NEX Studio from Thailand has announced the NEX Play From Home tournament, featuring US$20,000 in prizes and eight invited teams.
Amid the COVID-19 crisis that is sweeping the world, many tournament organizers have been forced to scrap plans for international and regional LANs, and instead, focus on bespoke online events catering to the new global environment.
NEX Studio from Thailand is one of a few who have entered the online frenzy with a US$20,000 event. Starting today, April 4th, and set to run through April 15th, the “Play From Home” event features two groups that will battle it out in a double-elimination format before the double-elimination playoffs. All matches will be BO3, with only the grand-final being a BO5.
The top two teams from each group will then move on to the playoffs on April 13-15. Notable teams like TIGER and ZIGMA will be looking for an easy win, but with teams like Invictus, HuatZai and Bren Esports, this is looking to be a well-contested event. Newcomers Paper Rex and underdogs SHIFT are no easy threats either, only adding to the potential upset stories.
READ HERE: MAPLE WIN NEX INVITATIONAL 2019
The full team list, groups, and schedule are as follows:
NEX Play From Home Groups
| Group A | Group B |
| ?? Invictus | ?? ZIGMA |
| ?? HuatZai | ?? TIGER |
| ? BTRG | ?? Team SHIFT |
| ? Paper Rex | ?? Bren Esports |
Full Schedule – Group Stage
| Match | Format | Group | Date | Time [SGT] |
| ?? IG vs ? BTRG | BO3 | A | 04 / 04 | 14:00 |
| ? PPRX vs ?? HZ | BO3 | A | 04 / 04 | 17:00 |
| ?? ZIGMA vs ?? SHIFT | BO3 | B | 05 / 04 | 14:00 |
| ?? TIGER vs ?? BREN | BO3 | B | 05 / 04 | 17:00 |
| WINNERS MATCH | BO3 | A | 06 / 04 | 14:00 |
| ELIMINATION MATCH | BO3 | A | 06 / 04 | 17:00 |
| ELIMINATION MATCH | BO3 | B | 07 / 04 | 14:00 |
| WINNERS MATCH | BO3 | B | 07 / 04 | 17:00 |
| DECIDER MATCH | BO3 | A | 08 / 04 | 14:00 |
| DECIDER MATCH | BO3 | B | 08 / 04 | 17:00 |
Playoffs Schedule
| Match | Format | Date | Time [SGT] |
| UPPER BRACKET #1 | BO3 | 13 / 04 | 14:00 |
| UPPER BRACKET #2 | BO3 | 13 / 04 | 17:00 |
| UPPER BRACKET WINNER | BO3 | 14 / 04 | 14:00 |
| LOWER BRACKET #1 | BO3 | 14 / 04 | 17:00 |
| LOWER BRACKET FINAL | BO3 | 15 / 04 | 14:00 |
| GRAND FINAL | BO5 | 15 / 04 | 17:00 |
The online event will be live-streamed, but the organizers have yet to confirm which channels and if English will be available. Users can tune into UCC Studio 3 on Twitch for the Russian stream.
The prize distribution for the NEX Play From Home tournament is as follows:
1st – US$ 10,000
2nd – US$ 5,000
3rd – US$ 2,000
4th – US$ 1,000
5-8th – US$ 500
