A group of fans has created its own tournament in World of Warcraft, called the “Burning League”. This small project has already attracted quite a bit of attention – even from WoW creators Blizzard themselves, who support the tournament. MeinMMO spoke with the head of the project and asked how it all came to be.
What kind of tournament is this? The Burning League (in original: “Ligue Ardente”) was established in 2016 as a project by fans who wanted to do more with their friends. Therefore, they launched a PvP event that anyone could participate in.
Over the years, the event has grown significantly and now includes artists, voice actors in several languages (including German), as well as its own videos, clips, and trailers for their events:
The event is small but has become quite popular. Even Blizzard has taken notice of the Burning League and provides the organizers with in-game rewards that they can use as prizes for the tournaments.
Thus, the league not only offers space for PvP enthusiasts but also for artists and people with organizational talent who want to participate. This year’s league will take place on September 19 and 20, 2020.
We contacted the creative mind behind the Burning League, who is known in the community by the nickname “Embu,” and asked him some questions about his project.
From the classroom to World of Warcraft
Our first questions naturally revolved around the origin of the Burning League. It came about more or less by coincidence during Embu’s Latin class. He wondered how he could give his friends more to do in WoW, to spend more time with them, and picked up on a single word:
At that time I was trying to organize a tournament while also completing my school assignments. I heard my teacher pronounce the word “burn”. I thought it was cool and kept it in mind. Since we were still in the Legion expansion at that time, I thought about the Burning Legion and that “Burning League” would be a fitting name that also sounds like a tournament.
According to Embu, over 40 people have been working on the project since then, allowing it to grow continuously. It’s both an opportunity for players to participate and win, but also for creative artists who want to collaborate and showcase their talents.
No competition to Blizzard’s own tournaments
However, Embu emphasized that the Burning League does not aim to replace the Arena World Championship (AWC) at any time. It also differentiates itself from that.
The Burning League 2020, for example, is specifically directed at Level 20 players. This means that players who do not own WoW but play with a Starter Edition are explicitly invited. The AWC, on the other hand, showcases the best players and the best arena combos currently on display at the highest level.
“Having fun together makes us happy”
The Burning League has numerous “staff members” now but remains largely unknown. Embu reveals that it is more the idea to remain a fan project and appeal to fans:
An interview with MeinMMO is already a huge success for us! To be honest, we are not reaching for the stars. We do not want to replace the AWC; Blizzard is already doing very well at that. We are just a bunch of friends who want to have fun. Being able to bring players and artists together, having fun together makes us happy.
Fortunately, we have the support of many WoW fans and Blizzard. We never thought it would get this big.
Indeed, Blizzard actively helps with the Burning League – especially the now-inactive community manager Toschayju, who is likely a name known to German players.
Blizzard agreed to send us rewards for the community. This is not the first time we have collaborated with them; this has been the case since last year. Therefore, we would like to thank Toschayju and Thyvene here, as we could only obtain the giveaways through their help.
A month for the first trailer – How does one become a community tournament?
Initially, we even asked for help in Dalaran because we had no idea about organization. Things like video editing were self-taught, and it took “a lot of time and hair” to create the first trailer alone.
This is a memory that goes back a long way. But back then I had the time for it, and after a month I had what I wanted. However, I would not recommend my method to anyone, as it can be done much faster another way. But as you Germans say: Only the tough get into the garden!
Since the creators can only work on the project in their free time, the creation and improvement of such a tournament takes a long time. Each year they have learned from past mistakes and made new ones.
Over time, Embu says, it has only gotten better. They have understood how everything runs, how to organize properly, and what rules are necessary for a fair tournament. Now they are looking forward to the fourth iteration in 2020.
More information and participation in the Burning League
This is what it’s about: The Burning League is a PvP tournament that has been taking place since 2016, almost annually. The tournament includes other events with different names that also come from the community.
The events always offer different objectives. In 2019, for example, there was a PvP battle with many players at the famous raid Zul’Gurub. The Burning League 2020 follows a different and interesting approach.
How does it work? The tournament involves matches for players at level 20 in teams of three. It is divided into two categories:
- Starter Edition: Players who do not own WoW can play for free up to level 20 with the Starter Edition and participate in the tournament.
- Veterans Edition: Former players who do not have an active subscription can also play for free.
Both categories have their own tournaments, for which there are even rare prizes that mainly come from WoW’s official trading card game and are provided by Blizzard itself. For more information on how to participate, check the official Discord of the Burning League or the official website. Registration is open until September 17th.
What is there to win? The rewards of the tournament are all items from the trading card game of World of Warcraft. For example, there are:
- the “Path of Cenarius” for the winners
- color bombs for the finalists
- the pet “Saber Cub” for the tournament MVP
- party grenades for every participant
Embu plans to remain active with the upcoming expansion Shadowlands in World of Warcraft. However, he could not yet reveal what he has planned for the new addon. However, Blizzard seems to be involved again: “While I was answering the interview questions, one of Blizzard’s community managers messaged me. I hope they can give us the opportunity to enter into more partnerships with them in the future.”
