Attention, StarCraft II ladder competitors! Season 5 is now locked.

At the end of each ladder season, leagues are “locked,” which means players can no longer be promoted or demoted out of their current league or division, and bonus pools will stop growing. That’s no reason to quit playing: even after leagues are locked, players will still be able to play out their remaining bonus pool and compete for standing within their divisions until the season ends one week later. The matchmaking skill ratings which determine league promotion and demotion will also continue to update during the lock, so games played during the lock still count toward Season 6 league placement.

Now that the lock is in effect, Season 5 will soon come to an end. We’ll be turning over to Season 6 during the week of February 14 and the Grandmaster League will start one week following the season roll. Season milestone rewards will be awarded and bonus pools will reset with the beginning of the new season. Hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement will carry over from the previous season, though, so players who have completed placement matches in a previous season will only need to play one new placement match after Season 6 starts.

All sixteen teams have been locked in and are battling it out as part of IGN Team Arena Challenge 2. More matches will be broadcast all this week on IPL TV starting at 5:00 p.m. PST with a rebroadcast for international viewers at 6:30 p.m. CET the following day. Tune in to find out who makes it one step closer to their share of the $20,000 prize pool.

IPL TAC 2 – Week of 2/7

Tuesday, February 7

Team Arena Challenge 2 Loser’s Round 1 – Evil Geniuses vs. Quantic

Wednesday, February 8

Team Arena Challenge 2 Loser’s Round 1 – ReIGN vs. ZeNEX

Thursday, February 9

Team Arena Challenge 2 Loser’s Round 1 – Empire vs. coL/MVP

Friday, February 10

Team Arena Challenge 2 Winner’s Round 2 – NSHoSeo vs. FXO

Saturday, February 11

Fight Club – Liquid.HerO vs. mTw.Dimaga

This will be a double-elimination best-of-nine format. Matches consist of each team utilizing up to five players in succession to defeat the other team’s roster. The two players for the first game will be chosen blindly, and the winning player from each game will move on until all five players on a team are defeated. If a team loses their first match, they will proceed to the lower bracket and have another chance to fight their way to the finals. If a team loses two matches, they are eliminated from the tournament.

More information on the tournament can be found on the IPL TAC 2 Liquipedia page and in the Team Liquid IPL TAC 2 thread.

Most evenings through Sunday, February 19, you can catch European, Korean, or North American Ladder qualifying matches in the MLG Winter Online series.

The broadcast starts at 7 p.m. sharp on MLG.tv. For those of you who can't watch live, be advised that VOD will be going up here immediately following the broadcast. The HD broadcast, and immediate VOD, are free to all.

You can view the entire schedule on MLG’s kick off page, where they also have links to each of the three brackets, and links to watch the live broadcasts starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Various competition organizers hold regular online tournaments in which you can compete against other players and maybe even win some prizes! Most of these contests are open to everyone. In addition, there are professional tournaments taking place like IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Sao Paulo, the 2012 GSL Season 1 Code S, the North American Star Team League, the IPL Team Arena Challenge 2 and the NASL Season 3 Qualifiers which you can follow via video stream. Interested? Take a look at some of the open tournaments coming up in the next days - you can sign up to take part, or simply watch the live streams to get inspired by the players. It’s your turn now!

Are you and your fellow StarCraft II friends attending or organizing a “Food. Drinks. StarCraft II.” event? Let us know! We’d love to add them to our list which you can find here.

We understand that picking out the appropriate desktop wallpaper to fit your tastes and complement your décor can be an arduous task. To that end, we’ll be offering you help every Tuesday by featuring a new downloadable Diablo III, StarCraft II or World of Warcraft wallpaper image on our community sites.

Here’s what we have for you this week. Enjoy!

Battle.net Balance is now live! As we announced previously, Battle.net Balance is a new feature that gives players an alternate way to purchase Blizzard digital products and services directly through their Battle.net accounts. Players are now able add to their Battle.net Balance using a variety of payment methods, and then use that balance toward Blizzard Entertainment products and services such as World of Warcraft realm transfers, character name changes, and other paid services; as well as digital versions of select Blizzard games, including Diablo II and StarCraft II. In the future, players will be also able to use Battle.net Balance for the digital World of Warcraft Battle Chest and WoW digital upgrades and to purchase digital products through the online Blizzard Store, including World of Warcraft game-time codes and Pet Store pets and mounts. In addition, with the upcoming launch of Diablo III, players will have the option to use Battle.net Balance to buy and sell items in the game’s currency-based auction house.

For more information, check out the Battle.net Balance FAQ, or head to the Battle.net Balance page in Account Management to manage your balance.

 

For the first time in its six-year history, the Intel Extreme Masters will visit South America. The Campus Party Brazil in Sao Paulo will host the Global Challenge Sao Paulo from February 7 to 11. Sixteen of the world’s best StarCraft II players from Europe, Asia and the Americas, including two local heroes, have battled their way through the group stages over recent months – and this event will decide which of them will earn an invitation to the IEM Season VI World Championship in March.

