NA is not competitive internationally, period: In 2015, Cloud 9 (everyone do a shot!) swept Team DK and Team Dignitas (Korea and EU, respectively) to win the World Championship. Since then, NA has been unable to do anything of note on the international stage. Today was no different. FNATIC swept Tempo Storm, and Dignitas swept GFE. The record for NA against EU is utterly humiliating:
GFE 0-5 vs. EU
Tempo Storm 0-3 vs. EU
Team 8 1-2 vs. EU
For those who cannot add, that's a 1-10 record for NA vs. EU. The Western Clash is less of a tournament and more of a showcase of EU as clearly the second strongest region behind Korea.
Barring a miracle by Team 8 tomorrow, this NA/EU rivalry will end in a completely one-sided stomp that should make Blizzard consider rotating the clash next year so that EU and Korea can square off (they should probably do that anyway). "LOL NA" has never been more appropriate, and you know how much I hate giving power to Twitch Chat Trolls.
Misfits is Back to Being Immortal; Pay No Attention to the Nomia Series: Yesterday, I said that Misfits was mortal almost getting knocked to the losers bracket by ANZ's Nomia. Forget that. Yes, Snitch was unwell, but Misfits swept Dignitas with relative ease to move on to the next round. Not five hours later, a still sick Snitch and Dignitas took out GFE in a sweep. Now, either Snitch recovered really fast or Dignitas is just that good. I would bet on the latter. Meaning, Misfits is even better.
Can Team 8 Get a Fucking Sponsor Already? Two of the three gutter teams in NA (Team Freedom and Naventic) have sponsors. Why hasn't an eSports organization stepped up to sponsor Team 8? For that matter, why are there any teams in pro HotS without a sponsor? In beating Tempo Storm, Team 8 holds best-of-five victories over all of the other teams in NA. Right now, they are the top team, and no one will sponsor them.
It's not like this is an NA-only problem. L5, after winning Blizzcon, lost their sponsor, and they are currently running the table in Korea without a sponsor. Still, that means that the top team in two of the four major regions has no sponsorship, no backing.
JHow and Solid Jake Need a Regular HGC Gig: All of the casters we have are fantastic, but in the last series, Jake and JHow were just awesome. No one needs to be replaced, but we could just expand coverage for Latin America or something just so that these two can cast together.
So, What Happens Tomorrow? First, because it wasn't obvious which teams went where in the losers bracket (thanks for no bracket challenge, Blizzard), my bracket was messed up, though I'm technically correct on my top 3. That isn't an accomplishment since everyone had 1. Misfits, 2. FNATIC, 3. Dignitas, 4. The Least Bad NA Team. Anyway, here's what you need to know:
Team Dignitas 3-2 over Team 8: Team 8 has already shown that they can take a map off of EU, and they did it against Dig. Expect Team 8 to get game one and game four. I would like to see Team 8 force Dignitas onto Warhead Junction or Braxis in an attempt to make them uncomfortable, but I am almost positive Dig will ban out WJ. Team 8 can win this if they learn the lesson about Dig I have been preaching: do not fight on their terms. That means, don't fight them when they engage, and don't fight them when they are ready to defend. Team 8 has to catch Dig off balance, and do so in the mid and late games to win.
Misfits 3-2 over FNATIC: The league match was a classic, and this will likely be the first of two matches that we see. Misfits getting a scare from Nomia woke them up, and now, everyone beware. FNATIC is good, and this will be close. Game five will come down to a minor error that Misfits will exploit and turn.
FNATIC 3-1 over Team Dignitas: Right now, Team Dignitas has work to do in figuring out how to play against Misfits and FNATIC, and that work will not happen between now and tomorrow. FNATIC is too good right now, and they own Dig.
Misfits 3-2 over FNATIC (again): First, Misfits will start with a +1 advantage for not having lost, meaning they only need to win two. Second, FNATIC will have just come off of playing two series in a row to play series three, so they are going to be tired. The schedule locks it in for Misfits as they will enjoy the winner's advantage and win the first clash.
And with that, I'll leave you all with this clip of Dread getting broken by Jake at the desk:
In depth coverage of #HGC league play for EU and NA from one fan, stuck in Bronze, who watches too much esports, and thinks she knows a lot... but probably doesn't.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Friday, March 3, 2017
Lessons from Day 1, #HGC Western Clash
Misfits are Mortals: The undisputed gods of HGC 2017 dropped the first map of the day to ANZ champs Nomia. It was marked by some uncharacteristic Misfits greed:
EU > NA: While we probably already knew this going in, Team 8 did hang pretty well with Team Dignitas, taking a map, and while Bakery having to eat a little crow was fun, it execution of Gale Force eSports at the hands of FNATIC was anything but fun.
