In a global esport where five major regions -- North America, Europe, China, South Korea and Taiwan -- seemingly take up all the spotlight, it can be hard to find any praise for the regions on the sidelines. Ever since their first appearance in 2013 for Season 3, the teams from international Wildcard regions have been popular topics of debate when it comes to the World Championship in League of Legends, where there is always at least one slot reserved for qualifying Wildcard rosters. Hailing from minor, up-and-coming scenes with weaker competition and fewer resources, these Wildcard teams often exit Worlds with abysmal records, losing every game except for maybe one or two.Because of this pattern, many hardcore fans have argued from the start that Wildcard teams shouldnt be allowed to compete at Worlds as they drag the level of competition down and can harm stronger favorites chances of making it out of the group stages. But the Wildcard teams havent been satisfied with last place; they are slowly on the rise from bottom-tier tourists to true dark horses.Here is their story.Season 3 (2013)GamingGear.eu (Lithuania) -- group stage GamingGear.eu lost every game in the group stages except for one, finishing at a W-L record of 1-7. Their only win was off of Team SoloMid who by that point were already knocked out and captained by a player who decided he was retiring. Having absolutely no intention of winning, TSM picked a joke team composition during draft so that Reginald could have fun for his last competitive game and gave a free win to the Wildcard squad. Theres no real special story behind GamingGear.eus disappointing performance; they were out of their depth, especially being in the same group as powerhouses like SK Telecom T1.The competitive landscape of the Wildcard regions back in 2013 is difficult to describe, since so many regions were saplings with new servers compared to the broad oaks in the rest of the world. This lack of development meant it was impossible to make an argument that a Wildcard team in 2013 had any potential against the major regions. Ultimately, all five players of GamingGear.eu would soon retire after renaming themselves to Team Ultra Vires in the wake of Worlds that year.Season 4 (2014)KaBum! e-Sports (Brazil) -- group stageDark Passage (Turkey) -- group stageDuring Season 4, An?l HolyPhoenix I??k was the AD carry for Dark Passage and is well known for his aggressive play and skill, and was even considered to be a possible import for LCS teams from time to time. Despite HolyPhoenixs skill, DP was too behind as a team to pull out wins at Worlds. This Turkish team would consistently become one of the stronger teams in the Wildcard scene, often placing around third or fourth place in future Wildcard tournaments as it continually fine-tuned its roster.KaBum!s name is an accurate depiction of its impact on both the tournament itself as well as how Wildcards would be perceived. They won one game only, but that game was against the number one European seed, Alliance. It was a pivotal win that helped seal the coffin and send Alliance home while simultaneously sending Cloud9 out of the group stages to advance at Worlds that year. While its widely thought that the upset happened during the game itself, KaBum! showed strategic foresight by dismantling Alliance during the draft phase, crippling Mike Wickd Petersens champion pool and forcing the rest of Alliance onto questionable picks more suited for solo queue rather a cohesive team composition.Players like KaBum!s Thiago TinOwns Sartori from Brazil were certainly talented, but talent alone wasnt what had been holding Wildcard teams back; rather, it was a wider understanding of macro game. KaBum!s macro-oriented victory over Alliance certainly put Brazil on the map, which would help the region grow in coming years.Season 5 (2015)paiN Gaming (Brazil) -- group stageBangkok Titans (Thailand) -- group stageHailing from Thailand, the Bangkok Titans were Titans not only by name but by reputation as well. During Season 5, BKT were incredibly dominant within the Thailand Pro League, allowing them to qualify for Southeast Asias much larger Garena Pro League. Led by captain Pawat WarL0cK Ampaporn and mid-lane carry Nuttapong G4 Menkasikan, they were able to overthrow several of the Vietnamese teams that held a tight grip over the region, go nearly undefeated, and qualify for Worlds. Unfortunately, they crashed and burned there, losing every game in a tough group with teams like SK Telecom T1, EDward Gaming, and H2k-Gaming. BKT grew a lot that year, from playing recklessly to learning macro strategy and breaking free of the GPL, but the competition wasnt hard enough to push them anywhere near world-class.Fueled by KaBum!s meaningful win against Alliance, Brazil continued to be the hotspot of IWC speculation about how close they might be to being at the same level as North American or European LCS