You may know now, that we’re very much into e-Sports. We now have an official Team Razer Facebook Fanpage (go like now!) that brings you all the latest news and coverages on the pro gaming scene. Oh, and did you know that we now sponsor over 30 professional e-Sports teams or individuals from across the globe.

Now to pick the Razer Team of the Year from this sea of awesome, awesome players is a difficult task. So, we’re leaving it up to you to choose which team you think owned the hardest in 2011. The winning team will get an exclusive limited-edition mouse design by Razer… and for a lucky voter? $500 worth of Razer products from the Razer Store.

Go cast your vote now – http://www.razerzone.com/teamrazer

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League of Legends is going to have a serious force to reckon with on the battlegrounds, with a CLG roster consisting of George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis, Michael “BigfatLP” Tang, Cody “Elementz” Sigffuson, Steve “Chauster” Chau, and Brandon “Saintvicious” DiMarco.

“The whole team is really excited about representing North America in China,” enthuses Ryan Rana, Team Manager, CLG.  “They’ve been practicing non-stop since ‘BigfatLP’ came back from his hiatus after moving, and we’re going to ensure we make our fans and Razer more than proud with the results.”

CLG already took a strong win at MLG Raleigh 2011 for LoL, despite the circuit only having just picked up the game as part of their competitive line-up.  Will the team be able to repeat their victory in China?  We’ll see – whatever it is, it’s going to be an exciting tournament.

Click here for more on CLG

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Things are about to get hot and heavy in the North American Starcraft2 scene as Razer ups the ante by joining forces with Team Reign, a new organisation that has hit the ground running. With their eye on the prize, Team Reign cooked up a roster that includes a handful of experience, a drop of youth and a pinch of zest, not to mention two MLG silver medals.

Among their list of conscripts are team captain and North American scene veteran Brian “Spades” Francis, MLG double silver medalist and former Warcraft 3 pro-gamer Jonathan “KiWiKaKi” Garneau, and community favourite and upcoming threat Paul-David “SLush” Page. Team Reign’s elected Starcraft2 armaments will soon live and fight for their cause under the same roof in a professional gaming house to be unveiled later this year in San Francisco.

” I am honestly overjoyed that my favorite hardware maker wants to support my team, especially as we are so close to opening our own gaming house. ” said Brian “Spades” Francis, team captain, Team Reign.

With state-of-the art gaming peripherals, a brand-spanking new gaming house and some of the best North American gamers, Team Razer and Team Reign are about to do some real damage. From full house to royal flush, let it Reign.

Learn more about Team Reign

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The StarCraft II powerhouses Ganzi and Alicia from Team Razer will be competing at the upcoming MLG Anaheim open-bracket qualifier. Razer is thrilled to be able to support the two padawans of Slayers’Boxer the opportunity to take their shot at smashing through the open bracket qualifiers.

Joining their team-mates Lim Yo “Boxer” Hwan and MLG defending champion Moon Sung “MMA” Won, who both already received direct invites, they will be competing in Anaheim from July 29th – July 31st. With four Slayers on the loose we’re about to witness some epic SC2 warfare of international proportion at MLG Anaheim.

Click here for more on Slayers’Boxer

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Counter Logic Gaming, the League of Legends WCG world champion, and Razer, the world’s leading high-end precision gaming brand, are a match made in heaven. Counter Logic Gaming has been one of the pioneering forces within both the competitive League of Legends scene and the LoL community as a whole.

“With League of Legends still being such a fledgling scene, Razer continues to show their constant support for eSports as a whole, helping small organizations such as CLG to grow, and investing in something we know they really care and are passionate about,” said CLG’s George “HotShotGG” Georgallidis, who’s LoL stream attracts over 8,000 viewers every day.

Passion. That’s where it all began for the CLG team that started out as a bunch of guys who met on ladder during the beta, and who loved the game. From rags to riches, they are now on the frontline, sword in hand and leading the charge. However, they haven’t forgotten their roots as casual gamers, making them the ideal recruits for Razer.

“CLG not only excels in their field, but they also make it their priority to give back to the community that they are a part of, which makes us extremely proud to be able to offer them our full support,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President, Razer USA.