GFE looked completely out of sorts against FNATIC. To be fair, they made short work of Latin America's Infamous, but Infamous was playing with a sub (see below). The bottom line is that EU looked mostly in control of NA, and that the best NA teams do not look ready for the best that EU has to offer.
Heroes eSports (and eSports in general) has to do a better job with international events and Visas: At two Blizzcons, we have had teams either pull out or be cobbled together (or both) because of visa issues. Infamous, who did not look horrible, suffered from having to get a sub warrior player, who had retired from HotS and was playing Overwatch. This cannot and should not happen. These clashes are really important, especially for the smaller regions who are not getting enough time to shine or compete. This needs to be addressed better than it has been.
ANZ Has Game: Nomia may be exiting the Clash, but they took maps off of Misfits and Team 8. If we are being honest, they almost beat Misfits in what would have been the biggest upset since PBA beat GFE last summer (minor region beating a major region does not happen often). Blizzard needs to consider investing more time and effort into developing the ANZ scene as well as the SEA and Taiwan scenes.
New Meta? What New Meta?: Other than GFE busting out Lucio to a meh record of 1-1, and the considerably fewer instances of Varian, the Lucio patch has not changed things much. Tassadar is still first pick first ban material. Ragnaros is still the most important assassin (the value of Molten Core cannot be overstated. Fight me), followed closely by Zeratul, and the supports are still dominated by Malf and Rehgar, with some Monk sprinkled in. This might be because we only saw best-of-three series today, and perhaps we will see some more Lucio and any Murky tomorrow, but for as fun as Lucio and Murky are, and as impactful as they are in solo queue, it doesn't seem like they will make their way to the competitive meta any time soon.
But Muradin is back. The loss of Varian's ability to have complete lockdown has made Muradin viable as a tank again, not that he wasn't, but he did see some fall off over the play we saw in phase one. So, the new meta is the old meta? It's good for consistency, but it doesn't help the excitement.
Anne Can Still Pick Em: 6-0 today, not that I'm counting this with my overall record. But here's what's happening tomorrow:
Misfits will top Team Dignitas 3-1. The scare against Nomia and the fact that they swept Dig once will have Misfits winning easily.
FNATIC will beat Tempo Storm, 3-1. Tempo will put up a fight, but they are going to be out-drafted and out-played.
Team Dignitas will beat Team 8, 3-2. Don't be surprised if I get this one wrong. Team 8 always fucks up my picks. Team 8 is probably the only NA team capable of beating one of the EU teams.
Tempo Storm will beat GFE, 3-2. I am changing this from my bracket, so it doesn't count if I get this one right. If Tempo wins, it's a loss for me because I picked GFE originally, but I no longer believe in GFE after that second game against FNATIC.
I will be missing the FNATIC vs. Tempo Storm match tomorrow (I have to work every Saturday morning), but the Heroes Esports Twitter account has me covered... or so they say:
Most viewers of Heroes eSports cannot name a single member of Nomia, but they have a lot of international experience under other names. After the game one scare, and a nearly petrifying failed game two core rush by Nomia, Misfits settled down and finished them off, but if they do this tomorrow against Team Dignitas, they are heading for the losers' bracket.What world is this? #Nomia takes game 1 off of @MisfitsGG???? I don't even know! #HGChttps://t.co/32CfA2kzU5— Anne Elise Morrigan (@anne_elise) March 3, 2017
EU > NA: While we probably already knew this going in, Team 8 did hang pretty well with Team Dignitas, taking a map, and while Bakery having to eat a little crow was fun, it execution of Gale Force eSports at the hands of FNATIC was anything but fun.
GFE looked completely out of sorts against FNATIC. To be fair, they made short work of Latin America's Infamous, but Infamous was playing with a sub (see below). The bottom line is that EU looked mostly in control of NA, and that the best NA teams do not look ready for the best that EU has to offer.
Heroes eSports (and eSports in general) has to do a better job with international events and Visas: At two Blizzcons, we have had teams either pull out or be cobbled together (or both) because of visa issues. Infamous, who did not look horrible, suffered from having to get a sub warrior player, who had retired from HotS and was playing Overwatch. This cannot and should not happen. These clashes are really important, especially for the smaller regions who are not getting enough time to shine or compete. This needs to be addressed better than it has been.
ANZ Has Game: Nomia may be exiting the Clash, but they took maps off of Misfits and Team 8. If we are being honest, they almost beat Misfits in what would have been the biggest upset since PBA beat GFE last summer (minor region beating a major region does not happen often). Blizzard needs to consider investing more time and effort into developing the ANZ scene as well as the SEA and Taiwan scenes.
