Gold Cup, Global Games this week in Hearthstone was so action packed, I almost tore my hair out from watching all the plays. Big matches and big throws all around lads! There are upcoming tourneys and majors as well and we will be doing a preview of those. Now, we shall be doing a recap of the performers, and underperformers this week.
Gold Cup
First, let’s kick it off with the Gold Cup. It has been an exciting week with the Chinese players taking on the EU superstars. Lots and lots of Hearthstone action. We have seen Secret Mage and the awfully powerful Jade Shaman making waves in this tournament. There were 2 groups of 8 players each, with only the top 4 of each division entering the playoffs.
For Group A, China’s OmegaZero sits at the helm with only one loss from the first stage. Just below him sits his fellow countryman Doggg, who gave OmegaZero his only loss, with a win-loss record of 5-2. On the third slot, also with 5-2 is Sweden’s Orange who was a finalist as well at ESWC. And the fourth spot is occupied by Xixo from Germany with a 3-4. These 4 will enter the playoffs being in the top 4. The rest of A party includes Germany’s SuperJJ, Romania’s RDU, China’s LvGE, all with 3-4 win-loss records. The last man in the group was China’s Lovelychook. He took the championship last year winning $200,000. This year though he won’t be able to defend his title with a meager record of 0-7.
In Group B, we have World Champion Pavel with an undefeated record. He is the only remaining player with no stain on his record yet. Next up is StanCifka of the Czech Republic with 5-2. The third and fourth spots are occupied by Chinese guys Trunks and XHope with the same win-loss record of 4-3. They will be heading to the playoffs as well to face the Division A top four. Included in this group who will not be advancing are Kolento from the Ukraine, Pavel’s countryman and HGG team mate ShtanUdachi both with 3-4 records, and 2 Chinese players Hamster and JasonZhou both with 1-6.
With an impressive list of names in the playoff round, we will be seeing who will take home the Ferrari. Will another Chinese gamer defend their crown, or will a player from EU drive the supercar home?
Global Games
Now we head over to the Global Games, where teams fight for their country’s pride. This week’s games show us teams under performing and also tells us squads who are inform right now.
Let’s start with Italy‘s hot streak. They finished Finland off in an Ace match to be the only undefeated team in Group D. Before the Global Games started, I myself predicted that Italy was going to be in the top three, with Japan taking the helm. Boy, I was wrong. Japan is in a miserable last spot in D faction while the Italians are going Mama Mia all the way to the top.
Next up on the list is Germany who finally had enough. The Chancellor would be proud as Lifecoach, SuperJJ and the gang pounded the Croatian team into oblivion. They are currently fourth in Group H, sitting behind my team, the Philippines. Will we be seeing a German rise to the top three here? Let’s wait and see what happens.
The third match this week was against the Austrians and the Argentinians. Argentina took this win barely with PNC winning comfortably in the Ace Match. The Argentinians currently sit first in Group C with a 3-1 record while Austria is currently with Australia at the bottom of the pit. I’m really excited to see how Argentina fares against the overly stacked team of Russia with their current form.
The fourth matchup of the week was against the Danes and the Canadians. So far, Denmark is the only team that took a game away from Canada when FreddyB destroyed APxVoiD with his Shaman deck. Regardless of that though, The Canadians still defeated the Danes 3-1 with an impressive display of power. The Canucks currently sit first in Group F with a 3-0 match record. The Danes, however, sit third with their 1-1 record.
The fifth matchup of the week was the Japanese playing the Chileans. This was an utter disappointment as the Japanese got #Rekt by the Chileans in a 1-3 match. Japan is underperforming while the Chileans slowly climb up the ladder for qualification in the second leg of the Global Games. I had high hopes for you Japan.
Final matchup is between the Mexicans and the Singaporeans. The Mexicans made tacos and burritos out of the Lions from SEA. So far, the Singaporeans haven’t registered a win in Group G yet while the Mexicans sit second, just behind the Turks. Almost all of the SEA teams are performing in their groups while the Singaporeans lag behind.
In other news, Blizzard is going to host their first Major Tour in Japan with the live playoffs on May 14. It will feature players mostly from APAC. It will be a Conquest format of play with 4 picks plus one ban. The prize pool for this event is a whopping 1 million yen, with the top 16 receiving Hearthstone Championship Tour points as well. We will be seeing some new faces from the APAC region competing for this event.
We also have the World Division of the StarLadder series running from May 12-30. The tournament has a $30,000 prize pool and all the big names and some rising stars gathering for the said event. The winners of the qualifiers will advance to the main event in July with a much bigger prize pool and more prestige.
So, lads, that’s all the action that happened this week. Be sure to come back and check us out next week for more Hearthstone action. Once again, this is your boy Karmakeddon, and you lads stay cheeky! Good luck!
