Last weekend the San Jose SAP center was the scene for cheering crowds and thousands of video game fans that came here to see the IEM (Intel Extreme Masters). The IEM is a video game tournament for the games Starcraft II and League of Legends, sponsored by Intel. The tournaments take place worldwide and always lure fans from all around the world to come. It was the first time the IEM came to San Jose and with the IEM. Thousands of fans travelled from around the world to see their favorite team and players live in action.

The tournament started Saturday at 10 am. When this reporter arrived at 9, there were already thousands of people standing outside, waiting to be the first inside with the hope to meet their stars and get the merchandise signed before the actual event starts. The Saturday was the group stage day for the teams that got voted in. The European team, “Unicorns of Love,” faced team “Lyon Gaming” and defeated them in a clear two games to none in a best of three series. The audience was quite impressed by the performance of the Unicorns because they were the underdogs of the event and no one expected them to win even one game. Now the Unicorns were in the Semi-final and had to meet the team that probably has the biggest fanbase in the whole game: “Team Solomid,” that was actually founded in San Jose but now based in Los Angeles.

Next up was one of the top teams of the North American scene, “Cloud 9.” One thing that might be interesting is that the team was also founded in San Jose, so they had the home advantage. Cloud 9 played against team “PaiN Gaming” from Brazil, also taking the win with a two games to none and it did not look like that PaiN Gaming had a chance against their all mighty opponents who played a fantastic game. Throughout the day, the SAP center filled more and more as the late fans arrived and by the time C9 finished their game, at least two thousand people were at the center, with over 100 thousand watching the live stream on the web.

The next and last game of the day was the highlight for a lot people on the audience. Team Solomid (TSM) faced the underdogs, Unicorns of Love, in the first semi-final. Most people expected TSM to crush the Unicorns, but they did not expect that the Unicorns were well prepared for the game, winning an early advantage over TSM. With surprising choices of their champions and an unexpected playstyle, the Unicorns were able to take game 1. By that point, a lot of people realized that the Unicorns were a team that should not be underestimated, because they are new to the scene. Game 2 was closer than the first one, but TSM struggled against the Unicorns and lost, leaving a speechless audience that was absolutely stunned by what just happened. The Unicorns of Love moved to the final of the IEM with their two games to none in a best of three series and tomorrow it should be decided who they will face.

Sunday started the same as the saturday. Lots of people arrived early at the SAP center, causing lines to form in the enterances. The first game of the day was C9 facing Alliance from Europe with their new player, Rekkles. The audience Sunday was almost double the size of the one that was at the Arena on Saturday and the numbers of the people viewing the stream almost reached 200k viewers.

Cloud 9 and Alliance had 3 absolutely fantastic games and they were a pleasure to watch but, in the end, Cloud 9 was able to defeat Alliance, ending with a one game to two score in a best of three series. That meant Cloud 9 was able to move on to the finals and they faced the Unicorns. At this moment people were asking themselves if the Unicorns are able to repeat their performance they showed Saturday, since C9 is considered to be one of the the best teams of NA, together with TSM, who had to face a massive defeat on Saturday.

But before the final would start, there was a special “surprise” for the audience. Ten retired pro players faced off in a not too serious game of League of Legends. The team of the player “HotShotGG” looked like they would be able to win, but the team of “Saintvicious” was able to turn the game around last minute. Even though the game was entertaining, the crowd was too hyped for the final, expecting a match that be worth the one of a final.

Finally the climax of the event arrived. The match between Cloud 9 and the Unicorns of Love. The game was played in a best of five series. The team that wins the first three games would be able to win the trophy and the 25,000 dollar prize that comes with it. Cloud 9 also had to defend their hometown, since they played in their home city. The games were worth to be called final, having a lot of good moments in them and they were by far the best games of the day. The Unicorns of Love again tried to surprise Cloud 9 with uncommon picks and play style, but C9 was well prepared and countered almost every situation the Unicorns brought them in and had a lead in all games. After three good games, C9 was able to win the series and with that they won the whole tournament, becoming the Intel Extreme Masters of San Jose.

Shortly after the last game finished, most of the people that were watching the event left, but the few that stayed were rewarded with photos with the bright winners and the shoutcasters that commentated over the weekend, if they were OK with waiting in a line for a couple minutes.