New Meta? What New Meta?: Other than GFE busting out Lucio to a meh record of 1-1, and the considerably fewer instances of Varian, the Lucio patch has not changed things much. Tassadar is still first pick first ban material. Ragnaros is still the most important assassin (the value of Molten Core cannot be overstated. Fight me), followed closely by Zeratul, and the supports are still dominated by Malf and Rehgar, with some Monk sprinkled in. This might be because we only saw best-of-three series today, and perhaps we will see some more Lucio and any Murky tomorrow, but for as fun as Lucio and Murky are, and as impactful as they are in solo queue, it doesn't seem like they will make their way to the competitive meta any time soon.
But Muradin is back. The loss of Varian's ability to have complete lockdown has made Muradin viable as a tank again, not that he wasn't, but he did see some fall off over the play we saw in phase one. So, the new meta is the old meta? It's good for consistency, but it doesn't help the excitement.
Anne Can Still Pick Em: 6-0 today, not that I'm counting this with my overall record. But here's what's happening tomorrow:
Misfits will top Team Dignitas 3-1. The scare against Nomia and the fact that they swept Dig once will have Misfits winning easily.
FNATIC will beat Tempo Storm, 3-1. Tempo will put up a fight, but they are going to be out-drafted and out-played.
Team Dignitas will beat Team 8, 3-2. Don't be surprised if I get this one wrong. Team 8 always fucks up my picks. Team 8 is probably the only NA team capable of beating one of the EU teams.
Tempo Storm will beat GFE, 3-2. I am changing this from my bracket, so it doesn't count if I get this one right. If Tempo wins, it's a loss for me because I picked GFE originally, but I no longer believe in GFE after that second game against FNATIC.
I will be missing the FNATIC vs. Tempo Storm match tomorrow (I have to work every Saturday morning), but the Heroes Esports Twitter account has me covered... or so they say:
— Heroes Esports (@HeroesEsports) March 3, 2017
@anne_elise @FNATIC @Tempo_Storm We are watching the games and clipping awesome moments. Think it's just a great minds think alike thing 😍— Heroes Esports (@HeroesEsports) March 3, 2017
— Heroes Esports (@HeroesEsports) March 3, 2017
— Anne Elise Morrigan (@anne_elise) March 3, 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Predictions and Four Reasons for the #HGC Western Clash
I really wish that Blizzard had provided us with a bracket challenge of some kind. I feel like this is a missed opportunity to get more people to watch what should be some decent matches. Because they didn't, I had to resort to a screen shot and a copy pasta to give you my bracket of how I think the Western Clash will go:
The winner of the Western Clash, barring a major upset, will be Misfits.
So, here are some predictions for the matches:
Prediction 1: ANZ and LA will both go 0-2 in both of their matches. I would like to be surprised by Nomia or by Infamous, but it's not going to happen. No matter what, there just isn't enough competition in the Western minor regions for them to be prepared. Poor Nomia has the worst draw and might turn in nothing but sub 15 minute games.
Prediction 2: EU teams will take all three top spots. Not only are Misfits, FNATIC, and Dignitas better than all of the NA teams, but Playing Ducks could win this if they were the only EU team, and they are currently fifth in the region. NA has very little hope.
Prediction 3: We will see two matches of Misfits vs. FNATIC. Misfits will have to beat FNATIC twice to win this in straight sets. This will be the continuation of their epic series from earlier in the season and you would be crazy to miss a minute.
Now, I have been down on NA a lot recently. I called the bottom three teams in NA the "Oh Somebody Kill Me Please" division, and I'm not taking any of that back. Where as EU matches have all been solid contests with small mistakes, the pile of major NA misplays keeps growing. Check my clip collection on my Twitter feed when NA is playing, and you'll see what I mean. That said, I am cheering for NA. Yes, Misfits is my favorite team, other than Superstars (who are obviously not here), but we need NA to be strong and to have a good showing. So, here's four reasons why NA can win, but probably won't:
Cauthonluck: If Tempo Storm is going to prevail in any match, they are going to need Cauthon to play out of his mind. In past LANs, as part of Cognative, Brain Power, and Murloc Geniuses, Cauthon has carried his team with sound positioning and lethal accuracy. Tempo needs an A+ game, each and every map from Cauthon, or they are dead.
Michael Udall: If adrd is the mad genius of EU, then Udall is NA's Captain Ahab: a charismatic, single-minded, focused leader chasing the White Whale. Spoiler, that chase doesn't end well for Ahab, and Udall will have to make better decisions in all phases of Gale Force eSport's games. He needs mistake free drafts and perfect, near psychic shot-calling, of which he is capable, but it's almost impossible to do it 100% of the time.
