Goodbye Europe

[Subject056 1,086]

Goodbye Europe

 

Due to life events, I haven't been active on the VHL forums or discord recently. However, while not being completely active or in the loop, it came as no surprise to me that the VHLE has been disbanded. The VHLE has always been a touchy subject within our community. While I have never jumped on to either side of the argument as for why it would be good to keep it vs disbanding it, I do find it sad to see it go. Mostly because my time spent in the VHLE while short was fairly positive. 

 

I didn't join at the height of the VHL when there was an overload of members. I came in at the tail end of it, when numbers were starting to dwindle back to what the VHL has mentioned as regular numbers. As a new member to the community it was hard not to notice that there was a strong dislike for the E amongst some of our members almost immediately. In the short time I've been part of the league many people have voiced their opinions on the E in what felt like an almost monthly occurrence. It was a topic that never got old and never died. It felt as if the majority of people who had something to say about the E were the ones who mainly wanted it gone.

 

With some of our newer and reoccuring members I noticed that the hype and the excitement of reaching the VHL was favored more than getting into the VHLE. To the point where some members (both old and new) were looking to skip the VHLE all together. From a newcomer's perspective it felt like the VHLE wasn't going to last long already. Despite the negativity I noticed surrounding the E, I figured since I was new I'd give the E a try and I'm glad I did. I briefly thought about skipping but ultimately decided to not to.

 

I know the VHLE isn't everyone's cup of tea but I thoroughly enjoyed my players time there. From the beginning starting with the draft it was an enjoyable experience as a first timer. The E GM's put some heart into the live draft and made it a really fun experience to listen into. They were great at including members of the community who participated in the twitch live stream draft. They were upbeat, fun and informative. The TPE task, Hello Europe was an enjoyable and nice touch as well once I hit the VHLE. My team's LR wasn't very active but the members when they were around were good company. Anyone in the community knows keeping an active LR is difficult no matter which league your in and with the amount of active members skipping the E I think that attributed to a slower LR vibe. Despite having slow LRs and not many active players in the E, the leadership, at least I felt for my own team, Oslo Storm was outstanding! The advice I received from our GM got my player to help win the Renaissance Cup with our team that season! A truely memorable experience even with a bit of a quiet season in the LR.  

 

It is with a heavy heart I finally say, Goodbye Europe. While it was fleeting I enjoyed my time there and I'm glad I got to experience the E. A part of the league's history that has come and gone but will forever have a place in the hearts of a few.

 

So long and thanks for all the fish!

 

 

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