“KODE5 masses gamers in 16 countries in a series of regional events to find the best gamers from around the world. Part festival, part tournament, KODE5 Regional Events aim to provide gamers an unforgettable gaming experience. Participants will enjoy a professionally-run gaming event that enables them to connect with and challenge other gamers from their respective regions. A gaming tournament will determine the best players from each region, and a wealth of prizes awaits the victors.” – Sourced from KODE5.
The KODE5 Tournament kicked off at Lethal Gamers in Dallas on the 31st of January which is well known for its prior cpl bootcamp tournaments which brought some amazing talent from rivaling CS teams across the region. The tournament was broken down, starting in group stages comprising of 16 teams. As time progressed the competition was narrowed in half leaving the top two teams in group stages to the progress into bracket play. Bracket play commenced with 8 teams left with a goal to reach the number one position. This eventually lead to the top two teams (Evil Geniuses and Texas Allstar) facing off in one nail biting match.
Group Stages
*Bold represents teams that moved out of group stages*
Group A Comprised of:
Team34
Netizens
Texasraised
Sign My Mousepad
Group B Comprised of:
Saevus
Phrenetik
Wreckshop
A Perfect Imperfection
Group C Comprised of:
Evil Geniuses
Empire
Sky
Government
Group D Comprised of:
Texas Allastars
Doubletake
Versus
Texas 7
Final Bracket:
Texas Allstar
Evil Geniuses
Lethal Gamers will also be hosting the USA Regional Finals which are being held on the 14th of March, the regional finals will comprise of three invite teams that are selected by KODE5 that will join the qualifier winner to have a chance to take the 1st spot and only chance to go to the Global Finals which is being held in Moscow.
With the final four teams chosen, the USA Regional Finals are geared up to go ahead. The four teams will be competing against each other for the number one spot to represent not just their team but to represent the USA at the KODE5 Finals in Moscow. The prize money is show below:
1st Place – Flights and Accommodation at KODE5 Global Finals + Five CM Storm Sniper Chassis
2nd Place – $750 + Five KODE5 Edition QPADs
3rd Place – $500
4th Place – $250
Four Teams facing each other in the USA Regional Finals:
– Evil Geniuses: The winners and well established name Evil Geniuses who managed to defeat Texas Allstar in the qualifier to gain a position to go head to head with USA’s best Cs 1.6 teams. With big household names in their new starting lineup which are Danny “fRoD” Montaner, Tyler “Storm” Wood, Matt “Warden” Dickens, and Corey “hanes” Hanes along with existing member Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert from 2008. Some of those names are well remembered from their time with complexity before changing teams after the CGS ended operation.
– X30: The first team to be invited to compete against EG in the KODE5 USA Finals. KODE5 announced: “X3O is one of the best teams in the entire US, with strong performances in previous tournaments,” said Thomas Kuhlenbach, KODE5 Revolutionary-At-Arms. “We are happy to have them compete at our final USA event of the season and help put on a great show for gaming fans everywhere.”
“We are proud to accept KODE5’s invitation to compete in their National Finals this March. KODE5 has build a reputation for being a leader in global e-Sports events, and X3O is fortunate to be able to participate,” said Nick Fitzsimmons, Executive Director of X3O Professional Gaming.
With X30’s current lineup of David “savi0r” Park, Jeff “hero” Mettetal, Andrew “Irukandji” Timmerman, Ryan “NineSpot” Bell and Dan “mehLer” Mechler will prove to be another great team to see face off for the single spot of glory.
– Gravitas Gaming: The second highly accredited team to be invited to compete in the KODE5 Finals. Gravitas Gaming have had a past history of representing the USA in several tournaments, this could make them a prime contender to be top dog. KODE5 Announced: “Having represented USA in Counter-Strike tournaments in the past, Gravitas Gaming is our second pick for the KODE5 USA Regional Finals,” said Thomas Kuhlenbach, KODE5 Revolutionary-At-Arms. “They are considered one of the top three teams in the US, and we are happy to have them fight for the KODE5 USA Championship.”
“We here at Gravitas are excited about our invitation to the KODE5 USA Regional Finals to compete against the other three top American teams. After attending last year’s event in Moscow with the old Gravitas Counter-Strike team and experiencing such a great event put on by the staff behind KODE5 it was a major goal for us to get back to Moscow again this year with the new team.,” said Corbin Crnkovic, President of Operations, Gravitas Gaming.
Gravitas Gaming current lineup is as follows: Ediz “goodfornothing” Basol, Derrick “impulsive” Truong, Benjamin “ben_st” Hui, Thomas “thoMz” Garcia and Shaun “hostile” Catron. They are tipped by some to be the competitions favorites due to their past achievements and teamwork.
– Complexity: The final team to be invited to the KODE5 finals with its new lineup have been improving since they have come together showing some excellent talent and a building force of power and teamwork. Complexity a name that is known for rivalry will be surely making its presence felt in the KODE5 finals. With all this KODE5 Announced:
“We’re very excited and grateful to be a part of Kode5 USA. Kode5 has been doing great things around the world of eSports and we will do our best to represent our nation in Moscow. – Jason Lake, compLexity Founder”
Complexity’s new lineup: Justin “sunman” Summy, Mike “method” So, David “zid” Chin, Sal “Volcano” Garozzo and Erik “da_bears” Stromberg. The names have been heard a thousand times but are more known for the rival battles between Team3D and Complexity. This lineup certainly has the experience to take the win from the competition and represent the USA.
To make sure you don’t miss any of the action fans will be able to watch all the action though HLTV’s. There will also be the KODE5 TV which will provide coverage via a live blog which can be accesed from KODE5 USA. Make sure you keep some drinks cool in the fridge for the immense fire storm of these top USA teams.