A breath of fresh air is currently blowing over the French league off League of Legends. And not just any Mistral: the Mistral. That of Team du Sud, which arrived at the beginning of the year and despite its sporting results, has already entered the hearts of fans thanks to the good nature of its founders. At the start of the first day of the Physique Championship in Nice on Wednesday, the reigning champions of the second division (Div2) are preparing to test their growing popularity.
Since the start of the LFL, it has only grown in days. On January 25, facing Team GO, a total of over 16,000 spectators gathered together with Andres “Slipix” Spargas, streamer and club co-founder alongside his colleague Maxim “Sixon” Chorokian. Ahead of the match, both men shout at each other, encouraging the team a lot “My life!” » and singing accents. Not enough to stop his players losing on the fourth day of the season, but enough to further increase his sympathy capital on the networks, where his investment and his passion are, almost uniquely, unanimously admired.
A “hot” identity
“We do things well, we don’t brag, we always empower people, so we are well received, Sixson sets out to try to explain this unanimous – and overwhelming – positive response. On our streams, people see that we care about people. When we win, we always respect, even when we lose…”
The natural quality between the two influencers, admired in the industry, this “kindness” has almost become their team’s main marketing argument. “It’s important to us to stay on the side of our southern identity, good vibes, a little warm and good natured, Confirms Lucas “KRussT” Besnard, the manager who became a co-shareholder of the club. Sixen and Slippyx, they are real southerners, people who are very close to people on a human level, very real. »
“People’s Club”, TDS? In any case, his path looks like that. The project was born in August 2021, during a meal between all streamers living near Marseille. “The basic idea was just to make a show and a video together, Slipix Rewind. Esports then came with Sixon: we loved doing tournaments, LANs, it was the continuity of being able to enjoy it in front of our team. We had a sponsor who sponsored each of us individually and we turned it into a team contract. Basically, we sacrificed our salaries to pay the players. »
A climb through the big door
The club then started in the MNT, the third division. The results were a bit disappointing, but the emotions were strong enough to ignite passion, sell 200 jerseys, win over the first fans and convince Div2 organizers of the seriousness of the project. In 2023, TDS therefore joins the antechamber of the LFL, with vague ambitions to play leading roles.
It was the beginning of a golden journey: the team crushed the championship in the spring, conceded just two losses in the regular season, easily captured the title, then did it again in the summer. “ Entry into Div2 was strong, Identifies Slippics. With a project that aims for the top, of course, but not everything. We could hardly do better. Above all, we did not expect such enthusiasm, stronger than many LFL teams. » During the promotion tournament, around 20,000 spectators were there to watch the matches which validated the increase.
29-7
That is Team du Sud’s win-loss ratio in Div2 regular season in 2023. A record record.
Among the influential formations present in the LFL – Aegis, Carmine Corp, Gentle Mates – none managed to penetrate the field. Icing on the cake, TDS also made a heroic run at the Coupe de France, failing three elite teams on the podium and earning the respect of its peers. “We went to Paris Games week for the final and there were 250 ultras there to watch us… It’s not something you can predict. The structure is only one and a half years old. Everything happened really fast. »
“Risk taking” in LFL.
Almost too much, too. Structurally, the club is not prepared for such rapid growth and spends long winters. “It went on for three weeks, we didn’t know if we wanted to go to the LFL or not. Slippyx recalls. We had to double our finances compared to Div2, knowing we were already unprofitable…” “He takes risks, A former professional pizza maker meets Sixen. We had money set aside, which we wanted to keep for personal projects… but we told ourselves that LFL would happen once in our lives. People must have been very disappointed that we didn’t go, that also plays a role. I discussed it with my father, who, when he was a business manager, turned down a big contract that could have changed his life. I didn’t want to regret it. »
Here is officially the team du Sud in the big leagues. Without changing its user-friendly formula. Stage veterans League of LegendsFabian “Fabiven” Diepstraten and Kristian “Tnx” Ostergaard would have quickly realized: barely recruited by TDS, they were taken out for a beer by their two new bosses. “We are more their friends than their bosses, Slippix laughed. We have this family side, which gives us a lot of strength with a lot of influential friends to support us. »
In an LFL that is tougher than ever, this strength should hardly be enough to play key roles, especially as the transfer window has become complicated due to delayed entry into the league. After six days, TDS, although the game has not dropped, is in last place in the rankings. But last Wednesday she picked up her first success of the season against heavyweights Gentle Mats. On LFL Day, he will be intent on riding this wave. Especially in Nice, the atmosphere should be favorable …
