THE L'OREAL MEN EXPERT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS SCOUTING GROUNDS SHOWCASES NEW LOCAL TALENT
The last weekend of November played host to the first ever L’Oreal Men Expert LoL Scouting Grounds, brought to you by L’Oreal Men Expert and the Chiefs Esports Club. Eight teams battled over two days, with LCO veterans drafting and captaining sides full of young talent in the hopes of finding the region’s next superstars. Broadcast live from the Chiefs Country Club in Brisbane, skilled youngsters had the opportunity to shoot their shot in front of a national audience.
In partnership with Cure Cancer Australia, the event’s broadcast was also helmed by familiar LCO talent—the ever-brilliant Skimmy, Rusty and Kitty—alongside other members of the local League community. Viewers donated to Game On Cancer throughout the show (and made our talent do some hilarious challenges in the process) — raising over four thousand dollars over the course of the event.
"It is very important to us as an industry leader to support the community. League of Legends is very close to our core as a team, it is where Chiefs started, so introducing an opportunity to help foster the next wave of talent alongside one of our long term key partners in L'Oreal Men Expert is a fantastic moment for everyone." said Josh Harvey, Chief Marketing Officer at the Chiefs.
Day 1 of the Scouting Grounds was the group stage, with the eight teams divided into two groups of four. Two teams would emerge from each group after a single best-of-one round robin and do battle on Sunday for the title of Scouting Grounds champion. The best-of-three Grand Finals was highly entertaining, but in the end Team Dragku emerged victorious with a 2-0 victory over Team BioPanther.
After drafting a strong side, Team Dragku swept through the tournament, dominating the other Group B teams — captained by Toppy, Tronthepom and UDYSOF respectively. The winner’s bracket match against Team BioPanther was another commanding performance, and the squad successfully ran it back against the veteran toplaner’s side in the finals, with BioPanther and co knocking over Team Toppy in the lower bracket finals to make it there.
Team BioPanther’s group stage run had been much closer, tying both Team Rosey and Team Whynot on two wins apiece — but made it out in first place with a tiebreaker. Four years after leaving Oceania’s top competition, Rosey returned in style by sneaking out of the group in second, galvanised by a 25-minute domination of Team BioPanther.
For Josh and the rest of the Chiefs, the excitement around the event was palpable. "It is a huge step forward for us. We were able to bring the best commentary talent in the region, and produce a professional broadcast live from our gaming house in South East Queensland, while also showcasing the up and coming players Australia and New Zealand have to offer.
After the success of this weekend, we will definitely be looking at doing it bigger and better next year, with the potential for more events throughout the season."