The rise of eSports, professionally played video games doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, with its popularity and its prizes ever increasing. One of the most successful eSports is StarCraft 2, a strategy game with a passionate following.
Here at Mobile Wins, we don’t only offer the best eSports bets, but we’ll take the time to explain everything you need to know about each game. In this guide to Starcraft 2 betting, we are going to look back at the history of the game, and see how what began as a humble video game has become a phenomenon with prestigious competitions. We’ll also answer all the questions you may have on Starcraft 2 betting.
About the game
But before we can focus on the professional tournaments and StarCraft 2 betting markets, it would be helpful to have a reminder of what StarCraft is.
StarCraft 2 is a real-time strategy (RTS) game. Players build a base, train an army and try to defeat the other player. Each player chooses one of three races to play: Terran, Protoss or Zerg. StarCraft 2 features a Korean circuit (GSL) and an international circuit (WCS). Players gather points in their circuits to qualify for the WCS Global Finals at BlizzCon.
The original StarCraft game was released way back in 1998, so long ago that it was only originally available on Microsoft Windows. However, there is no doubt that it was a game ahead of its time. In fact, the game recently became free-to-play, so you may want to take a look.
The game focuses on the struggle between three species as they seek to dominate a distant region of the Milky Way galaxy. The groups are:
- Terran: Originally human outcasts from Earth. Terrans fight for their survival in the galaxy. Terran players often use a “bio” or “mech” army. Bio armies primarily consist of soldiers trained from Barracks, while mech armies use armored vehicles from Factories.
- Protoss: A high tech alien race. The Protoss are prideful and use their technology and psionic powers to wipe out their enemies. Protoss players rely on well timed attacks or highly advanced and expensive armies.
- Zerg: A biologically advanced alien race of giant insect-like creatures. The Zerg are nicknamed “The Swarm” for their mass assaults, overwhelming their foes. Zerg players swarm their opponents with superior numbers of cheap units.
The battle between these three species is what’s at the very heart of the StarCraft video games and the StarCraft professional competitions.
Players are required to discover their surroundings in a detailed map, and must seek out certain resources if they are to survive. Each player tries to destroy the enemy’s base whilst defending their own. They must also decide which military units will serve them best in their attempt at conquest. Each unit has different abilities, making it a difficult decision to choose a path to glory.
StarCraft 2 is the sequel to one of the oldest eSports, StarCraft: Brood War. The first version of StarCraft 2, Wings of Liberty, aired in 2010. The game popularised livestreaming on JustinTV, which later became Twitch. In 2013, the expansion Heart of the Swarm aired, followed by Legacy of the Void in 2015. Both expansions brought drastic changes to the game, including new units, mechanics and balance changes. Legacy of the Void is the current and final edition.
StarCraft 2 matched the roaring success of the original game. The storyline carries on the struggle for dominance between the three species, and has now become the focus for almost all professional StarCraft competitions. The game is still going strong in 2024 and shows no signs of slowing down!
There are many reasons why we love StarCraft, but the biggest is definitely the three species, each of which offers rich history and unique characteristics. This guarantees that players have to make difficult tactical decisions when choosing their species and which military units to use in their quest for victory. These tough decisions make it equally challenging for viewers to predict what will happen, something we will explore later when we look more into StarCraft 2 betting.
StarCraft competitions
This diversity in playable races is one of the reasons why StarCraft is so great to play (or watch, or bet on) in competitions, and why it is so popular with us here at Mobile Wins eSports betting.
Each year sees a StarCraft 2 World Championship Series, showing just how popular the game has become across the globe. The 2016 World Championsip Series Global Playoffs saw the world’s elite battle to be crowned champion, with ByuN from South Korea ultimately defeating fellow countryman Dark to claim the gold medal.
The tournament circuit is split in two leagues: WCS Korea and the international WCS Circuit. Korea has the most competitive, high level tournaments. Its biggest tournament series is the GSL. WCS features all players outside of Korea in international tournaments. Korean residents can’t compete here. The biggest Circuit tournaments series are DreamHack and IEM. 8 players with the most points in each league advance to the Global Finals at BlizzCon. They battle for 280.000 dollar and the title of world champion.
