The much anticipated Orena Championship Series has been pushed back to later this year, from it’s original date in September. The change was to allow a second playoff leg for competing teams who had not yet made their mark on the Orena ladder.
The OCS will mark the end to a very successful year for esports in South Africa, giving players one last shot at some holiday prize money before Christmas. Orena had a rather late start to the competitive year after their partnership with Nu Metro, which aimed to usher in a new era of non-endemic interest and investment in esports. Since then, Orena has opened up shop in Emperor’s Palace with their very own studio and gaming centre which will now become the home of all Orena tournaments and competitions.
A teaser image of Orena Studio by Orena founder Luca “RoBoHoBo” Tucconi – via Facebook
The original dates for the championship have now become a second “playoff” for both Dota 2 and CS:GO. Dota 2 will take place on the 22nd to the 24th of September while CS:GO will take place on 29th of September to the 1st of October. This will act as a great warm-up for the teams who are taking part at rAge for both ESL and VS Gaming Masters, and this could also be one of the reasons the dates were pushed to December. After rAge Orena will run their group stages on the 14th and 15th of October for Dota 2, and 21st and 22nd of October for CS:GO. This gives teams in the tournament two months to prepare for the Championships which are set to take place in December. The groups will be decided by the ladder, and the finals will, of course, be decided by the groups.
The Championship (or playoffs) will take place on the 9th and 10th of December for Dota 2, and the 16th and 17th of December for CS:GO. Having a tournament so late in the year, a big tournament, hasn’t really been done before as the holiday period is often where players take breaks, but they’re known to get a bit a bored during the holidays. In reality, it’s actually one of the best times to have a tournament as you’re guaranteed no clashes with school, work or university. There is, of course, the fear that some players will be taking a holiday away, but esports always comes first.
The OCS in December will be Orena’s first major competition for the year, in their new venue, and will be the last esports competition for 2017. It will hopefully set the tone for a successful 2018 for Orena who have taken their time in 2017 to ensure that this is the case. 2017 Has been an incredible year for esports, and it’s good to know that it won’t end at rAge like it usually does.
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Last Updated: August 29, 2017
