ABOUT
HOME OF THE NEW ZEALAND E BLACKS
The E Blacks are New Zealand’s national esport team that represent New Zealand on the international stage.
The first New Zealand Esports team was sent to the IESF World Champs in Jakarta in October 2016. The E Blacks trip saw 8 young kiwis representing their country in Esports at the World Champs.
MEET THE 2022
DOTA 2 - OPEN
Position 4
Christchurch-born Sam “explosiv_fury” Johnson is a veteran of the Oceania Dota 2 scene, having started playing Dota at the age of 9 and beginning his competitive career in the Australian scene in 2013, six years later. With limited opportunities for international competition, Johnson would save paychecks to head over to Australia to compete in heavily-contested events knowing he had little chance of success.
However, the grind paid off and in 2015 Johnson triumphed in his first LAN, and continued a run of success including winning the first three seasons of both ESL and LPL’s ANZ Championships. This culminated in qualification to international tournaments in Thailand and China, and in the Commonwealth Games qualifier in early May his team, 5 ½ Kiwis claimed the spot as our overseas representatives
As captain of the E Black Dota squad, Johnson is looking forward to representing New Zealand in the Games, saying “this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am extremely grateful to be a part of the team”.
Tobias “Tobz” Sveaas started his gaming journey at a young age alongside playing sports Originally picking up Dota back when it was just a mod for Warcraft 3, Sveaas dived into the Dota 2 scene shortly after the Valve-developed game’s release. He spent a significant amount of time on team iClen and was an integral part of forging one of New Zealand’s earliest Dota 2 dynasties, competing both at the World Electronic Sports Games in Korea as well as many Australian tournaments.
After retiring from the scene a few years ago, Sveaas ended his hiatus from the competitive circuit to join the 5 ½ Kiwis and now plays position 5 for our E Blacks squad. Sveaas is hopeful that success in Birmingham will “lead to further interest in esports within NZ”, also saying that’s it’s also a “huge honor to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games”.
The E Blacks’ position 1 player, Ning “Ningy” Yu, hails from Auckland and also has had a storied career in Dota. Much like his teammates, Yu picked up the game back in the Warcraft 3 days and spent a few years playing casually before committing to Dota 2’s competitive side in August 2015. Before long, Yu was ranked as the best player in the country and one of the best in the whole region — quickly proving himself in amateur tournaments before also joining iClen and dominating local competition prior to making it to a world championship in China and claiming numerous national titles.
For Yu, a spot on the E Blacks squad is a dream come true and justification for the effort he’s put in over the years. Outside of competing at the highest levels of Dota 2 competition, Yu is completing a law and commerce degree at the University of Auckland
University of Otago student Jordan “Zavier” Baker grew up in a gaming household, learning games like Team Fortress 2 and World of Warcraft at an early age before picking up Dota 2 to play casually with friends — and is now one of the region’s best players.
Drawn to gaming with the influence of his father, Baker has successfully mixed a traditional sporting background with a gaming one, playing basketball and rugby as well as competing in numerous high-level Dota 2 tournaments. For Baker, it’s all about the team aspect and the lessons gained from competition, saying “The thrill of competing with your teammates and always learning and improving is what pushes me to continue to play more and try to reach the best I can be, win or lose there is always something to improve” and is also hopeful that this is only the beginning for New Zealand esports.
Position 2
Tom “Tom” Shi has played video games for most of his life, starting out with strategy games like Red Alert and MMORPGs like Runescape and Maplestory before being introduced to Dota by a friend in 2008. He started out playing casually in Garena and Boredaussies before joining the Dota 2 beta and has played ever since. Not usually one for grinding ranked matches, preferring scrims and in-houses to maximise the teamwork potential of the game, he pivoted to ranked matchmaking when it was released in 2014. He managed to hit 6200 MMR, which ranked him Top 30 in the South East Asian leaderboards at the time. It was at that time during the 2014-2016 seasons he was most active in the competitive scene, playing and placing in numerous local, national and regional tournaments. While less active in the competitive scene in recent years, he hopes to bring his competitive experience to the younger members of the team
DOTA 2 - WOMEN'S
Eleven years ago, Rangsey “Magic” Mou accidentally found herself in a Dota lobby after hunting through Warcraft 3 lobbies, but now she’s one of the best female Dota 2 players in the region. The now-Sydney based former Wellingtonian picked up games such as Heroes of Might and Magic II and Age of Empires III from an early age before finding herself in a Dota lobby.
For Mou, Dota 2 is all about expressing both your individual skill and ability to work as a team, noting that there is always something to improve upon and it’s extremely rewarding when that happens. During her career – where she peaked at 7k MMR – Mou has also competed in numerous events in both Australia and New Zealand, culminating in competing in the FSL Dota 2 Elite tournament in Singapore with Asterisk* in 2019 — where her team placed second.