The players, including Joseph “Ret” de Kroon, Jian Carlo “Fenix” Morayra Alejo, and Daniel “XlorD” Spenst, will fight for a prize pool of $21,000 USD. Additionally, the two finalists will advance to IEM Season VI’s World Championship, which will again take place at CeBit in Hanover, Germany in March 2012. An overview of the groups can be found below:

This exciting tournament is the sixth event in the 6th season of the ESL’s Intel Extreme Masters series and will be hosted by the famous ESL shoutcasting duo of Kevin “RotterdaM” van der Kooi and Ben “MrBitter” Nichol, joined by Robert “The Voice” Simpson. Make sure to get the latest information, the ESL TV air times and coverage of the event itself by visiting ESL’s Global Challenge website.

Event:	Intel Extreme Masters Season VI: Global Challenge Sao Paulo
Location:	Campus Party Anhembi Parque / Av. Olavo Fontoura, 1.209 Sao Paulo, Santana - CEP 02012-021
When:	February 7 to 11, 2012
Stream:	ESL TV
Details:	ESL website

Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that’s where StarCraft Art of War comes in.

Are you a veteran player? Are you new to StarCraft II and striving to improve your skills? In this weekly feature, we invite players of all skill levels to ask questions, share their tactics, post replays, and provide advice for understanding, executing and defeating today’s most popular strategies.

This week, we’re analyzing:

Chronoboost - Careful chronoboost management can mean the difference between victory and defeat. What do you find is the most effective use of chronoboost at each stage of the game for each matchup?

Join the Art of War discussion here.

All sixteen teams have been locked in and are battling it out as part of IGN Team Arena Challenge 2. More matches will be broadcast all this week on IPL TV starting at 5:00 p.m. PST with a rebroadcast for international viewers at 6:30 p.m. CET the following day. Tune in to find out who makes it one step closer to their share of the $20,000 prize pool.

Tuesday, January 31

Team Arena Challenge 2 Winner’s Round 1 – Evil Geniuses vs. Old Generations

Wednesday, February 1

Team Arena Challenge 2 Winner’s Round 1 – coL/MVP vs. Team Liquid

Thursday, February 2

Team Arena Challenge 2 Winner’s Round 1- Prime vs. Empire

Friday, February 3

Team Arena Challenge 2 Loser’s Round 1 – Dignitas vs. Vile

Saturday, February 4

Fight Club – NSHoSeo.Jjakji vs. Liquid.HerO

This will be a double-elimination best-of-nine format. Matches consist of each team utilizing up to five players in succession to defeat the other team’s roster. The two players for the first game will be chosen blindly, and the winning player from each game will move on until all five players on a team are defeated. If a team loses their first match, they will proceed to the lower bracket and have another chance to fight their way to the finals. If a team loses two matches, they are eliminated from the tournament.

More information on the tournament can be found on the IPL TAC 2 Liquipedia page and in the Team Liquid IPL TAC 2 thread.

In an editorial published yesterday on RTS Guru, Anna Kärrstrand Ovesson presents a handy breakdown of map design by taking an in-depth look at some of the factors that make for a great map, such as races, base placement, terrain, distance, and debris.

Maps are as integral to StarCraft II as units and races are, and overlooking their need for balance would be foolish. Since release and beta we've seen many maps come and go, both in ladders and in tournaments but a few select old goodies, such as Metalopolis, have stuck around with modifications. However, we're rapidly seeing changes and improvement everywhere: The days of maps with little chance of taking a third are gone, as are the maps with rush distances where you'd feel tempted to just 12 worker rush. I'll be taking a look at what makes a bad map horrible, and what makes a great map a true joy to play on.

There are an incredible amount of things to consider when you're making or playing a StarCraft II map. All the races have different preferences and woes, some distances must be considered and avoided, and expansions must be defensible – but not too much.

She also takes a careful look at the GSL Daybreak and Jungle Basin maps, offering a strategic analysis of each. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the landscape that plays such a big part in every StarCraft II match. Read the entire article on RTS Guru here.

Season 5 is drawing to a close, and that means that all ladders will be locked soon.

Season 5 Lock

What does this mean for you? During the Season 5 lock, you can no longer be promoted or demoted out of your current league or division, and your bonus pool will stop growing. Once locked to a league and division, you'll still be able to play out your remaining bonus pool and compete for standing within your division until the end of the season, so it's a great time to enjoy yourself and maybe even push for a better milestone. If you're pursuing a league promotion, then you still have a little time left! The Season 5 lock will go into effect on Tuesday, February 7 PST.

Please note that the hidden ratings used to determine promotions and demotions will continue to update during the Season 5 lock and be used for matchmaking purposes. This means that if you play significantly better or worse than your assigned league at the time of the lock, your league may change when Season 6 begins and you play your first placement match. If you go on a winning streak during the lock, for example, you may end up promoted next season. On the other hand, if you happen to lose a lot more than usual, then you could end up demoted. The bottom line is that your games during the lock still count!

Season 6 Start Date

The Season 5 lock also means that Season 6 is right around the corner. During the week of February 14, Season 5 will end and Season 6 will begin. Season milestone rewards will be locked in at this time, and bonus pools will reset. Hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement will carry over from the previous season, so if you've completed placement matches in a previous season you will only need to play one new placement match after Season 6 starts.