Home Gaming 3 Energy eSports members defect to Bravado

3 Energy eSports members defect to Bravado

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Last year was an incredible year for Energy with their DOTA 2 not only claiming South Africa’s pride back with the defeat against the Mexican competition but they also beat the long running dominant team, Bravado, in the hotly contested DOTA 2 Do Gaming League.

Earlier this year I was surprised to hear that Anthony ‘scant’ Hodgson was planning on joining the Energy group. We took this information with a pinch of salt as Anthony is a manager over at Bravado and we all know from following sports that you simply can’t leave a team to join their greatest competitors.

So colour me shocked that when I went in search of more details from Energy it came about that not only is Anthony not joining them but that he is also now taking 3 of the Energy members over to Bravado.

Now maybe I’m looking at this through the wrong glasses but leaving a team that has secured fantastic sponsorships and won the recent championships for the biggest competition just seems a little uncaring and a little suspicious.

What’s the point in leaving if you are already in the top team?

Then I remembered that Energy actually sent the DOTA 2 side to Paris to compete in the ESWC recently where they finished a credible 4th (In their group). To then abandon a team that has pumped so much money into your dream to be a professional gamer is disgraceful.

How can these kids expect to be taken seriously when they treat sponsors and team owners like that?

[Update] I did forget to include here that all three players had a signed contract. However Energy Management have decided to not push the legal aspect as they don’t feel it’s the best solution. I disagree but that is their call.

In the end I hope Leon ‘Flarez’ Wong, Donio ‘DONI’ Texiera and Mohammed ‘seeM’ Lorgat find what they are looking for at Bravado and I truly hope the new recruits into Energy can help them keep them near the top of the table.  You can’t really look badly at Bravado here, as a team they want to be the best and so you try and secure the best… but I don’t care how good Robin van Persie is I wouldn’t support him moving from the smelly mancs to the mighty Liverpool. It just feels wrong.

But feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below, is this just par for the course or has something slightly dirty gone down?

Last Updated: January 21, 2014

89 Comments

  1. Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

    January 21, 2014 at 07:57

    Perhaps Energy management leaves something to be desired? Maybe they drive the players too hard or something?

    Or perhaps they just felt like a change of scenery? Dunno. I can’t fathom why they’d leave if they are doing so well

    Reply

  2. Brian Murphy

    January 21, 2014 at 07:58

    “How can these kids expect to be taken seriously when they treat sponsors and team owners like that?”

    Are you serious? You’re actually saying kids/young adults etc… should actually acquiesce to sponsors and team owners, over advancement in their career? Really? I’m not following that logic.

    Teammates and friends, sure, that’s a very tough choice that everyone eventually has to make, but…sponsors and owners shouldn’t be part of that decision.

    Reply

    • Eric

      January 21, 2014 at 08:22

      Anthony hasn’t been a kid for quite a while now. And he has always had a knack for getting under other people’s skins from even the Twilight/Dota 1 days where he became an admin on a rival server, Dawn. So pretty much a case of same sh*t, different day.

      Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        January 21, 2014 at 08:24

        Yeah, it’s really tough to make outside judgement’s on this because if it were the New England Patriots, I could tell you everything you wanted to know…but, I know jack and shit about pro gamer’s lol.

        Still, I think loyalty to your boss only goes so far, and the players have to watch out for themselves, but yeah, every once in awhile you’re going to come across the annoying d-bag (in any sport really).

        Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 08:32

      If you have a contract and are attempting to be professionall sports people then you stick with it. Also these owners are just a bunch of guys doing this on the side. No money really here

      But they were given an all expense’s paid trip to ESWC in Paris a mere 3 months ago.. where’s the loyalty?

      Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        January 21, 2014 at 08:41

        Well, because I don’t know much about it, it’s really hard to make a judgement. I just think the whole loyalty thing to sponsors/team owner versus your own future seems like the wrong approach.

        Granted, if the guy had a contract, and he broke it. Knowing the reasoning behind it, could be illuminating. Because, it wouldn’t be the first athlete who’d breached contract? And yeah, it’s entirely possible they’re just douchebags…but hard tellin’ not knowing.

        Oh, and check your Google+ account, I sent you something absolutely horrifying w/ regards to gaming.

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          January 21, 2014 at 08:44

          yeah got it… Zoe’s on it. Disgusting piece of work

          Reply

          • Brian Murphy

            January 21, 2014 at 08:45

            Fucking ridiculous that this shit is still happening.

      • Gareth

        January 21, 2014 at 15:01

        they should at-least pay back the amount it cost to send them to Paris IMO….unless it wasn’t an all expense paid trip….you just never know.

