Nine years later, much has changed. The definitive edition has brought many players back, but unfortunately, _H2O and BlackStar_OP are no longer active. However, this unforgettable series remains a cherished memory. After years of decline in the AoE3 community, a dedicated group decided to host a tournament, created ESOCommunity.net, and gathered the best players of the time. _H2O, an American champion who won the World Cyber Games in 2008 vs. Iamgrunt, returned to compete. BlackStar_OP, a promising newcomer from Romania (once coached by Veni_Vidi_Vici_W), also entered the fray. They faced off in a thrilling best-of-9 finals on April 26, 2015. With commentary by Veni_Vidi_Vici_W and Interjection, the Twitch stream hit a peak of 900 viewers on Twitch - a record that still stands in 2024!
I watched this live and I remember thinking his criticism of their build orders, which iirc was his main criticism, made no sense. DE and RE are vastly different games, apples and oranges.
![[AoE3:DE] When DUTCH GOLD gets ROLLING!💰](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/s-KH7p9nXwA/mqdefault.jpg)
![[AoE3:DE] When DUTCH GOLD gets ROLLING!💰](/img/tr.png)
Nine years later, much has changed. The definitive edition has brought many players back, but unfortunately, _H2O and BlackStar_OP are no longer active. However, this unforgettable series remains a cherished memory. After years of decline in the AoE3 community, a dedicated group decided to host a tournament, created ESOCommunity.net, and gathered the best players of the time. _H2O, an American champion who won the World Cyber Games in 2008 vs. Iamgrunt, returned to compete. BlackStar_OP, a promising newcomer from Romania (once coached by Veni_Vidi_Vici_W), also entered the fray. They faced off in a thrilling best-of-9 finals on April 26, 2015. With commentary by Veni_Vidi_Vici_W and Interjection, the Twitch stream hit a peak of 900 viewers on Twitch - a record that still stands in 2024!
Great video, McJim!
Good games and really insightful discussion of the then vs now.
Nice video!
H2O and Blackstar OP ❤ Two of the best of all time!
I watched this live and I remember thinking his criticism of their build orders, which iirc was his main criticism, made no sense. DE and RE are vastly different games, apples and oranges.