The cards are down, the lines are drawn, the heart-stopping action of the regional playoffs has concluded, and one questions remains- who will emerge victorious?
With the second season of the Heroes Global Championship careening towards the halfway point, all eyes turn to the Mid-Season Brawl in Stockholm, Sweden. For the first time in 2018, the top teams from all regions will face off in a no-holds-barred contest of skill, adaptation and pure grit.
What is the Heroes Global Championship?
The Heroes of the Storm Global Championship (HGC) is the worldwide league for professional Heroes of the Storm teams, leading up to the annual World Championship at Blizzcon in November. The top ten teams in Europe, North America, Korea and China’s Gold Series Heroes League compete in two ten-week Phases of league play from January through October.
Mid-way through each Phase, inter-regional tournaments give the first taste of how the global competitive scene will shake out. The top four teams from North America and Europe, as well as the winner of South America and Australia/New Zealand regional tournaments, face off at the Western Clash. Meanwhile, the Eastern Clash pits the top four teams from the Korean and Chinese ranks, and the winner of the East Asia and Taiwan tournaments, against each other.
The champion of each Clash wins an additional spot for their region to the Mid-Season Brawl or, in Phase 2, to the Blizzcon championship. With their wins at the 2018 Phase One Western and Eastern Clashes, Team Dignitas and Ballistix have now respectively earned a bonus spot for Europe and Korea at the upcoming Mid-Season Brawl.
The HGC's ten week Phase 1 culminates with competitive action at the Mid-Season Brawl
How Does It Work?
The quest for the trophy begins June 9 with two six team groups competing in a week long Round Robin group stage. In the Round Robin format each team faces all other teams in their group in a Best of Two Match. Teams receive 3 points for a victory or 1 point for a draw. At the end of the Group Stage, the first and second ranked team from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs, the third and fourth advance to the lower bracket.
The Playoff stage of the tournament is played in a two bracket, double elimination format. All Playoff matches are Best of Five. The winners of the upper and lower bracket will clash in a Best of 7 final match to crown a new champion.
Prize Pool
The twelve teams at the Mid-Season Brawl will be fighting hard for their share of a $250,000 Prize Pool. The final victors will walk away with a $100,000, while the second-place team will take home $50,000.
Third and fourth place teams will each receive $20,000, fifth through eighth $10,000, and the ninth through twelfth place teams will receive a consolation prize of $5,000 each.
Venue and Dates
As in 2017, the Mid-Season Brawl will be hosted at DreamHack Summer in Jonkoping, Sweden. The Group stage airs June 9-13 from the Monster Energy DreamHack Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. The Playoffs will be played live June 16-18 during DreamHack Summer at the Elmia Convention Center in Jonkoping, Sweden
Who Is Competing?
From the regional titans of Team Dignitas in Europe and KSV Black in Korea, to the rising stars of Tempo Storm in North America, the Mid-Season Brawl will be the ultimate testing ground for teams building on 2018 roster changes and an evolving in-game meta. So, who will be making the trip to Sweden to join the fray?
Europe
Team Dignitas: The number one seed from Europe is no stranger to the highest levels of Heroes of the Storm. Since their recent roster additions, they have dominated the ranks of European play, entering the tournament with an impressive 13-1 record through league play.
Fnatic: Returning 2017 MSB Champions and the number two seed from Europe, Fnatic is chasing stability after a rocky start to the 2018 HGC season. The Mid-Season Brawl will be their chance to prove that the roster changes they made to start the season will boost them to the top of their game.
Method: The number three seed from Europe triumphed through the stepladder playoffs in a spectacular 3-2 victory over Zealots to earn their way to the Mid-Season Brawl. After a disappointing performance at the Western Clash, Method is hoping to prove themselves in international play and stake a claim to one of the top spots in the world.
North America
Tempo Storm: The super-team of North American stars have held their own at the top of the rankings, placing third at the Western Clash and joining other NA teams in breaking the curse of EU dominance, sending both Zealots and Fnatic to the lower bracket. They have showed remarkable synergy and steady improvement over the course of Phase 1 and are looking to do North America proud at the Mid-Season Brawl.
HeroesHearth Esports: The second seed from North America is a new team of veteran players, riding high off a breathtaking 3-2 victory over Team Octalysis in the final match of regional playoffs. They qualified for HGC league play in the 2017 Open Division Crucible and have already put up impressive play both regionally and at the Phase 1 Western Clash.
HeroesHearth Esports showed a lot of promise in their performance at the Western Clash, and have continued to rise through Part 2 of league play.
Korea
KSV Black: Reigning Blizzcon 2017 World Champions, KSV Black boasts some of the best Heroes of the Storm players in the world. Despite a few bumps in the road, KSV Black enters the Mid-Season Brawl as the number one seed from Korea, a region that has shown consistent strength in global tournaments. Every other team at the Mid-Season Brawl is asking themselves the same question: can KSV Black be dethroned?
Tempest: The winner of Korean playoffs and the region’s second seed is a regular at international competitions. Tempest enters the Mid-Season Brawl hoping to improve on past shaky tournament showings and do the region proud.
Ballistix: The third seed from Korea has shown moments of greatness in 2018, particularly upsetting KSV Black to win the Eastern Clash, but falling to Tempest in the final seeding match of Korean playoffs. They look to gather momentum from their past success to carry them deep into the Mid-Season Brawl.
China
Chall Enge: CE joins the hunt for tournament results as the number one seed from China’s Gold Series Heroes League. China as a region has, at times, struggled to keep up with the likes of Korea and Europe, but Chall Enge enters the tournament backed by a solid showing of past international play.
The One: A relative new-comer to the HGC China scene, The One will be looking to take other teams by surprise while gaining valuable international experience.
Intercontinental Clash
On May 5, the winners of the HGC Copa America and the ANZ Finals will face off at the Intercontinental Clash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winner will attend the Mid-Season Brawl.
Horizon Clash
On May 5, the winners of the Taiwan Qualifiers and the South East Asia Qualifiers (Resurgence) will face off at the Horizon Clash at the Blizzard eStadium in Taipei. The winner will attend the Mid-Season Brawl.
Where to Watch
Global competition is ramping up as teams battle to make a lasting mark at the Mid-Season Brawl. The competition will entertain with the highest levels of competitive Heroes of the Storm.
Catch the action at twitch.tv/blizzheroes and on the official Heroes Global Championship webpage.
