“Join the Republic” goes Down Under for PAX Australia 2016

What would you do to become a pro gamer? Many make incredible sacrifices in pursuit of this dream, but what if all it took was signing up and showcasing your skills at PAX?

At Republic of Gamers, our mission is empowering gamers of all levels. Over the last several months we’ve been recruiting CS:GO players worldwide for the “Join the Republic” Community Challenge, including from conventions like PAX West. Our goal in hosting this challenge is giving everyday gamers the tools and sponsorships they need to go pro.

For PAX Australia 2016 – held at the beginning of November – we went down under to draft a team from the amateur gamers who signed up and lined up for a shot at pro glory, sponsorship, and, most importantly, an opportunity to represent Australia in the Dreamhack-sponsored Grand Final in Stockholm, Sweden.

Australian CS:GO pro Chad Burchill – better known as "SPUNJ" – led the charge, but he had no easy task: with just three days to choose the four most talented players, perhaps it’s no surprise that it was a weekend full of heated battles, hard choices, and heartbreak.

But to choose the finalists, he had to find them first.

The qualifiers

Friday, day one. The competition area dominated the Republic of Gamers booth, where four GL502 battle stations sat on top of a small stage. Behind them, a wall-mounted TV broadcasted the heated battles from SPUNJ's screen; in front, smaller displays enabled spectators to clap and cheer for their favorite players as individual battles unfolded.

A crowd gathers to see the qualifying battles

The announcer explained the stakes: battles would be 1v1—King of the Hill style—with two fights taking place at once. The first to ten frags in each group would be King of the Hill, and the King could hold his or her throne for up to five rounds before stepping down and allowing others a chance to reign supreme.

Players who ascended the stage also had a choice: take on the current King of the Hill, or challenge team captain SPUNJ. Dethroning the King of the Hill was one thing, but battling the team captain was another entirely. This was a true test of mettle, and, for many, it was nearly impossible to get in more than a few kills.

SPUNJ in the zone during the 1v1s

Going straight from the convention floor to the professional gaming circuit is practically unprecedented, so when passers-by heard they could win a pro sponsorship and a trip to Sweden, sign-ups began rolling in. Our staff even had to extend the tape lines on the floor so more people could queue. As word spread, people crowded in to watch the battles unfold on the screens.

An announcer narrates the 1v1 battles as the action unfolds on the large-screen TV

All players were on equal footing here: everyone played an "Aim map" with AK-47s, M4s, and AWPs. Specifically designed to test players’ 1v1 skills, the level was a small, walled-in arena with boxes for cover. It requires playing corners, but hiding forever isn’t an option. Those boxes especially provide a deceptive sense of safety – any player worth their salt can predict an enemy’s position and shoot through them for a kill. Of course, experienced players also know when to simply rush their enemy, challenging them head-on with a well-placed bullet or slashing knife. The map might be small, but its strategies are plenty intricate.

The first player in line was Shaun "Insanity" Speary. Although he was initially just eager to meet SPUNJ, he immediately became King of the Hill for the full five round maximum. No one could touch him – the highest score was a mere two kills to his ten. 

Partway through the morning on day one, SPUNJ got one of his first real challengers: a player named Kat. Although she said she’d only clocked a few hours in CS:GO, she played solidly and came away with five kills. When the battle was over, the announcer asked SPUNJ what he thought of Kat’s professed “one or two hours” of experience. “I think she has more than that,” SPUNJ countered wryly. 

Liam, Kat, and another player warm up for the 1v1 qualifiers

Early day one, certain patterns began to emerge: lots of players favored the AK-47, and for good reason – it provides an opportunity to get one-tap headshots without having to wait and reload like the AWP. SPUNJ, on the other hand, spent lots of time with the AWP or the knife. He also wasn’t afraid to try notoriously difficult jump shots or get up on an exposed platform to make the AWP kill he was gunning for.

Battles continued throughout the day, including a SPUNJ superfan named Lockland who got to play against his hero, and a player named Cameron who set the record for kills against the team captain at six. By the end of the day, SPUNJ and the ROG staff had already earmarked a few standout players, including Shaun "Insanity" Speary and Liam "HPR" Miller.

The battles continue

Only the first half of day two would feature qualifying 1v1s: the afternoon was dedicated to interviewing potential finalists. However, if day one provided a taste for the kind of talent PAX could provide, Saturday battles solidified it: the skill had arrived.

Almost immediately, a CS commentator named Kevin matched SPUNJ kill for kill. The crowd watched tensely as the two challengers battled it out from 3-3 to 5-7, when Kevin set the highest record against SPUNJ so far. 

The furious challenge continued until SPUNJ finally ended it, 10-8.

Nonetheless, Kevin had set an incredible new precedent, and the team captain was clearly impressed. In fact, SPUNJ gave Kevin another chance. This time, he would take on the current King of the Hill. If Kevin could beat the King and hold the throne, he'd be a solid contender for the Sunday finals. But could he do it?

Kevin "Karath" Zhu during the 1v1 qualifiers

Yes, he could! It was an extremely close match, but Kevin prevailed with a solid 10-7 victory.

