same id/class. To differentiate myself, I decided to add a Poo to my name. I then became “Stealthypoo,” which was an alias I used until I had purchased a smurf account for Starcraft 2. At this point, my friend suggested a name change to “Poop;” instead I chose Poo. The ID just stuck with me from there because of how atypical it was.

Now that we have the introduction out of the way why don’t you tell us about Heart of the Swarm. What are your initial impressions on HoTS? Do you like it?

The game is really enjoyable for me right now. One of my favorite things to do in Starcraft II is to craft build orders and try to discover new tactics. By implementing the new and improved Skytoss plus adding the Mothership Core, Blizzard has successfully made Protoss into a much more flexible race. Tinkering with build orders in StarCraft has never been more enjoyable. Right now I’m really excited to keep discovering new builds and attempt to implement them in upcoming tournaments.

As we all know balance is always a discussion when talking with StarCraft II pros. Do you see one race having an advantage at his point in the game?

From my point of view, I don’t think there are any severe racial advantages that have been discovered. I think the game is still being figured out and the only determining factor of ‘advantages’ right now are the maps.

Now that HotS has been out for a month and you’ve had time to become familiar with it, what would you like to see Blizzard do/change?

Create a better map pool. Comparatively this season’s map pool is an improvement, but it’s still quite bad. I feel that Blizzard needs to try harder to communicate with the community Map Making Scene and create better maps for both ladder and tournament use.

Have you had to adapt your game switching from WoL to HoTS?

My game has changed extensively for all match ups. The most extreme change has been my PvP. Lately I’ve been playing a style of PvP focusing on heavy harassment and forgoing air units until later in the game. I haven’t seen many other Protoss players trying this.

Thanks for your time. Any shout outs you’d like to give?

Thanks to everyone who’s supporting me & the compLexity/compLexity Academy family.  I’ll try to get better and put out some good games! Oh and if you could follow me @604poo on Twitter that’d be awesome!

Again we at compLexity would like to thank Alek for taking the time out of his busy schedule to speak with us. The compLexity Academy strongly believe in growing the North American StarCraft II scene by supporting our players and giving them a chance to get in the community’s spotlight.

Last night the compLexity Academy’s own Kyo won the Beyond Gaming Ladder tournament. With an astounding record of 42 wins and only 4 losses, Kyo dominated the competition with a 91.3% winning percentage. For his efforts Kyo earned himself over $300 worth of prizes.

We at compLexity wanted to congratulate Kyo on this fantastic achievement. It is obvious that his hard work is paying off. Be sure to keep an eye on this young talent. We have a feeling that when he gets his shot at a major tournament he will make quite the splash.

Last month The compLexity Academy added two new players its StarCraft II squad: Poo & AGIANTSMURF. Recently compLexity Academy commissioner Michawl “Twixz” Shane sat down with Marcus “AGIANTSMURF” Bazan to help the community learn a little more about him and his history with StarCraft II.

Hi Marcus. Before we really get into your StarCraft II history, why don’t you introduce yourself and give us a little background on you?

Hi, my name is Marcus Bazan. I am an avid community member and player of Starcraft II. I participate on numerous forums, most notably Reddit where I go by the I.D. “AGIANTSMURF”. In am also a Grandmaster Protoss player recently picked up for the compLexity Academy. I was born and raised in the state of NY and I am currently a college student attending The City College of New York.

What is your history with StarCraft and RTS games?

My blizzard RTS experience goes back to WarCraft III. I had a friend that I played WC3 with, who later introduced me to StarCraft: Brood War. I mostly played Brood War just for the custom games, while WarCraft III kept most of my attention. When StarCraft II launched I debated purchasing it due to my lack of interest in the original, however after reading so many good reviews I decided to pick up. I immediately got hooked on the Ladder system and wanted to climb as high as possible. I soon began searching the web for ways to get better and found my way to community sites such as teamliquid.net and Reddit’s /r/starcraft board. Since the launch of StarCraft II I have been playing competitively and climbing the ladder. I have played on numerous amateur teams and in online cups/tournaments and have continued to improve through the expansion Heart of the Swarm.

What are your favorite things about StarCraft II?

