These days, there are some massively valuable Starcraft 2 tournaments. There’s plenty of money to be made, and once upon a time, StarCraft 2 was the biggest and most popular esports platform in the world. Since 2020, StarCraft 2 developers Blizzard have partnered with ESL and DreamHack, pushing the potential to the max.
Now, the esports industry is blessed with the presence of some extremely high-tier StarCraft 2 tournaments. Let’s discuss them.
Best StarCraft 2 Tournaments
Until 2019, the best StarCraft 2 tournament would have been the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series. It was the ultimate stage for StarCraft 2 competitors, and it boasted a $700,000 global final grand prize. However, once it had ended, it was replaced by the ESL Pro Tour, dubbed ‘The Ultimate SC2 Competition”.
If you’re an esports bettor, there are few StarCraft 2 tournaments more prolific than this one. In fact, one of the best StarCraft 2 betting tips we can offer you is to tune in to this tournament.
Although, it certainly doesn’t end there. Up at the top of the table with the ESL Pro Tour is the IEM Katowice event, hosted annually. Although the IEM Katowice event is a general gaming convention, StarCraft 2 boasts a huge stage. In 2022, there will be a $500,000 tournament for StarCraft 2.
Finally, there’s the Global StarCraft 2 League, a premier-tier tournament with a regular prize pool of $118,000. This is a relatively new tournament, having only started in 2020.
Best StarCraft 2 Tournaments for Betting
Honestly, if there’s one driving reason that fans tune in to esports tournaments, it’s the hope that they’ll win a little money. In recent years, esports betting has become a massive part of the industry, and that remains true for StarCraft 2 tournaments.
As a platform, StarCraft has existed for more than twenty years. For years, it was the best StarCraft Brood War tournaments that kept the popularity flowing, but today, StarCraft 2 commands the stage. And, with a huge array of competitions, comes a wide variety of esports betting opportunities.
There are no better betting opportunities than the top-tier competitions that we’ve already discussed. If you’re logging into your esports betting websites, you’ll find many markets for competitions like IEM Katowice or the GSL. However, there are several smaller tournaments that can still be quite lucrative for esports bettors.
For example, there’s te AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament, which has been played since 2017. It’s far from being the best StarCraft 2 tournament, but it does boast a considerable following. Traditionally, this tournament is held twice a year, and it brings with it many opportunities for betting.
Biggest StarCraft 2 Tournaments in History
Historically, StarCraft 2 tournaments can be traced back more than ten years to when the game first launched, in 2010.
While it ran, the World Championship Series (WCS) was the grandest stage for StarCraft 2. It boasted the largest prize pools in StarCraft history, with the ultimate victor taking the lion’s share of $700,000. And, leading up to that grand final were smaller events, each carrying with them a prize of up to $100,000.
Since the WCS ceased to exist in 2019, there has never been a more valuable StarCraft 2 tournament. In fact, the only competition to have ever come close is the IEM Katowice event. It hasn’t ever exceeded a $500,000 prize pool, but few StarCraft 2 tournaments actually have.
Also, historically, the first-ever StarCraft 2 premier tournament was the StarCraft II Open, which was played in 2010 for a considerable prize pool of $180,000.
Which Player Has Won the Most in StarCraft 2 Tournaments?
When you’re thinking of the biggest and best StarCraft 2 tournaments, you’ll also be considering the players. Throughout the last twenty years or so, we’ve seen thousands of esports competitors rotate through the industry. But which of them boast the most StarCraft 2 tournament victories?
Maru, $934,000 – 132 tournaments
Since 2010, Maru has been one of the greatest StarCraft 2 players in the world. He has secured more money from StarCraft 2 tournaments than any other player in history.
Rogue, $932,000 – 179 tournaments
It’s extremely close between Rogue and Maru, with the seperation being a mere $2000 (as of September 2021). Both players experienced a peak through 2017 – 2019, but they’re still perfectly capable StarCraft 2 players.
Serral, $925,000 – 128 tournaments
Serral is a Finnish player, which makes him relatively unique in StarCraft 2, and he’s also one of the winningest StarCraft 2 players ever. His skill at StarCraft 2 tournaments is almost unparalleled.
Dark, $843,000 – 153 tournaments
Dark boasts a similar legacy to Rogue and Maru, even if he hasn’t been as successful. He’s one of the best Korean StarCraft 2 players around today, and still competes in StarCraft 2 tournaments ten years after his debut.