On being part of the first Commonwealth Games squad, Mou said “I’m really happy that Esports is finally becoming big in New Zealand and is getting the recognition that it deserves. The female track also serves as a stepping stone to give women in Dota 2 more confidence and competitive experience, which will hopefully lead to higher tournament participation in the future.”
*Mou is now subbing in for Ningy and will be playing on the Dota 2 Open team.
At first, Auckland-based Janice “Bubbles” Tieu wasn’t interested in playing Dota 2, preferring other genres following a childhood filled with playing classics such as Mario Kart, the Sims and Warcraft 3. However, a chance visit with a university friend prompted Tieu to dive into the game, finding quickly that the strategy of the game was extremely fascinating and falling in love with the thrill of victory.
Tieu also found that the teamplay aspect was hugely important for self-development, saying that online play “developed a shy, introvert person to now a sociable gamer” and that now “I’ve found myself with friends from all over the world that I play with.” The lockdown in 2020 prompted Tieu to start playing Dota 2 even more, and coming into this year she was brought into Sweetbix to make a run for the Commonwealth Games — an event she says will be “an unforgettable experience”.
Playing in position 4 as part of our women’s Dota team, Jane “Thefallenx” Zhu cut her gaming teeth on legendary games such as Runescape, the Sims and the Counter Strike series before discovering Dota 2 from some university friends. She quickly picked up the game and has immersed herself in the local Dota 2 community, finding her way onto team Sweetbix for the Commonwealth Games qualifier and is now ready for an impending matchup with the Australian representatives.
On being part of the first New Zealand esports squad to travel to the Commonwealth Games, Zhu said that “it has been such a pleasure meeting more people in the community and surrounding myself with such inspirational, friendly and talented young players. It is such an honour to take part in the Commonwealth games and say what an adventure it has been!”
One of the true veterans on the E Blacks squad, team captain Lucy “yculstranger” Tam has extensive experience in the competitive scene after joining friends to play large regional tournaments such as Ping Zero, Corrupted Cup, Oceanic Esports Dota League, and the New Zealand National — and years later the teamwork aspect still keeps her loading in and keeping her skills sharp.
For Tam, her most memorable moment in Dota 2 was winning the New Zealand National, a large tournament that despite the name suggesting otherwise, was open to Australians as well. The who’s-who of Oceania Dota 2 was there and Tam and her team were able to triumph in an extremely stacked field.
As team captain for Sweetbix, while trying to recruit women for the team, a common response she heard was “I’m not good enough” — however she’s extremely proud of our team for taking the leap and dedication to improve and hopes that this experience also motivates other women out there to get out of their comfort zones because “Dota is most beautiful when everyone comes together with the same passion and combined efforts to help each other improve.”
Position 2
According to Kassie “Lunerial” Pratt, gaming is in her DNA. Born and raised in Hamilton before a 2019 trip to Australia was extended due to the pandemic, Pratt grew up playing all manner of games with both of her parents and cultivated a strong competitive spirit early on.
After finding Dota 2 at 16, Pratt took on the region’s best on the ranked ladder before moving away from the competitive side of the game due to consistent gender-based harassment —but after joining Sweetbix she’s found her competitive drive and is ready to rock the Commonwealth Games in her first professional event.
For Pratt, this is hopefully only the beginning of esports’ growth in New Zealand, saying that “I’m so proud of New Zealand for being part of what I believe to be the beginning of an important step for not only Esports, but also steps in breaking down the stigma against women who play games, both competitive and casual.”
eFootball
JMK King
Joshua “JMKKing” King is New Zealand’s sole eFootball representative, having triumphed in a nationally-televised final earlier this year. After stumbling into esports following years of casual play in FIFA, in 2020 King found himself in an online qualifier to determine New Zealand representation at the upcoming FIFAe Nations Cup where he narrowly lost an intense final against one of the best players in the world.
That kickstarted King’s esports drive, and he leapt headfirst into competitive FIFA — eventually joining Australian team the Dire Wolves en route to becoming Oceania eClub World Cup champion as well as claiming the NZ Football trophy as the country’s champion and first ever FIFAe representative. Pivoting to eFootball ahead of the Commonwealth Games qualifier, King is now eager to put in his all and perform to the best of his ability to pursue another international title.
ROCKET LEAGUE
For Rocket League team captain Dean “Scarth” Bagrie, representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games is not an opportunity he plans on wasting. The Christchurch- born pro grew up playing football, tennis and other sports before being drawn to esports because of the low barrier to entry.
He picked up Rocket League in early 2016, and spent numerous years grinding away in the local circuit before he teamed up with fellow E Black Tyler “Kenny Salmon” Williams on Fury and found himself qualified for the Rocket League World Championship in Dallas back in 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic cancelled the event and Bagrie has spent the time since training hard for when the next opportunity presented itself.
