Blizzard’s Hearthstone Global Games 2017 has been an intense tournament, involving national teams from 48 countries: 28 from Europe, seven from the Americas and 13 from Asia Pacific.
Now, after two round robin group stages and the round of 16, the competition has reached its quarter-final stages, where only eight countries remain: China, the Czech Republic, United States, New Zealand, Mexico, South Korea, Ukraine and the Netherlands.
The format used for this event helps promote diversity, as each player selects two classes to play that cannot be used by anyone else (with one participant per team designated as an “Ace Player” that is granted an additional class). Classes typically shunned, such as Hunter and Warlock, have consequently seen play, helping show the many different ways a Hearthstone event can be played.
China Set to Edge out the Czechs
The team with the most momentum heading into the quarter-finals is China, who are currently riding a nine-game win streak dating back to the first group stage segment. JasonZhou, OmegaZero and crew find themselves against another squad coming off a good round-of-16 win, the Czech Republic, who got the better of the Greeks.
China look to have the edge in this match-up, given their star players’ wealth of ability. One problem for China, however, could be the synergy of pokrovac and StanCifka, both of whom are members of Misfits. While unlikely to be any sort of major factor, the like-mindedness that these players play with could assist in team cohesion, giving them a small advantage over a series of players thrown together.
USA Possess Strength in Depth
Arguably the line-up with the most depth, the United States give themselves a chance to win no matter who is at the helm. While every player is fairly recognisable, the two that particularly stand out are Firebat and Amnesiac. In Firebat’s case, his talents were originally put on display in the first Hearthstone Championships at Blizzcon 2014, where he took first place. Ever since then, the Cloud9 representative has been a staple of the community as a high-end talent, player, and personality.
On the other side of the coin is Amnesiac, who continues his ascension from late last year. Seen as one of the most talented players in all of Hearthstone, the 16-year-old is the key factor for the Americans given his wealth of knowledge and talent. No matter the opponent, underestimating Amnesiac and company would be a mistake. The United States do find themselves in a difficult match-up, however, facing off against New Zealand. After getting off to a slow start at 1-1, New Zealand won six straight matches before heading into the round of 16, where they barely scraped by Canada 3-2.
New Zealand Bring the Unknown Factor
While having limited action on the world stage gives New Zealand an experience disadvantage, their limited time in the limelight also gives the Americans difficulties in scouting them. The United States are expected to perform, but it’s difficult to judge the wildcards of New Zealand.
The bottom side of the bracket shapes up to be an intense fight to the finals, with Mexico versus South Korea and Ukraine versus Netherlands. Mexico are similar to New Zealand in that both came in as fairly large unknowns that have subsequently shown incredible promise. The first seed in both sections of group play, Mexico have established themselves as a legitimate threat to make it all the way to the finals. South Korea, however, signify a tough challenge, with a star-studded lineup that includes the likes of Handsomeguy and Kranich. South Korea have been one of the teams willing to play the less popular classes, giving them a level of depth Mexico do not contain.
Ukraine Remain One to Watch
The Ukranian squad, which includes Blizzcon 2016 runner-up DrHippi and long-time top-tier player Kolento, look to have the edge in the bottom portion of the bracket. Having two players with that much skill gives Ukraine an absurd advantage heading into almost any match-up. For the Netherlands, it’s all about ThijsNL, a player considered among the best for years. If the G2 eSports man gets paired against Kolento or DrHippi and he pulls off the victory, then this could be one of the best – not to mention most star-studded – series of the whole tournament.
So far, it’s been a fascinating event and a potential precursor to more international team play in eSports. Individual teams have been the order of the day for most tournaments, but Blizzard’s willingness to look at international play is, on the surface, a positive wrinkle.