Now CLG faces a new wave of rivals as their gaming prowess attracts more and more attention across the globe. Their new rivals are throwing down the gauntlet to the WCG champions, and Razer is standing watch to make sure that CLG is fully equipped to show their rivals that they’re not just messing with champions, but with legends.

Find out more about CLG

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Two of the world’s best WoW guilds, backed up by a community portal of true enthusiasts of the realm of Azeroth, are finally part of Team Razer. Welcome Manaflask, one of the premiere places to go if you are in love with Blizzard’s MMO blockbuster. Driven by their deep desire to continually uphold and develop the quality of MMO gameplay and knowledge database, Manaflask now has our complete backing and full access to our state-of-the-art MMO gaming equipment to accomplish this task and dominate the prestigious progress-rankings of the world.

“Without any doubt, MMO games are one of our great loves and this partnership proves our devotion in pushing the genre and its competitive character even further,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President, Razer USA. “Manaflask is the go-to place for guides, information and insider tips for all things Azeroth.  With our help, they’ll be able to continue and extend their high quality content, provide the best entertainment and mentoring to our beloved community and crush through mobs for the honor of achieving more world’s first boss-kills.”

Worlds first – that’s the ultimate goal of every WoW gamer. If you also challenge the highest instances in hardmode you know this is only easy when talking about. But once you and your 24 friends engage the fight, even theory gets stomped on the battlefield and every single fault can end up in a wipe.

For the Horde and Ensidia fight on the forefront of the progress. Sometimes they are the first ever to discover bosses that were even hidden during the testing phase, like Sinestra who was spotted by For the Horde after their Cho’gall worlds first. Flawless communication and perfect execution of strategy is their ace and we deliver them the equipment they need to set their names into the stones of the world rankings.

“Manaflask, along with World of Warcraft’s top guilds, For the Horde and Endsidia, are extremely excited for this opportunity.” says Hans Christian Dürr, team manager of Manaflask. “With our guys now equipped with premiere Razer MMO gaming gear, we will face new patches, arena matches and raids with utter confidence. We will be the first to conquer new content and once we do, we’ll share all the knowledge the community will need.”

Every single gamer at Manaflask, experts and beginners, professionals and fans are sharing the same deep passion for the game. In depth analysis and guides from For the Horde, Germany’s finest and Ensidia, the elitist mix of European WoW experts, are only the tip to the iceberg of shared experience and knowledge about how to succeed against Deathwing and his minions. Both guilds and all their members take it upon themselves to dutifully document the best and most useful information in order to help fans around the world to stay on top of their game.

Sharpen your sword, grab your shield and polish your armor. Razer and Manaflask have teamed up to send Deathwing and his armies back to where they came from. For the Horde. For the win.

• Razer at Games Convention 2008 – Leipzig, Germany (Short Version)

FXOpen e-Sports, with an inevitable campaign for StarCraft II prestige on their hands, has entered a partnership with Razer, one of the world’s pioneering supporters of e-Sports. With players such as Andrew “mOOnGLaDe” Pender, Kevin “FXOqxc” Riley and precision gaming peripherals, FXOpen is determined to create their mark through a series of undisputed victories and StarCraft II game play brilliance.

“I’d already been using the Razer Diamondback for a number of years when our sponsorship deal came around,” saysKevin “FXOqxc” Riley, the Terran ace from FXO’s StarCraft II team. “Since I started using the Diamondback I’ve tried a number of different mice from various companies but never found a suitable replacement. More recently I started using the BlackWidow (my first mechanical keyboard) and after just one day of practice, I’m not sure I could go back to a different keyboard. I’m really excited to be a part of Team Razer.”

FXOpen is a Forex trading company that started sponsoring various sport events such as mixed martial arts bouts and drift car series. With their passion now touching the realm of e-Sports, especially StarCraft II, FXOpen assembled their own elite e-Sports pro-gaming team.

With Razer’s support, the team is now fully equipped and poised for battle. Cannons charged, guns locked and loaded and the swarm awaits. FXOpen is ready.