That opportunity presented itself in the form of the Commonwealth Games qualifiers, where he brought back his former teammate and picked up Joshua “Dx7” Macdonald- Gay to create a team he was sure could take it to the best teams in the region. He was proven right when his team stormed undefeated through the entire qualifier — and he’s now focused on bringing Commonwealth glory back home.
Tyler “Kenny Salmon” Williams spent the early years of his gaming career playing motorsports and football simulators, so when he heard about Rocket League shortly before the game’s release, the fusion of the two instantly held appeal. After playing casually for a few years he was introduced to the competitive scene during 2017-2018 and immediately was intrigued at the potential of the esports side of the game.
A year later, Williams made the decision to start competing seriously, playing in multiple domestic and Oceanic tournaments before joining Fury alongside EBlack teammate Dean “Scarth” Bagrie. On Fury, the two placed second in the Rocket League Championship series, good enough for a trip to the World Championship in Dallas.
Now as one of three Rocket League E Blacks, Williams is ready to embrace the opportunity, saying “being able to represent New Zealand means the world to me.”
During the course of the Commonwealth Games qualifiers, Joshua “Dx7” Macdonald- Gay was a goal-scoring machine — and the 23-year old has no intention of stopping that trend now. After falling in love with gaming at a young age, he regularly played the yearly installations of the FIFA franchise among numerous other competitive titles before discovering Rocket League back in 2017.
Macdonald-Gay immediately dove into the fresh and fast hybrid of racing and football games, including regularly watching the best teams in the world in the at-the-time fledgling esport face off at international events. After years of immersion in the competitive scene, Macdonald-Gay and the rest of his squad arrived at the qualifiers under no assumptions that they were the favourites — but a phenomenal run through the country’s best teams has anointed the three as our first E Black Rocket League representatives, and they’re ready to do us proud on the international stage.
SIM RACING
For as long as he can remember, Scottish born Ewan “AgntWash1ngton” Baker has loved motorsport. His earliest memories are of watching Mika Häkkinen fight for his Formula 1 world championships and playing along with the Formula 1 99 PS1 game.
Although his location may have changed with time, moving to Dunedin in 2005 and calling it his new home for the last 18 years, this passion for racing has never wavered. From spending each weekend watching all manner of racing series, to spending his free time with game series like Gran Turismo, Forza, and Dirt, his life revolved around this passion.
In 2020 he made his first step to taking these things to the next level, designing and building his own sim rig and experiencing full on racing simulation titles such as Assetto Corsa and iRacing; building up his driving skills and upgrading his sim rig over time. Only in the last year has he taken a more competitive turn, competing in numerous sim racing leagues across NZ and Australasia, and collecting numerous wins, poles, and top 3 championship positions in this short time. It is a privilege and an honour for him to be representing New Zealand as an E Black and he promises to apply everything he has learnt to achieving victory.
Christchurch-based Mathew “MonkeyMatt” Smiths simracing career has never been short of traction. Across titles such as, Project Cars 2, Gran Turismo Sport and WRC, Matt is no stranger to neither rally stage nor world’s stage.
Fueled by a love of motorsport Matt has been playing racing games since a very young age. From starting out on a humble GameBoy to now competing in his fully equipped Racetech sim rig he has a range of experience that goes all the way to competing overseas in a number of top simracing tournaments.
Assetto Corsa is yet another feather in his cap and Matt relishes the opportunity to represent his nation.
“Wearing the black jersey is every New Zealand sportsperson’s dream. Having been given this opportunity I’m now looking to make the most of it and make New Zealand proud.” MonkeyMatt says
MonkeyMatt qualified to represent his country in a time trial challenge, where he pipped old rivals and new challengers alike to take the second spot and advance.
“It’s always nerve wracking having to post a qualifying time like that – the sense that it’s all or nothing. At the same time that’s the fun bit, isn’t it? Throwing everything you have into chasing one perfect lap: that kind of pressure is addictive.”
E BLACK SUPPORT STAFF
Patrick ‘WarTurtle’ Gleeson
Our E Blacks squad is incredibly privileged to be coached by former competitive Rainbow Six: Siege player and coach Patrick “WarTurtle” Gleeson, whose pedigree of international success hopefully setting the scene for a strong run by our teams at the Commonwealth Games.
During his time as a coach, Gleeson helped Australian team the Chiefs Esports Club to numerous Oceanic titles — including four consecutive championships as well as multiple international appearances.
According to Gleeson, it “honestly means a lot to represent New Zealand at such a prestigious event and it means all those years of working, studying, and practicing continues to pay off. I hope that this is just the beginning for esports in New Zealand and as it continues to get national recognition and more funding it continues to allow more opportunities for the up-and-coming Kiwi gamers.”