Category: eSports

Renata is League of Legends’ new alchemist champion

The 159th champion brings toxic business practices.

Big business requires a steady hand and iron will, and League of Legends’ newest champion, Renata, has both in spades.

Renata Glasc, also known as the Chem Baroness, is the 159th champion in  League of Legends. Being a businesswoman who’s proficient at alchemy, Renata’s skills are appropriately rife with corporate jargon and alchemic compounds — the complete opposite of Zeri.

What’s in Renata’s toolkit?

Passive – Leverage

Renata’s standard attacks mark her enemies and deal bonus damage. Damage from Renata’s allies consumes the mark, dealing additional damage.

Q – Handshake

Renata sends out a missile from her robotic arm that roots the first enemy hit. She can reactivate the ability to throw the enemy in a target direction, damaging enemies hit and stunning them if the thrown target is a champion.

W – Bailout

Renata grants an allied champion or herself ramping Attack Speed and Move Speed toward enemies. If the ally gets a takedown on an enemy champion, the buff duration resets. If the ally would die while Bailout is still active, their health is set back to full but they begin burning to death over 3 seconds. The ally can stop the burn by getting a champion takedown before they die.

E – Loyalty Program

Renata sends out chemtech rockets that shield allies and damage and slow enemies they pass through. The rockets also apply their effects around her on cast and in an explosion at max range.

R – Hostile Takeover

Renata sends out a cloud of chemicals that causes enemies to go Berserk, increasing their Attack Speed and forcing them to basic attack anything around them. Berserk enemies prioritize attacking their own allies, then neutral units, then Renata’s team, then Renata herself.

Check out Renata’s gameplay trailer for yourself below. It’s not as flashy as Season 12’s cinematic, but at least we get a glimpse of her personality.

Renata is coming with patch 12.4, which is probably coming out sometime in the next couple of weeks. She should be live on the Public Beta Environment (PBE) sometime before then as well.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01ftrjbb6wxexwq0wgn6 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ftrjbb6wxexwq0wgn6/01ftrjbb6wxexwq0wgn6-e6d2d66d12f56e25bd70325aac038c84.jpg]

[listicle id=1412822]

Zeri is League of Legends’ electrifying new champion

She’s available now too.

It’s a new day in League of Legends, as the lightning-infused champion Zeri is available now.

As part of the MOBA phenomenon’s  12th competitive season, Riot Games went ahead and released the 158th champion for League of Legends. Zeri is lightning-fast in that she literally zips around Summoner’s Rift by way of electrical powers. Kind of like Valorant’s  new agent Neon, only instead of one-tapping poor sods from a bomb site, she’s hurling lightning bolts like this is Quake all of a sudden.

Riot Games  also released a trailer detailing Zeri’s unique abilities and toolkit, which you can check out for yourself below. Her character skins certainly are stylish, even if there’s none  referencing pop culture.

League of Legends has been a  behemoth for years now, especially as it’s by far the  most prominent global esport. The brand as a whole grew tons in 2021, though. 

Be it between the hit Netflix series Arcane, which is  getting a second season, or spinoffs like Ruined King — League of Legends  isn’t just a game anymore; it’s a franchise. One that will almost certainly keep growing this year as  more projects at Riot Games  see the light of day.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e/01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e-ff5981c46044ec6ab4fcf900b074c911.jpg]

[listicle id=1190224]

Speedrunners raise more than $3.4 Million for charity

Blindfolded Sekiro was the highlight.

Every winter, Games Done Quick holds a week-long speedrunning event  on Twitch  where people race through video games as fast as possible. All the while, viewers make charitable donations during the broadcast, and 2022 was a record-smashing success.

Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2022 began Jan. 9 and wrapped up Sunday after raising over $3.4 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. As with last year’s event, AGDQ 2022 was held online to ensure participants’ safety during the ongoing pandemic and prevent any  last-minute cancellations  from happening. 

According to AGDQ’s press release, there were several world records broken during the event, including:

The most jaw-dropping spectacle during AGDQ 2022 was runner Mitchriz finishing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice  while blindfolded. Yes, he made it through the notoriously challenging action game by FromSoftware while being unable to see — in about two hours, no less. What’s even more bananas is rarely took damage from bosses.

Check out a clip of Mitchriz’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice run below. There’s a high-quality YouTube mirror here as well.

Games Done Quick’s next event will be the Frost Fatales, which begins on Feb. 27 and goes until March 5 on Twitch.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fpwn9th8atzm8sn8tv playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fpwn9th8atzm8sn8tv/01fpwn9th8atzm8sn8tv-0dcf25b715bbf14950877ce521e7c4c7.jpg]

[listicle id=1312031]

Pokimane reveals that she almost quit streaming on Twitch

The platform’s biggest female star almost calls it quits.

