At the beginning of our journey, we had one goal: we wanted to give something back to the German community and, alongside our international ambitions, also help drive German esports nationally. The German championship was an important success for us and we will remember our first title for a long time. In the second season as well, we wanted to remain part of the most important national league and defend our title. It was a matter close to our hearts and we gladly accepted the additional workload alongside the tough Major qualification and the subsequent preparation for the main tournament in Krakow. Our appearance in front of you at LanXess Arena against German vice-champion Alternate aTTax was another highlight. [caption id="attachment_6909" align="alignnone" width="779"]
ESL One Cologne vs. aTTax (Source ESL)[/caption] Unfortunately, esports features many events and dates that cannot be planned long in advance. In such cases, you have to make a decision, as we have today. After the announcement of the upcoming ELEAGUE qualifier, we were initially shocked, as the date coincides with the German championship final at Gamescom in Cologne. At the same time, we looked for ways to participate in both events. Unfortunately, as a team we had to determine that none of the options we developed could guarantee successful participation in both events. Therefore, we must announce with great regret that we are withdrawing from the ESL Meisterschaft at this stage in order not to jeopardize our opportunity to participate in ELEAGUE. The open qualifier will be a major challenge and, of course, there is a risk of not qualifying. However, we still want to take this opportunity and we hope to represent you in Atlanta.Statement Christian Lenz
We discussed the situation at hand at length as a team. We had to choose between the ESL Meisterschaft and a possible participation in ELEAGUE. Unfortunately, in the end the decision was to withdraw from the ongoing ESL Meisterschaft season and not compete in the semifinal in Krefeld. This decision was very difficult for us, as we greatly value being close to our fans, especially at national events, and the German championship was a matter close to the team's heart.The upcoming ELEAGUE qualifier is very important to us and even the smallest delay at Gamescom could have resulted in a forfeit in round 1. Additionally, we would have had to play with an unfamiliar setup in an unfamiliar environment. Of course there is no guarantee that we will win the qualifier, but we want to preserve our chances and need the best possible conditions in order to represent you in the USA if we succeed.We ask everyone involved for understanding regarding our decision. This was anything but easy for us and the ESL is in no way at fault here; the date for the German championship final had been set for months and we had it on our radar. Unfortunately, many events in esports still cannot be foreseen and scheduling is extremely difficult, as in this case as well.Christian Lenz, CGOOf course we are open to criticism and are available if you have any questions. We would also like to thank you once again for the trust you have placed in us and the fantastic support after our recent tournaments. This decision hurts all the more because we wanted to give something back to you and the entire team had been looking forward to competing in the German championship finals.We wish all remaining teams the best of luck and ask you to support the ESL Meisterschaft and the remaining teams and cheer them on in the fight for the title. The ESL Meisterschaft will head into an exciting, compelling final stage even without our participation!Daniel Finkler, CEO Link: ESL Meisterschaft Link: ELEAGUE