The South Korean Proleague, although recently disbanded, featured seven leading teams and was last won by Jin Air Green Wings. In fact, South Korea is the country where many of the world’s finest StarCraft 2 gamers call home.
The Global StarCraft 2 League is hosted by South Korea and offers a long and tough format for players. With matches streamed on Korean television and thousands of dollars in prize money at stake, StarCraft 2 is just as intense and exciting as any other eSport out there.
The player known as Mvp is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time and was part of a team known as Incredible Miracle. With several titles to his name, Mvp reached career earnings of over $300,000. Your goal when betting on StarCraft 2 is to find such top notch players and bet on them while they’re still fairly new and are likely to pay out more.
Famous StarCraft 2 players
Maru
Terran player Maru is the number one ranked StarCraft 2 player in South-Korea. He is the favorite at any tournament and might become the best StarCraft 2 player of all time. Maru won all three GSL events in 2018, an unrivaled feat. His streak only ended after his fourth GSL win in 2019. He is known for his fast multitasking skills, managing units all around the map.
Serral
Zerg player Serral is the best player from the West and reigning World Champion. Serral dominated the western scene, winning all four WCS Circuit events in 2018. He also had success in South-Korea, as Serral defeated Stats to win the 2018 GSL vs The World event. Serral capped his year off by becoming the first not-Korean StarCraft World Champion ever, a truly historic feat.
IdrA
Although IdrA left the StarCraft scene in 2013, his legacy and notoriety remains to this day. The most infamous player in StarCraft history, IdrA had as many haters as he had fans. In-game, he was known for his prowess in playing long macro games. This caused him to become the target of many early-game all-ins. IdrA was known to rage over such “cheap” strategies and often displayed poor etiquette. His habit of trash talking, complaining about game balance and prematurely leaving games made him one of the most controversial players in eSports. IdrA was removed from his team Evil Geniuses in 2013 for his increasing toxic behaviour and subsequently quit the game.
StarCraft 2 betting 2024
StarCraft’s popularity means that its availability in betting markets was always just a matter of time. There is no better place to bet on StarCraft 2 competitions than with us at Mobile Wins. It’s a rather complicated game to master, but this also means that there are great opportunities for profit by taking part in StarCraft 2 betting.
For example, the three species of the game are so well balanced that there isn’t a clear favorite, each player seems to have their own. Therefore, you will need to look at specific players and consider their form. As in all sports, sometimes teams and players can experience tough runs, and these runs are rarely easy to break. This is very true in StarCraft 2, and if a player’s confidence is low then they can struggle in the unforgiving gameplay.
Another factor to consider is how each player has fared in previous matchups. In the sport of tennis, players often have unexpectedly high levels of success against certain players, and struggle against others every time they meet. Sometimes certain players are particularly good at exploiting another player’s weakness. It does not necessarily mean that one player is better than the other, but rather that it is a favourable matchup. The same applies to this eSport, and is an important factor when considering StarCraft 2 betting.
StarCraft’s legacy is clear, from the substantial prizes at tournaments to the global access to StarCraft 2 betting. The creators of the game in the late 1990s could never have imagined the global appeal that the game would have, yet they have produced one of the world’s leading games. But don’t just take our word for it. IGN called the original StarCraft game “one of the best, if not the best, real-time strategy games ever created.” This is why it has become such a successful eSport, and why people in Korea watch it even on the television – maybe other countries will soon follow.
Bets
- Match winner. Predict the winner of the match series out of the two players.
- Map winner. Which player will take which map?
Top 5 highlights
- Hallucinated Void Rays (IdrA versus HuK at MLG Dallas)
- The Ultimate Battle of Micro (HuK versus NaNiwa at MLG Winter Championships)
- MarineKing Splitting Marines (MarineKing versus Life at Iron Squid 2)
- The West versus Korea (Scarlett versus Bomber at Red Bull Battlegrounds)
- Battlecruiser Archon Toilet (Mvp versus Squirtle at GSL 2012 Season 2 finals)
Bonus highlight: Serral become the first western StarCraft World Champion
As we mentioned above, confidence can be so important in the world of eSports where the smallest decisions can be the difference between victory and defeat. There is no clear path to victory, which is part of what makes it so compelling for players, punters and viewers alike.