For more information about Team Razer, visit the Team Razer page.

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Known worldwide as THE StarCraft community site to swap match replays, discuss tactics and exchange banter in all things StarCraft, Team Liquid dug deep into their roots to form what is now their official competitive gaming team.

With passion in their veins and steel in their performances, it was only a matter of time that they tag-teamed with Razer for global domination in the StarCraft II scene.

Fans of the competitive scene can look forward to the likes of Jonathan “Jinro” Walsh who competes in South Korea as a Code-S player, the highest StarCraft II tournament level achievable. Back-to-back top four finishes in Korea’s premiere Global StarCraft II League make him the most accomplished foreigner in the world’s Starcraft II capitol.

In Assembly Winter 2011, another Team Liquid player, Jos “Ret” deKroon ascended to grand champion of the hotly contested tournament.

“The team is made up of great guys looking to forge a destiny not just for themselves, but for the entire StarCraft community.  So we’re proud to support them all the way,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President, Razer USA.

With this momentum of success, international attention, and Razer on their side, Team Liquid is determined to take immortality in the halls of StarCraft II gaming greatness.

For more on Team Liquid, click here

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As we await the opening of the IEM World Championships, we ask the insights and predictions of the PM of the Intel Extreme Masters. Enter Michal “Carmac” Bicharz. Having visited more than a dozen of e-sports events(WCG, EPS, ESWC, IEM), his exposure has given him in-depth knowledge about the industry. He is also known for his comedic alter-egos (Uszat and Sasha) which he uses to add a refreshing zest to the highly competitive e-sports scene. Despite this, there is no doubting his passion for e-sports and his devotion to improving the quality and community of gamers all around the globe.

We sat down with Michal “Carmac” Bicharz to talk for his IEM World Championship predictions, the games of e-sports and his future plans for the IEM.

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Razer: Greetings Michal “Carmac” Bicharz. We appreciate you taking some time off despite your hectic schedule in preparing the IEM World Championship 2011.

Razer: Some of the world’s best will be at Hannover this March. How excited are you?

Carmac: You cannot describe how excited I am. I am also quadruple heart-broken. I am a major fan of all three games and I find all three competitions extremely interesting. But not only am I unable to follow all three as closely as I would like, but I also have to work during the event, so it is theoretically possible that I will not see a single game!

SC2: The IEM Euro Champi0n and the GamesCom Champion will battle it out

Razer: What are your predictions for the SC2 division in the IEM?

Carmac: I personally see Greg Fields as the favorite to win the entire event. He has got the composure needed to win major titles and he has a ton of experience taken from Korea and playing with the best there. I would be shocked not to see him in the semi final at least. As for the rest, it is really a very, very even playing field. If I were to predict a surprise in the event, I will predict that one of the Continental Champions not to go far. I will not say which one, though.

Razer: What are your predictions for the CS division in the IEM?

Carmac: The Counter-Strike event is probably one of the most contested events that I remember. We have at least five teams there that have everything it takes to win the title: mTw, FX, Fnatic, SK, Na’Vi, and several others that have the power and the potential to cause a major stir – for example the 2008 Intel Extreme Masters season runners up from Korea or our American Champions from Brazil, or Team EG who ended up 4th last season. I predict more drama than you can ever imagine for the CS tournament. It will be nothing short of epic, starting in the group stage already!

Razer: Which CS teams do you think will meet at the finals? Which team do you think will win?

Carmac: I most certainly hope that Frag eXecutors will be in the final – I had a front row seat back in 2004-2005 when they were unknown but rising and I would like to see them win one more major trophy. I am Polish as well as those guys, so I am obviously biased – but that team has everything needed to win an event like this. Whichever other team it is in the final – I really do not care. If you’re in the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship final, then you’ve gone a very long way and you obviously deserve it more than anyone else.

Razer: In terms of Counter-Strike, who do you think is the best player right now (attending the IEM)?

Carmac: It is really difficult to say, especially that I do not have time to watch all the matches. But I am personally very impressed by cArn, not just as a player but as a team leader. I also like what a role change in the team did for TaZ – he no longer is the strat caller and he has really stepped up, it seems.

