Arcane is taking over the world. Riot Games’ debut animated League of Legends series has become a smash hit with both League fans and general audiences alike. It’s maintained a 100% average on Rotten Tomatoes and received near perfect scores from most online reviewers. The show has been heralded as a masterpiece, and the future of animation and CG, but this didn't happen overnight. Arcane is the result of more than a decade of Riot Games animations. So how did a company that originally made a single game, which looked to be average at best, produce arguably the best video game screen adaption of all time? This is the Rise of Arcane. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Narrated by: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer: Spencer Pascoe (@SpennyPascoe) Special thank you to our interview guests: Erica Lindbeck on Twitter: @ericalindbeck Tyler Erzberger on Twitter: @FionnOnFire Special thank you to Parkes Ousley (@parquesomedia) for his photos from the undercity: https://www.upcomer.com/photos-from-the-undercity-capturing-the-secret-cinema-arcane-event/ Footage sources: https://controlc.com/6ba1f6d3 Thumbnail image via Fortiche Productions and Riot Games Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Find Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

They were a team of unknown players. A team that fans outside their region largely dismissed. But they were also a team that made gods bleed. Latin American organization KRÜ Esports defied expectations at Valorant Champions by eliminating some of the greatest teams in the world. But how did this group of young and hungry talent go from nobodies, to god killers? This is the Rise of KRÜ Esports. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer and Narrator: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) Special thank you to our interview guests: Nicolas "Klaus" Ferrari Twitter: @KlaussOW Yinsu Collins Twitter: @YinsuCollins Footage sources: https://controlc.com/77311900 Thumbnail images via KRÜ Esports, Riot Games Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Follow Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

Arguably the greatest esports competitor that the world has ever seen, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok helped build and define esports as we know it today. But even gods aren’t immune to the march of time. After making history with his third League of Legends World Championship victory in 2016, the Unkillable Demon King has been slowly declining, failing to produce results on both international and domestic stages. But in 2021, Faker transitioned from being the star player to a mentor of a team of rookie talent; a team he managed to lead straight to worlds. This is the Rise Again of Faker. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer and narrator: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) Faker on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/faker On Twitter: @faker Special thank you to our interview guests: Erik "DoA" Lonnquist on Twitter: @ggDoA Tyler Erzberger on Twitter: @FionnOnFire Footage sources: https://controlc.com/5a049b9c Thumbnail image via Riot Games Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Find Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

Welcome back to Showstopper, Upcomer's weekly Valorant talk show. This week, hosts Yinsu and Tyler sat down with The Guard's in-game-leader, Jacob "valyn" Batio, and coach, Matthew "mCe" Elmore. The Guard have taken the North American Valorant scene by storm after starting their Stage 1 Challengers campaign off with an impressive 3-0 record. Most notably, they handed at 13-0 map loss to 100 Thieves and eventually won the series in a shocking upset. Yinsu and Tyler spoke to valyn and mCe about The Guard's recent success and how they plan to continue improving despite their current perfect record in the Valorant Champions Tour. Both valyn and mCe attributed a lot of the team success to their youngest player Trent "trent" Cairns. MCe even compared trent and his playstyle to that of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive legend Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. Valyn and mCe spoke about Valorant's most recent in-game update, Patch 4.04, including how it would affect The Guard and other teams in the VCT for the remainder of the tournament. Valyn stated that Astra, the most popular controller agent in Valorant, had effectively been nerfed to death and would most likely no longer see competitive play. Finally, in this week's edition of Roast My Tier List, valyn, mCe, Yinsu and Tyler ranked all of the teams competing in North America Challengers 1. Don't be surprised when some big names end up at the bottom of the list. Hosted and produced by: Yinsu Collins (@YinsuCollins) and Tyler Erzberger (@FionnOnFire) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) and Adam Fitzsimmons (@Adam_Fitz_) Supervising Producer: Spencer Pascoe (@SpennyPascoe) valyn on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/1valyn On Twitter: @valyngod mCe on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mCe__ On Twitter: @MatthewCElmore Footage Source: https://twitter.com/ElevatedSpeaks/status/1498828928546336770?s=20&t=4HZSFQRJF1Vl7tfi9Ci7qg Thumbnail images of valyn and mCe provided by The Guard and Gen.G Esports. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:45 Welcome valyn and mCe 1:44 Roast My Tier List: North America Challengers 1 teams 1:55 Tyler's tier list 5:40 Yinsu's tier list 8:30 mCe on the quality of teams in North America 12:12 valyn and mCe build their tier list 20:04 valyn and mCe's tier list 22:12 valyn on the IGL situation in NA 23:33 valyn on who he wants to play against outside of NA 24:16 mCe on who he wants to play against outside of NA 25:52 mCe and valyn on Gambit Esports 29:03 valyn on why he joined The Guard 30:46 mCe on why he joined The Guard 32:37 mCe on how trent joined The Guard 35:53 mCe on trent's attitude out of game 40:10 Valorant Patch Notes: 4.04 40:27 mCe on the changes to Icebox 42:38 valyn on the nerfs to Astra 44:01 mCe on the Yoru rework 46:05 The panel reacts to a Yoru fake-out clip 48:40 mCe and valyn on the worst agents in Valorant 49:50 The Cooldown 49:52 What was the last movie you watched? 52:12 What was the first game you ever played? 55:30 Who was the first esports pro you admired? 58:10 Who was the last musical artist you listened to? 59:53 Final thoughts Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Follow Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

