Wuhan, China (GotFrag) - World of Warcraft has been getting a lot of attention so far in 2007. With Blizzard throwing up a World Wide Tournament of their own as well as the WSVG running their own tournament, the game has been raising the eyebrows of eSports fanatics. Will it be worthwhile to watch? Does it involve skill? Should ludicrous amounts of cash be thrown up for the taking? These questions will not be answered for some time by the eSports communities; however, teams such as Pandemic, MoB, and Fnatic believe that the game is well worth spending money on, as all three will be in attendance in Wuhan this week.

Team Pandemic - The Newcomers
The first WSVG event in Wuhan consists of 61 Chinese teams, two North American, and one European team. Team Pandemic from North America, the most widely known team attending Wuhan for WoW, is eager for the tournament. The team flew to Los Angeles International Airport before heading off to China to meet with manager Mark Dolven late last week. While in California, they played at the Phatloots LAN center. With manager Dolven over their shoulders the team played a couple games for the first time in an actual LAN environment.

It is something the team will have to get used to very quickly. LAN events in China have a reputation for being very loud and exciting. The teams are always cheering and trying to psyche their opponents out before the match even begins. Pandemic has shown they are one of the best teams in North America, holding the top spot in Blizzard's 5v5 ladder and preforming very well in the regional qualifiers going on currently. But will they be able to perform under the pressure of a LAN event?

Team Pandemic Roster
Jared "Vhell" Coulston (COACH)
Joseph "Noktyn" Romano
Greg "Ecilam" Risselda
Nathan "Kintt" Quinn

Fnatic.WoW - The Veterans
Fnatic, the only European team at the event for WoW, sends three veterans of eSports. The well known Quake 4 players Jay “2GD” Harding and Alex “Ztrider” Ingarv will be in attendance as well as the Painkiller legend Sander “Vo0” Kaasjager. Between these three players they share 22 top 3 finishes in tournament play, a staggering accomplishment and a true testament to the LAN experience they possess.

These three veterans of eSports will be making up Fnatic.WoW. One thing these three have over other teams such as Pandemic is experience. They have been all around the world playing their respective games in intense LAN environments. Being used to the pressure and showing they can handle it quite well will be a great advantage. However, they have not preformed as well as Pandemic has online. They are currently sitting at 66th place on their battlegroup for 3v3, not very high for a team looking to compete professionally. Will these three be able to play at the skill required to be the best?

Fnatic.WoW Roster
Jay “2GD” Harding
Alex “Ztrider” Ingarv
Sander “Vo0” Kaasjager

MoB Turtle Power - Console turned PC
MoB Gaming is a relatively unknown name amongst the competitive PC world. However, they made their name at Major League Gaming events. Now they have taken their first step into the PC world. With their new sponsors, Turtle Beach, they have set up a 3v3 World of Warcraft team to compete in the WSVG 2007 tour. The team has only been practicing for two weeks together. With teams such as Pandemic having players practicing together since the start of WoW, it will indeed be a challenge to overcome.

Regardless, in the past the team has preformed well at MLG and past WSVG events, but only in the console arena. Now in the PC world, will their experience and skill transfer over?

MoB Turtle Power Roster
Jesse "Killercrank" Cranker
Zack "Malthrinn" Jeyakaran
Louis "Thoranous" Shefner

The Chinese - Hometown Heroes
The Chinese are known for being super engrossed into the World of Warcraft. They are so engrossed that the Chinese government implemented a law stating that you can only play the game for three consecutive hours. After five hours, players will have their abilities of their in-game character severely limited. Players will then be forced to take a five-hour break before they can return to a game. Also, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade just recently was released in China. With such strict laws implemented, as well as the limited time playing with the expansion pack, will the Chinese teams be below the skill curve for the tournament?

Prizes for WSVG Wuhan
1st $9,000 *
2nd $4,500 *
3rd $3,000 *
4th $2,400 *
5th $500
6th $500
7th $300
8th $300
* Also receive $3,000 Travel Stipend

These three teams, as well as 61 other Chinese teams will be grinding their way through tournament group play and brackets this week for a chance at the $9,000 first place prize and a travel stipend. Below you can find the complete prize list.

GotFrag's very own editor-in-chief Mark "jESUIT" Cheben and Warcraft 3 department head Jaclyn "JacziE" Lo are on-site this week and will be providing up to date scores and features from the event itself. Stay tuned for updates in the following days!