        Reply

    • FSR

      January 21, 2014 at 10:15

      I agree 100%. This concept of “company/brand loyalty” is marketing BS. Only one person looks out for you – yourself. Make moves, make a name, do something, but don’t stagnate simply because you might piss off some people. It’s business, not the friendship-games.

      Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        January 21, 2014 at 10:22

        I mean, it’d be different if the world Gavin spoke of, was how things were. Where loyalty to your boss is rewarded and so on, but that’s just the exception, not the rule. I understand that this situation is different, because there aren’t huge sums of money transferring hands between owners/sponsors etc… But, I dunno, just doesn’t seem to reflect my experience in the business world at all. Spent 9 years being loyal to a job that did nothing but increase my workload yearly, couldn’t pay my employees (who, by the way, were being hired, at the same salary as I was being paid at the time…supervisor to 6 people, in a unit of 18-20, with no manager and I was the senior staff…take a wild guess who everyone came to) enough to be competitive, so I’d end up doing 2-3 other peoples jobs on top of that, worked part-time as a backup systems administrator, and an additional full-time as weekend operator…all at the same job (100+ hour work weeks for about 4 years), and in the end they fucked me over. Loyalty is for friends and family, bosses and sponsors can go fuck themselves.

        Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    January 21, 2014 at 08:04

    Who knows,maybe Bravado has cookies?

    Reply

    • Lourens Jordaan

      January 21, 2014 at 09:01

      They were promised cake. The cake is a lie!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        January 21, 2014 at 09:19

        LOL!

        Reply

  4. TiMsTeR1033

    January 21, 2014 at 08:14

    Maybe The top team are a bunch of wankers when they not playing, I mean yeah they may be the best team but could have the most annoying people in the world to work with… If I was sitting in that kind of situation I would also leave and be happier somewhere else, even if that somewhere else isn’t the best.

    Reply

    • Willem Van Wyk

      January 21, 2014 at 09:08

      Yeah agreed and these guys are grown ups, not kids…

      Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        January 21, 2014 at 09:11

        I never said they were kids..

        Reply

        • Willem Van Wyk

          January 21, 2014 at 09:12

          I never said you did, was referring to the article…

          Reply

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 09:38

            Leon ‘Flarez’ Wong – 23
            Donio ‘DONI’ Texiera – 19
            Mohammed ‘seeM’ Lorgat – 21

            Kids… not children.

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 09:42

            Kids are baby goats if you want to be technical, they aren’t baby goats are they? If you refer to the informal usage, a child or young person. They are young adults.

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 09:47

            I used kids to patronise them as I feel they deserved it.. Sorry if that wasn’t clear

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 10:04

            It was obvious to say the least, I was merely pointing out a poor attempt at journalism.

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 10:09

            It still blows my mind that people still think we just post news and don’t give our opinion.. we make it extremely obvious that we are an opinionated news outlet.

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 10:11

            I was just giving my opinion, patronising you for your effort.

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 10:12

            Cuts real deep :)….

            Do you have an opinion on the actual change of teams as well?

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 10:22

            Yes, it is extremely popular in many different sports for players to change teams. They should have binding contracts, just like normal sports, and if they don’t, it is the fault of the managers.

            Further more the article lacks context, we do not know if they have contracts and we do not know what their reason is for leaving. Hence your article is more speculation.

            I appreciate what you do, but why not get the details before putting up a bias opinionated article?

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 10:38

            They had contracts. Energy has decided not to enforce it.

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 10:40

            Well that is Energy’s choice, if they are serious about e-sports and sponsorship they should enforce it…

          • Rags

            January 21, 2014 at 11:00

            Good point sir.

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 11:03

            It is… I’m not sure what I would do to be honest… I mean if they enforced it and then didn’t play the guys in the DOTA 2 team they’d be abused. But they couldn’t force them to play well could they?

          • Willem Van Wyk

            January 21, 2014 at 11:08

            It is a slippery slope, but it is one that comes with the territory of professional sport.

  5. Alien Emperor Trevor

    January 21, 2014 at 08:19

    Sounds like personal issues.

    Reply

  6. Svarupa Singh

    January 21, 2014 at 08:26

    Well i would assume they left since fluKe is no longer part of energy management i cant see energy doing well without fluKe…

    Reply

    • Warwick Candle Parris

      January 21, 2014 at 09:14

      Kawa is still there and he is arguably one of the best Esports Team Managers in SA at the moment considering that he is the brain child behind both Monster Energy Gaming and the new Energy eSports. Both of which were teams who were winning DGL championships and making it look easy.