Meanwhile, another player quickly topped Kevin’s top score with a whopping nine kills against SPUNJ—the closest he came to defeat all weekend. 

The announcer asked SPUNJ what he thought of the Saturday talent. “The skill today is very good,” he said approvingly. “The day one talent was a bit low, but we’re going to have to monitor very closely today.”

As if to confirm this, Kevin was faring extremely well as the new King. After impressing SPUNJ and capturing the throne, he was onto the fourth of five rounds. Even when he was convinced that fatigue would cause a fifth round defeat, he pulled through. Stepping down from the stage, he looked tired but happy. In spite of his doubts, he’d made it onto SPUNJ's shortlist.

Into the interviews

After a morning of heated expo hall battles, the silence inside the hotel suite living room was deafening; the atmosphere rigid with sharpened nerves. Murmurs came from behind the imposing wooden door where the current finalist was being interviewed and filmed. Everyone in the outer living room had to be as quiet as possible during filming – although, from the distant, pensive looks on their faces, perhaps they weren’t in the mood to talk anyway.

A living room full of pensive finalists waiting to interview

The murmurs came to an end and the door rolled open with an abrupt shudder. The previous interviewee stepped out and it was time for someone else to go in.

“I’ll go,” Shaun suddenly volunteered. “I just want to get it over with.”

No one has ever been disqualified based on their interview questions, although it’s at the team captain's discretion. But it’s not necessarily about qualifying or disqualifying players – it’s about understanding who they are: Why go pro? What does Counter-Strike mean to them? And why should they be picked?

The interviews revealed the similarities that united the finalists and the differences that set them apart. Some, like Tom and Dale, were motivated by competitive ambitions to represent Australia. Others, like Kevin and Evan, had held onto a pro gaming childhood dream that sometimes dwindled, but never fully went away.

Kevin "Karath" answers questions in the interview room

For a few, CS:GO meant family: Marlin and Dale were both introduced to it by their dads, while Shaun played with his brother.

And for Shaun, Liam, and Locke, it wasn’t just an amazing opportunity to go pro, but a chance to travel outside Australia for the first time in their lives.

Perhaps most surprisingly, though, was that for Aidan, one of the youngest finalists, it wasn’t about the trip at all. It didn’t matter to him where the competition happened—it was all about the experience: furthering his game and advancing his pro career.

Aidan "Focus" answers questions in the interview room

One thing was certain, though: for practically every finalist, SPUNJ was a role model – an Australian CS:GO pro who had “made it”, but was still down-to-earth. He wasn’t afraid to talk to fans in between matches at the ROG booth or take goofy selfies with them.

Many pro gamers might acquire mythical status, but SPUNJ was different – he was open about failure and all-too-human issues like depression. He even remembered the other gamers’ names from Twitch, Twitter, and online matches – that meant the world to them. Playing alongside him was a dream come true.

SPUNJ takes a goofy selfie with a fan

A long day finally at its end, the last interviewee trickled out of the room and the camera crew packed up. Tomorrow would be the ten finalists' moment of truth. With both their skills and aspirations on the line, choosing just four of them for Team Australia wasn't going to be easy.

The final battle

Early Sunday morning, all ten players were raring and ready on the PAX mainstage. Energetic electronica pumped through the speakers, but they were already in the zone – headsets on, leaning intently into their monitors, frenetically inputting custom configs or warming up in-game, fingers dancing over the keys.

Shaun "Insanity" warms up during the finals

Monitor-mounted cameras projected their faces, in-game handles, and HP bars along the front of the stage. Thanks to these projections, unfiltered emotions from their successes and failures flickered large for all to see.

SPUNJ had picked five players for his team: Shaun “Insanity”, Liam “HPR”, Marlin “VoXXeR”, Evan “WastedPenguinz”, and Stu “MeatyStu”. They would begin as the counter-terrorists.

Meanwhile, his friend and fellow game analyst, Pala Gilroy Sen, chose Aidan “Focus”, Locke "CoolGuy", Dale “deoxiDE”, Kevin “KaRath”, and Tony “t0niac” for his team, the terrorists.

Unlike the 1v1 qualifiers where the goal was to make it to ten frags, the 5v5 final battle was first to sixteen on Dust 2. And here it wasn’t just about pure kills: the terrorists' objective was to destroy one of two chemical weapons stashes using a bomb called the C-4, while the counter-terrorists had to prevent the C-4 from being planted, defuse it, or run the clock out.

“So, SPUNJ, does it matter which team wins the 5v5?” Prompted Pala.

“No—this is all about how they apply themselves in a team war environment,” SPUNJ replied.

This meant four finalists could be selected from either the winning or losing teams. The 1v1s were the measure of individual talent; in the 5v5s, team communication was especially critical. However, no one—not even SPUNJ and Pala—could hear the team chatter. Without being on the comm channels, they could only make inferences from the action onscreen.

The 10 finalists and battle stations on the PAX mainstage

Just like that, it was game time. Almost immediately, the teams were neck and neck for points. Team SPUNJ even had a brief advantage before Team Pala pulled into a three-point lead.

