'Overwatch,' 'CS:GO' and everything you need to watch in esports this weekend
It can be tough to keep track of everything going on in the world of professional competitive gaming. Fear not: Each week, Mashable rounds up the best and biggest tournaments in esports to let you know when they're going down, and where to catch all the action. Plug in.
This weekend, you're looking at the first Call of Duty tournament of the 2017 season, a $100,000 Overwatch invitational and the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ELeague Major qualifiers.
Check out a comprehensive rundown of what's going on this weekend and next week below.
CS:GO — ELeague Major qualifier
When: Thursday to Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. ET.
Where to watch: Twitch.
With the first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major of 2017 approaching, 16 teams are competing in LAN qualifiers this weekend for the remaining eight spots in the ELeague Major. Over four days, teams will compete in Swiss format — matches only consist of one map, and teams that get three wins against three different teams qualify for the Major in January, while teams that lose three maps are knocked out. Some of the top teams in CS:GO are in the qualifiers, including ELeague Season 2 winners OpTic Gaming, Epicenter 2016 winner Dignitas, ESL Pro League Season 4 winners Cloud9 and multi-tournament winner Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare — MLG Vegas
When: Friday open bracket starts at 1 p.m. PT, pools start at 2 p.m. PT, Saturday open bracket starts at 10 a.m. PT, pools start at 3 p.m. PT, championship bracket starts at 7:30 p.m. PT, Sunday championship bracket runs from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT.
The first Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare tournament of the 2017 Call of Duty World League season is happening right alongside the Overwatch invitational at MLG Vegas. The $100,000 tournament features 12 qualified teams in pool play and more than 160 teams in the open bracket. Last season's champions Team EnVyUs are one of the qualified teams. Teams that place well in this tournament will earn points to qualify for the CWL Championship at the end of the year.
Overwatch — MLG Vegas
When: Friday starting at 3 p.m. PT, Saturday starting at noon PT, Sunday semifinals starting at 11 a.m. PT, Sunday finals starting at 3 p.m. PT.
Overwatch's last big tournament of the year is going down at MLG Vegas, featuring eight invited North American teams battling for a $100,000 prize pool. The top team in the lineup, Team EnVyUs, actually has no North American players after Ronnie "Talespin" DuPree's departure in November. The tournament starts with group play on Friday and Saturday, followed by the semifinals and finals on Sunday.
League of Legends — Intel Extreme Masters Gyeonggi
When: Friday semifinals at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday finals at 3 a.m. ET.
Where to watch: Twitch.
The 11th Intel Extreme Masters event is wrapping up in Gyeonggi, South Korea this weekend, and the League of Legends tournament is the main event. With $100,000 on the line, three teams are left in the running. Samsung Galaxy, which took second place at Worlds, has already qualified for the finals on Sunday, and their opponent will be decided in the remaining semifinals match between Kngdoo Monster and Immortals Friday night.