All this is what makes this eSport so exciting and gives it such a potential for great returns on your bets, especially if you choose to bet with us here at Mobile Wins. Join us today to gain access to all of the best betting markets on StarCraft 2 and a wide range of other eSports, including Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Hearthstone.
StarCraft has always seen a divide between Korean and non-Korean players (every country outside of South-Korea). Korean players have dominated tournaments since the release of StarCraft: Brood War. This remains true in 2019, where Koreans dominate most tournaments. American player Neeb wrote history in 2016 by winning Kespa Cup in Korea. In 2018, Finnish player Serral managed to close the gap with South-Korea once and for all. First he defeated the Koreans on their home turf in GSL vs The World, and then he even defeated them on the biggest stage ever: The WCS Global Finals.
Top 5 Korean players of 2019
Maru did the impossible in 2018: Winning all three GSL’s. He seemed well on his way to win the WCS Global Finals too, until he abruptly got 3-0’d by teammate sOs. Nobody can deny however that he is the #1 Korean player and only Serral can match him. Maru displays a scrappy playstyle, creating chaos by creating his buildings near his opponents and constantly harassing their bases.
GSL and SSL winner Stats is currently the top Protoss player. Stats was the number 1 player in WCS points in 2017. His unparalleled defence makes him one of the most consistent players ever and earned him the title ‘Shield of Aiur’. Stats used to be in the shadow of Flash and Zest at KT Rolster. He proved that he has become one of the best players himself in 2016 and has continued this form in the following years. He lost the finals of the WCS Global Finals to Serral.
The eternally underrated Protoss. Classic always manages to fly under the radar and win tournaments out of nowhere. And every time expectations rise after his wins, he gets knocked out somewhere early. Currently, expectations are high again as Classic won GSL Super Tournament 2 and the GSL in the last six months. Let’s see if he manages to become more consistent and claim his rightful spot in the top 3 in the world.
Terran player TY became the youngest professional eSports player ever when he was 12 years old. He won his first premier tournaments 11 years later in 2017. These were the IEM World Championship and WESG. TY uses an aggressive but intelligent playstyle.
Dark was always seen as a big tournament threat but somehow never delivered. After countless second places, Dark finally managed to win the GSL in 2019 and establish himself as the top Korean Zerg.
Top 5 non-Korean players of 2019
Serral closed the gap with South-Korea by becoming the first non-Korean World Champion. His standard but solid playstyle makes him incredibly consistent, as Serral hardly loses to anyone anymore. He showed this consistency by winning all four WCS Circuit events, GSL vs The World and the WCS Global Finals in 2018.
Neeb won Kespa Cup in 2016 to become the first non-Korean to win a Korean tournament in over 15 years. In 2018, he broke another record by becoming the first non-Korean to reach the GSL semifinals since 2010. Even when Serral has surpassed him, Neeb shows that he can always compete with the best.
Mexican Terran player SpeCial has been playing StarCraft 2 since 2010. He leveled up his gameplay in 2017, resulting in two WCS top 4’s. SpeCial surprised the world by defeating Classic at the WCS Global Finals and reaching the quarterfinals. In 2019, SpeCial is a familiar face in the GSL, getting out of his pools twice. He also got second place at WCS Spring, only losing to Serral.
Scarlett is a very familiar face in the Western StarCraft scene. Her breakout tournament was IPL4 in 2013, where she made several upset wins after only playing the game for 6 months. She’s been on the top ever since, a unique feat as a female gamer. Scarlett’s biggest achievements in 2019 were 2 losses in finals: WCS Winter Americas to Neeb and GPL to INnoVation.
Reynor finally had his breakout year in 2018. The 16 year old Italian zerg travelled to South-Korea to practise and compete with the best. His efforts proved worthwhile: Reynor reached the WCS Montreal finals, where he narrowly lost 3-4 to Serral. Reynor got his revenge in the WCS Winter Europe, where he finally defeated Serral in the final to claim the trophy.
