IEM Season IX San Jose 2014: 'StarCraft II' Live Stream, Format and Prize Money
The IEM Season IX tournament at the Sap Center in San Jose, California, will again bring an elite group of StarCraft II players together for an epic competition.
The event takes place Dec. 6-7, and it will share the spotlight with a League of Legends tournament also sponsored by IEM.
On the heels of the exciting DreamHack event in Stockholm, Sweden, the StarCraft II community is anxiously awaiting another series of duels to crown a champion.
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Park "ForGG" Ji-soo of South Korea carried the Terran flag to victory in Stockholm, and he's part of the esteemed field ready to take San Jose by storm.
Here's a look at the 12 players who will compete for the Season IX title and their in-game race:
| Park "ForGG" Ji-soo | Terran |
| Choi "Bomber" Ji-sung | Terran |
| Song "HerO" Hyeon-deok | Protoss |
| Juan Carlos "MajOr" Tena Lopez | Terran |
| Kang "First" Hyun-woo | Protoss |
| Jung "Rain" Yoon-jong | Protoss |
| Ko "HyuN" Seok-hyun | Zerg |
| Choi "Polt" Seong-hun | Terran |
| Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn | Zerg |
| Lee "Jaedong" Jae-dong | Zerg |
| Kevin "qxc" Riley | Terran |
| Jens "Snute" Aasgaard | Zerg |
Format
The main tournament has three stages. Here's how they break down:
- Stage 1
- Two double-elimination brackets of eight players each.
- Top two of each bracket advance to Stage 2.
- Stage 2
- Four groups of four players played out in dual-tournament format, consisting of the four Stage 1 winners, eight qualifiers and four invites.
- Top two of each group advance to Stage 3.
- Stage 3
- Single-elimination bracket of eight players.
- Quarterfinals and semifinals are played in best-of-five series.
- Grand Finals is played in best-of-seven series
Schedule
December 6
- 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET Group-Stage Matches
December 7
- 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Quarterfinals
- 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Semifinal 1
- 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. - Semifinal 2
- 9 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. - Final
Prize Money and WCS Points
A total $25,000 and 4,000 World Championship Series points will be spread among the top four players in the tournament. Here's a look at how the money and points will be allocated:
| 1st | $10,000 | 750 |
| 2nd | $4,000 | 500 |
| 3rd-4th | $2,000 | 375 |
Players to Watch
ForGG
After a six-year drought, ForGG finally broke through with a much-needed win in Stockholm. With two surprising victories over Blizzcon champion Lee "Life" Seung-hyun, ForGG solidified himself as one of the premier StarCraft II and Terran players in the world.
With the DreamHack championship in his possession, he should be heading into San Jose with his confidence sky high.
Scarlett
The 20-year-old Canadian is the only female in the competition. Per ESportsEarnings.com, Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn has earned $111,671.16 in 51 tournaments. She's considered one of the best Zerg players in the world and has been called "The Queen of Blades" for her dominance with the Zerg race.
She, Seo "ToSsGirL" Ji-soo and Kim "Aphrodite" Ga-young are the only females to win a tournament on Korean television.
Scarlett will be looking to add to her substantial accomplishments in San Jose.
HerO
As the first player to win two DreamHack championships, Song "HerO" Hyeon-deok is well known in the StarCraft II community. He has already won one IEM event this calendar year. He took first place at IEM Season VIII-Cologne in February.
The 24-year-old South Korean would love to add another IEM win to his impressive resume. In 71 tournaments, HerO has earned $256,043.66 in prize money.
He's one to watch in San Jose as he could add to his total.
Follow Brian Mazique aka FranchisePlay, the Sports Video Game Journalist
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