As the gap between the two teams widened, Team SPUNJ began fraying around the edges. The analysts had already noticed potential communication issues, but play patterns and poor purchasing decisions – like repeatedly failing to buy armor when there was enough money – confirmed their hypothesis. Even looking at players' faces on the displays, it was clear who was talking and who wasn't: on Team Pala, everyone’s mouths were moving. On Team SPUNJ, only three players were talking. Two were completely tight-lipped and silent, which did not bode well.

Kat watches Team SPUNJ during the final battle

On Team SPUNJ, HPR and Insanity did a big push, closing the gap slightly. But their team's sluggish communication still had them lagging. Team Pala’s three-point lead became five… then seven.

As the Ts pulled ahead, the economy turned against the CTs, making purchasing certain weapons and utilities more difficult. Between an early lead and economic advantage, the Ts quickly brought the score to 10-5 – the halftime point. 

During halftime, SPUNJ and Pala recapped what they had seen so far: from Team SPUNJ, an early lack of cohesion, mid-game disenchantment, and poor purchasing choices had damaged initial performance. On the flip side, Insanity and HPR had played extremely well, and HPR had filled the much-needed role as entry fragger. In many ways, they had carried their team and averted complete disaster.

Liam "HPR" at his battle station during the finals

On the Team Pala side, T0niac's high kill count and skillful strategies were paying off. KaRath was cleverly using utilities like smoke grenades to create space between himself and enemies, and deoxiDE also had an excellent kill score.

Dale "deoxiDE" glances at a teammate's monitor

The problem was that these five standout players would have to be whittled down to just four.

The teams swapped roles and dove into the action. Team Pala – now the counter-terrorists – kept increasing their lead.

At 5-13, the situation wasn’t looking good for the terrorists. But then, just as suddenly as it had turned south, it seemed like they might recover: a huge push from Insanity, HPR, and VoXXer closed the gap: 6… 7… 8! Could they bring it back?

At this point, one of the final's most incredible rounds ensued: Team SPUNJ controlled bomb site A, but deoxiDE got two amazing back-to-back kills. The CTs wrested control of the bomb site away from the Ts. It was down to 3v3, but the CTs had the HP advantage.

Looking at Team Pala through the audience

“The round is completely switched! How do the Ts get back into this?” Asked Pala.

“They don’t,” responded SPUNJ.

“Give them the benefit of the doubt!”

“They need to hope the CTs get greedy.”

Despite SPUNJ's doubts, Insanity scored an incredible double headshot, taking out both deoxiDE and Focus before he was killed. MeatyStu mopped up. Flying in the face of skepticism, Team SPUNJ had turned it back around and rallied in an incredible show of coordination. 

Team SPUNJ were now up to 10-14 thanks to their fantastic round—it actually seemed possible to make a comeback. Smiles on faces, their morale was improving and even their formerly-uncommunicative players seemed to be talking.

The heated battles continued and the terrorists eked out another point. Unfortunately for them, the counter-terrorists’ superior communication and early lead won out: Team Pala secured final victory at 11-16.

But just as SPUNJ mentioned before the competition began, winning didn’t guarantee placement among the final four. Who would he choose?

Onward to Sweden

The ten finalists stood up behind their chairs, nervousness scrawled across their features as SPUNJ ascended the stage. Prompted for his picks, he admitted that he hadn’t even fully decided yet. Then, one by one, he announced their names:

Insanity – a top fragger with what SPUNJ described as “blistering” performance – was chosen for his excellent game awareness, positioning, and impact.

deoxiDE was chosen for his pure skills and kills on Team Pala – another one of the original five standouts.

Dale "deoxiDE" stands onstage to accept his nomination from SPUNJ

Another from Team Pala, T0niac, was picked for consistent and amazingly skillful shots.

Now it was down to KaRath and HPR – both great players in their own right. It was an incredibly difficult choice. 

Ultimately, the decision was strategic: SPUNJ needed an AWPer. KaRath, while an excellent team leader and well-rounded player, was a "fill" – a jack of all trades who knew a little bit of everything, but wasn't specialized in a particular role. In contrast, HPR was the best AWPer on either team. So it was decided: HPR was going to Sweden.

With the final four locked in, the other players came forward, clapping the winners on the shoulders and shaking their hands. In spite of their visible disappointment, they were proud to see their former teammates and opponents in the winner's circle. They knew that SPUNJ had picked a strong team.

All four finalists and SPUNJ pose onstage

Although their PAX experience may be behind them, this is just the beginning for the new Team Australia: in a few weeks, they'll be sent to a training boot camp to become a cohesive group and prep to take on the currently-favored Grand Final teams, Sweden and USA. And there's a lot on the line: SPUNJ's new team is not only getting their very first pro gamer sponsorships, new equipment, and a trip to Sweden, but an opportunity to play for Australia—a country that's historically been underrepresented in the eSports arena.

Team Australia may have their work cut out for them, but one thing is for sure: with players like the ones SPUNJ has chosen, it's an exciting path ahead.

The four Team Australia finalists, from left to right: Tony "t0niac" Kok, Liam "HPR" Miller, Shaun "Insanity" Speary, and Dale "deoxiDE" Carta

 

By Kimberly Koenig