Predictions for Week 2 #HGC NA Jan 27-29, 2017

In week one, NA saw the fall of giants, and the rise of a new team. A Chu8-less Team 8 shocked me, and made me wrong twice, ruining my otherwise perfect record. Led by Glaurung and some stellar play on Medivh that led to respect bans, Team 8 made fellow new team No Tomorrow look like they didn't belong, and Blizzcon attendees BStep (formerly Denial, Crescendo, Cloud 9) look to be in serious danger of relegation. Team 8's matches were unreal to watch, mostly because no one expected it, and their dismantling of BStep is required viewing:

Similarly, Gale Force eSports had a hard fought 3-2 series against BStep in the NA match of the week, which bodes well for BStep, but they, in Michael Udall's own words, "dumpstered" Naventic, 3-0.

The new Tempo Storm (formerly Astral Authority, Murloc Geniuses) looked strong against Naventic, but had to go to five games. Superstars round out the top four, as they made Team Freedom look ready for relegation, 3-1.

Note: I am much more familiar with the names of players and team histories in NA. It's my region. I will attempt to get as familiar with EU in the future.

I went 4-2 last week, because I picked against Team 8 twice. Let's see if I learned my lesson:

My picks went 10-2 for the first weekend. If only I had believed in #Team8 and @Glaurung_tv, I would be perfect #HGC

— Anne Elise Morrigan (@anne_elise) January 23, 2017

#HGC2017 NA Week 1 Predictions

TS 3-1 NVT
NT 3-2 T8
SSS 3-1 TF
GFE 3-2 BST
BST 3-0 T8
GFE 3-1 NVT@HeroesEsports @BlizzHeroes

— Anne Elise Morrigan (@anne_elise) January 19, 2017

Friday, January 27th

Match 1: Tempo Storm vs Team Freedom
Tempo Storm is the best team in NA until someone beats them. They dominated the Fall 2016 season, and they made NA Heroes fun to watch again. Team Freedom got one win off a bad draft from Superstars, but otherwise was unimpressive. CauthonLuck and Pslam are too much for TF, and it's a sweep. Tempo Storm 3-0. 

Match 2: No Tomorrow vs Superstars
If you don't know Superstars, you should. The best team not signed, the core of the team Srey, Faye, and Iakona, are responsible for running Cloud 9 out of competitive Heroes (see my favorite match from 2016):

No Tomorrow looked good in qualifiers, but they looked out-matched last week. Superstars is a super strong team, and Goku and Hosty make this team a contender to return to top 4 form. Superstars 3-1. 

Saturday, January 28th

Match 1: Tempo Storm vs BStep
Tempo Storm and BStep (as Astral Authority and Denial eSports) were the Blizzcon NA teams in 2016. But, without Glaurung, BStep looks a lot less formidable. Still, BStep is full of veterans who know how to play this game, but there is a serious question as to whether or not they are ready for this meta. I don't think BStep is as bad as their record, but they will be 0-3 at the end of this weekend. Tempo Storm 3-1. 

Match 2: Naventic vs No Tomorrow
After losing both the trash talk and the match to GFE, Naventic is on the warpath. Too bad for No Tomorrow. They join BStep at 0-3, and Naventic gets their first win in a sweep. Naventic 3-0. 

Sunday, January 29th

Match 1: Gale Force eSports vs. Team Freedom
I questioned last week if GFE was a team and not a collection of five amazing players. The choice to not have roles, except for akaface (whose support play was often the highlight of their matches), and to have all of the other players switching up, makes them dangerous in a draft. Seeing Fan and Khroen tanking, and doing it well, was a little mind blowing. Team Freedom also sinks to 0-3 as the bottom of NA gets a little crowded. GFE 3-0.

Match 2: Team 8 vs. Superstars
This is the match of the week, and the fact that it's on last is pretty damned awesome. Before they qualified, Superstars kicked Prismaticism and picked up Hosty from Vox. Glaurung was a part of Brain Power, and before that Cognitive, with Faye, Srey, and Iakona (yes, I know, Srey was never on COG, only on BP). They all know each other very well, and they have all the reason in the world to fight to the last. Glau needs to prove his decision to leave for Crescendo (Denial, now BStep), was right and that he can continue to lead this new team. Prismat has been kicked by quite a few teams and has to prove he can play when he risks being tilted. Srey (whose tier lists help everyone understand the meta) has to prove he can lead his team against a strong opponent. Faye and Iakona have to show that they can overcome the loss of their aggressive teammate who was so much of the personality behind their former teams. There is a lot going on here, and this series promises to be insane and go the distance. I have gone back and forth on this a lot, but I am a HUGE fan of Superstars, and I would rather be wrong picking them then right picking against them. Superstars 3-2. 

If I'm wrong about this pick, screen shot this, and send it to Glau. I said I was done picking against Team 8, but I cannot bring myself to pick against Superstars.

NA has two really good matches in Tempo Storm vs. BStep and Team 8 vs Superstars. The other four should be pretty lopsided. Overall, week two will not be nearly as exciting as week one.