This week on Top Tier we're ranking esports trophies. From the kind of hardware that feels truly worthy of esports glory, to cups we wouldn't take home if you paid us, these are the best and worst esports trophies, ranked. Join Nick Ray and guest panelists Parkes Ousley, Danny Appleford and Coby Zucker as they take this tier list way too seriously. Think your tier list is better? Make your own and tweet us at @Upcomer: https://tiermaker.com/create/top-tier--esports-trophies-again-1048231 Hosted by: Danny Appleford (@KovuDanny), Nick Ray (@AsherIsHere_), Parkes Ousley (@parquesomedia), Coby Zucker (@CobyZucker) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) and Adam Fitzsimmons (@Adam_Fitz_) Tier Master: Lexi Johnson (@miinxiiee) Tier list via Tier Maker https://tiermaker.com/ Thumbnail images via Riot Games and Natus Vincere: https://www.flickr.com/photos/valorantesports/ https://navi.gg/en/navi/players/33-s1mple Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Follow Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

Valorant has its first dynasty. A team unmatched in aggression, power and confidence. A team that has dominated the competition, winning tournament after tournament. A team called Cloud9 White. Cloud9 White are an unstoppable force in the women’s Valorant scene. In all of the Valorant Champions Tour Game Changers series, they are undefeated. They've faced challenges, but have risen to each and every one of them. This is the rise of Cloud9 White. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer and narrator: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) meL on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/melanji On Twitter: @mel_anji katsumi on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/katsumifps On Twitter: @katsumiFPS alexis on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/alexis On Twitter: @alexismarieNY Jazzyk1ns on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Jazzyk1ns On Twitter: @Jazzyk1ns Yinsu Collins on Twitter: @YinsuCollins Footage sources: https://controlc.com/13f7e64e Thumbnail image via Cloud9 Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Find Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

Sentinels' anchor player Michael "dapr" Gulino has solidified himself as one of the best in Valorant. The best Cypher, the best at callouts and the best… at BM. But it wasn't always this way. Before he was part of one of the best teams in the world, dapr spent years trying and failing to make it to the top of Counter-Strike. So, how did a kid on no one's radar with a reputation for toxicity turn himself into one of the best players in the world? This is the Rise, Fall and Rise Again of dapr. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer and narrator: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) dapr on Twitch:https://www.twitch.tv/dapr On Twitter: @dapr Tyler Erzberger on Twitter: @FionnOnFire Footage sources: https://controlc.com/261ba404 Thumbnail image via Riot Games Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Find Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/

When you hear the word "esports" today, your mind probably goes to the usual suspects: League of Legends, Valorant, maybe even Overwatch. But before any of these games even existed, there was one name that defined esports in the West. A title that elevated competitive gaming from a niche pastime to a national spectacle. That game was Halo. Halo defined two entire generations of console gaming, and stood at the forefront of esports before the industry as we know it really existed. Yet, as quickly as it rose to prominence, Halo esports disappeared. After almost a decade of hibernation, Halo esports is back in a big way. Following the launch of Halo Infinite, the Halo Championship Series celebrated its triumphant return with a massive tournament and an equally massive prize pool. But how did a game that was consigned to the annals of esports history make its way back to main stage prominence? This is the Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Halo Esports. Written by: Adam Neylan (@NeylanIt) Edited by: Tomás Roldán (@TomasRoldan1993) Graphics and thumbnail by: Ivan Cortez (@IvanC__14) Script Editor: Samantha Jones (@SammieRaeJones) Supervising Producer and Narrator: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) Special thank you to our interview guests: Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez Twitter: @GoldenboyFTW Emanuel "Hoaxer" Lovejoy Twitter: @HoaxerTV Footage sources: https://controlc.com/4db51b1e Thumbnail images via Microsoft, 343 Industries, Halo Championship Series Visit https://www.upcomer.com/ and download the mobile app for more. Follow Upcomer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Upcomer Find Upcomer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upcomeresports/