Blizzcon Group B

Late, I know. Busy. No excuses. Here we go.

FNATIC is winning this group. It will be straight sweeps and on to the quarters.

What?

OK. FINE!

Match 1: FNATIC over Dark Sided

Yes, Dark Sided unseated fan favorite and regular at internationals, Nomia. It won't help them. The Swedish Backstreet Boys are going to run them over. You can safely skip this match.

Match 2: Team Freedom over Beyond the Game

#2 NA vs. #3 China. China is really hurting with the disbanding of EStar. Team Freedom has exploded with the addition of Kure, and they are the American team most likely to make the playoff stage. Expect a fast victory as TF is looking ahead to FNATIC.

Winners' Match: FNATIC over Team Freedom

Even if Team Freedom had an extra month to prepare, it wouldn't help. FNATIC is going to shut them out. All signs point to this being the crowning of FNATIC. Team Freedom is a speed bump.

Losers' Match: Dark Sided over Beyond the Game???

That was not a typo. Nomia was a good team on the verge of breaking into the global scene as a threat from a minor region. DS beat them. China is, without EStar, the weakest major region. ANZ's top team can and should beat the #3 team from China. First close match through.

Deciders' Match: Team Freedom over Dark Sided

A win over a Chinese team should give Dark Sided some confidence, but Team Freedom should easily dispatch them. Make no mistake about it. Team Freedom is built to compete on the global stage. They may not be able to face the top tier Korean or European teams... yet. Team Freedom only lacks the experience to compete with the top. This won't be close.

So, after two group stages, I have two NA teams making it through, and two Chinese teams going home. This might be a mistake, but I really do see China as a weaker region. Before the break up of EStar, I would have seen China as the third strongest region. Now, NA can take some comfort that they are not the bottom of the major regions, but they are no where near being able to compete with Korea and Europe.

I promise to do a full write up on what NA needs to do to get competitive (hint: stop playing with your friends) after Blizzcon.

Group C and D tomorrow.

Group stages start on Thursday.

I'm sick.