Esports Weekly Wrap-Up Sept 16th – Sept 20th
Amelia Green and Kaz Phoenix
The Vandal Esports Program kicks off into various leagues following our tryouts. After our wonderful first full year as a program, we are excited to welcome back players and fans and greetings newcomers!
Following our tryouts, the Vandal Esports program is kicking off into various leagues. After our wonderful first full year as a program, we are excited to welcome back players and fans, and greet newcomers!
Subsequent games listed will be formatted by if they are being streamed and if they are not being streamed. For all games, the Vandal Esports program will proudly be participating in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, otherwise known as ECAC for the Fall 2024 semester. This includes one exception, which will be mentioned later on.
There are other competitions that various teams will be participating in throughout the semester, and they shall be announced as they come.
Monday, Sept. 16th
There were no scheduled games for this Monday; however, there was still plenty of activity in the lab, from guests joining us to teams practicing in preparation for competitive games.
Following the schedule, Monday usually consists of Apex Legends, EAFC, Tom Clansy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Teamfight Tactics, Valorant, Rocket League, Overwatch 2, and Streetfighter 6 held on Mondays. The magnitude of our games is condensed into these articles.
Various teams will participate in other competitions throughout the semester, which will be announced as they occur.
Tuesday, Sept. 17th
Kicking off Tuesday with an intense pre-season scrimmage, our Vandals competed against the Oklahoma University Sooners. The match-up was a very close battle between our schools, but unfortunately, we lost 10-13. Overall, there was much to learn in terms of utility use and reaction times. A highlight to note is Dohyun’s impressive kill streaks across multiple rounds. Our program can’t wait to see more from our fantastic Varsity Valorant team.
In tandem with Tuesday Valorant streams, there are usually a couple of other games that play as well: League of Legends, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Streetfighter 6, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Wednesday, Sept. 18th
This Wednesday is host to the second CECC against Sacramento State University in Rocket League. The conclusion was an unfortunate loss for our Vandals at 1-3. A highlight of this matchup was that we were able to keep pace with a team that won the Grand Finals of the NECC League at 4-0 and won a game off of them.
The typical Wednesday will have Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty, League of Legends, NHL, Omega Strikers, Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and Valorant.
Of course, not all of these games will be streamed on our Twitch, so be sure to check the Weekly Wrap-Ups for updates on your favorite games!
Thursday, Sept. 19th
There was a scheduled scrimmage with the Boise State University Esports Program between our Valorant teams. This means that, unlike a typical league match, there were 24 rounds, regardless of who reached 13 rounds first. The conclusion was a 22-2 loss for the Vandals. However, there was an impressive second win later in the match on Bind that was a wipeout against BSU.
In addition to Valorant Varsity, Thursday is host to Call of Duty, Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Madden, Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate. While this is a very first-person shooter game day, there are still a variety of games to see.
Friday, Sept. 20th
Friday, our program held its first Playfly match in Counter Strike 2 against the University of New Mexico. With a 2-0 win, our program would like to highlight an impressively fast round in the first map, lasting roughly 20 seconds.
There are also a host of games competing alongside Counter Strike 2; however, they may not be streamed as often – with an exemption from League of Legends. These games include MLB: The Show, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Tekken 8, and Call of Duty.
A special event coming up is a Battle of the Borders between Washington State University against our Vandals in a myriad of games! Come and join us in some friendly competitions on Saturday, September 28th.
Our Esports Program is happy to welcome all of our wonderful fans and players back to the lab and the channel. Please join us in person at the Esports Lab, located in the basement of the Pitman Center, or watch on Twitch at UIdahoEsports.
Go Vandals!