The IEM European Quake Champion will now fight the world’s best Quake Duellers

Razer: What are your predictions for the Quake division in the IEM?

Carmac: As I said, quadruple heart-broken. The QL event is probably the toughest one in the history of the game if you ask me. We have got all of the old ‘gods’, every single one of them with championship credentials, and we have a very strong group of ‘outsiders’ that could easily pick up the gauntlet and challenge them. Cooller, Av3k, Cypher, rapha – those four are everyone’s bets to be in the semi finals like last year, but what about strenx, k1llsen, DaHanG, spart1e, or even czm? The only thing I can say is that I hope Dandaking pulls a Cinderella story. That would make the event epic!

Razer: Who do you think will meet at the finals? Who do you think will win?

Carmac: I honestly have no idea. I could give you a valid prediction after the group stage ends, but before that I do not know. I see five names in the list of participants that could end up going home with the gold medal, and almost all of those are equally rated. We will just have to wait and see.

Razer: Who do you think is the best Quake Live player of Asia? Of Europe? Of the World?

Carmac: The best player in Asia is uNleashed from Japan, unless you count Jibo who is Chinese and lives in Moscow, or proZaC who is Swedish but lives in Japan. The best European? Based on recent results, I would say Cooller, but that answer can be different after every event. The world’s best player? I will tell you on Saturday evening.

What can possibly topple the biggest e-sports RTS in the world?

Razer: SC2 has seen a meteoric rise over the past few months. Do you see any other RTS games matching the dominant e-Sports RTS?

Carmac: No, honestly, I don’t see it. StarCraft II is an amazing game which has everything in order to be the dominant game in RTS for years to come. Please do keep in mind that all major RTS esports have come from Blizzard, and no other RTS game came close to the success of StarCraft or WarCraft III. I do not see anyone creating an RTS game that could challenge early beta level Blizzard games, let alone the released versions.

Razer: Quake and CS are the premiere FPS games used in tournaments but one can say that they are pretty old. What new FPS games do you think has the potential to earn international acclaim and be a staple competitive e-sport game?

Carmac: I don’t see any game which could do that at the moment. I guess it would have to be a game which takes over the CS and Source communities and provides a modern replacement for CS 1.6, but I do not see it right now. Perhaps one game could prove me wrong, but that game would need to have blooming leagues, pro teams and coverage websites that do not rely on the current eports infrastructure. If a game proves itself outside of the current system, it means that it will be a massive esports title.

One of these spectators may be the next e-Sports star

Razer: Having been to a lot of E-sports even of late, have you seen any promising/upcoming stars?

Carmac: StarCraft II will produce dozens of major stars. Counter-Strike keeps producing talent and I am surprised so few teams are able to pick up players and build great lineups. Fnatic has been changing their roster for a very long time and stayed at the top – that just proves that there are enough fringe players out there to build a team close to Fnatic’s strength. For some reason it is hard for organisations to do. I do not expect any sudden rise to fame in Quake Live, though. That game definitely needs a major injection of fresh blood.

Razer: In the controversial finals of Quake Live in the IEM European Championships, what were the factors you took into consideration when you made the decision?

Carmac: I did not make the decision. The referees did. All I did was gather the right people in the right place, collected the facts and made sure that I can honestly say that nothing was overlooked. The factors that the referees used were: the rulebook. There is no rule in the book that stipulates a game replay due to lag, but there is one where there’s a disconnect. The referees simply followed the rulebook, that was it.

Razer: What are your future plans for the IEM? What is your vision with regard to the future of e-sports?

Carmac: We want to be more ambitious with how we do things next season. For this World Championship we are broadcasting on a countless number of channels, with 7 or 8 languages. I think that is simply phenomenal. I could talk for hours about possible improvements and plans for events in the next season, but I will just say that we would like to keep making the events a joy to play and a joy to watch for people. There will definitely be some changes to the structure of our online season, that is certain.

Don’t miss the action as the Extreme Masters World Championships is now live! Get the latest news and watch it live at the ESL Website.

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