In the halls of the Heidelberg Castle in Germany, the 32 year old Spainaird, Roberto “TaToH” Jimenez, took home the largest cash prize in Age of Empire II history at the Redbull Wololo: Legacy event.
With $60,000 on the line, and in front of a raucous live crowd - TaToH conquered his demons by taking out a tournament favorite in 20 year old, Austrian born player Kai "Liereyy" Kallinger, 4-2. The win marks the first S-tier championship for TaToH and effectively doubles his career earnings.
In a grueling week-long event, TaToH outlasted the 13 other qualified players and ended with an impressive 5-0 record. He was constantly pushed to his limits, with his GamerLegion teammate Marco "JorDan_AoE" Bloch taking him to map five in the quarterfinals. TaToH eventually bested him in a similar fashion to the Grand Finals result by winning with the Byzantine army on Acclivity. He also took out Hamzah "Hera" El-Baher in the Semifinals in a rather one-sided series.
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TaToH ends 2-0 vs Liereyy
Despite Liereyy tying the Grand Finals at 2-2 and the series starting to slip, TaToH never swayed from his initial gameplan. The ability to annoy and punish Liereyy in the early caste age played a huge difference in the result. It continued the stretch of smart, innovative gameplay from Group stages and he never looked back en route to a monumental career victory. In many respects, he beat Liereyy at his own game and was far and away the most impressive player at the event.
From day one, TaToH was playing at a level we simply haven't seen from him often. Unlike the majority of players, TaToH is able to bring out the best in underutilized units and expand on a civilization's strengths. He was also able to read his opponents and take away their style of play.
A Long Time Coming
It was a display of resolve and honed skill from a player active in the Age of Empires scene since 2004. It was a long time coming and the elation in his reaction to winning was apparent. After each map win in Grand Finals, his confidence grew and continually found opportunities in the early game to gain massive economic advantages. He'll walk away with a bag full of cash and one of the most hard earned trophies in Age of Empires history.
