From The Local™ to the Nouns Bowl

The Local™ in Toronto has become more than just a weekly tournament series - it's now a pathway to bigger competitive opportunities. Thanks to funding from the Nouns Esports Flows grant program, top performers at The Local™ are getting the chance to showcase their skills on a larger stage.

On April 9th, schmeez, the organizer of The Local™, announced that the tournament would serve as a qualifier for the upcoming Nouns Bowl. The stakes were high at what was described as "probably the most stacked local this season" featuring top players like Moky, Bing, Mgmg, and Goosekhan. Beyond the usual tournament prizes, the top performers would receive sponsorship to attend Nouns Bowl, with their travel expenses covered through the Flows grant.

The Winners Emerge

A week later, the results were in. "Truly a The Local™ for the ages," schmeez announced, with Moky taking first place. But the bigger announcement followed: "Congrats to mgmg, BING, Erik, and Faust on winning The Local™ sponsorship for Nouns Bowl."

This sponsorship, funded directly through the Esports Events flow grant, provided tangible support for these players. "Their hotel and gas will be covered using USDC from our Flows fund!" schmeez explained. This represents exactly the kind of community support that the Flows program was designed to enable - creating opportunities for local talent to compete at higher-level events.

By using the grant funding as a prize to cover travel expenses, The Local™ has created a direct pipeline from the Toronto Melee scene to larger tournaments. It's a practical demonstration of how Flows funding can strengthen local gaming communities while providing pathways to broader competitive experiences.