      Reply

      • Svarupa Singh

        January 21, 2014 at 20:30

        fluKe pushed the dota 2 team to new lengths, he got them in eswc so when he is gone. The dota 2 guys did not feel as supported. I see u still following me around nice to knw i have a dedicated fan 🙂

        Reply

        • Guest

          January 22, 2014 at 13:25

          Still acting like a child I see…

          I was simply responding to a post made on this article so no need to get all defensive.

          k tx bye

          Reply

          • Svarupa Singh

            January 22, 2014 at 17:02

            Love you too

  7. NickTheEagle

    January 21, 2014 at 08:43

    It’s not like bravado havent beaten energy before, I think this move was to make the most dominant team for all the leagues to come. As far as i know Immersion, Energy and Bravado are the 3 major MGO’s involved here and the competition has been quite tight throughout the year. This change in lineup is basically so that Bravado can completely dominate. (The lineup change also included a player from immersion). Look at CoD4 for example. No one could touch the Bravado CoD4 team.

    It’s also not like Energy still cant win because some of the bravado players are now in Energy? Heck the lineup change might still mean Energy are in charge for all I know.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 08:44

      Yeah I’m not disagreeing with that… I dunno maybe I’m idealistic but I expected more loyalty.

      And like I said, I don’t blame Bravado here at all, it’s a very clever move

      Reply

      • BlaZeR

        February 8, 2014 at 00:40

        Yo Nick, um BFB Lard and Prodigy beat bvd in cod4 quite abit tbh. Just saying 🙂

        Reply

  8. Matthew Holliday

    January 21, 2014 at 09:20

    Bravado have always seemed to be the better MGO, with sponsors and team management being probably the best in SA by a long shot.
    Bravado were rocking an alienware sponsorship with cool team tshirts while Energy only had steelseries peripherals and a fridge full of monster.

    Not sure Id have left Energy after they won the DGL, picked up the AMD/Proline sponsorship and got shipped over to Paris to compete though.

    Might be a sign of big things to come this year from BVD, if their plans for the year can tempt some of the biggest competition to their own team, we could be seeing some big plans.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 09:38

      If BvD were better with sponsors then they would have been at ESWC instead surely?

      Reply

      • NickTheEagle

        January 21, 2014 at 09:46

        Its because Energy won rAge.
        And alienware was the main sponsor for DGL, meaning they definitely have money to take players over seas 😉

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          January 21, 2014 at 09:48

          No the money came entirely from inhouse sponsors… nothing to do with rAge (apart from winning makes it easier to get sponsors)

          Reply

          • NickTheEagle

            January 21, 2014 at 09:53

            eN already had the sponsors before they won rage, im sure the sponsors paid for the trip because they won rage, or are you saying that their sponsors didnt pay for the trip?

          • Gavin Mannion

            January 21, 2014 at 09:54

            No I just said the money came entirely from the sponsors? Nothing to do with rAge.

          • NickTheEagle

            January 21, 2014 at 10:01

            If eN didnt finish 1st, i dont think they would of gone. If bvd came first im sure they maybe would of gone to. Winning rage is the big factor here. No sponsor wants to pay for a losing team 😉

          • noxville

            January 21, 2014 at 13:58

            The Bravado guys (and most people in SA) had no idea Energy were even contemplating going to ESWC until pretty late. South Africa didn’t have a qualifier, the online qualifier was really competitive (and no team composed of South African players would have won), and from what I’ve been told, Energy contacted ESWC and asked to attend (and ESWC scoped out the situation and agreed).

      • Matthew Holliday

        January 21, 2014 at 09:46

        yeah, thats why i said: “Not sure Id have left Energy after they won the DGL, picked up the AMD/Proline sponsorship and got shipped over to Paris to compete though.

        Might be a sign of big things to come this year from BVD, if their plans for the year can tempt some of the biggest competition to their own team, we could be seeing some big plans.”

        its contradictory, ive always felt BVD had better management, but Energy got so much done last year, makes sense it does not.

        Reply

      • Rags

        January 21, 2014 at 09:52

        Detrony was at ESWC for QL, dunno what the qualification requirements are for Dota?

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          January 21, 2014 at 09:53

          He paid for himself according to sources… so that’s not saying much

          Reply

      • noxville

        January 21, 2014 at 14:41

        Well, this is a bit wrong Gav; eN applied directly to play at ESWC (there wasn’t a local qualifier, and they didn’t play in the online qualifier which would have been hosted on EU anyways). I don’t think Bravado knew about Energy applying until they’d already been accepted.