teams. One team, INTZ, was deemed to be comparable to a number of NA League Championship Series teams at the time by the likes of Team SoloMids S?ren Bjergsen Bjerg and Team Liquids Christian IWillDominate Rivera. However, it was fellow Brazilian team paiN Gaming who defeated INTZ domestically and then qualified for Worlds through the Wildcard Qualifier that year.PaiN would be called the best Wildcard team to attend Worlds after it was over. Brazil has certainly grown leaps and bounds, as paiN was the first Wildcard team to win more than one game at the annual event. They looked great in some of their losses and their second game against the Flash Wolves, who were the winners of their group, lasted almost an hour and went back and forth several times. This paiN roster had several star players including jungler Thúlio SirT Carlos, mid-laner Gabriel Kami Santos, and famous AD carry Felipe brTT Gon?alves. From here, Brazil can only hope to go even higher as INTZ will represent the country at Worlds this year. Ian Mahinmi Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Juwan Howard Jersey . 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NEW YORK -- The Greek Freak put on a show in Brooklyn.Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Jabari Parker scored 22 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Nets 111-93 on Thursday night.You have special players that we come across, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. Youve got different players that are rare and I think Giannis is one of those rare birds that well be able to enjoy for a long time.Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell each added 13 points for the Bucks, who followed their impressive victory over Cleveland with their third straight win.Brook Lopez scored 15 points, Sean Kilpatrick had 14 and Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 for the Nets, who outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime on Tuesday and were trying to win consecutive games for the first time this season.If youre going to come out flat, thats how its going to happen, especially in the NBA, Kilpatrick said. Thats all the stuff that happens, especially if you come out flat and youre not playing with no type of energy. Once a team sees that, its like being in the ocean and youre bleeding. A whole bunch of sharks keep jumping on you if they see that.The Bucks continued their dominance of the Nets since Kidd left Brooklyn for the Milwaukee coaching job.Milwaukee led by one in the third quarter when the Bucks went on a 14-2 run to go up 77-64. Milwaukee took a 90-78 lead into the fourth quarter, led by Antetokounmpos 11 points in the third, and never looked back.I think we got the ball moving, but it all starts with our defense, Kidd said. We got stops and got out into the open court. We started to share the ball. I thought the ball moved a lot better in that second half.Antetokounmpo sat out the entire fourth quarter and missed a chance at a triple-double with Milwaukee hosting Brooklyn on Saturday.Its a long season, Antetokounmpo said..dddddddddddd It doesnt matter for me. The only thing that matters to me is getting the win. We play them in two days so I think (Kidd) made a good decision sitting me in the fourth quarter because weve got to get the win in two days. Its a must-win game again.For Brooklyn, the third quarter woes continue.At the end of the day its going to continue being that way if we dont play hard enough and if guys dont come out with the right energy, Kilpatrick said.TIP-INSBucks: Kidd believes Antetokounmpo is just beginning to show his potential. Hes only 21 years old, Kidd said. Thats the most underrated thing about him. Hes 21 years old doing a lot of things that a lot of us cant do. I think thats special and I think that is overlooked a lot of times. ... Steve Novak and Khris Middleton were inactive.Nets: Coach Kenny Atkinson said the team is going to build up Rondae Hollis-Jeffersons minutes after an ankle injury. ... Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) and Caris LeVert (left foot rehab) were inactive.SPEAKING THE TRUTHTwo days after Paul Pierce played his final game in Brooklyn, Kidd was asked how would remember a long-time adversary and later a player he coached.I think hes a true pro, a true warrior and a champion, Kidd said. Being able to coach him, to see his work ethic at a very high level. (He) respects the game and is a true vet. As a player whos played against him, he is not afraid of having the ball late in the game. He always wanted to deliver that winning shot.COURTSIDE CELEBRITIESFormer President Bill Clinton was courtside with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry. New York Giants safety Landon Collins and running back Bobby Rainey were also on hand at Barclays Center.UP NEXTBucks: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.Nets: Visit Milwaukee on Saturday. ' ' '