After two thrilling weekends of group stage gameplay, Empire Wars Duo 2 comes to a conclusion this week. The best teams of the world. fighting for a prize pool of $20,000 sponsored by Microsoft. can now show what they are capable of in this one of its kind 2v2 Empire Wars tournament!
The event kicked off with 16 teams fighting for 8 spots to qualify and join the 8 invited teams in the group stage. Last weekend, four teams – Heresy, Gamerlegion A, Aftermath B and White Wolf Palace secured their spot in the quarterfinals.
This week’s program starts with the deciders for the other four remaining spots in the quarterfinals, with two deciders sets on both Thursday and Friday (2 – 3 September) and is followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday, and the conclusion of the event on Sunday with the Semifinals and the Grand Finals.
Tournament Schedule
*Changes to the schedule may occur, click here for the most up to date information.
| Round | Event Days | Start Time |
| Group Stage Deciders | 2 – 3 September | 15 UTC / 17 CET / 11AM EDT |
| Quarterfinals | 4 September | 15 UTC / 17 CET / 11AM EDT |
| Semifinals and Grand Finals | 5 September | 15 UTC / 17 CET / 11AM EDT |
The Teams
GamerLegion A & B
GamerLegion is one of the two organizations providing two invited teams for the event. Both GamerLegion A (Jordan, TaToH and Nili) and GamerLegion B (Slam, DauT and Viper) are among the best players in the world and have shown their strength in numerous Empire Wars events before. Architects of many brand new strategies, they do have the element of surprise on their side in many cases. Though both GL teams provide tough opposition it remains to be seen if this will be sufficient against some of the more formidable opponents in this tournament.
Aftermath A & B
Aftermath also delegates two teams for the event, both of which had considerable success in the previous Empire Wars Duo event in 2020. Hera and Liereyy, the champions of the previous event are the favorites to win this event thanks to their exceptional skills and team coordination. They are also joined by Hearttt as a backup on their roster. Meanwhile, the other team composed by MbL and Nicov has a remarkable history in 2 vs 2 events, and remains a team that opponents should not sleep on.
White Wolf Palace
White Wolf Palace delegated the three strongest Chinese players as their team for the event. Mr. Yo, a former champion of Red Bull Wololo is joined by Vivi and Lyx in what will be an uphill battle for the title. Nonetheless, the resilience and aggressive playstyle of White Wolf Palace has made them one of the best teams in the world, and they will provide a tough opposition for whoever has to face them.
Vietnam Legends & Strategy
The only country to provide three teams worth of players, BacT and ACCM represent the invited team of Vietnam as Vietnam Legends, while two other Vietnamese teams, Vietnam Strategy A and B managed to qualify, featuring players like SayMyName, RollsRoyce, SongSong and Badboy. These teams share their aggressive playstyle and thrive in Empire Wars settings. While none of these teams are a favorite to win the event, these teams all have considerable upset potential against teams seemingly stronger than them.
The Maps
A large variety of maps are available for the players to play in this event, including traditional tournament maps like Golden Pit, as well as some lesser known maps including the fan-favorite Canberra, that has provided amazing gameplay!
Canberra
This map features the players starting with walled-off bases seemingly providing safety. In reality, the walls are easily broken through, and the players also have a backdoor to their base: narrow channels of water connecting in a central pond providing abundant fish. While the walls provide some early defense, players will still find themselves under a large amount of pressure from land or water. This map is also much smaller than ordinary 2 vs 2 maps, providing increased intensity to the fights throughout the game.
Hidden Treasures
Specifically created for Empire Wars Duo 2, this is a brand new map. Teams are separated by forests and shallows in the middle of the map. While the starting bases of the players are well defendable, players have to move out early to secure the gold deposits located on the two hills between the teams.
River Belt
This one is among the most aggressive maps seen in the history of competitive Age of Empires. The players start on an island surrounded by water very close to their enemies. While aggressiveness and early pressure is of great importance on this map, players must be careful about moving their forces through the shallows in middle, as either ships or land units can easily destroy armies in this central part of the map.