        Reply

    • NickTheEagle

      January 21, 2014 at 09:46

      I dont think you’d be in Energy if you are focusing more on careers/RL 😛

      Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        January 21, 2014 at 10:01

        well their new roster looks alot more casual, i dont think this new team is looking to win any championships.
        Makes me think there has been a change in focus, which would explain the team shuffle.

        Reply

        • NickTheEagle

          January 21, 2014 at 10:31

          I just think bvd has more sway then eN and its just unlucky that they lost the players.

          ClitsybananaS
          LETSGETPARTY
          RandomHero
          Shanks
          xeRa

          Lineup looks pretty strong 😉

          Reply

  9. Rags

    January 21, 2014 at 09:55

    Dunno for me it shows that its more than a hobby. If you don’t keep your players happy they leave and should leave. It’s the nature of the beast. A trip to ESWC may be a small price to pay if you can be treated better at another team. Perhaps why not ask Energy or the players why they left? Loyalty alone is not a good enough reason to stay.

    Consider rugby where a lot of the boys are groomed at local academies at huge expense to be picked up by European clubs. The academies don’t hold a grudge they let them go and contract those who they want.

    Gaming is especially volatile because there are so few opportunities.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 09:57

      Yeah but academies and large clubs are not comparable.. Energy and BvD are/

      Also I’ve spoken to Energy and they wish the players the best and are not willing to say more.

      Reply

      • Rags

        January 21, 2014 at 10:41

        That’s just an example. We both know this is the reality of the professional era, from motorsports to athletics, you name it. For athletes to survive you have to move. That is how you climb the professional ranks. If Energy sponsors and management is good, 3 new players will fill the void and they should continue to be successful. If they can’t that’s perhaps a sign of bad management or bad luck?

        Like it or not(I don’t), but that’s just how this world works. 😐

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          January 21, 2014 at 10:43

          Yeah but if Suarez wants to leave Liverpool someone need to cough up money… Also you don’t see many top players leaving a team that won the league to a team that didn’t… it’s all a bit odd for me

          Reply

  10. iAmWeasel

    January 21, 2014 at 09:59

    eSports is about as interesting as extreme knitting. There I said it.

    Reply

    • B4d R0b0t

      January 29, 2014 at 14:29

      I propose Dear Sir that you are Liar…..show my one live stream or youtube link to extreme knitting that has over 1 million views and I will eat my hand knitted woollen scarf.

      Reply

  11. Dusky

    January 21, 2014 at 10:01

    On another note this can’t bode well for new teams looking for sponsors which I imagine is an already tough task. Why would sponsors want to invest in teams that just up and go when they feel like it and not respect contracts? Very risky business from a sponsors point of view one Id feel that also has very little return.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 10:10

      This and exactly this

      Reply

      • pacza

        January 21, 2014 at 10:25

        I was about to post the same.

        If I was a major sponsor for esports, the mentality of South African gamers and MGO’s would make my decision easy to overlook investing immature ideologies.

        Reply

    • NickTheEagle

      January 21, 2014 at 10:19

      Do eN players sign contracts?

      Reply

    • Rags

      January 21, 2014 at 10:27

      So you know more than we do? What where their contracts?

      Reply

      • Gavin Mannion

        January 21, 2014 at 10:39

        I’ve been told they had contracts, I was not given details of their contracts but Energy has decided to not follow a legal road as they are in it for helping local gamers and not quick financial success

        Reply

        • NickTheEagle

          January 21, 2014 at 10:55

          Just shows players will stop at nothing to become the best (even if they already are)

          Reply

        • Rags

          January 21, 2014 at 10:58

          Well then your comments are justified 😉

          Reply

  12. Bryan Jason Botha

    January 21, 2014 at 10:18

    I am also not a huge fan of this. My first thought that came to mind, was “the man city of esports” – If you cant beat em, BUY em! Energy were in my opinion the best Dota 2 team in south africa, but the contests between Bravado and eN, could generally go either way. But eN was starting to flex their muscle and was winning 80 percent of the encounters with eN. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed watching a team giving Bravado some stiff competition.
    So Bravado realises we cant beat eN anymore so lets buy their best 3 players!!! now we have no more competition. Who is going to compete with them now? bvd 1 vs bvd 2?

    I dont know what went on behind the scenes, and really I am not on that level so I dont know what incentives there are for players with sponsorships on their level. But i cannot see how those eN players would go to bvd if it wasnt for some sort of monetary gain.

    Well good luck, and RIP good competition at the top level of dota in SA.

    Hey you never know, maybe oDu and the Probyn twins can put together a sick enough team to give them some competition.