Twitch’s  biggest female streamer  Imane “Pokimane” Anys claims she thought about retiring this year.

During a  recent broadcast, Anys revealed that 2022 might’ve been her last year on Twitch had the platform’s landscape not changed dramatically.

“I was debating whether I wanted to say this, but I guess I might as well,” Anys said. “If it wasn’t for that influx of female viewers, female streamers, and just more diverse community members, whether that’s people of color or other minorities within the last year or two over Covid, I think I likely would have retired from streaming this year.”

These comments came a week after  Twitch banned Anys  for streaming Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender  on her channel. Though that likely had no bearing on her thoughts about potentially leaving Twitch behind.

“Feeling like your existence is friction in the industry that you’re in is just not fun,” Anys continued. “Like, at some point, you’re like [expletive] this [expletive], I want to have a good life. I just want to play games; it’s not that deep.”

Back in October, Anys co-founded the esports and influencer  consulting firm RTS. So she has other ambitions outside of streaming.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fqmj90nfb6gctv05dx playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fqmj90nfb6gctv05dx/01fqmj90nfb6gctv05dx-2c4ce3d7ee3913c6f4289ae3a407660f.jpg]

[listicle id=1342744]

Valve cancels Winter Major for DOTA 2 and nobody is happy about it

The event isn’t happening at all anymore.

Valve has canceled DOTA 2’s  first Winter Major for the current competitive pro circuit.

In a statement on DOTA 2’s  blog, Valve explains its reasoning for doing so is due to potential dangers that may arise from COVID-19 variants.

“As the Winter Tour of the DOTA Pro Circuit 2021-2022 season draws to a close, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the first Major,” Valve said. “While hopes were high that we could host an international LAN event, the discovery and spread of new strains of COVID-19 and the resulting increase of travel restrictions has made it unfeasible for all qualified teams to gather for a LAN tournament.” 

It’s not the first time Valve has made drastic, last-minute changes to a tournament. Last fall, the studio  canceled ticket sales for The International  mere days before the event was to take place. While it’s understandable that Valve wouldn’t want to hold an in-person event because of the pandemic, the DOTA 2 community is upset about it, and for fair reasons.

The common sentiment among pro players, esports organizations, and fans is that cancellation notice came far too late. That Valve isn’t respecting the pro scene’s time and money. Especially since the first Winter Major is not being rescheduled at all.

Take a look at the reactions below to see just a bit of the anger that’s swallowing up DOTA 2 diehards. 

Last week, the Entertainment Software Association  canceled its annual Electronic Entertainment Expo  for the same reasons.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fj9ecw5wmtey0se8j0 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fj9ecw5wmtey0se8j0/01fj9ecw5wmtey0se8j0-529a60c5725853119d20c66ca8a0dd76.jpg]

[listicle id=1342744]

Valorant Act 4 kicks off with a new agent and battlepass

Patch 4.0 is a monster.

Act 4 of Valorant  is finally here, and with it comes a new battlepass, competitive season, and agent character.

The most exciting addition is, without a doubt, Neon — Valorant’s  new high-speed agent, which we already outlined a bit last week. Her toolkit should shake up the meta in interesting ways; at least, that’s what everyone is hoping.

Of course, with Act 4 comes a new battle pass. This time, there are three new skin lines, including the Hydrodip Frenzy, Schema, and Velocity variants for several weapons. There are also new sprays, player cards, and gun buddies.

Finally, the new competitive season is rebalancing several aspects of Valorant. Several weapons like the Spectre, Ares, Guardian, and Bulldog had firing rates or bullet spread adjusted. Read the complete balance changes here.

Act 4 also got a fantastic new trailer which you can check out below.

Valorant  is slowly but surely becoming one of the best multiplayer FPS games. It might even round out our  best shooters of all time  after a few years.

It’s an intimidating thing to pick up, though, so if you’re at all interested in Valorant  but don’t know where to begin, check out our  guide that breaks it all down.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fqpcc5fy4z69j31mar playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fqpcc5fy4z69j31mar/01fqpcc5fy4z69j31mar-5fd567aebf1e13ea394e4522425d1f3f.jpg]

[listicle id=1357964]

Here’s when PUBG: Battlegrounds free-to-play update goes live

Chicken Dinners incoming.

Soon everyone will have a chance to attain the prestigious chicken dinner when PUBG: Battlegrounds  goes free-to-play this week.

Yes, what many consider the original battle royale game will soon join Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite as another free title in the genre. Funny how a trendsetter is ending up as another follower.

PUBG: Battlegrounds  free-to-play update goes live Jan. 12 for both PC and consoles. However, the times vary a smidge depending on which platform you intend to play on:

PC on Jan. 11 at 11 P.M. PDT // Jan. 12 at 2 A.M. EDT

Xbox and PlayStation on Jan. 12 at 12 A.M. PDT // 3 A.M. EDT

The console times shouldn’t change whether you’re on PS4 or Xbox One. PUBG: Battlegrounds is also available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility.