StarCraft 2 Hall of Fame
Mvp was known as the ‘King of Wings’ in Wings of Liberty. Mvp had the most dominant reign of any StarCraft 2 player ever. He unfortunately had to retire due to hand injuries. Mvp won four GSL titles, a feat only rivaled by INnoVation. Common opinion is that Mvp is still the greatest player of all time.
A Zerg prodigy. Life won the first GSL he ever attended when he was just 15 years old. He continued to become the best player in the world. Life could’ve challenged Mvp for greatest player of all time, if not for a major scandal. Life was declared guilty of matchfixing in 2016. He was stripped of all his titles in Korea and sentenced to prison.
Known as the Boss Toss, MC was the best Protoss player ever. MC conquered countless tournaments, including two GSL’s. He was one of the first Koreans to join a western team and regularly attend international tournaments. MC is still the top earner in StarCraft 2 with over 500.000 dollar in prize money. His eccentric personality made him one of the most popular players ever.
The king of international tournaments. TaeJa won 11 premier tournaments, more than any other player. Although he never won a tournament on Korean soil, TaeJa regularly defeated every top Korean and international player. TaeJa was also one of the best team league players. He notably scored 7 kills in a row in the IPL TAC3 finals against Incredible Miracle.
INnoVation was the first player after Life to challenge Mvp for greatest of all time. He won four GSL’s but is the only player in this top 5 who is still active. INnoVation is nicknamed ‘The Machine’ for his strong macro-gameplay and emotionless attitude.
Top 5 most famous teams of 2019
A Brood War progaming team since 2000, Team Liquid quickly became one of the top StarCraft 2 teams since the beta. German player TLO has been playing for Team Liquid since 2010. Korean superstars HerO and TaeJa played for Team Liquid until their retirements. The team currently features top European players MaNa, uThermal and TLO. TaeJa recently returned from retirement to re-join Team Liquid.
The last of the old Proleague StarCraft 2 teams. Jin Air won the last Proleague in 2016 over SK Telecom T1. Jin Air features some of the best players in the world, including three time GSL winner Maru and world champions sOs and Rogue.
Splyce signed two of the best Korean players: Stats and TY. Stats has won GSL and SSL, while TY has won WESG and IEM. The team is also active in many other eSports games, such as League of Legends and Overwatch.
Invictus Gaming is the premier Chinese StarCraft team since 2011. Most top Chinese players currently play here: Jim, MacSed, XiGua, XY and iAsonu. Invictus Gaming is also known for its League of Legends World Champions team.
Newbee recently signed 3 players to make a splash in the StarCraft scene: TIME, Scarlett and Dear. These players represent the brand in China, America and South-Korea.
Best StarCraft 2 team achievements
STX SouL at 2012-2013 Proleague
STX SouL used to be a low-tier Proleague team since its Brood War years. STX finished in 6th place at the 2011-2012 Proleague and showed little promise going into the next one. The team suddenly started to win, especially ace players Dear, Trap and INnoVation. STX found itself winning the finals against Woongjin Stars, another underdog team. Tragically, both teams disbanded after Proleague ended.
FXOpen at 2012 GSTL Season 2 & 3
FXOpen arguably wasn’t even a top 5 team coming into the 2012 GSTL season. The team finished an admirable third place at Season 1. Against all expectations, FXOpen managed to win the next two GSTL seasons. Season 2 ended on the back of a GuMiho all-kill, Season 3 with three GuMiho kills. Head coach Choya was lauded as a tactical genius and GuMiho as the best team league player.
Team Liquid at IPL Team Arena Challenge 3
IPL TAC was an online team league for StarCraft 2 teams from around the world. The league was always stacked with the best Korean teams, who dominated the first two editions. IPL TAC 3 proved no different, with just Team Liquid representing the international teams in the final bracket. Team Liquid managed to upset StarTale and SlayerS on the back of TaeJa’s combined 7 kills. Team Liquid had to beat Incredible Miracle, the best team in the world, twice to win the league. TaeJa almost defeated IM single-handedly, all-killing them the first set and getting two kills the second set before finally falling to GSL champion Seed. Seed closed out the series against HerO and won IM the trophy. TaeJa finished the league with a 23-3 score and gained Team Liquid the nickname ‘Team TaeJa’.
