Starcraft II Pro-Am Tournament: Meet the Pros--Part 3

This week the ASUS Starcraft II Pro Am kicks off in partnership with GameSpot AU. But, who's taking part you ask? Here's the third batch of 16 professional players who will be vying for cash and prizes. We'll be revealing four each day leading up to Friday's kick-off.

Mf.TargA

Name: Kristoffer "TargA" Marthinsen
Team: Mindfreak
Age: 22
City: Gold Coast

Kristoffer "TargA" Marthinsen is a Norwegian real-time strategy legend who has been living and studying in Australia for the past few years. He has had a very successful Starcraft 2 career in both South East Asia and abroad, taking second place at the Australian Cyber League's Sydney 2012 National event and representing Norway and Australia in the North American Star League and Intel Extreme Masters global tournaments.

With the Heart of the Swarm expansion pack on the horizon, TargA is really looking forward to the recently unveiled Battle.net improvements--specifically clan support.

Gamecom Nv.mOOnGLaDe

Name: Andrew “mOOnGLaDe” Pender
Team: Gamecom Nv
Age: 25
City: Gold Coast

Andrew “mOOnGLaDe” Pender has been a household name in Australian RTS for nearly 10 years now, having confidently reigned over the WarCraft 3 and StarCraft 2 scenes respectively since 2003.

Having made it all the way to Code A in the Global StarCraft League in Seoul, Korea, Andrew is really looking forward to the fresh multiplayer changes that will be introduced with the Heart of the Swarm expansion, including new maps.

iM.Mafia

Name: Timothy “Mafia” He
Team: Team Immunity
Age: 24
City: Sydney

Having recently joined Team Immunity, Timothy “Mafia” He has been shown one of the strongest, and most consistent tournament performances over the past 12 months. He is widely regarded as one of Australia’s three Zerg powerhouses.

It’s no secret that Tim is in top form for this event, sporting over 1,400 points in his Master League division on the Korean ladder in Season 7, placing him in the very highest echelons of the world.

SQL.Ninja

Name: Alex “Ninja” Smith
Team: Sequential Gaming
Age: 18
City: Sydney

Alex “Ninja” Smith is one of the youngest and most intimidating competitive StarCraft 2 players in Australia. For the past two years, we’ve watched as he has risen through the ranks of Aussie Zerg players and today, this 18 year old prodigy from Sequential Gaming is a strong championship contender.

Fresh out of a fourth place finish at the Australian Pro League Sydney 2012 Nationals two months ago, Alex doesn’t have to climb much further to reach the top.

Check back tomorrow for the final four pro players taking part, and the start of our weekend-long tournament.