What really got me into StarCraft II was initially how awesome the game looked graphically, as well as the competitive ladder system. I couldn’t get enough of how the ladder pushed you to keep climbing higher and ensured you were always playing an opponent of equal or similar skill. Had the matchmaking system not been so precise I might have quit long ago.

Outside of the game itself, my developing passion for the game introduced me to many other like-minded players and helped me to find an amazing community of people to communicate with and even more amazing friendships that might not have been otherwise possible. Heart of the Swarm’s release has rekindled the interest of many players all around, and has given the opportunity for many new up and coming players such as myself a fresh start and chance to burst into the professional scene.

As we all know, Heart of the Swarm came out this month and really shook up the eSports scene. What are your thoughts on HotS?

The largest difference about HotS aside from the obviously new units and strategies is blizzards approach at supporting eSports. They have introduced many new and exciting features which are aimed at moving the competitive scene forward. Features such resume from replay, players near you, as well as privacy settings regarding match history and build orders will help professional players do what they do even more effectively. With the new leveling system as well as an unranked ladder, Blizzard is also showing they are willing to cater towards the not so competitive population of StarCraft II players.

There are many opinions out in the community on how Blizzard is doing regarding the direction of StarCraft II and eSports. What are your thoughts on this? 

I would absolutely say the game is headed in the right direction, however there is still work to be done. The community has made clear the features they’d like to see out of Blizzard, such as the online automated tournaments featured in WarCraft 3 as well as a long overdue improvement to the arcade section. Blizzard has done a lot of great things with Heart of the Swarm (many of them also available to those still playing Wings of Liberty) and I’m excited to see what else they may have upcoming in terms of improvements.

What are your goals for StarCraft II?

I have many goals I’d like to achieve during my time playing StarCraft. Since competition is what drives me to play this game the most, my number one goal is and always has been to become a respected professional player throughout the scene. As a part of that, I have long desired the experience of playing on a main stage in front of a large crowd for a major tournament such as MLG or NASL. A more personal goal has always been to receive an invite to speak on a show such as State of the Game.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy practice schedule to talk with us. Are there any shoutouts you’d like to give?

I would like to thank compLexity Gaming for adding me to their Academy roster and granting me the opportunity to help push my name and become more well known. Shout out to my awesome teammates and practice partners. Special shout out to all my friends from the NY area who have helped me to maintain my passion for the game, and while many of them have since retired, thanks to those who still show their support and cheer me on whenever I am competing.

Again we at compLexity would like to thank Marcus for taking the time out of his busy schedule to speak with us. The compLexity Academy strongly believe in growing the North American StarCraft II scene by supporting our players and giving them a chance to get in the community’s spotlight.

The compLexity Academy is sad to announce that our League of Legends squad has disbanded. While this is a setback for The Academy, we are determined to maintain a presence in the League of Legends community. The compLexity Academy would like to announce that we are actively searching for a new League of Legends squad.

Think you have what it takes to be the next CA.LoL? If so let us know by applying to The Academy. We are actively looking for both whole teams and individual players. In order to apply, simply submit a video or text document to Academy Commissioner Michael “Twixz” Shane at [email protected].

If you’re applying without a team (solo) please answer the following questions:

• What is your gaming background?
• What is your League of Legends background?
• What role on the team are you applying for? Why are you applying for this role?
• What are you goals in competitive LoL?
• What does your schedule look like (do you have any prior commitments such as schooling)?
• What champions do you play as and why?
• Lastly, feel free to add anything you like.

If you are applying as a team, please answer these questions:

• Please provide the basic details of your team (players, roles, etc.).
• What information can you provide about the current players on your roster?
• What are some of the achievements your team has earned?
• What are your goals as a team?
• Lastly, do you have a current practice schedule or time commitments?

Also in the email, please include a LoLKing website link and summoner names for each applicant.

The lucky few who are chosen by Mr. Shane will reap numerous benefits. They will be part of the compLexity organization and receive the professional gamer experience. Expect new gaming hardware and peripherals from compLexity’s numerous sponsors, the opportunity to earn trips to events, and exposure in the largest competitions.

We at compLexity are committed to helping both players and the entire eSports scene grow. This is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring gamers, so if you think you have what it takes submit an application before the cut-off date of MM/DD/.

Today the compLexity Academy is pleased to announce the next two members to join the StarCraft II squad.

The first player really doesn’t need that much of an introduction. He’s been a prominent member of the eSports community and a large part of the team Infinity 7’s success. Of course I’m referring to the great Terran player Jonathan “Pyre” Topielski. Aside from being on one of the bigger North American teams, Pyre has traveled to numerous tournaments and put up admirable results. With the intense training regime and driven practice partners the Academy has to offer, we at compLexity are confident that Pyre will accomplish great things.

While the second player to join the Academy may not be as famous as Pyre, he’s still a major competitor in the North American scene. Tariq “DuSteR” Patel is a Canadian student who plays Protoss. He’s had quite a bit of success including a top 16 finish in WCS Canada, as well as a 5-1 run through the open bracket at MLG Raleigh (only falling to Heart 2-1).

The addition of these two players will undoubtedly make the Academy much stronger. They bring a wealth of game knowledge as well as plenty of experience at major tournaments. We at compLexity are expecting some great things from both Pyre and DuSteR.

The compLexity Academy would like to announce that it has added two new players to its ranks. Alek “Poo” Hrycaiko and Marcus “AGIANTSMURF” Bazan are the newest members of the compLexity Academy’s StarCraft II squad.

In celebration of this announcement, the compLexity staff sat down with both players for a couple of short interviews:

Edited by Sebastian Robert Torralba

Alek “Poo” Hrycaiko

First of all, tell us, why “Poo”?
I chose this to be my ID for a couple reasons. Firstly, there is a lack of ridiculous IDs in the StarCraft II scene. I hope to help change this and bring more casters to hysteric giggles at the start of series. Secondly, it places a catch on the opponent; if they lose, they lost to Poo, but if they win they just beat Poo. There really is no winning for the opponent!

What do you hope to bring to the compLexity Academy?
A lot of crap. High level Protoss play, a dedicated practice partner, cute stories about my dog, kpop videos and whatever else I can contribute to help our team spirit.

What are your goals for the Academy?
I want to win a qualifier to go to a major event and make it through that tournament’s open bracket. I’d also like to practice a lot with my new teammates so that we’re prepared for clan wars and upcoming tournaments.

Also, I have a stream that I hope to make more popular (www.twitch.tv/stealthypoo) now that I’m part of compLexity Academy. I stream pretty regularly with GM Protoss play. Come watch!

Now that you’ve joined the Academy, what excites you about the team? (Leagues, practice partners, chance to go to MLG/IPL, etc.)
Everything listed in the brackets. I’m also particularly excited to have more Terrans to play with. They were extinct on NA in WoL, but now I can finally work on my most troubled matchup.

You took a year off of college. Was the purely to pursue eSports? If so, what would you need to accomplish in order to make your time with the Academy a success in your eyes?
Originally I planned my break from university to re-evaluate my academic goals and interests. However, in my time off I’ve almost exclusively done StarCraft and eSports (which has been so much fun). While I’m part of the Academy, I’d really like to qualify for an upcoming event and make it through their open bracket. Accomplishing any less would probably not be a success for me.

You mentioned in your application video that you managed your school’s CSL team. Do you think this experience will give you an edge over other players or affect your game at all? If so, how?
The managing part I don’t think will give me any particular edge. However, the experience I accumulated playing for UBC CSL will probably aid me in tournament events.

Marcus “AGIANTSMURF” Bazan

What made you choose the name “AGIANTSMURF”?
The I.D. was created roughly four years ago when I played mostly Call of Duty 4 for the PlayStation 3. At the time I had been using my initials + last name, but quickly became uncomfortable with people knowing my name in an online shooter. I wanted an ID that would make people laugh when they saw it, in Call of duty it would say “You have been killed by: A_GIANT_SMURF” and I thought that was hysterical. Fast forward to SC2 and the ID has stuck. However as I have inched closer and closer to the pro scene, I have long considered either changing to a different ID or using my real name since “AGIANTSMURF” was created for the purpose of trolling.

