In its fifth year of operation, the Dutch StarCraft League (DSCL) has decided to withdraw inward and focus its efforts on providing StarCraft II opportunities to Dutch nationals. The DSCL was previously open to any international player that worked their way up through their qualifying events.
Although the DSCL itself is relatively minor, the Netherlands has proved to be quite a breeding ground for talent in StarCraft II and beyond. Earlier this year, Team Netherlands won second place in NationWars V for their country after losing only to Team South Korea in the grand final. Dutch players such as uThermal and Harstem have been part of the conversation in the StarCraft II scene outside of South Korea for many years. And we can’t forget Grubby, the Dutch Warcraft player who won more than 38 LAN tournaments and earned the title “King of the Orcs” in the days of Warcraft III.
Although this is a bummer for international players who wanted to compete in the DSCL, this presents an opportunity for some previously unknown Dutch talent to rise through the ranks. Who knows, maybe there is a future StarCraft II champion lurking out there somewhere among the polders and windmills. After all, Serral has shown us that greatness can come from places you might not expect.