StarCraft 2 teams Hall of Fame
SlayerS won in 2011 two GSTL titles and five individual titles. Most of these titles came on the back of MMA, SlayerS’ ace player. The team had by far the broadest and strongest player roster in the scene. SlayerS’ individual results were only eclipsed by Incredible Miracle’s Mvp and NesTea, who combined won seven individual titles.
Evil Geniuses in 2012 fielded some of the best and most popular players in the world. Coming into 2012 EG had the two most popular western players in the world, HuK and IdrA. The team signed Stephano, ThorZaIN and Jaedong in 2012, each high level and extremely popular players. EG was compared to the New York Yankees for their purchases of top players.
KT Rolster was home to the best Brood War player in the world, Flash. He formed an unstoppable duo with rising star Zest. KT Rolster won the 2014 Proleague and Zest became the best player in the world with three major titles. Most impressive feat is that the team managed to dominate with a home-grown squad.
SK Telecom T1 and the other Proleague teams switched in 2012 from StarCraft: Brood War to StarCraft 2. Their rich sponsors allowed them to acquire some of the best players in the world. SK Telecom T1 purchased top players like Soulkey, INnoVation, PartinG, Dream, Dark and Classic in the 2013-2015 years. The team dominated the entire 2015 Proleague. Individual results consisted of five major titles and four second places.
Biggest tournaments
The tournament circuit is split in two leagues: WCS Korea and the international WCS Circuit. Korea has the most competitive, high level tournaments. Its two biggest tournament series are the GSL and SSL.
WCS features all players outside of Korea in international tournaments. Korean residents can’t compete here. Notable Circuit tournaments series are DreamHack and IEM. 8 players with the most points in each league advance to the Global Finals at BlizzCon. They battle for 280.000 dollar and the title of world champion.
World Championship Series, the premier StarCraft 2 tournament series. Players gather points in the Korean or the international circuit.
The top 8 of each circuit qualifies for the Global Finals to battle for the title of world champion. Current world champion is Finnish player Serral.
The oldest and most prestigious StarCraft 2 league. The Global StarCraft 2 League has featured the best players in the world since 2010.
No player from outside Korea has ever been able to break the Korean stronghold and win a GSL. GSL gives out the most WCS points of any tournament.
The WCS Circuit events are exclusively for international players. Each tournament in this series is held at a DreamHack event. This is the main tournament series for non-Korean players. Serral won all four WCS Circuit events in 2018.
The World Electronic Sport Games is yearly Olympics-like tournament featuring many games. Each country qualifies one player to represent them. TY won the first StarCraft 2 edition in 2018.
ESL hosts Intel Extreme Masters events for StarCraft 2 since 2010. The biggest IEM is the World Championship at Katowice in March. IEM has hosted StarCraft 2 since its launch in 2010.
A relaxed tournament focused on having fun and connecting pro players and fans in a friendly environment. The tournament is often the first one to play with a new game patch. TaeJa famously won three editions in a row.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Esports Betting
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How are esports tournaments organized?
Esports tournaments are typically organized by esports organizations, game publishers, or event organizers. They can be held online or in-person, featuring players and teams from around the world.
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What are some popular esports games?
Some popular esports games include League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Fortnite, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Valorant.
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What is the role of a coach in an esports team?
The coach of an esports team provides strategic guidance, analyzes gameplay, conducts team practice sessions, and helps players improve their skills to perform at their best during tournaments.
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What are LAN events in esports?
LAN events (Local Area Network) are esports tournaments where players and teams gather in a physical location to compete face-to-face, often in front of a live audience.
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What is the biggest esports tournament?
The biggest esports tournament depends on the game and region, but some of the largest and most prestigious events include The International (Dota 2), League of Legends World Championship, and the Intel Extreme Masters (CS:GO).
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