So, everything is back to normal again in the Warcraft 3 universe, it seems. WC3L is back, NGL is back and regular matches are back. I wonder if all those people who complained about format changes to both leagues can really tell the difference.

For a long time I complained on forums and in comments about Asian tournament formats. I hated the over-complicated format, the ‘revival’ system and in particular that one tournament (was it ROTK?) with the ridiculous card arrangement.

But more recently I’ve changed my mind. I’m still not keen on the revival system, and the card gimmick seems more fitting for a pseudo-anime cartoon, but at the end of the day it’s the matches that count, isn’t it? If Moon played Grubby in a best of seven, where both players had to swap races for every game and the winner chose the maps there would be plenty of viewers.

The latest PGL tournament is proof undeniable that exciting matches will outshine a tournament structure, however crazy it might be. Granted, PGL was nowhere near as wacky as the tournaments I mentioned above, but it was still overly-complex for no good reason. Despite that, we saw some spectacular games. The final, to use a horrible cliché, was a real roller-coaster ride. The fifth game of the series was particularly stomach churning. Nine times out of ten, once Sky’s towers go up the outcome is inevitable. But Fly outsmarted and outplayed his opponent and claimed a breathtaking victory.

The point I’m trying to make here is that a change from the normal format isn’t such a bad thing. The NGL we knew and loved might be gone but we’ve already seen that there will be exciting games in the new incarnation. Yes, the last ever NGL last-man-standing style finals were truly epic, but this season is a new chapter in WC3’s history.

If you still aren’t convinced, go and watch yesterday’s game between Lyn and Soccer on Melting Valley. That match had so many sweet micro moves that it could have graced any final. However much you might miss the old NGL, the new one will be every bit as exciting if Lyn’s first win is anything to go by.

But what of WC3L? It too went through a few changes during the off-season, but seemingly a much smaller one than NGL. Whereas the latter completely overhauled its previous system in favour of a one-vs-one league, WC3L merely reduced the number of players needed. In other words, it is still a team league. While NGL’s three-vs-three division is something of a sideshow, WC3L remains a real clan-based tournament.

However, I do have some concern over WC3L. The new system means that teams can seed the same players numerous times. Fine, that was always the case, given the two-vs-two games. But the first game of the new season saw just two players from either side – great if you’re favourite player is in the line-up, rather disappointing if not.

I have no doubt that there will be interesting games in WC3L as well. Most of the best players are still there, after all. But imagine a WE game where sky tower rushes six times in a row. Worse still: imagine twelve mirror matches (even more if nobody swaps races for the 2on2). Sure, the mirror scenario was possible in the old format, but it far more likely when only two players are needed for a match. If Happy is unavailable for an MYM game, the possibility of an all-orc clan war could be very real.

WC3L has been very brave with the changes they have made, and I sincerely hope that the scenario I just outlined never comes to fruition. But I can’t help but feel that the team league has had its day. We all have great memories from both NGL and WC3L, but nostalgia distorts one’s vision.

The alterations made by WC3L are clearly headed down the route of solo play and individual talent, but why not go the whole hog? I feel like ESL’s baby is stuck between the past and the future, unsure which to cling to. NGL has thrown itself headlong into future, WC3L seems indecisive – not quite a solo league, but not really the team league it once was.

Whichever way WC3L and NGL go, it will be an experiment worth observing. The future of WC3, ladies and gentlemen, is upon us.

The world's first and only weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday.