In his first year in competition, Beaulo has transitioned from one of the game's most popular content creators to one of its best players. For years, there had been speculation about Beaulo's entry into the professional scene. He had long been one viewed as a top talent in the game but was unable to prove it against the world's best players due to the 18+ age restriction on competitive play. There was frequent speculation if he would even want to play professionally when he already made a good living from YouTube videos and streaming. There were also critics who said he would perform poorly when dealing with a more structured team environment rather than the chaos of ranked play. All these questions were answered when he joined TSM (Pojo's Dojo at the time) just prior to his eighteenth birthday.
At first, the critics would be proven right. He struggled in his first competitive showing, earning just a 0.89 rating through the first split of Pro League Season 10. He did manage a strong performance in the Raleigh Qualifiers, but upon reaching the Major itself he really struggled on LAN, posting a 0.83 rating, lowest on his team. Nothing seemed to be going right for the young talent, perhaps the competitive world was not cut out for him after all.
After this, however, everything changed. TSM's next event, DreamHack Montreal, would prove to be Beaulo's breakout performance, leading his team through the event to claim a championship and an MVP award for himself.
Beaulo following his win at DreamHack Montreal
After this, everything seemed to come much more easily for the young talent. He helped pull TSM out of the relegation zone with a 1.30-rated tear through the second split of Season 10. His final significant event of the year would come at the Six Invitational, where he would lead TSM to an impressive third-place finish and earn his second award of the year, an EVP.
Here are each of Beaulo's performances this year:
Tournament | Rating | K-D (+/-) | Misc. |
|---|---|---|---|
DH Valencia* | 1.12 | 16-13 (+3) | 5-2 OK-OD |
Raleigh Quals NA | 1.05 | 107-97 (+10) | 5 1vX Clutches |
Raleigh Major | 0.83 | 57-75 (-18) | Zofia/Bandit Main |
DH Montreal | 1.27 | 144-90 (+54) | 22-8 OK-OD |
PL S10 NA | 1.11 | 115-100 (+15) | 3 1vX Clutches |
USN Finals | 0.94 | 35-38 (-3) | 0.71 KPR |
PL S11a NA | 1.01 | 46-47 (-1) | 73% KOST |
SI 2020 | 1.18 | 169-126 (+43) | 70% KOST |
*Partial stats due to off-stream games.
Beaulo (center) at the Six Invitational
You faced a lot of criticism when you first transitioned into professional play, with a lot of veterans saying you wouldn’t transition well from content creation to competitive. Were you ever discouraged by your critics and did you ever doubt your own abilities?
Your first few months in Pro League you struggled, but have since proven that you can compete with the game’s best. What was the transition like and how have you adapted individually?
You remain one of the most popular and widely-known players (when does Beaulo play?) in the circuit. Is this something you keep in mind and do you think it affects your play?
How are you feeling about the future of Siege as an esport?
What are you going to work on to improve your success next year?
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans and the wider Siege community?
You can also watch Beaulo's best plays of the year in the fragmovie below:
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Stay tuned for more of the top ten players, you can check out the full list in the awards hub and make sure to let us know what you think about each one on social media!