    Reply

  13. Skyblue

    January 21, 2014 at 10:42

    I can only assume that BVD want to field two teams for DGL this year. Even so, it wouldn’t be the first time that BVD have draughted in top opposition to fill their ranks. It is a bit shitty but so are Manchester City.

    Reply

  14. Rudi de Lange

    January 21, 2014 at 11:10

    Basing the argument around the ESWC trip isn’t very relevant. I’m sure if one of Bravado’s teams had the opportunity, Bravado would have sent them. And you can never know what lies ahead for this new ‘super team’, in a year or two ESWC might look like nothing compared to all the places these oaks can go and see under BvD.

    But I get what you’re saying, it feels like a slap in the face for eN. But this is business just as much as it is sport, and business is dog eat dog.

    Reply

  15. DONITHEBEAST

    January 21, 2014 at 11:33

    lel

    Reply

  16. anonymous person

    January 21, 2014 at 12:09

    Comments here are quite disgusting. Also terrible assumptions made in this article with a one sided story.

    Reply

    • RedRover

      January 21, 2014 at 12:39

      I think the comments reflect a frustration that many are feeling. There may well be another side to the story. But the issue of players switching teams is a thorny one……… Remember this. These are team games.. And people like to believe that their team members have got their backs,…..

      Reply

    • Kradenko

      January 21, 2014 at 12:49

      That you Colin?

      Reply

      • Congo

        January 21, 2014 at 12:54

        Colin pls respond

        Reply

  17. Jason Heineberg

    January 21, 2014 at 13:52

    Rosters change, and if you knew anyone in last years bvd or eN teams, you would know that both teams made no secret of major changes coming before the 2014 DGL season. Forcing teams to stick together for the sake of an external organization is counter-productive to growth. The pro scene shuffles players around all the time (eg. the great Chinese reshuffle right after TI3), so why shouldn’t we?

    Reply

  18. Matthew Holliday

    January 21, 2014 at 13:53

    I swear you’re posting these articles to the facebook groups and asking for feedback on purpose.
    Baiting out the harassment.
    The articles themselves are always ok, but the facebook comments always get well out of hand.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 21, 2014 at 15:46

      I only posted it to the new eSports group to see if they had any thoughts on how players should act… then it went pear shaped

      Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        January 21, 2014 at 15:50

        the facebook post always goes pear shaped 😛
        always

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          January 21, 2014 at 15:56

          Yeah… some people who despise us won’t post here but they will post there to show their discontent.

          Nothing wrong with that but it’s annoying we can’t do it in one place

          Reply

  19. MichaelMatusowsky

    January 21, 2014 at 14:49

    Doni is scum.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      January 22, 2014 at 06:38

      I’ve seen things similar to this posted in many places… why do so many people dislike the guy? Does he have a website as well 😛

      Reply

      • MichaelMatusowsky

        January 22, 2014 at 16:59

        He’s just a jock making a life in a nerds world ;). He’s just doni. It’s fun to hate on doni.

        Reply

  20. Gareth

    January 21, 2014 at 14:58

    Well IMO this is what comes to mind.

    its what THEY want, they are in control of THEIR own lives..they play games for a living and have fun doing it…Maybe (possible) they don’t like someone on the team or in the clan? something was said and the group of 3 didn’t like it possibly…and felt the need to leave not even worrying about the papers they signed.

    And Energy not wanting to pursue legal means to sort it out looks like they don’t want things to come out about them which could ruin the name they have worked so hard to obtain…

    I always see games as fun to play with a group but when you start disliking someone in that group or anything you don’t like happens its kinda hard to justify sticking around.

    I would need facts from both sides to really truly comment so until then take my paragraphs with a grain of salt.

    Reply

    • Dusky

      January 21, 2014 at 18:37

      I feel the sponsors are hardest hit by it all, resulting in lack of confidence in esports.

      Reply

  21. Willem Swanepoel

    January 22, 2014 at 08:23

    If you want a sponsor and you sign a contract then you must respect it and stick to the contract.

    You take money and free items from the sponsor and then a year later you just give them the finger and jump ship.

    Shuffling the team and getting new blood in to improve your team’s performance makes sense but this does not.

    Basically, you will lose the trust in the sponsors because even signing a contract, people do not follow the rules.

    If you want competitive gaming to be recognised as an eSport then you have to be willing to respect the contracts too.

    If you sign a 3 year deal with you sponsor then you have to honour it for 3 years. They do it in sports too …

    I think it is just plain rude to just shove the contract up the sponsor’s behind after they have spent money on the team already.

    Reply

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