Thunderpick guarantees European bootcamp for qualified NA teams
Online crypto-betting platform Thunderpick, a sponsor of North American side Evil Geniuses, recently announced an event slated to be played in November of 2023, with $600,000 of Bitcoin on the line. North American squads will be particularly interested in two aspects of this event, that being the monetary prize available in the two domestic qualifiers, as well as the prospect of a guaranteed bootcamp in Europe.
The main event in November will consist of sixteen teams, eight invited by the organizer while the other eight are fielded through four qualifiers, with two held in North America while the other two are held in Europe. Thunderpick has stated that $100,000 of the total $600,000 prize pool will be solely dedicated to the qualifiers, meaning that a deep run in the event's qualifiers could net a significant sum of money, in addition to a spot at the event.
The other worthwhile aspect to note for North American squads is the prospect of a guaranteed European bootcamp for North American teams who qualify for the main event in a "Thunderpick-sponsored European bootcamp facility". With four spots allocated to North America across two qualifiers, the possibility of being able to participate in a European bootcamp should be tantalizing for many teams in a region where such opportunities are often limited.
Evil Geniuses, being sponsored by Thunderpick, have been invited to the main stage of the competition, and as of today, they are the only team that is confirmed to play in Thunderpick World Championship 2023.
While the main event is not set to be played until November, the first North American qualifier for the event will kick off on July 10, 2023, meaning that interested teams will have less than a month to prepare for the potentially valuable qualifier.