Just over eleven hours from now the first Alienware Monthly Melee of 2017 will be getting underway with eight North American contenders looking to lay claim to their slice of the $5000 bounty over the next two days.

Alienware Monthly Melee January 2017

Tournament format

Saturday will play host two round robin groups of four teams. In the traditional Monthly Melee format, the bottom two teams from each group will be seeded directly in to the Lower Bracket of Sunday's playoffs. It's best-of-threes throughout the groups and the playoffs right until the narrow end of the bracket where the best-of-fives usually kick in for the Upper Bracket, Lower Bracket and Grand Finals.

Group A

  • FaZe Clan
  • Rise Nation
  • Spicy Boys
  • Denial Esports

Group B

  • Luminosity Gaming
  • Splyce
  • Hammers Esports
  • Team Liquid

Denial Esports were a late addition to the lineup, replacing Immortals who have "withdrawn from the tournament in order to focus on training for the Winter Premier finals".

Immortals were the defending champions from December's Merry Melee where they announced their resurgence with 3-1 and 3-2 victories over Cloud9

With Cloud9, Fnatic, compLexity, Kungarna and Renegades all absent it looks like Luminosity enter the event as marked favourites having beaten FaZe and Team Liquid (repeatedly) over the last six weeks of the Winter Premiere. Interesting to note that LG are also the only one of the four Winter Premiere finalists electing to compete in this weekend's Monthly Melee.

Hammers Esports are a rebranded -bird noises- having been signed earlier in the week.

Prize distribution

The fat $5000 will be chopped up between the final two, although there may be more at stake for Spicy Boys who will have the shop window all to themselves as the only unsigned roster in attendance.

  • 1st: $3000
  • 2nd: $2000

Broadcast

Two of Overwatch's most decorated caster duos are set to join forces once more for your entertainment. ZP and Hexagrams will be fusing with UberShouts and Jason Kaplan under the guidance of the scene's most diabolic super villain, Slasher. Catch the action live on twitch.tv/gosutv_ow and follow the off-air games on our match ticker.

Beyond that, keep your fingers crossed for a second European edition of the Alienware Monthly Melee!