If you’re one of the millions that bought PUBG: Battlegrounds  years ago, you’ll automatically gain access to Battleground Plus — a premium service upgrade that grants the following:

  • Ranked Mode
  • Survival Mastery XP + 100 percent boost
  • 1300 G-coins
  • Career Medal Tab
  • Captain’s Camo Gloves
  • Captain’s Camo Mask
  • Captain’s Camo Hat

Anyone can pick up Battleground Plus for $13, even if they didn’t own PUBG: Battlegrounds  beforehand. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fnp5g2j69gbjtbnsav playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fnp5g2j69gbjtbnsav/01fnp5g2j69gbjtbnsav-8a38f9e6b09f1d12cccb7df9934477f4.jpg]

[listicle id=1306400]

Popular streamer Disguised Toast banned from Twitch for streaming anime

The variety streamer could be facing a month-long ban.

Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang, a popular streamer on Twitch, was banned from the platform for streaming anime.

As first reported by Polygon, it seems that on Monday evening, Wang was broadcasting Death Note, a famous horror anime — only to be hit with a ban from Twitch. Neither party has publically stated why the ban happened, but most assume it was a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) strike by Viz Media, the license holder for Death Note.

That’s precisely what happened to fellow influencer Imane “Pokimane” Anys on Friday after she  streamed episodes of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender on Twitch. However, unlike Anys who’s ban is already up, Wang’s ban appears to be a month-long. At least according to his social media feeds, that is.

Wang also claims the ban allegedly came swiftly, saying  on Twitter, “They really couldn’t have waited 20 more minutes huh,” that same evening. 

Many of the details surrounding the ban are still unknown, but right now, it looks like Wang will be off the platform for quite a while.

According to TwitchTracker, Wang has roughly 2,339,143 followers as of Tuesday, making him close to being  one of the biggest streamers  on Twitch. So it’s a significant loss for many fans.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4/01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4-2e7aed67129a8d6187f8bd1d2c073678.jpg]

[listicle id=1144211]

Twitch streamer Pokimane banned from the platform after streaming Avatar: The Last Airbender

A DMCA strike is likely the cause.

Imane “Pokimane” Anys, one of the  biggest streamers on Twitch, was banned from the platform on Friday.

Pokimane’s ban is allegedly the result of a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) strike due to her streaming Avatar: The Last Airbender, a Nickelodeon TV show (thanks, Kotaku). Shortly after the live broadcast was interrupted, social media was on fire with reports that the livestreaming superstar was no longer on the platform. It’s her first-ever ban on Twitch too.

However, Pokimane’s ban is by no means long-lasting. Mere hours later, she confirmed it’s only for 48 hours, which means that by late Sunday, she’ll already have access to her Twitch account back.

“Just to be clear, I’m not surprised and I don’t think this is unfair,” Pokimane said on Twitter. “[In my opinion] it was inevitable that publishers would take action, on me or someone else, during this react meta.”

She certainly seems to be in high spirits, despite the circumstances. The top Twitch streamers rarely get any time off, so sleeping in on the weekend seems like a decent trade-off for being unable to stream.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4/01fh9xykbrzyph2aakj4-2e7aed67129a8d6187f8bd1d2c073678.jpg]

[listicle id=1144211]

League of Legends gets a jaw-dropping cinematic for Season 12

The Call kicks off a new competitive season.

It’s hard to believe that League of Legends  has been going strong for close to a decade, and wilder still, there are  no signs of it slowing down.

To kick off a new competitive season, Riot Games  released The Call, a staggeringly beautiful CGI cutscene featuring fan-favorite champions across the  Runeterra universe. There are crowd-pleasing inclusions like Leona, Pantheon, Voilbear to, well, other ridiculously popular characters such as Sejuani, Tailyah Kaisa, Olaf, and Ornn. I mean, is there even such a thing as an unpopular League of Legends  champion? Not really.

Check out The Call cinematic for yourself below. It wasn’t that long ago that League of Legends  cutscenes had a cheap look to them, but that’s certainly not the case anymore.

A high-quality YouTube mirror is available for all your 4K viewing pleasure  here.

The song that plays throughout, also titled The Call, is available for streaming on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. This catchy banger was co-written and performed by Hermann Schepetkov, Louis Leibfried, Simon Heeger, Christian Vorländer, while 2WEI and Mr. Herms handled production (Thanks, NME). So it was quite a collaborative effort!

Riot Games loves to debut songs alongside its big cinematics, and the tradition isn’t going away anytime soon.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e/01fke305nzj8vxxx8m1e-ff5981c46044ec6ab4fcf900b074c911.jpg]

[listicle id=1190224]