Starcraft 2 news » WCS - Brazil Nationals Recap

After five online qualifiers with hundreds of players battling head-to-head, sixteen finalists emerged and the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) Brazil Nationals were ready to begin! The WCS Brazil Nationals took place in Rio de Janeiro, where these finalists fought epic battles for one of six slots available to represent Brazil in the South American Finals set to take place in São Paulo on June 14.

Day One

The first day of the tournament kicked off with incredible matches. The roster was mostly formed by two promising Brazilian teams and rivals: “KeydTeam” and “GameHelp”. In the early stages of the tournament, Fortune and Unreal were knocked out. Unreal fought hard, but was defeated by Shakti while Fortune lost to one of the most skilled zerg players from Brazil: Tunico.

As the tournament pressed on, it was apparent that Tunico and Potiguar were the major contenders, until Naxx, in a surprising move, sent Tunico to the lower bracket where he had prove himself worthy by climbing his way back into the upper bracket, burning through formidable players such as Fortune, Levin and Shatki.

One of the most exciting matches of day one was between Tunico and Levin. Levin has been in the pro-gaming scene for quite a while as he used to play Warcraft III back in the day, making him one of the most seasoned players in the tournament; unlike Tunico who’s Brazil Nationals were his second big tournament. Despite the differences in experience, both players seemed well matched; but, in the end, Tunico got the upper hand and his zerg swarm eliminated another protoss player from the tournament with an imposing score of 2-0.

Day Two

The second day of the tournament was action packed from the start as Tunico and Potiguar struggled for the first spot in two Best of Three rounds. Potiguar came from the winner’s bracket and Tunico clawed his way back out of the lower bracket, resulting in a final matchup with two very strong players. Tunico had to come out with at least two best of three wins in order to defeat Potiguar, and proved himself worthy when, he managed to pull a victory by winning the first one and move on to the final match.

The finals were insanely close, and could go down as one of the most epic battles in the history of Latin American eSports. In the last match of the second round, Potiguar started with an advantage as he went for a macro build, while Tunico decided to go for a baneling bust. Tunico realized this wasn’t going to work due to Potiguar’s aggressive scouting, so he smartly deviated from this tactic and instead went for overlord baneling drops.

With the looming pressure of Potiguar’s stalkers and colossi army, Tunico executed a surprise baneling drop, which evened the field for a short while. Potiguar pressed his advantage, and skillfully warped zealots into Tunico’s lair and natural expansion simultaneously, forcing Tunico to call GG!

Potiguar’s victory earned him the overall win for the Brazil Nationals and $4000 in prize money! Tunico got second place, but this battle will be one to remember. Now, the top six players from this tournament will be heading to the South America Finals to compete for the right to represent South America in the global finals! Keep an eye on the eSports portal and the WCS overview to stay up to date on upcoming tournament dates, event recaps, interviews and more as the global competition continues.

The replay pack for the tournament can be found here!

After the matches, we had the opportunity to interview the winners of the tournment.

Aderson "Potiguar" Jamier Santos Reis

Where are you from?

I’m from Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. But I have been living in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte for almost 10 years.

How did you get into StarCraft II?

I started playing Blizzard’s RTS series with StarCraft: Broodwar. The migration to StarCraft II was natural. As time went by, I got better and started to be more known in regional and national championships.

How do you plan to practice for the Finals?

The next step in the competition will definitely come with steeper challenge. São Paulo will be the gathering for the best players in South America. My goal is to be able to qualify for the World Championship, and perhaps, come up on top once again. To achieve this, I intend to start an intensive training period starting in June until the South America Finals.

What did you think of the Nationals?

It was an excellent tournament! This is the first Blizzard tournament in Brazil that had a Qualifier and a National Final. New young players in the scene were identified and I believe they will have the opportunity to show their real potentials in the coming years.

Anything you’d like to say to people in your home country cheering you on?

I would like to thank everyone for all their love and support. I hope I can measure up during the next phase in July.

Renan "Tunico" Guilhem da Silva

Where are you from?

I’m from Brazil and I live in Jundiaí - São Paulo.

How did you get into StarCraft II?

I got into StarCraft II right after the beta launch. I used to play at my friend’s house, who introduced me to the game. I didn’t know anything about it and I learned the mechanics and units relatively fast. Since then, I started to get notoriety in the Brazilian scene.

How do you plan to train for the Finals?

I don’t intend to change my training period too much. I will continue to spend most of the time practicing on the ladder or with friends, as well as increase the number of matches as soon as I get a break from college next month.

What did you think of the Nationals?

It was a great experience. It was really good to meet other players and the organizers. It also gave me the opportunity to get more experience in offline live tournaments.

Anything you'd like to say to people in your home country cheering you on?

I would like to thank everyone who cheers for me and supports my game. I also hope to see you all in the South America Finals in São Paulo, cheering and supporting all Brazilian players. Let’s show that eSports in Brazil is growing every day and that we can also be strong competitors.