Season 1 of 2014 StarCraft II league play has begun! Bonus pools and standings have been reset, and 2013 Season 6 milestones have been awarded. You can take a look at your 2013 Season 6 results by visiting the Leagues and Ladders section of your StarCraft II character profile.

Furthermore, Season 1 brings new maps to the 1v1 and 2v2 ladder map pools. Take just a moment to get familiar with all of the new maps by checking them out here before you hit that "Find Match" button in the game.

As always, the hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement carry over from one season to the next, so if you were already placed in a league prior to the 2013 Season 6 lock, you'll only need to play one placement match to kick off the new season.

Additionally, on Friday, January 3, we’ll be applying a free character name change to all accounts that do not currently have one available. Remember, character name changes do not stack (you can only have one free name change at a time), so if you’ve been thinking about changing your name this season, now is the time!

We wish the best of luck to all of you heading in to the first season of 2014 ladder play and hope you have a blast on the new maps. GL HF