Glaurung: Hands down, in all phases of the game, Glau has become the best player in all of NA (*mic drop* Fight me!). His reputation for being cocky and brash is not that well deserved, and there is no one harder working and more self-critical than Glau. This kid has punched above his weight class, leading a rag-tag team that wasn't supposed to be here into the Western Clash and contention for the NA crown. Expect to be surprised.
This is the first time we will have competitive HotS on the Lucio patch: New support, major reworks, and Murky means we have no idea what the competitive meta looks like and what has developed. Based on what we saw in the first five weeks of league play, EU had a better grasp of the meta and played much cleaner games. The scrim metas that have developed and the tournament meta that will develop is unknown, and there is no way to know who really has the advantage until the first two rounds are in. Yes, you should expect EU to win, but this patch might favor NA in ways we cannot predict.
Can an NA team win the Western Clash? Yes.
Which NA team has the best chance? Team 8.
Will an NA team win the Western Clash? No. Misfits will win.
Will an NA team finish in the top three? It would take a miracle.
NA, prove me wrong. I am so desperately wanting you to prove me wrong and show that this region has strength. We need a good showing, not just for the region, but for the health of the game. Make no mistake, EU is coming for you. I have one word for all of NA:
Win.
The winner of the Western Clash, barring a major upset, will be Misfits.
So, here are some predictions for the matches:
Prediction 1: ANZ and LA will both go 0-2 in both of their matches. I would like to be surprised by Nomia or by Infamous, but it's not going to happen. No matter what, there just isn't enough competition in the Western minor regions for them to be prepared. Poor Nomia has the worst draw and might turn in nothing but sub 15 minute games.
Prediction 2: EU teams will take all three top spots. Not only are Misfits, FNATIC, and Dignitas better than all of the NA teams, but Playing Ducks could win this if they were the only EU team, and they are currently fifth in the region. NA has very little hope.
Prediction 3: We will see two matches of Misfits vs. FNATIC. Misfits will have to beat FNATIC twice to win this in straight sets. This will be the continuation of their epic series from earlier in the season and you would be crazy to miss a minute.
Now, I have been down on NA a lot recently. I called the bottom three teams in NA the "Oh Somebody Kill Me Please" division, and I'm not taking any of that back. Where as EU matches have all been solid contests with small mistakes, the pile of major NA misplays keeps growing. Check my clip collection on my Twitter feed when NA is playing, and you'll see what I mean. That said, I am cheering for NA. Yes, Misfits is my favorite team, other than Superstars (who are obviously not here), but we need NA to be strong and to have a good showing. So, here's four reasons why NA can win, but probably won't:
Cauthonluck: If Tempo Storm is going to prevail in any match, they are going to need Cauthon to play out of his mind. In past LANs, as part of Cognative, Brain Power, and Murloc Geniuses, Cauthon has carried his team with sound positioning and lethal accuracy. Tempo needs an A+ game, each and every map from Cauthon, or they are dead.
Michael Udall: If adrd is the mad genius of EU, then Udall is NA's Captain Ahab: a charismatic, single-minded, focused leader chasing the White Whale. Spoiler, that chase doesn't end well for Ahab, and Udall will have to make better decisions in all phases of Gale Force eSport's games. He needs mistake free drafts and perfect, near psychic shot-calling, of which he is capable, but it's almost impossible to do it 100% of the time.
Glaurung: Hands down, in all phases of the game, Glau has become the best player in all of NA (*mic drop* Fight me!). His reputation for being cocky and brash is not that well deserved, and there is no one harder working and more self-critical than Glau. This kid has punched above his weight class, leading a rag-tag team that wasn't supposed to be here into the Western Clash and contention for the NA crown. Expect to be surprised.
This is the first time we will have competitive HotS on the Lucio patch: New support, major reworks, and Murky means we have no idea what the competitive meta looks like and what has developed. Based on what we saw in the first five weeks of league play, EU had a better grasp of the meta and played much cleaner games. The scrim metas that have developed and the tournament meta that will develop is unknown, and there is no way to know who really has the advantage until the first two rounds are in. Yes, you should expect EU to win, but this patch might favor NA in ways we cannot predict.
Can an NA team win the Western Clash? Yes.
Which NA team has the best chance? Team 8.
Will an NA team win the Western Clash? No. Misfits will win.
Will an NA team finish in the top three? It would take a miracle.
NA, prove me wrong. I am so desperately wanting you to prove me wrong and show that this region has strength. We need a good showing, not just for the region, but for the health of the game. Make no mistake, EU is coming for you. I have one word for all of NA:
Win.
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