What do you hope to bring to the compLexity Academy?
As someone fairly new to the competitive gaming scene, I come from an athletic background, so I hope to bring a new level of charisma and energy that is very seldom scene throughout eSports. I look forward to sharing my thoughts about the game and its players, using my competitive attitude to propel myself and my teammates forward and overall I can’t wait for opportunities to represent the compLexity brand as a whole.

What are your goals during your time here at compLexity Academy?
With the release of HotS, I feel like 2013 is this huge window of opportunity for new talent to show what they have. On that note, I intend on giving my 100% and investing a significant portion of my free time to improving as a SC2 player. I’ve already begun practicing a lot during the beta and feel that by the time the game launches worldwide, I will already be on a much higher level competitively than I was during the the peak of my days playing WoL. With all that said my one and only goal during my time with the compLexity Academy is to prove without doubt that I have what it takes to stand amongst the main roster.

Now that you’ve joined the Academy, what excites you about the team? (Leagues, practice partners, chance to go to MLG/IPL, etc.)
There are quite a few things about the Academy that excites me. First and foremost, the chance to work with a truly professional organization is something I’ve yet to experience and look forward to. As someone who must constantly be immersed in competition playing in team leagues and having a consistent schedule of activities (leagues/practice) also excites me. My main priority however is self-improvement so having solid practice partners around with whom I can give and receive feedback and playstyle critique will be crucial in my training. The potential to attend premier events is also very awesome, however I realize that with the level of competition within the Academy, it’s something I will have to work hard for and earn before I can start thinking about the event itself.

You’re a frequent poster on r/starcraft, got any shout outs for anyone from there?
I’ve been a member of the r/starcraft community for two years now. I’d like to express my appreciation to all those who post meaningful and entertaining content as well as those of you who browse the “new” section insuring that nonsense doesn’t make it to the front page (although sometimes things slip by). Shout out to all the known individuals who participate in the subreddit and take the time to express their opinions on various topics (Sundance, TotalBiscuit, CatZ, as well as other team managers/casters). Super Special shout out to all my friends from the New York(area) community who opened my eyes to the world of eSports and who helped me to maintain my passion for the game when I thought I’d be in platinum league for an eternity, while most of you have since retired from gaming or have switched over to “that other game which shall not be named”, I promise to ascend and never forget who my friends really are.

Today the compLexity Academy’s League of Legends squad will be taking on Curse Academy in round two of the CLG Premier Series Losers Bracket. Kicking off at 9:00AM PST, the game will be broadcast on the official CLG stream.

Originally taking on Pulse eSports in round one of the Winners Bracket, CA.LoL lost 0-2. Not to be discouraged, the team rallied back in the Losers Bracket taking out FXOpen 2-1. Should CA.LoL win versus Curse Academy, they will then take on Normal Starts or get a rematch with Pulse eSports.

Tune in to see the new Academy LoL squad take on some of the best teams around.

The compLexity Academy would like to announce that two players from the League of Legends team are leaving. We’d like to thank James “Raiynz” Lee and Solomon “Cheezycookie” Davidsohn for their time with the team.

Fans of CA.LoL shouldn’t be concerned about the team. While we’ve lost two players, their spots will be filled by Derek “Lohpally” Abrams and Joseph “Vileroze” Bourassa. With the addition of Lohpally and Vileroze, CA.LoL will be back in tournament shape in no time.

Be sure to keep an eye out for these two new members of The compLexity Academy as they take the field along side their teammates in the upcoming IPL6 qualifiers.

Yesterday the CLG Premier Series, a League of Legends tournament, announced the 16 qualifying teams and their groups. We are proud to announce that The compLexity Academy LoL team has qualified for the tournament. Placed into Group D, CA.LoL will start off by taking on the team DVS Spark. The other two teams in the group are Young Based God and 1 Trick Ponies.

Each group is a double elimination Bo1 bracket. The two teams with 2 wins advance to the double elimination championship bracket. The prize pool includes $5,000 plus a spot at IPL6 in Las Vegas at the end of March.

To see the full list of groups and broadcast schedule click here. It is important to note that while CA.LoL plays on Thursday, January 31st, at 5 PM PST, the tournament officially kicks off on January 28th. Be sure to check out all the great LoL action starting next week and give your support to CA.LoL.