Serious Gaming has been a consistent performer for the last 2 seasons, but this time around failed to requalify for WC3L after losing to wNv in the upper bracket and ies (now nWo) in the lower bracket. To try to find out what was going on behind the scene in srs, I spoke with Zerter, head manager of srs.wc3.

Zerter

How has your team been since being knocked out of WC3L qualifiers?

Everyone was very disappointed we did not make WC3L and in the general the team took it hard. It did not prevent us from giving a big effort in other competitions (having now re-qualified for NGL One and so far having three players qualify for ESWC) but it will be a shadow on the team as long as we're not in the league as everyone feels we have the quality present to compete in it.

What other leagues are you going to participate in instead of WC3L?

Like I said, we are back in NGL One, next to that we are also competing in WPL in which we are currently one of the four teams participating in the play-offs next to fnatic, former Wicked and IeS. There was some discussion about joining WHL, but the sign-ups of the league are closed. In general we are interested in participating in any competition that can provide high level competition.

How do you like your chances in WPL playoffs?

There are no teams we can not beat and there are no teams that can not beat us, it would not be a shock if we win the league but it would not be surprising if we finished fourth either.

What is more important to you to be in, NGL-One or WC3L?

Even though it hurts the interests of my team to say so: WC3L by far. The competition in the league is higher as the teams are stronger, the format is better, the league generates a lot more exposure, the organization behind it is superior to NGL's and the players in it are lot more dedicated to do well in the league.

Why do you think players hold a higher regard for WC3L? Mostly the competition and the organization, or is there something more to it?

A big factor in any appreciation for leagues in competitive gaming is tradition, past events matter. It is why RTS players hold WCG in such high regard despite the rise of events that are at minimum comparable otherwise. WC3L has been around since 2002 and always been the top dog league, players know and trust it. But other than that, it really is superior to NGL (which is good as well in these regards, but simply not as good) in terms of: organization, prize money and the LAN finals which are considered better events. Also the league generates more exposure (whichever teams wins WC3L is considered the strongest by fans and pundits alike) and because of that as well as because its part of ESL which is the number one organization in terms of organizing WC3 events it helps players who do well gain access to better teams and other competitions.

Do you hope or think that WC3L or NGL will use some of the new Blizzard maps or PGL maps? Do you think they are good for league play?

Having not actually seen the new maps in play (a lot) I can not comment on the specific maps. In general though I would say that new maps shake things up in a way which is good for league play - new maps require new approaches which benefit creative and new players. It should also be good for spectators as they get to see new things (and if they want to see old things there's always plenty of that).

Do you expect to qualify for WC3L the next time around?

Hell yeah.

You have very skilled players on your team, but they have sometimes been inconsistent; Are you satisfied with their training?

I think you are right in saying some of my players have an inconsistent shape. Sometimes being able to compete against established professional gamers and at other times struggling to make it into the world's most prestigious leagues. Their training has at times been a factor that contributed to this, sometimes players have down periods so I'm not always satisfied by it and act on this (having a big roster of capable players) by giving players that work hard more chances to compete in leagues. Overall I am satisfied with every single one of my players however, we would not work well together otherwise.

Are you looking at adding another player? Do you think you need to add another player to get over the hump and start making some noise in WC3L?

We are always evaluating our needs, at present I do not see any additions coming up however. Rather than that I would like to continue working on helping our current roster become even stronger, we have had many cases of players joining us and growing a lot during their stay of which the most current examples are DowaQ and SonKiE who will both be debuting at their first ESWC with us soon and who I believe both still have so much room to grow as players.